The House Project Train

Paint supplies too clean for real life. Wix.com

I've spent the past two days painting, wearing myself out mightily, but enjoying the effort for my brother's sake.

You see, he has a lovely house. This lovely house started off as a rental, and as such had the type of paint job which plainly shows somebody spent an hour smearing paint over every room in the entire house. Not real paint either, but the $10 Walmart can of milky water.

Most guys are okay with a recliner, the TV, and 2 or 3 personal things. Books and a piano for my brother. Walls, even walls coated in $10 Walmart milky water, don't matter. Function first.

Now that my brother has a lovely girlfriend, the house is starting to matter.

First, the idea came up of maybe painting sometime down the line. Then a day later, we were looking at paint colors.

Then, my sister and I, always good for telling others just how they should do it, helped with space-planning ideas and solidifying the colors. What started as just prettying up the main rooms turned into the entire downstairs level, and running up the staircase into the upstairs hall.

We might have said, laughingly, "Just be quiet and write the checks!"

We know new paint in one room begets new paint in the next room, then the next. There's no end because everything looks dingy compared to new paint.

Painting begets new floors, then:

• New curtains;

• New light fixtures;

• New furniture;

• New dishes.

Can't stop there. New dishes need an entirely new kitchen. The new kitchen makes the bathroom dingy, so a new bathroom is next.

Don't forget the backyard! With the inside so nice, why don't you go outside for a patio renovation with a barbeque pit and a pool.

Then back to the house, better just remodel the basement. Seems easy to knock out in a weekend.

There's no end to the house project train once it's rolling.

Were we talking about his house or mine?