Pandemic Project Reboot

The global pandemic has spurred a return to my design blog, Fontaine de Bienvenue Home. I have felt extremely blessed to have a nice home to isolate in with my family, to say safe and smart. I am very aware that is not the case for everyone and my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones or are in trying circumstances with job losses or tough living situations. So much prolonged time at home does tend to make me notice flaws in my home or areas of neglect in my yard. This has resulted in home improvement projects that not only take my mind off of the current circumstances, but is almost therapeutic. Taking up a project that can be completed in a few days with obvious results feels like an accomplishment when so much else has been put on hold. Here’s an example of one such project I’ve tackled during the pandemic. About 10 years ago, we dug our two window wells in the basement and created a walkout basement. The landscaping turned out beautifully, but the foundation was covered in black, I’m assuming some type of waterproofing, and was unsightly. Since it was on the side of our property, it was easy to overlook. With more time on our hands to complete projects, we decided to paint the foundation. Here is a before photo. If you look closely, you can see the black on the foundation.

My husband And I purchased what we thought would be a “ cement gray” but it turned out to be too dark and blue gray to work. Unfortunately, we had painted the whole thing before deciding it would have to be repainted. That decision was also aided by the neighbors 8 year old daughter, who upon seeing the results said, “Maybe you should match it to your house color.” Our home is painted Copley Gray by Benjamin Moore, though I’m sure it has faded since it was painted about 10 years ago. We decided to paint the foundation Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore. We restrained the trellis in a Slate stain from Home Depot. I decided to jazz up the door color using an almost black blue color that I really love, Winter Way by Behr, in a satin finish. Here’s the results with a photo of me thrilled with the results.

Hang in there fellow DIYers. Stay positive, look for ways to stay busy and to help others. Our world may change post pandemic, but the love of home and family is a constant, unchangeable thing. Find ways to improve your life by putting some love into your home.