Foundation Face Lift

When I was going to paint the porch railing and the railing plan fell apart (literally), I was frustrated. We finally had nice weather to paint and I needed to paint something. I decided to touch up the gray framing around the stairs and accidentally got a big gray spot on the foundation. Ooops. I was going to clean it up but I noticed how BAD the foundation looked. So many spots where the white paint had chipped away or cracked. It definitely needed repainting all around the house - it's something we've been ignoring for far too long. And the gray splotch actually looked nice - it coordinates so well with the stairs and the shutters. Our neighbor's foundation is gray and I love how it just recedes.

So I gave into the impulse and started painting the foundation with the exterior gray. It looked good. I loved it.  I immediately moved on to the other side of the porch behind the shrubs. Then under the sun room and along the driveway. Finally behind the sun room and the backyard section. Two coats went surprisingly fast with a brush, even with loose paint to scrape and all those nooks and crannies. And I love the look.

The white was neutral, but it stood out. The best way I can describe it is that it seemed to always push forward. And it really highlighted the parts that needed repainting. You can see in these older pictures:

The gray is much better - it really recedes and disappears. Behind the shrubbery it's almost invisible now (vs. the white). And I love how it makes the white trim and the porch pop now (vs. competing with it).

And I love the change behind the patio in the backyard (again it just recedes and almost adds depth to the space). Before:

After:

So it was totally worth the effort. And one last thing we have on the non-urgent to-do list too.