11/23/11: Front Door Hardware
As many of you might remember, over two years ago some friends of ours gave me a door for my birthday. Steffi and I spent many hours stripping the paint, sanding, and refinishing the door. Then we hit a roadblock... old doors have holes in them for old hardware. However, unlike modern hardware nothing was standard. The old mortise style hardware comes in a gazillion sizes, shapes, offsets, etc. Apparently you just bought the hardware and cut the hole to fit. That's all good if your door doesn't come with holes, but ours had holes!
At first we looked at the internet. You could buy a new handleset from one of the companies that makes reproductions, and spend $600+ for hardware. That wasn't going to happen. Or you could try to buy mismatched handlesets from eBay that may or may not fit once you receive it. After a lot of searching we decided this was not a purchase to be made online.
Did someone mention Scott's Antique Market? Sounds promising! Now if only we can find the time to get down there. A few months passed and we finally made it. We go straight for the outdoor warehouse that has all of the old hardware. There has to be something there. We're armed with all of the measurements, and we're confident that we're going to find something. So we start digging through all of the milk crates of handles, faceplates, and locking mechanisms. My hands are covered with rust, but nothing seems to match up. We find a faceplate we like that matches a lock box, but we couldn't find a matching faceplate (and any faceplate that would fit) for the other side. Grrrr... We just spent what seemed like an eternity digging, but no luck. We decide to give up. We are defeated and will never find hardware for our door.
So we move on to the next stall. What's that over there on that table? Could it be!? It's a complete handleset made of bronze (which means no rust). We're thinking there is no way it will fit our measurements, but it does! It will take some minor adjusting. A 1/16 of an inch here and there, but it fits! And even better it isn't going to cost us an arm and a leg!!
Just a little work on the door and we'll be in business.
Steffi looking very closely to determine where it is getting stuck.
A snug fit in the mortise.
Using the router to make space for where the knob needs to go. I don't advise you actually have the router on while looking at the camera. Leave that to the professionals.
And everything fits. We just have to clean it up a little.
Now it is anybody's guess how long it will take us to get the door installed, but at least the hardest part is over.
At first we looked at the internet. You could buy a new handleset from one of the companies that makes reproductions, and spend $600+ for hardware. That wasn't going to happen. Or you could try to buy mismatched handlesets from eBay that may or may not fit once you receive it. After a lot of searching we decided this was not a purchase to be made online.
Did someone mention Scott's Antique Market? Sounds promising! Now if only we can find the time to get down there. A few months passed and we finally made it. We go straight for the outdoor warehouse that has all of the old hardware. There has to be something there. We're armed with all of the measurements, and we're confident that we're going to find something. So we start digging through all of the milk crates of handles, faceplates, and locking mechanisms. My hands are covered with rust, but nothing seems to match up. We find a faceplate we like that matches a lock box, but we couldn't find a matching faceplate (and any faceplate that would fit) for the other side. Grrrr... We just spent what seemed like an eternity digging, but no luck. We decide to give up. We are defeated and will never find hardware for our door.
So we move on to the next stall. What's that over there on that table? Could it be!? It's a complete handleset made of bronze (which means no rust). We're thinking there is no way it will fit our measurements, but it does! It will take some minor adjusting. A 1/16 of an inch here and there, but it fits! And even better it isn't going to cost us an arm and a leg!!
Just a little work on the door and we'll be in business.
Steffi looking very closely to determine where it is getting stuck.
A snug fit in the mortise.
Using the router to make space for where the knob needs to go. I don't advise you actually have the router on while looking at the camera. Leave that to the professionals.
And everything fits. We just have to clean it up a little.
Now it is anybody's guess how long it will take us to get the door installed, but at least the hardest part is over.
07/17/11: Lawn Mower Problems?
If you ever have lawn mower problems - specifically a Toro - here is a great instructional video I found on YouTube on how to do a basic tune-up and clean the carburetor. I was having some problems with our mower, and the instructions from this video worked like magic. After I finished cleaning everything the mower started right up.
07/03/11: Catching Up
It's sooo hot in Atlanta right now there is nothing to do except stay inside in the air conditioning, so I figured it is a perfect time to catch up with the blog. We're really far behind, so I'm just going to post a bunch of photos at once. This is pretty much spring until now (beginning of July).
When it was cold outside (aka during the winter) we did some work inside. Such as painting the trim around the kitchen windows.
We also put both doors on the bulter's pantry! I still need to paint the right one, but maybe I'll do that today.
In the early spring we planted some seeds. These plants have now been in the garden for months, and they are much bigger.
Our annual trip to Grower's Outlet to aquire new additions for the garden.
All of the plants in the garden in the spring. Note our new fescue lawn that we seeded in the fall of 2010.
Lastly, this is how the yard looked after we installed brick borders around all of the flower beds.
Some of the veggies we grew in the garden. Carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, etc.
Steffi trying a mini carrot.
And hopefully the next time we make a post we won't be apologizing about falling behind!
When it was cold outside (aka during the winter) we did some work inside. Such as painting the trim around the kitchen windows.
We also put both doors on the bulter's pantry! I still need to paint the right one, but maybe I'll do that today.
In the early spring we planted some seeds. These plants have now been in the garden for months, and they are much bigger.
Our annual trip to Grower's Outlet to aquire new additions for the garden.
All of the plants in the garden in the spring. Note our new fescue lawn that we seeded in the fall of 2010.
Lastly, this is how the yard looked after we installed brick borders around all of the flower beds.
Some of the veggies we grew in the garden. Carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, etc.
Steffi trying a mini carrot.
And hopefully the next time we make a post we won't be apologizing about falling behind!
05/04/11: Westview Open House
Are you interested in living in Westview? Great news - Westview is participating in an "Open House" this Saturday, May 7th! The event will be in conjunction with West Fest and Committed to Communities.
What: Committed to Communities Southwest Atlanta Open House Event
When: May 7, 2011
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Walking tours begin at 1052 Allene Avenue for open houses in Adair Park and Westview
Where: Adair Park and Westview
Why: To encourage and showcase the possibilities of home ownership in our communities
Houses in Westview:
409 Inman Street
415 Altoona Place
1679 Rogers Avenue
486 East Ontario Avenue
472 West Ontario Avenue
1517 South Gordon Street
More information
What: Committed to Communities Southwest Atlanta Open House Event
When: May 7, 2011
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Walking tours begin at 1052 Allene Avenue for open houses in Adair Park and Westview
Where: Adair Park and Westview
Why: To encourage and showcase the possibilities of home ownership in our communities
Houses in Westview:
409 Inman Street
415 Altoona Place
1679 Rogers Avenue
486 East Ontario Avenue
472 West Ontario Avenue
1517 South Gordon Street
More information