After last weekend’s impulse buy, my eagerness to get started on the Queen Anne Rowhouse was thwarted by my lack of any actual plans for it. I placed some orders for doors and windows and got some books about San Francisco painted ladies from the library, but much of the week was spent thinking and planning as opposed to actual doing.
I want the house to look more or less like a traditional San Francisco Victorian and was interested to read that the garish, colorful paint schemes you usually think of for San Francisco houses weren’t popular until the seventies. (The hippies started it!) I’ve decided to use more subtle colors, with a facade on the bay window that will add a splash of color.
Here are some color swatches from paint samples I had handy. The neutrals at the bottom are all rejects from when Geoff repainted our office earlier this summer. I decided on Behr Baked Scone for the house. Some of the purple and green swatches might end up as accent colors, I haven’t entirely decided yet.
I started gluing on siding with the front, back, and one of the panels. I decided not to side the bay because I’m planning to add a bunch of trim, and siding underneath that seemed unnecessary. (The photos I saw in the library books supported this!) Used heavy paint cans and lots of masking tape to keep the siding flat.
Many moons ago, I saw an eBay auction for a half scale Queen Anne Rowhouse kit by American Craft. This kit was from the 80s and I hadn’t seen it before. It opened on three sides and I loved the building design, which looks like the Victorians common in San Francisco. The house is similar to my (giant) 
Emily is a freelance writer, miniaturist, and adventure game enthusiast.
