As if the blue and mauve trim inside the house weren’t enough, our exterior trim and siding also needed attention. When we bought the house we knew about four major issues: the roof and furnace, a few problematic trees, and areas of rotten siding and trim that needed replacement and a new paint job. Knowing about these problems ahead of time made the shock easier to handle, but the siding work still proved to be a significant and necessary project.
This hole in the siding was large enough for a bat or mouse to crawl into, which was understandably gross. Some pieces of wood trim and siding were beyond repair and had to be replaced entirely. Much of the remaining exterior needed thorough cleaning, scraping, priming, and two fresh coats of paint to protect it from further rot. Because much of the work was high off the ground and the rot was extensive, we hired professionals. We sought four estimates and chose a local chain called Certa Pro Painters based on their reputation, a neighbor’s recommendation, and the flexible approach they offered, which ultimately saved us some money by letting us handle a few small tasks ourselves.
After selecting a contractor, we faced the color decision. We wanted the siding and trim to be different colors for more visual dimension. The existing cream-on-cream scheme wasn’t bad, but after walking the neighborhood and looking at other brick colonials, we felt inspired to try something that complemented the brick. We settled on a putty tone for the siding—somewhere between brown and gray so it would coordinate with the brick—and a not-too-yellow, not-too-blue white for the trim.
Early in the process we realized the initial lighter putty color washed out too much on the house, appearing almost like soft white in certain light. Fortunately, the painters were able to apply the darker shade as the second coat since it was only a shade darker than the first, and the coverage was excellent. That second, slightly deeper tone provided the balance we wanted: a richer siding color that still tied into the brick without making the house feel gloomy. The white trim color ended up popping nicely against both the brick and the darker shutters.
The crew’s process was efficient and professional. They power-washed the whole house, scraped loose paint, cut out and replaced rotten wood, primed raw areas, and applied paint—two coats for the repaired siding and trim and one coat around windows where we were switching from cream to white. In total, the work broke down to about one day of power-washing, two days of rot repair and scraping, and two days of priming and painting. They replaced roughly 20 pieces of rotten siding and trim during the repair phase.
For paint they used Sherwin-Williams Duration, which the crew recommended for exterior longevity and good coverage. The final color choices were Snowbound for the white trim and Anonymous for the putty-colored siding. The new palette created a more balanced, dimensional appearance that plays well with the visual weight of the brick.
Seeing the result from the curb has been a pleasure. The combination of a new roof and a fresh paint job feels like a significant upgrade. Even small changes like crisp white trim around the windows and the porch railing make the house read differently at a glance. Driving up to our home still produces that double-take feeling as our eyes adjust to the refreshed look.
The back of the house benefited as well. Previously, a lighter patch of siding made that area look unbalanced. After the repaint, the siding reads more cohesive and less like an afterthought. The sunroom, which had been painted cream, now feels more integrated with the rest of the house: the darker storm windows tie into the brick and the putty siding, so the sunroom no longer looks like a small, mismatched add-on.
Cost for rot repair and exterior painting varies widely depending on location, house size, and extent of damage. In our case, rot repairs totaled around $1,000 and scraping and painting were a bit over $2,000. We saved about $1,000 by offering to do a few accessible areas ourselves: the garage doors (we plan to paint them a shade darker than the siding), the interior of the sunroom (walls, trim, and ceiling), and the front door and sidelights. If you’re considering a similar approach, break the job into parts you’re comfortable tackling and leave the dangerous or high-up tasks to professionals.
One small mishap occurred when we accidentally ran over a screw in the driveway, but the resulting tire repair was only about $29, so it wasn’t a major setback. Home improvement can take both time and money—and sometimes flatten a tire—but the payoff of a healthier exterior and a refreshed curb appeal has been well worth it.