Front porch front: a concise orientation before we get practical.
Front porch front: Quick notes
Yesterday, the city finally finished up the work they’ve been doing on our street. Our new curb was poured about a week-and-a-half ago, and then about a week ago, they poured the last section of our sidewalk that they had to tear out in order to pour the new curb. And then for about a week, it seemed like the project was at a standstill. The orange and white barrel things (I have no idea what those are called) were still there. The street in front of the curb still wasn’t finished.
But it was finally finished yesterday, the barrels were taken away, and the equipment has all been taken away. So I’m guessing they’re finished. I had hoped that they would completely repave the street, but I guess that was too much to hope for. That’s okay, though. I’m very happy that we at least got a new curb and I no longer have an eyesore of a crumbling curb with a significant dip in it.
It was when they started that whole project about a month ago that I thought to myself that this would be a good time to get outside and finish up some projects on the exterior of our house. I think our house could be so cute, but these unfinished projects are the things that grab attention — the fallen shutter, the unfinished skirting on the front porch, the unfinished door on the bedroom, etc.
While the city was finishing up on the curb and the street, I focused on some other things. I spent a day tearing out the fireplace and planting beds on our back patio. That was more of a diversion for my own sanity week before last because I needed to work out some anxiety and frustration before the events of last week, and there’s no better way to work out anxiety and frustration than to pick up a sledgehammer and break things.
I will be coming back to that in the very near future because I want the whole thing gone before I start working on the next big indoor project (i.e., turning the hallway bathroom into a storage room). So this won’t be left undone for long.
But then after the stress of last week, I needed to do something fun and pretty, so I installed the wallpaper mural on the entryway wall.
I can’t finish up the entryway and living room refresh just yet because I ordered new lamps and then had to do some minor drywall repair before relocating my bird pictures to their new location in the living room.
So yesterday, after doing those drywall repairs on the living room wall and while waiting for drywall mud to dry, and after seeing that the curb and street work was complete, I decided to spend some time working outside on the front of our house. I had one singular goal — to remove the faux stones that I had applied to the skirting area of the front porch several years ago.
If I remember correctly, the reason that I never got this project done was because of the weather. I got a really good start on applying these faux stones, and then rainy weather set in and I couldn’t finish. And if I’m not mistaken, we had rainy weather for a good two weeks. Well, by the time the rain had cleared, I was well into another project and I just never went back to this. And now, after years of these faux stones (which are supposed to be painted when used outdoors) being exposed to the weather, they were all crumbly and needed to come off.
Here’s a better picture that I took the last time I stained the front porch so you can see just how far I got with the faux stone project before I stopped.
It only took me about an hour-and-a-half to get the stones and the adhesive removed, and because they were so crumbly after being exposed to the elements for so long, they came off pretty easily. It was actually more difficult to remove the adhesive than it was to remove the stones, but it all came off pretty easily with a prybar and a hammer.
But when I was working on that, I realized that this porch needs more repairs than just new skirting. I knew that the lumber I used on the front porch wasn’t holding up well, but I only ever really saw it from the front. I hadn’t been paying attention to the side of the porch, and this is in even worse condition than the front boards.
I had been noticing this area by the top step, and I’ve watching this area deteriorate more and more with each passing year, so I knew this needed to be replaced.
To be honest with you, I have no idea why I even used real lumber on those areas. I used PVC boards on the steps, and while those need a really good cleaning, the boards themselves are in perfect condition. So I have no idea why I didn’t just continue the PVC boards around the rest of the porch. But I’m going to do that this time. From now on, I’ll never use real lumber on outdoor projects. I’ll only be using PVC or composite boards for any outdoor projects.
But at least I got all of the faux stone off of the porch, and now I can replace those rotting boards and continue on with completing the skirting. I’m not quite sure exactly how I want the skirting to look, but I do know that I want it to be white and I’ll be using PVC boards to cover the concrete. I still need to work out the details, but I’m envisioning something similar to this.
Photo by MGM Builders – Search porch pictures
It’s not much progress yet, but at least I’m rid of those crumbly faux stones now, and I can start planning how I’m going to finish the front porch. I’m not sure which project I’ll be focusing on this weekend because the new lamps for the entryway are out for delivery today, so I’ll be tempted to focus on that and get the entryway and living room finished. And it will also probably depend on the weather. If we have beautiful weather, I’ll want to be outside. But right now, it’s looking like it might pour down rain any minute. So, we’ll see!
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
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