So far, the friendliest is this one company for vinyl gates, for which I have an estimate scheduled next week. For the carpet, I went in person to their store, and they were pretty friendly. Both painting contractors that I ended up getting estimates from were not bad either.
For the exterior house paint colors, I'm leaning towards Cocoa for the walls (which goes along with what I had intended for awhile), White for the trim and garage door, and Burnt Crimson for the accent (doors, shutters). I hope it will look good and not be too dark. It's really hard to tell from small swatches. I decided not to go with the lighter browns, because they were too close to grey; and I needed a contrast against the pavers and concrete. With the darker brown, I am able to contrast more with the trim; and I think the white is better than a cream. The accent should provide the pop of color that I need.
12-Oct: The estimates I received for the painting was definitely higher than the ones from a few years back; but, still close to what I had budgeted. I will likely go with the lower priced one, though there is a longer delay to the start of the project.
The carpet estimates are higher than I had hoped for; but, the one I got was close to the one from Home Depot. So, I will probably go with it, since the colors were closer to what I wanted.
I also paid for the door measure, which started the door installation process.
The second gate estimate is scheduled for this week.
14-Oct: It's kind of disconcerting how decisions can change fairly radically within the course of one week:
- For the painting, I ended up not going with the lower priced quote. Even though it was about 10% less, I decided to go with the company that had more experience (30 yrs vs 8 yrs), and was more established (with employees as opposed to just the owner who didn't even have worker's comp). They say they'll be able to start next week, and had even offered to start at the end of this week, which will be better than waiting until next month. Overall, it'll end up being slightly higher than budgeted
- For the carpet company, I found that their license has been suspended due to a worker's comp issue; so, I think it is best if I avoid that. So, I am going to visit a couple of other companies
- The door has been measured, and I should be able to order it this week, and hopefully be able to get the current 20% off promotion
20-Oct: Exterior painting started today. On colors, I decided to drop the accent color since I didn't really like the Crimson when looking at the sample painted on the shutters. I'll just use the white for all the trim and door and shutters. As for the Cocoa brown, I will stay with it since I liked the darker color better than the one with white added.
As for the gate, the estimate was even higher than the last one; though this was likely closer to the actual. While I thought the person who answered the phone was extremely friendly, I was not so impressed with the estimator who came out. I'm considering getting an estimate through Lowe's for the gate.
22-Oct: The first coat of the brown paint went on today, and my first impression is that it is dark. And when it dries, it'll be even darker. I just hope that when the white trim goes on, it will "lighten" it with the contrast. Hopefully when all is done, it'll look nice.
24-Oct: Now that the trim and garage door has been painted, I'm really liking how it has turned out. The contrast between the whites and the dark brown is nice. And comparing before and after pics, I would have to say that it is an improvement. The paint is doing what I intended, drawing more attention to the architectural elements of the house (e.g. the nice wrought iron designs) and less on the hardscape.
I do think that the decisions we make during remodeling does reveal some of who we are, especially for exterior projects. So, I think what the hardscape and painting show about me are that I don't just try to fit in and be like everyone else (e.g. I am the only one with full hardscape in the front yard, the only one with dark colors, etc), and that I try to be practical (i.e. no more watering and mowing the lawn or trimming trees needed).
25-Oct: However, it still seems that the pictures look better than the actual. With the actual, there is a really sharp contrast between the brown and the white; and in the areas where there is a lot of brown on the sides of the house, it really does look very dark and almost looming. And, at night, it is even darker. With the front entry iron gate, it is now painted white. There are many pros and cons. When it was brown, it was less noticeable; but, with the walls painted brown also, it was quite dark in the entry way. With it white, it is quite prominent, but also highlights the other elements of white on the door and window trims. Also, the white is consistent with the other wrought iron structures around the house. I still think that I needed a bold strong color to contrast all the grey concrete and stone. And, it is undeniable that the concrete and stone is now more in the background; and the colors draw one's eyes to the house itself.
Some of the comments I've gotten so far on the house colors: the owner of the painting company said it was unique and made the house look very different; the lead painter said from the very beginning that he liked dark colors and that the house stands out; a lady walking by said that she thought it really looked nice; an older man walked by and really encouraged me by saying that he knew it was a risk going with darker colors but congratulated me on how well it turned out and even complimented me on being smart when it comes to water conservation.
27-Oct: Now that I've been looking at the Before and After, I conclude that the deep-tone does provide the contrast I was looking for against the stone/pavers and white trims. Also, I like the uncluttered clean lines; and am leaning toward not putting anything in the front to detract or clutter, not even pots, garden flags, and such. I did buy some cedar bark to cover the dirt areas, though. I chose cedar over the colored bark, hoping that these will less likely attract additional bugs.
For the carpet, I decided to go with this last company, and it's nice that they turned out to be the least expensive. However, they informed me that the carpet likely will not arrive prior to mid-November.
I stopped by Lowe's to ask about Gate Installation Estimate - they put in a lead and I should be called about scheduling a consultation.
And, I'm still waiting for the Home Depot Door Installer to call me.
28-Oct: One of my neighbors drove by and said that she loved what I did with the place. That makes me happy that at least one of my neighbors like the changes.
13-Nov: Well, I did order the Gate through Home Depot, and they were less expensive than the other estimate I had gotten, so I'm happy about that. The subcontractor is Finyl Vinyl and they order the gate from Active Yards. I decided to go with Juniper (semi-private with picket top), and ended up with the high-end Haven series, probably to meet the minimum cost the company is willing to do an installation for. I chose white to match with my windows and trim.
I did get comments from two other neighbors who said they liked how the exterior now looks. A friend of one neighbor even said that we should all do the same in light of the drought.
26-Nov: Carpets in the bedrooms got installed today. They look good and the colors go well. I am pleased and glad. The exercise room low pile carpet will definitely be better for the exercise machines; and with the padding, still feels better than the original carpet even. And, the carpet in the other rooms really feel cushion-y and has that nice new smell. I'm happy with the outcome and just hope that I can get things put back together before Thanksgiving tomorrow. So, the only major let down were the delays in scheduling. I also have to decide whether I will shave the doors, since two currently scrapes the carpet.
12-Dec: It was nice that the Exterior Paint company called me yesterday to see whether all was well with the paint; so, I took the opportunity to ask once more for some touch-up paint, which they did not leave any previously.
Also, my side garage door was installed Wed. It looks nice, and I even finish painting the trim and brick molding.
My gate install was scheduled for today; but, it's raining hard, so will likely be postponed.
19-Dec: My white vinyl gate with picket top was installed today. It looks nice; and the white vinyl fits in well with the rest of the white on the exterior of my house (trims, windows, doors, iron gates, etc). I can now finally say that I'm done for this year (with only 11 days to spare).
It really has been a busy year of remodeling. I'm pleased with all the interior transformations in the bedrooms. The door and gate may be nicer than I really need; but, they look good. I really like not having a lawn; but, it is definitely unusual for my area. I like the exterior paint, though it is probably darker than I should've gone; though, I don't know whether I would've liked a lighter shade. Well, it's done; and it all looks fine.
