Decked...

Our cedar deck has been showing its age. So we decided to try fixing some boards and freshen it up. We decided to go with SealMaxx. They came a couple of weeks ago to power wash the deck. In a few weeks they'll be back to apply the stain. We'll see over time if it was a wise decision. We'll put some photos on when the work is complete.

It looks like a contraption made by Wile E. Coyote...

Uh-huh...

Still picking a door...

We're still mulling over our choices for our front door. We plan on putting in a fiberglass door (most likely a ThermaTru). We like the Thermatru American Style Collection door though we have concerns that even without the optional dentil it may clash with our "garrison colonial" house.

So with the magic of the MS-Windows paint utility, Paul threw together some rough images of some possible door combinations and colours. Note that currently the molding around the door is the colour of the house. We're wondering if we should paint it white...or if we should keep it the same colour as the house to keep a balance with the other side (since it's a big picture window, there's not an awful lot of white except the trim around the window).

Because we live in Minnesota and the door goes directly into our front room, we need a storm door. Otherwise we would get some condensation on the hardware (because it gets somewhat cold outside here and we have to run a central humidifier here---it's a dry cold here). The problem with a storm door is that it's only available in limited quantities...unless you have one cu$tom made. Figure about $800 for a custom made aluminum one (with custom colour).

The house front as it is now...
...notice how the white storm door makes things look even worse...

Option A: Leave trim colour of house, oak stained front door.

Option B: Leave trim colour of house, black front door.
The nice thing about a black door is if we ever change the house colour...

Option C: Paint trim white, white 3/4 light door
The nice thing about this kind of door is might mimic the height of the windows

Option D: Paint trim white, oak stained front door.

Option E: Paint trim white, white front door.

Option F: Leave trim colour of house, door colour of shutters.

Option G: Leave trim colour of house, oak stained front door.

Spring buddies...

Yesterday, best buddies Sammy and Veto shared a window Paul opened up to let fresh air in.

Me and you...a two man crew...

Closing one door, opening another...

Having been in our house for ten years, we figure it's time to change our front door. The picture below sums it up pretty sadly, it's a 1959 door that is painted and (as you get ever closer) ugly. When we did our kitchen remodel, we replaced our side and rear doors with fiberglass ones and were pretty happy with them.

So we are thinking of replacing our front door with a Thermatru American Style Collection door with the natural oak stain on the exterior (and painted white on the interior since our interior trim is white). We won't get the optional dentil shelf since it won't go with the style of our house. And the glass would be clear (again because we don't want it to be too missionary).

Any thoughts out there? Do you think this would look bad? Should we make the exterior of the door white? We don't plan on putting on a storm door-- do you think we should? Do you think we should paint white the trim around the exterior of our front door?

Our house with our ugly front door...

A man with a plan...

Back in 2003 we had a local landscape architect draw up some plans for our small front yard. A year later we actually implemented it using a local nursery. The landscape architect is a bit of a character. He gave us the plan but never wrote down the plant types. (He told us we would receive them by mail, but we never did...perhaps because we didn't go with his friend's nursery). In the end, we chose a local nursery and the guy took his best shot at the plant types.

The landscape architect made a big deal when he presented the plans of giving all the plant names in their Latin terms (perhaps to impress us). When he finished, he paused...presumably it was his hint we were supposed to hoist him on our shoulders and carry him around our living room chanting his name. We actually liked his plan, though Paul couldn't help but needle him just a little bit. What follows is pretty much part of that conversation...

ARCHITECT: ...arborvitae , tilia cordata, quomodo invidiosulus nomine grinchus Christi natale abrogaverit, ex nihilo, reductio ad absurdum...

(Long pause as he waits for praise)

ARCHITECT: Well, what do you think?
PAUL: Well, it seems fine and all...but...
ARCHITECT: Fine? Is something wrong?
PAUL: Well, it is missing something...
ARCHITECT: What?
PAUL: Well, it's missing something right out in the front by the street.
ARCHITECT: What?!?!
PAUL: One of those little jockey statues holding a lantern.

(At this moment the architect tries to swallow but can't. His face gets red. He stops breathing)

MICHELE: Stop that Paul! (to architect) He's just kidding!

(architect starts to breath again)

The original plan with plant types written in by local nursery guy...
...rain spots were acquired when local nursery guy left plan out in rain...

The Return of the "Lumberjack"...

He swings through that tree,
with the greatest of ease,
that half crazy man,
in my neighbor's elm tree.

Seven months later, the "lumberjack" has returned to finish cutting down our neighbors elm tree. Paul managed to catch a short clip of him high up cutting sections down in a very safe manner.

Notice how he uses the chainsaw with one hand...