project updates

It's spring and we've got lots of things going on, including awaiting the installation of a new roof!  Yippee!  All our neighbors were getting them, so we had to keep up ;)  Actually, one of our neighbor's roofers came by and claimed we had hail damage and needed (of course) a new roof.  State Farm begged to differ, but said we did have wind damage and they would pay to have our shingles replaced.  We ended up not going with the neighbor's roofer, but instead found Bell Roofing.  They brought us sample shingles, gave us addresses of homes to see actual roof colors, and have mainly just been awesome.  We haven't gotten the roof yet, so I can only hope that their roofing ability lives up to their customer service.  We've picked out a color that is kind of similar to what we already have, but I think it will look great.  We opted for the architectural style shingles rather than the basic three-tab, and hope it will make a huge difference in the appearance.  Here's the color we've chosen:

Barkwood by GAF-ELK

We're also having a ridgeline vent installed, and possibly having our gutters repaired or replaced.  The quote we got was for replacement with 6" gutters, stating this is standard in Atlanta, and that our 4" gutters just won't cut it.  We may get a second opinion, although new, bigger gutters would be nice to look at (if not to pay for).

We're still working on that front door...or rather, we're still thinking about it from time to time.  I did score a large piece of textured glass from a neighbor, but we've still got to get it cut.  Brandon needs to stain the door, and just hasn't returned to it since last time (when the rats in the shop ate the wood putty out of the knots).  Speaking of the shop, the power to it has been disconnected by our dear friend Paul the Electrician, who decided he couldn't live with himself if it burned to the ground.  Apparently it was that bad.  We are hopeful he will have time soon to come back and help us get it redone safely.

Other projects on the horizon include a home-made swing set given to us by a neighbor, whose kids had outgrown it.  It has a fort, slide, and a rock-climbing wall!  This weekend we hope to get it pressure washed, painted, braced, and our baby swings installed.  Brandon's mom is working on a pink pirate flag for the girls, so that they can fly it from the fort portion.  We also hope to soon move the fence from the backyard to the front, along with some to-be-purchased new portions and a gate.