The Historic District

And now I have another idea, but I am not sure it's a good one. I believe my gutters are going to look weird being against all that wood. I thought about painting them green to match the roof, then thought about painting them butter yellow to match the house, but then I thought--can I spray them with Rustoleum so they look like copper? Is that a good idea, or no?

SouthernLady wrote:And now I have another idea, but I am not sure it's a good one. I believe my gutters are going to look weird being against all that wood. I thought about painting them green to match the roof, then thought about painting them butter yellow to match the house, but then I thought--can I spray them with Rustoleum so they look like copper? Is that a good idea, or no?

Give it a try se if you like the result. If they are plastic it might flake, if they are metal it should be fine. Real copper gutters actually just go plain brown pretty quickly.

SouthernLady,

I'm not fond of gutters because of looks and maintenance. I dug back from the roof's drip line back to the foundation and laid heavy plastic pitched away from the foundation. I covered the plastic with pea stone. It helps keep the dirt from splashing up and gives the house a cleaner look aesthetically.

If you must keep the gutters, consider painting them the trim color. It may help keep from drawing attention to them. A downspout mid-wall may need to be painted the same color as the clapboard. You'll have to try it to see how it looks. Another option on the downspouts is to replace them with rain chains. http://www.hayneedle.com/outdoor/rain-chains_list_169132

Jeff

Southernlady, if you are thinking of copper, why not try your hand at faux verdigris. If done correctly at the hight they are mounted no one will never be close enough to see they are faux.

Be careful about that butter yellow (that's if you want it because it's original, not because you really like it) - it might just be very badly yellowed white or cream! Oil-based paints yellow like crazy, especially in darkness (the most extreme case I've ever seen was a casement window - the outside was white but the sides facing the jamb were completely yellow). Actually I've seen blue paint turned green by that effect!
If you happen to like the colour, do whatever you feel like, great choice!

Benjamin Moore do a really nice off white called Navajo White (IIRC) I have it on the ceiling of my bathroom. It looks very much like older white paint, warmer, not the blue white you get when you buy "white".

Congrats on starting the siding removal! I eagerly await the restoration!

Tomorrow begins day two of siding removal! Last Saturday was extremely, extremely cold--too cold to be outside longer than it took to let the dog out... I hope to get the whole kitchen side stripped tomorrow. I anticipate there to be no siding on the connector addition, so the aluminum may remain there until I can get a friend to help me put up new wood siding on that part. Pictures to follow!

It's been a very productive day around the McCuiston House today. I set out to pull all of the siding off the kitchen and laundry walls, and I succeeded thanks in part to my mom. There were only two minor issues which I hope to resolve in the next few weeks. The only rot to be seen was on two planks at the far left corner of the house. It appears this damage happened while the house was abandoned and growth had isolated the corner. I will ask a carpenter-friend of mine about replacing these bottom two planks with that rot-proof board. The only other issue is one rafter tail that has been knocked off due to gutter installation not being done correctly. It also looks to be an easy fix.

I had a late start today due to picking up some resin wicker patio furniture for my pool area that I scored for a dirt-cheap price--cushions included! I know the pool isn't period-correct for this old place, but I do love it (of course!), and I am trying to do everything around it in such a way that it blends as best as I can make it with the rest of the house and the late Victorian period.



Yes, it's not the Victorian style, but it is resin wicker, and on a limited budget I am happy with it. I plan to pick up the other side table and coffee table next weekend.

Pool furniture picked up and placed--now on to the big project!


Here she is, the summer of 2014, when all that had been done was some landscape cleanup.

Since then, the following has been done:

Table pole thing removed and replaced with patio table and chairs
Brick patio re-leveled and repaired
Raised bed cleaned out and ready for low-height boxwoods and bird bath/fountain and flowers later this summer.
Grill and small fire pit purchased. Woot woot!
More landscaping done.
Most importantly--kitchen stoop stripped of siding.

Some friends came by today since they saw me working and declared I had lost my ever-lovin' mind for removing the "perfectly good" siding and exposing "nasty, rotting wood". Right.

Little video I sent when I uncovered the kitchen window:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/110884625@N07/25161185595/in/datetaken/

Yes, I am as excited as a 10-year-old on Christmas morning...

And the results of today's efforts:



Hopefully, next Saturday will be warm enough for me to do a light pressure wash and start filling in nail holes.

Southernlady, I see the giddy smile of an eight year old at Christmas, rather than a ten year old. Nice to see the siding only needs minor repairs and maintenance to bring it back to life. Look forward to seeing the finished product. Didn't realize you had so many chimneys. And in such good condition. I'll have to look back in your posts but the chimney to the right, looks like it searved a summer kitchen connected to the main house with a breezeway before enclosure. The style of the chimney just looks older than the middle one.