The Proof is in the Pudding (or exterior paint)

This series of blogs have been almost a year in the making -- a long and rewarding process. I am happy it is close to the end.

Remember, the purpose of my blog is not only to share with friends and family but to also document life in a way I can remember the details. The details give life color and flavor. I don't want forget any of it.

And, so we begin with my planning process.

The proof of the pudding may be in the eating, but isn’t the satisfaction in the making and the anticipation? I think the same can be said for this project.

The planning and preparation was sometimes more joyful and creative than even the end result. It was the hard part, sometimes the messy and difficult part, but that is what made the process fulfilling.

The wall and sliding doors in the office were covered with my work orders.  I did not take any of them down until that specific portion of the work was complete.

During the remodeling process I worked with over 30 tradesmen. It did not take me long to realize I had to be REALLY, REALLY organized.

We are now finally nearing the very end of the process of remodeling, tearing down and putting back up again our new home in Florida.

It often seems like it has taken an extremely long time to complete.  However we did not start the interior until January 9. Every painter, electrician and plumber was 100% booked from August through December finishing work for all the snow birds (retirees) that come to Florida in the winter. We could not start on the interior for four months after buying the house.

We decided to go forward on the landscaping and exterior first while we waited on the other tradesmen for the interior!

Here is the first photo taken on the day we purchased our home.

After the major landscaping was done on the outside and the paint had been applied the house looks so so so so so much better than the original “Floridian Coral.”

Here are the before and after shots. Palms were removed or replaced and stumps ground out of the yard. However the best part is the new color.

BEFORE

AFTER

Along the way there were challenges and a great deal of fun with LW. He loved watching the cement mixer and landscape trucks. I don't think the interior was as much for him.

LW even enjoyed playing with the concrete forms.

"Oma, let me do that!"

After the concrete cured, the texture was applied.

Painting the exterior did not take long, but there were times when I just couldn't watch because the painters had to go up so high.

Even the driveway columns have a new color and new numbers.  Granddaughter MVL helped Hubby D install the numbers.  

We spent a lot of time on the front of the house, however the back was just important.  The back of the house faces the tee box for the 6th hole of the Classic course of the Suntree Golf and Country Club.  It is like having two front yards.

The first thing we did was to add 8 palm trees.

As we added the palms we also dug out a bed for shrubs all the way across the back of the pool enclosure.

 After we finished working in the yard, we started on the interior.  However the work in the front was not finished. We developed a plumbing problem caused by the roots of a large palm.  The palm had to be removed and new pipes installed.

BEFORE -- Here is how the house looked from the golf course. It was rather plain.

AFTER - the palms will take a couple of years to become stately, but it is an improvement from before.

Finally we are done with the front and back yards -- new paint on everything and great landscaping.  Now we were ready to start on the living spaces.  What fun!!!

Cheers, Brenda