Ok, its week 3 of the ORC and I am still here stenciling. Last night at about 9:20pm I finally finished 1/2 of the patio. I am hoping to knock out a good chunk today but I still have at least 2-3 days of work ahead of me before the stenciling is finally done. I completely underestimated the amount of time this stencil project would take. Partly becuase I bought a small stencil because I wanted it to look as realistic to tile as possible, so I bought an 8x8. Don't be like me...buy a large stencil if you are doing a large area.
I also made a $60 mistake. The type of Spar Varnish you buy matters. If you plan to stencil make sure you check the Week 2 post first.
I did however order the new door harware which I am excited about. Something I always have to remind my clients of is that if you are renovating some things are going to cost you more. For example, I did not have room in my $0 budget to replace the front door (even though I really want to). So I am using the existing door but replacing the hardware. I wanted a long tall handle with a backplate but because the holes are already drilled in the door unfortunately I couldnt find one that would work and fully custom was out. To get the look I wanted, on a budget, I had to customize what the suppliers had to create new hardware. I took the handle I liked and added a 9" backplate. This will get me as close to the look I wanted without completely blowing the budget.
If I want to have any chance of starting the swing this week, I better run! I'll check in next week. Hopefully by then I will be done stenciling!
Cost Breakdown:
$285.80 - Stenciling
$102.75 - More Paint (door and ceiling)
$59.16 - Replacement Spar Varnish
$262.29 - Door Hardware
Operation Curb Appeal To-Do List:
- Paint the rod iron
- Stencil the concrete
- Paint the door
- Replace the door hardware
- Refresh the doorbell
- Build the swing
- Hang the swing
- Find a twin mattress (hoping to score one on FB marketplace)
- Order everything (this should be interesting since lead times are insane)
- Install an electrical box where the existing can light is
- Replace the glass in the door
Don't forget to check out the other Spring ORC participants here!
And for all the behind the scenes follow along on Instagram!!
