Tag: Front Door

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House Numbers

Christine

With all the excitement of the party and the recent additon of the shiny new front door, we’ve overlooked something. House numbers.

Yeah, we didn’t put new numbers up yet. No biggie, right? Wrong. Apparently, not every mail carrier in this tiny town knows us yet. I started to get suspicious over the last couple of days. Friday only brought a couple pieces of junk mail. Saturday nothing. Monday was a holiday, so I expected something on Tuesday. Nope. On Wednesday I got a couple pieces of “resident” junk mail. So, I figured maybe I’d better find those cool black metal craftsman-style numbers I bought three years ago when our Lowe’s was having their must-sell-everything-’cause-we’re-relocating-sale.

After much debate, we decided they should go in this spot above the mailbox, since there isn’t a good spot on the door anymore. We also briefly considered putting the house numbers on one of the porch pillars, but no one was really convinced it would look good.

So, above the mail box they will go. I just have to clean it first. The previous owners had a different mail box there, but it was too high for me to check the bottom. And I’m too afraid of bugs and spiders to go sticking my hand blindly down the mailbox in search of lost items.
As you may have guessed, nothing gets done very quickly around here, so I only got as far as locating the numbers and laying them out on the table on the porch. As it turns out, this was apparently good enough for today’s mailcarrier because when I got home Thursday the mail box was stuffed with what looked like a week’s worth of mail!

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"Press" the Buzzer

Christine

Jack also did some touch-ups around the doorbell plate. Three years ago, when we replaced the modern, cheap plastic, oval-shaped doorbell with my new round PRESS, we realized that the new one didn’t quite cover the where the old one had been. So, I figured we’d fix it eventually, and last week Jack did just that when he was putting the finishing touches on the rest of the front door.

I had originally wanted a twist style doorbell. You know, the ones that make the sound like an old-fashioned bicycle bell? Only I didn’t know what to call it. So, I tried to describe it to Jeff, my fabulous and patient electrician. He came back with this buzzer-sounding thing. It kind of reminds me of a doorbell you’d hear on a British television show. It wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind, but dear Jeff had tried very hard to find this and he was so pleased with himself that I didn’t have the heart to tell him that wasn’t what I wanted.

Jeff and me, at the birthday party.

Now, this doorbell buzzer thing is kind of cool, it still had an old-fashioned sound to it. But I seem to be the only one around here who thinks so. Mom and Lewis definitely don’t like it.

Even once I figured out what to call it, I couldn’t find a twist doorbell a couple years ago, and even now, I can’t seem to find one in the black powder-coat finish that all the other outdoor accessories have. Maybe someday. I’m definately willing to replace the buzzer if I ever find a nice twist in black. But for now, I’m rather fond of the one we have. And I love the PRESS, which was very inexpensive. Only $5.99 at VanDykes. And worlds better than that horrible plastic thing that made the ding-dong sound.

The library where I work was built around the same time at Oliver’s bungalow, and the service elevators still have most of their original details intact, including the alarm button, which makes that same bell twist sound I’m after. Of course, I’d hate to be stuck in one of those elevators from 1930 with only that little bicycle-bell sound in hopes of getting someone’s attention! But, it would make for a great doorbell.

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Special Screen Door Hardware

Christine

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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Problems With The Locks

Christine

When my grandparents used this door, the hardware was quite different. This didn’t suit my house, but my friend Josh was quite happy to have the old lockset.

The new knob and deadbolt set I’m using needs completely different holes, so I needed the old holes to be filled in. I did ask Jack to do that, but I guess he forgot, so Bill took care of it. He’s such a good sport.Unfortunately, after Bill filled in the spaces, the door looked funny, with its splotches and patches. That’s where Jack works his magic.Jack came last Wednesday to do all the touch-ups to the front door, including trying to disguise the patch job. It actually is less noticeable in person than in these photos. Jack did a pretty good job. I was debating the need for a back plate, but now I’m thinking that would just draw more attention to the problem area. I think we’ll just leave it as is for now.

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Too Short By An Inch

Christine

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.