In yesterday’s blog post, I gushed about the work SUNTEX did on our home. In all honesty, I’m still not quite used to it yet, and we’ve been home for just over a month now. However, in this post, I plan not to speak for the work, but to simply let it speak for itself – after all, they say a picture is worth 1,000 words…

Exterior Paint

Exterior Paint, BEFORE

Exterior Paint, AFTER

The Posterior, and improved Exterior Door

Exterior Paint (back of house), BEFORE

Exterior Paint (back of house), AFTER

Though I briefly mentioned this in a prior blog post (check it out, here: https://suntexllc.com/overwhelming-gratitude-to-suntex-part-1-of-2/), one of the major improvements SUNTEX was able to help us out with fixing our back door. Initially upon moving into our home, we had a thick, brown door that closed off the back yard to our kitchen, and provided no natural light inside. My husband and I took it upon ourselves to “DIY” install a new door with a large window, so that we would get some natural lighting to our kitchen and be able to see the backyard from inside, while also giving us the feeling of a larger kitchen.

While we did a pretty decent job for a first-time door installation, it was no where near ‘professional’ (we couldn’t even close it completely without locking it); so when Ally and Jose told us they would be able to re-use all of our same materials, paint it to match the exterior trim, and re-install the door so that it would close upon shutting it, we were truly grateful. The end result is safer, looks much better, and didn’t break our budget since we were able to use the existing door. 

Gutters 

Lack of Gutters, BEFORE – see base of house for examples of rain damage

Gutters, AFTER

Before, we did not have any gutters or “official” rainwater catchment system, and you could see that every time it rained, the water would outline the foundation of our home – leading to backyard flooding. Now? Our foundation is protected, and we couldn’t be happier with the work. Thanks to the team at SUNTEX, and Norandex, for this major Home Improvement!

Windows

Windows, BEFORE

Windows, AFTER

The Fence & Gate

Back Fence, BEFORE

Back Fence, AFTER

The Sliding Barn-doors

Sliding Barn Doors (and trim), BEFORE

Sliding Barn Doors, AFTER

Sliding Barn Doors, AFTER

Sliding Barn Doors (and trim), AFTER

Sliding Barn Doors (and trim), AFTER

The Energy-Reduction Reinforcements

Austin Energy Annual Energy Usage Chart

While this one is a little more difficult to take photos of, it includes a few things: 1) fixing our back door so that it could shut fully without being locked, 2) adding insulation to the trim of each of our doors and garage door (an added bonus we didn’t even know to expect!), and 3) adding wood trim to our garage door so that light and temperature couldn’t enter/escape.

It’s also difficult to say which home improvement led to a particular amount in energy reductions to our energy bill, however the chart above should give you a good picture of what I mean – pay close attention to September of last year, to this year, after the Home Improvements from SUNTEX were integrated. 

I think it’s safe to say we owe SUNTEX a huge debt of gratitude for the Home Improvements they made to our home, which was nothing short of amazing. I am incredibly grateful to work for a company who’s product and service I believe in, and to have been able to benefit from it myself. They have made our house into a home.

I also wanted to say, Thank you for allowing me to explore my creative writing skills while telling you the story of our trip through the lens of green energy this month! It was an absolute pleasure to write this for SUNTEX since I truly believe in the work they do, and the goodness that they bring about each day. Thank you for sharing in our merriment, and reading along this month!

Now, onto September. Fin.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 states, “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.”

My prayer is that Alejandra and Jose are sleeping soundly, because their labor of love knows no bounds.

Before leaving on our month-long road trip, and because we had worked out this highly unconventional, yet perfect agreement – to ask SUNTEX to complete our house repairs and key upgrades while we were out of town, while also requesting they house-sit while we traveled through the country to see family and friends – we were able to create perfect synergy in our plans. I’m a stickler for efficiency, so this was my dream come true, and Ally and Jose made it 100% possible.

