For more than a century, Jeff and Rebecca Mullins' farmhouse in Erie looked like, well, a farmhouse.

About 15 gallons of red, white and blue paint later, its exterior became a symbol of their patriotism, in the form of a huge American flag.

"After what happened on Sept. 11, my wife and I went out to get an American flag, but it looked so small on this big house," said Mullins, a 38-year-old member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 80. "So we decided to do something a little bigger. It's a like personal therapy, to help us feel a little better about what happened."

Jeff, Rebecca (an artist) and Paul Bussell, a union painter working for Skyline Painting, painted the flag and a likeness of the Statue of Liberty on another side of the Monroe County house in two days of work.

USA Today, the Monroe Evening News, the Toledo Blade and several television stations covered the house's new cover. "Everybody who has seen it has liked it," said Jeff, including the only nearby neighbor, who lives across the street. "Everything is in proportion, and I think it looks great. We've had nothing but positive responses."

The Mullins' home is located at 11758 S. Dixie Hwy. in Erie, about one mile east of Telegraph.

SHEET METAL Worker Jeff Mullins and wife Rebecca transformed the side of their home into a replica of the American flag.