I can’t believe I’m going to air my dirty laundry here …
… out in public for all you readers to see …
But I can’t possibly boast about the “after” of this porch project without sharing the “before” …
So I hold my head in shame as I show you what I started with …
… I know, it was pretty embarrassing.
A well-traveled path to the front door had splintered the wood …
… even Ernie the beagle looks embarrassed …
In my own defense, I planned to rebuild. That was three years and two estimates ago. Life — and some big ticket expenses that go along with life — kept getting in the way. All the while the porch fell into even greater disrepair.
With limited resources (read: cash) I used caulk and wood filler and paint to try and extend the life of my failing (and ugly) porch. You can read more about the sordid “what I did” details here.
Once … after lots of blood, sweat, and tears … I had the porch looking like this…
… it was time to dress her up.
I toyed with numbering the stairs in my newly redecorated entry (here) … but was worried it would look too busy.
H o w e v e r . . . the freshly painted front porch was another story …
The best part: this five dollar project took all of fifteen minutes …
The finishing touch … and perhaps my favorite … is the rug I painted directly onto the front porch landing (see the full ‘how to’ tutorial here) …
It makes me me happy every time I walk up the steps.
You can’t really see it from the sidewalk, so it’s like a secret surprise waiting for my guests …
When all was said and done …
… I’m pretty sure I heard my neighbors breathe a collective sigh of relief.
In hindsight, I think I put off this project because I thought it was impossible for me to do anything … that it was either all or nothing … that I needed a carpenter and power tools …
It wasn’t until I was able to “Imagine the Impossibilities” that I realized I could do this on my own. All that was needed was a little hard work … a few easy to get and inexpensive materials … and a lot of sweat equity
Now I’d like to invite all of you amazing Remodelaholics readers to imagine your own “impossibilities” … (click here or on the button for more information) …
It’s the “Imagine the Impossibilities” challenge that culminates in a January 31 multi-blog link party! I’ll be taking on the dreaded vaulted ceiling in my master bedroom …
I’ve been avoiding that particular “impossibility” for 4 years …
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