The week before we left, Aaron and (I wish I could say the dogs, and) I cleaned the house through and through. We worked until we sweat, as we were hoping the house would feel as though it was home – and I even asked Ally to grade me on cleanliness, thinking that we might some day rent it out online.

Yet with all of the back-breaking work we put in to clean all the way down to replacing the drawer lining, sanitize every last crevice of the fridge and kitchen, and make up the beds as a hotel might – it was nothing compared to the work the team at SUNTEX put in, to make our wildest home project dreams finally come true.

Home Improvement, BEFORE Photos

A Little more Backstory…

When we moved into our home, there was really no direct sunlight into the kitchen; the windows were poor-quality and then failed to hold up under (literal, ice) pressure during the winter storm (some even sealed shut). Because we don’t have a ton of space in the home, we’ve done our best to reduce wide-door entries eating up surface area, while still allowing coverage for privacy (sliding barn doors, which admittedly, needed additional improvement).

We hope to raise our family in this home, but weren’t sure how long we would stay – living a fairly nomadic lifestyle. We also wanted to experiment in hosting our home for rental income in the future, should fate allow. All of our personal efforts however, while definite “home improvements” were not quite professional-grade quality, and aside from all of that, I would not have wanted anyone to stay here with the exterior yellow and brown paint.

The Review…

So when I say that SUNTEX made all of our dreams come true, I mean it. Driving home, and the relief we felt upon arrival, went way beyond my expectations for what we thought our house could and would look like, and I am so grateful that we hired SUNTEX to do this work, and make our house feel like a home.

Gutter and Fence Installation, AFTER Photos

Exterior Paint, AFTER Photos

When we walked in, there was a collective sigh of relief as we walked from room to room, gazing upon the new features – after of course, staring excitedly at it for about 5 minutes right when we got home. Because it was late at night (about 11pm on a Sunday evening), we couldn’t really call anyone (exception: my friend, who’s birthday was also that day!) to share in the elation of our new home, so we just stood there, beaming smiles while admiring the paint color, the gutters, the trimming of the front bushes and lawn, and the new home before us that for some reason, we had the keys to.

Home Improvement, Framing AFTER Photos

Upon entering the house, we examined all of the new details of our home which we knew well – and noted how each single project amounted to boundless improvement on the home. The gutters would save our foundation, and the sides of our home from moisture. The new windows would keep moisture out, keep cool air in (during the summer, and retain heat during the winter), and gave the house an overall “brand new clean” type feeling (even our indoor plants had been arranged in the same way we would want them displayed).

My favorite piece might have actually been the trim that SUNTEX added around the main closet and bathroom floors, as well as adding the surrounding framing, of course (see right for photo). Also check out the BEFORE & AFTER photos within this post, and tomorrow’s blog post – these rooms all now feel complete, rather than “in progress,” which provides immense peace of mind.

Though I’ve mentioned each project distinctly this month (see below for reference)…

…it is important to note that I chose to hire SUNTEX originally because I knew they would do great work, for the best price – and I was right. To see more of the “final version” of our home repairs, please do take a look at tomorrow’s blog post: BEFORE & AFTER, The SUNTEX Transformation.

Directly to my Boss’s, Ally and Jose…

Thank you for every last detail you put into this project. Upon entering the threshold, and every single day thereafter, our home has felt like a dream. It genuinely felt like we were in someone else’s home the first time we walked in – and I had to ask my husband to double check that we hadn’t wandered into the neighbors house by mistake.

It was no mistake. The house had just been significantly improved by excellent craftsmanship, and the love you poured into each and every aspect of the project. We could see and feel it, and cannot thank you enough for all the work you’ve done.

I’ll check back in after a couple of weeks to let you know what we break – just kidding, so far so good – in the meantime, I could not be happier with having hired the best team at SUNTEX to help us bring our home improvements up to par, and our goals and dreams across the finish line.

I work with this company because I continue to believe in the products, solutions, and education that we provide to our customers; and as a customer myself, I am thoroughly impressed with SUNTEX.