Starting the top coat

I spared no expense a bought the highest rated house paint. California Paint..."Sycamore Stand" for body, and "Tan Line" for the trim. You can see I even got a little ahead of myself and started applying the top coat before I was done with the primer.

Primer makes all the difference

I'm so excited...it's actually starting to look like a house again! We were so lucky that the siding had a smooth surface. Required very little sanding. I don't think the house was ever repainted. Just one original coat of lead/oil based paint that seems to be as tough as nails.

Ready for paint

Replaced all the damaged siding. The front and back dormers are ready for primer. I got really good at replacing boards. There's a trick to getting the damaged board out without cracking the one above it.

New boards and flashing

Working on replacing siding boards. All new step flashing had to be done on the roof lines. Shingles had to be replaced along the dormers too. Since two layers of siding came off, the shingles were short.

Love that honeycomb

The asphalt siding underneath was a lovely honeycomb pattern. We got lots of compliments on it. (yeah right...)The clapboards underneath were in remarkable shape. Areas to replace due to the blown in insulation. Otherwise lots of nail holes to fill.

Abatement!

I decided to hire an abatement company to remove the asbestos siding. I figured I could deal with the asphalt siding underneath myself. We also decided to do the two upstairs dormers first, and leave the downstair for next summer.
In case you are wondering, at this point I did say, "What did I get myself into!"

Two Clues

The inside of the front porch has the original clapboard siding. Plus I climbed up on the roof and pulled a corner apart. Yep, it's under there!