Before:

After:

New paint and gutters weren’t originally part of our financial plan for the year, but we found the beginnings of rot on some gutter fascia, and then it turned out all the gaps between our siding needed re-sealing, and in the end it was one of those “welcome to homeownership” moments.

But, on the bright side, we got to pick the color of our house for the first time. So now we have no excuse if we don’t like it.

Now that’s done, I spent some time cleaning up the back yard the last few days. I’ve found quite a bit of this type of post-construction detritus:

In particular, this detritus comprises a lot of those ribbons of metal shaved from the new gutters, along with nails. Sharp pieces of metal worry me a great deal, given that we have a kid running around barefoot in the yard. We’re trying to find as much as we can, but I keep being surprised as I find more.

Good thing we’re all up on our tetanus shots.