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Curtains or Shades?

I had a nice fabric roller shade (from JCPenney, of course) on the old front door. It matches all the other roller shades in the living room, entry, and up the staircase. But I’m not sure I want to install the roller shade on the new window. See, I do need something up there, I just feel too exposed with nothing on this giant window, but I love the extra light it is letting in.

I’ve been thinking about new curtains for this area for nearly a year now. I did have golden colored sheers up, but they made everything too yellow. I’d like to get the Stripped Semi-Sheer Tailored Curtains from Country Curtains. In the natural color. And, I ordered one panel of these for the upstairs bathroom window, in white, and I really like the fabric. It is simple, but the stripe gives it a little texture.

I guess I really do know what I want, the question is just this: should I buy them all now, just order the door panel now, or put the old roller shade up and wait to order all the curtains at once?

Keep in mind, there are 7 windows, 2 sidelights, and 1 door panel to re-dress in this area, so it is going to cost me almost $300.

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Special Screen Door Hardware

I ordered special spring hinges and a screen door latch from VanDyke’s for my new screen door. Gotta love that VanDyke’s.

I’m really enamored with the spring hinges because the tension is adjustable, which I never even thought about. They were pricey at $39.99 for a pair (and I needed three hinges, so I had to order two sets, and now I have one hinge left over). But I think they were money well spent.

The hinges were a bit wide where they mount to the door frame, so Bill had to remove a strip of trim. Check out all those giant nails they used to attach that tiny piece of finish trim!But, Jack was able to blend the bare wood very nicely. I know what it looked like, but you have to look very closely, and know what you are looking for to see it now. Great job, Jack!The latch is okay. It has a black powder coat finish, which has already flaked away in one small, unnoticeable spot. I’m sure nobody else would even notice, but I know it is there. So, I’m not exactly thrilled with that. I do love that it locks.

Also, mom got a nasty little metal splinter from the tightening screw, just under the knob. I borrowed a fine metal file from my dad, and was able to make that spot smooth, but now the brassy finish shows through there. Luckily, it is on the underside, so no one should notice that, either.

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Too Short By An Inch

Bill quickly discovered that the new doors were a bit too short for the doorway.
That made for a nice big gap.
So, Bill found a scrap of chestnut from the wood pile in the basement, and he filled in the gap at the top. Now, that piece, along with some other spots, will need to be cleaned, very lightly sanded, stained, and given a tough finish coat.

Even though the new door has much more glass than the old door, I can already tell that it blocks much more sound, because it fits the space better. I expect it will do the same at blocking air-flow. Bye-bye cold drafts this winter. Well, from that spot, anyway.

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Creature Of Habit

Oli hasn’t quite gotten used to the new, big window. He still goes to the small sidelight to look out! Silly puppy.

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New Front Doors Installed!

It has been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. Bill was able to come up yesterday to install the new front door and the screen/storm door. It wasn’t all easy going, we ran into a couple of problems, but Bill was able to make everything work. Now we just have to do some touch-ups, and it will be perfect.
Also, some cleaning. Bill made lots of sawdust, and the glass needs a serious cleaning. It still has lots of sticky residue from the stripper, the stain, and the finish.
Oh, and Oliver is enjoying the breeze coming in through the screen door.