...because home doesn't happen overnight.

I’m in decorating limbo.  I live in a house that we’re trying to sell so I don’t really want/need to put any more money into it at this point.  We have another fixer-upper that is soooo far away from the decorating stages that I’m betting it will be months before I even think of styling it.  My mind is overflowing these days with all the ideas I had for our current home that I never got to see to fruition and also with new ideas for our next home.  But I can’t act on any of them.  So, I’m relying on teeny little tweaks to hold me over until I pass on to the other side of this designing standstill. One such tweak has been the removal of the wood shutters from the Underdog.

I don’t know why, but those things were driving me bonkers.  They’re painted plywood and the color, design and craftsmanship are all so-so.  Every time I looked at them it was like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.  My lack of fondness for them must have been pretty apparent as Handy Hubby stopped by the Underdog one day on his way to work this week just to remove them.  I had actually pictured myself wreaking havoc on those shutters, but he beat me to it.  Oh well, I’m just glad they’re down.

Handy Hubby discovered the shutters were hung by screws that had been drilled into the mortar of the brick exterior.  Supposedly, the removal process was quite easy.  The shutter removal revealed tons of insect or spider nests that had been camping out behind the shutters.

Obviously, the entire exterior of the house needs power-washed eventually and that should take care of the groty nest remains.  But I think taking down the cringe-worthy shutters has improved the look of the Underdog’s exterior a billion percent.

It’s already looking more mid-century modern versus elderly and neglected, don’t you think?  Not to say I’m totally against shutters, but I’m digging the mid-century vibe that the house is giving off now.  With a new {maybe metal?} roof and front door, the Underdog will really perk up.  There’s nothing like conducting a youthful facelift on a 53-year-old house!  She’s coming along.

It’s the little aesthetic improvements like these that get me all excited because I can start to see what the house could look like and where we’re going with all the non-design-related projects. These are the small moments I’m clinging to while I wait in decorating limbo.  So I wait…

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

21 Comments

20.May.2011

Looks great! The front door is very mid century if you want to remain faithful to that time, I’d keep it!

20.May.2011

The shutters were just painted plywood? Yikes.

20.May.2011

I agree with the comment above, keep the front door. Give it a coat of paint and add a new screen door. The shutters were terrible, good idea to toss them. I am so looking forward to your updates, keep them coming.

20.May.2011

Much nicer. Have you thought about painting the brick? My mother in law went with a pale yellow and my sister in law did grey. Both very dramatic, but both turned out nice.

20.May.2011

Metal roof – YES! Long lasting, extremely low maintenance, and new colors! Worth serious consideration.

20.May.2011

I know exactly how you feel about “design limbo”. I’m in the same boat. Except were are currently in an old dated ranch that we rent and don’t want to put time and effort into it anymore(we’ve painted EVERYTHING. But that’s about as far as it went.) And we are building a new house(new but very small). All I do is daydream and “research” about decorating the new house. Check it out on my blog: http://mattandallisonkelly.blogspot.com/

20.May.2011

I have to say, I have never liked ranch houses but between you and YHL I am beginning to see the light. The roof line on the underdog is pretty awesome — very dramatic. And you were so right about the shutters. I didn’t even notice the roof until they were gone — they kept pulling my eye away.

It looks like a ton of hard work, but you are going to have so much fun! And WE are going to have so much fun reading about it! :D Thank you!!

20.May.2011

I would love to see some of your thoughts for the exterior of the house. Any images your oggling over? Planning on painting that brick (I think that would give it an amazing lift and add to the modern mid century aesthetic that you mention)?

Can’t wait to hear and see more!

20.May.2011

Definitely a good move getting rid of the plywood shutters! It’s nice that was it easy to take them down too.

20.May.2011

You know, if you are *really* bored and need something to do- I have a 1100 sq. ft. beach-side condo in Santa Monica that needs a lot of love. She’s all original 80’s (complete with a non functional trash compactor) and just CRAVING some Dana love. That is, if you really need something to do ;)

20.May.2011

It must be so much fun for your neighbors to watch the underdog begin to morph into a new home! Or maybe it’s just me who’d be that nosey?

Metal door??? Heck ya! Also, goodbye shutters! Those things were awful! ;)

20.May.2011

I agree with you about not getting to see the house finished how you imagined. I actually contemplated leaving behind plans that I had for one of our homes for the new owners. It is amazing how attached and how much a part of us our homes can become! I can’t wait for this limbo to be over to see all of your amazing plans for the underdog.

21.May.2011

Rebecca – Our new neighbors are fabulous! They are very interested in our undertakings at the Underdog. Like I said, it’s the black sheep of the neighborhood so everyone is rooting for us to bring it to life. People walking by will stop and say they are so happy we bought the house. They don’t even know us {or House*Tweaking} but it’s very encouraging for us to know that neighbors are supporting us.

21.May.2011

Tami – If I lived in Santa Monica, I’d so be there.

21.May.2011

Ashley – We’re actually considering a metal roof, not door. I think the sleekness and clean lines will really play up the modern look we’re going for. Not to mention, it’d probably be the last roof we would see on the house in our lifetime.

21.May.2011

Amy – Although we love the look of painted brick, our home inspector told us that painting this particular ranch would not be advisable…something about no weep holes in the brick exterior to allow for proper ventilation/drainage. Compromised ventilation coupled with paint could easily lead to mold and mildew…especially with Ohio’s humid summer season. Not to mention the maintenance that comes with painted brick. Plus, even though the brick isn’t exactly what we would choose if we had a choice, it is in good condition. No staining, fading, mold, mildew, damage, etc. We have toyed around with the idea of lime-washing the exterior. Lime-washing is crazy inexpensive, allows the brick to still breathe {no chance of mildew growth}, and lends a softer look than red brick. We’ll probably leave the brick as-is for a year or two and see how it looks with a new roof. Who knows?!

22.May.2011

I love your blog, as my husband and I are in the same boat. Downsizing and moving closer in to the city – but moving from a brand new house to a home 90 years old that needs lots of work. We just closed on it this weekend – first thing I did was rip off this lattice thing on the front porch because it screamed elderly to me. Love that you felt the same way about your shutters. Can’t wait to see your progress!

23.May.2011

I don’t get the point of shutters if it’s solely decorative but the decoration is just plain “ugly.” Good on ya for getting rid of the “ugly,” it looks much better!

24.November.2014

I grew up in middle class, ranch-style home that was built in 1965, in suburban NJ. It has shutters — the non-functional kind (In fact, more than one set of these “shudders” is obviously too small to cover the entire expanse of the window.) But, they are all original to the house as far as far as I can tell.

So, how is it that mid-century modern design is more authentic without the “shudders?”

I think they are part of the silly charm of the home and I won’t tear them out — not only because they are part of the original design, but also because they can be painted as a different (“trim”) color. Without them, the house would be one boring color with no “accent” color.

29.August.2018

It’s really amazing how such a small change can actually make the whole place look different. It was definitely a good idea to remove the shutters, as holes and cracks are always attracting not only spiders but other species like wasps, too.

Let’s face it, having a wasp nest anywhere in the house is a nightmare, so learning a trick or two on how to handle them can come in handy. There is a lot on that at https://fantasticpestscontrol.com.au/blog/fantastic-guide-to-wasp-nests/, for those who need it.