Installment 1: Scrape it, fix it, sand it, prime it, paint it

I plan to do regular postings this summer updating the status of the exterior restoration work on my house. To bring everyone up to speed very quickly –
*I bought my house on Cedar Bough Place about four years ago
*Two years ago I removed vinyl siding – aka “the point of no return”
*I had bad luck with a contractor and the house was untouched for the first year
*I eventually said “screw it” and started doing the work myself (with a ton of help)

I truly had no idea what I was doing. I’d painted interior rooms but never had attempted anything that approached the entire exterior of a home.

I bought books, went to workshops, asked friends for advice and eventually got started. It has been maddening, frustrating, painful, and time consuming. I’ve broken windows, put holes in my roof, fallen off a ladder, and can probably set off airport metal detectors with the amount of lead paint I’ve inhaled and is in my system.

But I wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything. It’s been wonderful. I’m learning new stuff all the time.

This past weekend I started to prep the gable at the front of my house.

I’d known there were some trouble spots up there. But until you start taking the paint off, you never really know what you’re going to find.

How about a gapping hole?

After some sanding, application of wood hardener and wood epoxy, I ended up with this:

I got a coat of primer on it and will finish it up this weekend, time and weather permitting.

Stay tuned for more updates and the after pictures of the gable work.