1. **State the problem:** Joe wants to find the total area of the front of his house that he needs to paint. This area is the total front area minus the areas of the door and windows (which are not painted). 2. **Given dimensions:** - Door: 7 ft by 3 ft - Large window: 5 ft by 3 ft - Each small window: 2 ft by 3 ft (two small windows) - House front dimensions: width = 25 ft, height varies (26 ft on left, 15 ft on right) 3. **Calculate the total front area:** Since the house front is shaped like a trapezoid (or a house shape), we can approximate the area by splitting it into a rectangle and a triangle or use the trapezoid formula if appropriate. Here, the bottom width is 25 ft, the left height is 26 ft, and the right height is 15 ft. The area of a trapezoid is given by: $$A = \frac{1}{2} (b_1 + b_2) h$$ where $b_1$ and $b_2$ are the two parallel sides and $h$ is the height. Here, the two vertical sides are the heights, so: $$A = \frac{1}{2} (26 + 15) \times 25$$ 4. **Calculate the total area:** $$26 + 15 = 41$$ $$A = \frac{1}{2} \times 41 \times 25 = \frac{41 \times 25}{2}$$ 5. **Simplify:** $$\frac{41 \times 25}{2} = \frac{1025}{2} = 512.5$$ So, the total front area is 512.5 square feet. 6. **Calculate the area of the door:** $$7 \times 3 = 21$$ square feet. 7. **Calculate the area of the large window:** $$5 \times 3 = 15$$ square feet. 8. **Calculate the area of the two small windows:** Each small window area: $$2 \times 3 = 6$$ Two small windows: $$6 \times 2 = 12$$ square feet. 9. **Calculate total area of openings (door + windows):** $$21 + 15 + 12 = 48$$ square feet. 10. **Calculate the paintable area:** $$512.5 - 48 = 464.5$$ square feet. **Final answer:** Joe needs to paint **464.5** square feet of the front of his house.