House Painting Project: Before and After Photos

This house painting project, like so many of our others, went from not a priority to an immediate need fast. I was sick of looking at the peeling exterior paint on the plain plywood siding. Not to mention the sad curb appeal. It took some convincing but eventually, I made my case to my husband and he agreed to at least get some quotes.

The first step for anyone about to undertake this type of home improvement is to figure out if this is a project you want to DIY or hire a painting contractor. I knew this answer immediately, I would be hiring this project out. After refreshing our kid’s bathroom over the summer, I swore I would never paint anything ever again. And I meant it.

Finding a Painting Contractor

I’ve learned over the years that the best way to find a good contractor is through referrals. When we did our kitchen remodel, I asked our good friends who they recommended since they have remodeled two homes and the husband works in construction. Their recommendation was fantastic and once again, they came through with their paint guy.

All painting contractors will come and give you a free estimate. I recommend getting 3 different estimates so you can get the going rate for your area. This also gives you some leverage should you need to negotiate. Luckily for us, our friend’s recommendation was friendly, professional and his quote couldn’t be beaten.

When we met, I asked about:

• What was the process like? How much prep was there and what did we need to do to make the exterior house painting project a success.
• Was capable of doing some of the additional carpentry I was looking to have done?
• What his timeline would be?
• What was included in his quote?

Exterior House Paint: Before and After Photos

It was obvious that our house hadn’t been painted in a VERY long time, plus it just didn’t reflect our style. I wanted to update not just the exterior paint color but also add some character and detail to the house without blowing our budget. The plywood siding and stucco, while boring and dated, was still in good condition so there was no sense in taking on a full siding project. Our painting contractor added some planking to give the plywood areas a board and baton look, saving us THOUSANDS of dollars.

We went with Sherwin Williams Rock Bottom for the house color and Reserved White for the trim.

Other Curb Appeal Design Elements

I wanted to bring in some natural elements to break up all the dark paint. The shelf around the front windows was the perfect spot to bring in some wood. The horizontal panels make the house feel more modern and breaking up the dark color.

I ordered these lights and this house number. The lights are dusk to dawn lights that go on automatically. They also have motion sensors to brighten the light if there is activity. The numbers were handmade and took about a month to get here but man, were they worth the wait.

I bought 1×4’s from Lowes and sanded/stained them to match the numbers I ordered. I used Golden Oak stain and then we sealed them with an outdoor poly. Our house painting contractor attached them to the front shelf in under two hours.

This house painting project provided the dramatic update that I wanted. The dark paint, new siding, and natural wood elements gave this 1979 track house some much needed personality.