Since we upgraded the porch foundation.  Well, technically created one.  I needed to do something about our house foundation. 

When we replaced the basement windows we knew we would need to paint the blocks since the grout sills made it look unfinished.  That was almost five years ago! 

Not only were the sills raw grout, but there were spots that Mike patched with concrete, and areas where the stone had started to deteriorate.

I honestly didn’t know what color to paint it, and then it became one of those unfinished projects you know longer see.  After adding in the faux stone base on the porch, I finally had a direction.  I took a piece of the stone panel to Sherwin Williams and had them color match to the darker stones, but realized that SW7019 Gauntlet Gray was a perfect match.  I got a gallon of SuperPaint in Satin.

It was actually pretty easy to paint.  I grabbed Mike’s creeper and scooted my way down the drive and used a small roller with a 3/4” nap and an angled brush.

It went on pretty thick and I thought I got away with only 1 coat, but in the different light I can see some spots that are a little thin.  That’s okay because I only did the one side!  That’s right we’ve been living the last few weeks with one side a different color.  When I get the energy I’ll do the other side.  We’ve removed some of the plants so it should be easier, but it’s all garden beds and mulch over there so I can’t use the creeper :(

But this is the side I see everyday so I’m still happy!

I only went as far as I could reach under the deck.  You can’t see it unless you get under there, but I promise never to make fun of painting around things again. 

The window sills look so much better now that they blend in with the rest of the block.

And I’m not sure what will happen to the deteriorating block over here now that I’ve covered it in paint, but I do know that it’ll give it a little more protection, and if it starts looking crappy again I can always paint it!

A pulled back photo shows how the new porch faux foundation now matches the house foundation.

It’s not a huge difference, like a new house color or anything, but it’s something I’ve wanted to change for years, and it feels awesome to finally have (half of it) done!

We also capped the porch and started landscaping again.

We added the boxwoods and hostas back, and so far they don’t seem to have been that traumatized by the moves.  We’ll see next year. 

This detail shows how Mike capped the railing and beefed it up.  He used the Azek trim to cap it, then ripped down pieces to finish off below.  We still have to fill all the holes, but from far away you can’t tell, so we’re in no hurry!

In other super exciting news, we got a new mailbox!  We went back and forth on something DIY’d, or super modern, but in the end we went with something similar to our old box, just bigger with simple lines.  Mike made the flag that attached to the side with a magnet.  Maybe I’ll have him disassemble it to show how he made it.

We’ve made some garden beds around the house and yard, and plan to use the dwindling days of summer to get the outside looking as good as the inside, finally!