Nicely, my plan for yesterday didn’t fairly work out. I had deliberate to hit the bottom working on our new bed room, beginning with the set up of the hardwood flooring. I had really hoped to get fairly a little bit of the flooring put in yesterday in order that I may have all of it completed up (the set up, not the sanding and marking) by the top of the week.
Did that occur? Nope. I wasn’t even capable of begin as a result of Matt had a horrible day yesterday. I imply, simply terrible. There was about an hour round lunch time that I used to be certain he was going to finish up within the hospital. I needed to spend my afternoon checking on him about as soon as each ten minutes, and it’s very exhausting to work on and focus on a challenge when I’ve to do this. However by bedtime final night time, he had pulled by means of and was feeling significantly better. This morning, he’s nonetheless not again to (his) 100%, however he’s nearly there.
So as an alternative of getting any work finished, I spent most of these 10-minute intervals strolling round exterior, dreaming, planning, admiring what’s been finished, and interested by subsequent steps for getting the surface of our home wanting like I envision it in my thoughts. One of many first issues that stands out to me is the skirting across the entrance porch. The unfinished skirting reveals in each image I take, and it’s simply plain ugly.
I simply hate how that unfinished challenge (together with the 2 shutters that got here down throughout storms) detracts from our new driveway and the whole look of the entrance of our home.
I began that challenge six years in the past. Yikes! I began it in September 2018. If I bear in mind accurately, I didn’t end it as a result of unhealthy climate rolled in and stayed for some time. I wanted the concrete to dry out earlier than adhering extra of the fake stones (I used Airstone from Lowe’s), and whereas ready for that to occur, I moved on to different tasks and by no means got here again to it. And now, right here we’re six years later, and it’s nonetheless unfinished.
Sadly, it doesn’t appear like this can be a challenge I can simply end and test off of the record. It seems prefer it’s going to must be redone utterly as a result of that is the present state of the Airstone.

Do you see all these little hairline cracks? These cracks are literally affecting the integrity of the stones. I rubbed my foot throughout one in all them to get a leaf off, and the stone crumbled. One factor I didn’t understand with this product is that Airstone, when used exterior, needs to be sealed with a sealer or paint. Now that I do know that I don’t assume I’d ever suggest utilizing this product exterior.
So now I’m on to Plan B for the porch skirting. And for some purpose, I actually need the skirting on the entrance porch to match the skirting that I exploit on my workshop. I don’t know why these must match in my thoughts, however I do like continuity. I don’t prefer it when numerous completely different supplies are used and nothing appears to be constant.
So no matter I exploit because the skirting on the entrance porch will even cowl the open space between the workshop and the bottom.

My preliminary thought was to attempt to recreate that stone look that I used to be initially aiming for. I discovered these stone panels and regarded utilizing them.

I preferred that they sort of match the true Austin stone fashion and sample on our home. And since our Austin stone is painted (it was painted once we purchased the home, so I repainted it the present colour), I knew I may paint this the identical colour and it could most likely appear like the identical stone. However this was $84.71 per panel, and I’d want six panels only for the entrance porch. I didn’t wish to spend that a lot on faux stone panels.
After which the second is that this lattice look, however I solely like this fashion of lattice. I’m undecided what it’s known as, however I just like the horizontal and vertical lattice items. I’m not likely a fan of the diagonal lattice designs, not less than not for my home.

Photograph by Crisp Architects – Search porch design concepts
I believe the primary one most likely wins by a slim margin in my thoughts. The fashion appears to go higher with the inside of my home than the lattice design. Plus, I wouldn’t need open lattice, which signifies that I’d must discover a strategy to create that lattice look whereas really making a stable barrier, and that’s simply added work.
In order of now, the plan is the use PVC board to create that look on my entrance porch. I really like PVC boards as a result of they appears to final perpetually. That’s what I made my shutters out of, and people look pretty much as good right this moment as they did the day I made them. I would like one thing that’s going to final and never require yearly upkeep, so PVC boards match that invoice.
The humorous factor is that right this moment, six years later, this fashion appeals to me way over the look of the stone skirting that I selected again then. And I do know for a proven fact that I thought of this fashion six years in the past and handed it up and opted for the stone as an alternative. Private style and magnificence are at all times evolving, and that’s not a nasty factor! It may be an costly factor, but it surely’s not a nasty factor. 😀

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and beautify the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can study extra about me right here.