New doors were NEEDED so badly, and it’s not exactly a cheap venture ---we wanted something that was more energy efficient.
Our “old” front door has probably been here since the house was built in the 1970s. HEAVY solid wood ---a bit warped with time and weather, no paint job was going to fix it to where it needed to be.
And because it was a solid wood door –it made the inside of my house “that much” darker ---I have bungalow/cottage style house with a covered front porch and loads of trees so the front of the house is shady anyway – it makes the front room of the house seem always dark to me ---I wanted a front door with a WINDOW to let in more natural light.
This is the door I chose after much deliberation. And yes --- there is still a paper label STUCK to that window – why do they DO THAT?!
The old door is gone, the new one installed and I had chosen a reddish brown paint job that should stand the test of time and the change of “in vogue colors”.
Come on inside and you can see how much that light through the door is going to help my front entrance way! Isn’t the leaded glass pattern pretty?
I love the basket quilt that hangs in my front hall – and the shelf of little collected “stuff” above it.
From the hall looking toward the door --
I like it. Let that light IN!
The back door is nothing special, but I wanted a door with a bigger window there to let in more light at the opposite end of the hall:
Stickers still in place here too!
I preferred one big window not divided into smaller panes for ease of cleaning! I wanted a clear view not divided up into smaller squares.
View from the back deck, which was a project this summer.
The most FUNNY thing that happened yesterday ---We’ve lived in this house almost 5 years. The house is 35 years old, and there are wires and connectors and things that have been here since before we moved in…and there was always this “emergency” button over the front door. It looked like a door bell button.
The guy says – what is this button – and do you still want it?
I said –We’ve been here 5 years and I don’t think that is functional, go ahead and remove it.
He cut the wire and all these LOUD sirens and alarms started going off throughout the house – and even OUTSIDE! OH. MY. GOODNESS!!
Kind of like those annoying car alarms ---it was enough to scare off an intruder, but it wasn’t connected to a service or anything ---we had to find the junction box – which was hidden in the front coat closet, and remove wires one by one by one to get the thing to shut up! It was BLARING outside – like there must be speakers in the vent space in the attic up against the outside of the house or something….HOLY. COW!
Good thing this didn’t happen at night. We were never told that this was a functioning alarm when we moved in, we didn’t know a pass code or anything…it had never worked before. I think when he went to snip the wire it woke up and decided to do its business –LOL!
Always an adventure, I tell you!
And speaking of adventure ---I’m hoping to head off to Charlotte this morning. Jason and I are trying to meet up at IKEA – I need new book cases, and maybe a new office chair, and we’ll do some Christmas shopping for him too since I don’t know what he needs. I’m just waiting for his call to tell me WHEN and if it will work with his schedule today!
37 comments:
Love the doors, Bonnie. I had to giggle about the alarm but sure it wasn't funny. Wonder if there is more "skeleton's in the closet"?
Love that reddish brown: I have my house - at least all the doors and windows, including the wood work around them - in a like color, called oxen blood. This is the kind of red that calms you down =^}
And it makes a difference that light can come in! Makes you feel so welcome...
I hope that you really don't need to install an alarm like that again, maybe it tells more about the inhabitants than it tells about the risks? A dog may very well do the job too!
From a chilly (freezing! icicles growing!) Amsterdam,
Love, Irene
LOL about the alarm - weird they never told you it was working and obviously had been disabled. I am getting a new backdoor with a window that looks a bit like yours. We have a big porch and trees too and get little light inside the house it seems - but I love that porch!
The past two houses we have lived in had weird and mostly defunct alarms. They both went off in the wee hours of the morning occasionally. The first house I knew the code and could get it to shut down. It was quite a racket though, and usually caused the kids to start crying and screaming too. The current house alarm was finally disconnected this past summer. It had a battery back up and would go off every once in a while. It finally just decided to beep very faintly all the time. The beeping was coming from the control box near the front door, so I didn't hear it unless I was near it. I was very happy when the electrician finally "killed it" by disconnecting all the power to it. My alarms now are two large dogs, they work for food and love, and sometimes bark at night.
Tracy
Love the new doors. My house too has a wrap around porch, lots of trees in the yard, I know exactly what your talking about when you say it is always dark. My whole house is like that. Drives me nuts. I would have pushed that button the first time I seen it, to see what it did. Good thing it didn't also open up a trap door on the front porch and swallow up the guy that snipped the wires, wouldn't that have been an adventure.
Nicely done, the new doors add a lot of beauty and security too.
One more thing check off the to do list right?
Houses are never done there is always the "next thing"
to be done!
I enjoyed quiltcam last night and got a few blocks made too.
Thanks Bonnie and Happy Sewing
Is there a Container Store near you? They have the coolest bungee chairs...so comfy!
