You'll have to forgive the pun, but my mind is in the gutter today. (Har har.)
Our new seemless gutters and facia are up and we are pleased with the result. Here is a look at the before:
And after:
The guy who did the job bid less than half of the other company we priced. Choke. He was extremely prompt and did a solid job.
In the end we decided against doing metal soffit. It would have lowered the soffit ceiling a half inch or so, and visually even more with the dark color. The eves are already quite low. After examining the condition of the (probably original) paint job on the existing wooden soffit, we decided it looked pretty good for 40+ years, and it would be a simple job to sand the rough spots and repaint, thus cutting our gutter replacement cost in half. I think we will repaint in a similar color.
I think the new brown gutter/facia color looks awesome. Even though it has more contrast, it seems to blend in and look like its been there forever. I can't wait to eradicate the blue completely.
Now I am turning my attention to the exterior lighting. I already told you my plan to paint the fixtures by the front door, but we also have a few of these around the house:
Not so bad from afar, maybe. And quite appropriately atomic, don't you think?
But look a little closer:
Ew. Not in great condition. And wrapped in electrical tape—presumably to keep them from rattling in the wind, but doing a poor job as we've witnessed during these last few very windy days. This particular fixture is framed front and center in our dining room view.
The question is, what do we replace them with? The best looking option would undoubtedly be recessed lighting. However, our roof has a very shallow slope, and the attic space is extremely tight toward the edge. We aren't sure there is actually room for a recessed fixture. We could move them closer to the house (and add a few more while we are at it), but that would mean patching the old holes and adding a lot more work. I am leaning toward replacing them with simple, inexpensive, non obtrusive fixtures. Here are some options I've found:
1. Cove Atomic Age Flush Fixture by Rejuvenation, $145
This one was shot down lickety split. Too much like the ugly ones we are trying to replace, and it wouldn't put out enough light. And too expensive. Enough said.
2. Hunter Marine II Outdoor Light from Home Depot, $44.97
Meh.
3. Braxton Flushmount fixture by Restoration Hardware, $219
This is what I would buy if money wasn't a concern. But we have to buy 5 of these and that makes it ridiculous.
4. Hampton Bay from Home Depot, $19.97
This is the best alternative I have found that isn't too fancy for the modern look of this house. And the price is right. However, the slanted shape and more Craftsman feel makes me less than enamored.
So, what do you think? Which would you choose? Have you seen any good (not-to-expensive) alternatives? What are your favorite lighting sources? I could definitely use some suggestions.