Cliff May Restovation

I don't either... However, the previous owners of my house must have loved the Smurfs (I feel like I need a trademark somewhere). Either that or they were colorblind. Oddly enough, the interior of my house is not a basketcase at all. In fact, it's relatively clean and original. So you have to wonder, in the summer of 2005, why did my house sit on the market for over 2 months before I bought it? To me, the answer to that question can be answered quite simply: Ugly Smurfey-Blue Trim. In all frankness, if I didn't know that this was a Cliff May house I wouldn't have even gotten out of the car due to the lack of curb appeal.

BEFORE:

Not a day has gone by since moving in that (yes, I realize the irony of the color of my car given my position on the Smurfs) I haven't said aloud, "What were they thinking?" Common logic would dictate that I should paint my Smurfey-Blue trim white. However, this is no normal house. My research indicated that originally, all of the trim (except facia boards) was painted the same color as the house. I'm having a bit of a hard time picturing it, but given how well the rest of the house is designed, I'm going to trust the architect's original vision. At this point I think anything will look better than the present. Remember the old adage when exercising: No Pain. No Gain? I do now...

My garage was filled with 12 paint cans. You'd think that at least one of them would contain the paint for the body color of the house so I could get a brand and color name. Nope. How well does color-matching work? After unscrewing the cover to my electrical panel and a quick trip to Home Depot [Mental Note: I finally feel like I belong at Home Depot now as a homeowner. Before, as a renter, I would always see folks with faucets, plywood, and lighting fixtures. I used to wonder if they knew I was a phoney.] I returned with some matched paint and special primer. Oh yeah, I discovered the previous owners used latex paint on the body but oil-based for the trim. It was getting dark and I was quite done. My neighbor actually saw me out there and decided to help me finish. That's when you know you have good neighbors: they come help you paint your house.

AFTER:

Yup, 100% better.