We bought a home from a firefighter, and it had burglar alarms that were hooked up to both the doors AND a motion detector. We have cats, so we never set the alarm. Unbeknownst to us it was also connected to the wired-in smoke detectors, so the first time I set off the smoke detector after spilling something in the oven the WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD knew about it, as the outside siren went off! The whole thing is now off and disabled except the smoke detectors, of course, which just act like regular detectors now.
your new doors are very pretty. i hope the install went easily. when we replaced our front door it was a major deal. our house is old and nothing is standard, and so many things are just 'rigged up' including the old front door. the entire frame of the old front door was only attached to the house with a couple of nails at the very top! my husband and dad replaced it over the course of a few days (much needed carpentry work as well as just hanging the door) and said never again! so when we decided to replace the back door, i called a contractor! both our old doors were wooden and the new ones are steel. front door also has a window in it but it's way up at the top and i'm too short to see out of it! haha
The doors look beautiful and I love the new light. We need to replace ours too and I want the glass to open up the entry space like yours.
It's a good thing the entire police dept. didn't show up at your house ;)
Your new doors look wonderful! I know what you mean about a window in the front door. We live where lots of trees shade the entry and living room. I do have a door with a fan shaped window in the top, but yours would provide more light. I love hearing about the improvements, and seeing pictures of your new studio and home. I enjoy hearing about your quilting and travels of course, but the recent glimpse into your living and sewing spaces has been so much fun! I also love the color of your new front door!
Great doors! Love the light it brings in!
Had fun watching Quiltcam last night! I finished the left sides of the flying geese for Easy Street! Now I think I'll press them open!
We did that last year-all the outside doors were replaced. Made a big difference in heat and AC bills this past year,and they looks so much better. Our front ones were qood with the oval glass-you know what the hot afternoon sun in TX can do to those! The others, yes the small window panes framed in white. the person that designed those never had to clean windows! I'm sure you will love them. amazing how houses can surprise us after being in them for awhile, love the alarm story!
Wow! Very transforming! I can see why you are so happy with the new doors. They are lovely!
The alarm thing is funny! We have an old alarm system in our house; a key pad in our bedroom....a box in the front the closet. We know NOTHING about it, either. Wonder if mine would alarm if we cut the wires? I love love love your new front doors....let there be light. ps...I would love for you to show us a whole house tour one day! Love your foyer!
That is part of the fun of a pre-owned home! We've set our alarm off twice, and discovered, yes, it has a blaring horn outside for the neighbors to hear. We've been here a year and a half and still have switches and boxes that we don't know what they go to.... probably never will!
What does the sign over the inside of the door say, please? I can make out, "What we make with our hands, we...."
Your new doors are just lovely and match your decor style so well!
Your new doors are beautiful. I love the stain glass in the front door. The lead pattern reminds me of a quilt pattern I have seen used in borders on quilts. Was that intentional?
...hold in our hearts.
New doors, isn't it wonderful? We did the same several years ago - darkness issues too so went with glass in the front door and side-lights. Really improved curb appeal as well :)
What a surprise with cutting that wire - yikes!
Love the doors. I'm with you on the light issue, I have the same thing at my house and I've been drooling over a similar door for about the same length of time! Now my hubby will have to get going on the project since I see how great yours looks. Too funny about the alarm!
Enjoy your day.
Love the newer background...so relaxing
XOXOX Subee
Bonnie, I didn't want this to get lost in all the other comments so I'm bringing Easy Street here. Thank you so much for publishing the alternate patterns for flying geese. I was having quite a bit of difficulty with your preferred method and almost dropped out of doing the mystery this year. Adding that info was incredibly sweet and I want you to know how very much I appreciate it.
Now, more sewing.
Love your new doors, Bonnie! Great color, too! Funny deal with the alarm. One never knows what lingers in a resale home. Have a happy day!
Love the doors! So pretty!
The very same thing happened with us and the door alarm! we moved in the end of August and started hearing these little beeps about three weeks ago. It was annoying and my DH just pushed the little button on the wall that was flashing and oh, my goodness the alarms started sounding all over the house. Of course, we had no codes to disarm it or anything - we were told it was disabled. police even showed up and they had to call the previous owner who didn't remember the codes and it was about three hours before the alarms finally stopped. Thankfully our new neighbors were not upset- but it was annoying!
My dining room has a door to the outside patio and had a solid door when we moved in 17 years ago. The upstairs walkin attic had a regular inside door on it. Finally had the back door replaced with one that had a window (as the dining room in "room-locked" and only has a small window-dark and depressing) and moved the insulated door up to the attic entrance. What a difference in both areas-light and temperature control in upstairs hall! So glad I made the investment in my mental health and comfort!
how many machines can we find that we have or have seen?? Something like "where's Waldo"!
LOL was it a PANIC button???? funny that it went off like that! OMG!
Bonnie, your front door is exactly like mine! Except mine needs painting. What is the color name of yours? (Only if you know without having to go to any trouble.) I think it might work on my house, and I have had the hardest time trying to decide what color to paint it. Your house looks great!
Oh man, I totally feel you on the alarm. When we moved in, we had this functioning alarm system that would tell you when one of the doors were open. However, we did not get the code from the previous owner and I accidentally armed it one day (what can I say, I got curious and pressed buttons). Then I couldn't disarm it and called the company. They gave me their standard codes to use, but nothing worked, so they finally told me to unplug it. Unfortunately, they neglected to mention that it has battery backup and beeps even louder when you try to remove said battery. My nerves were shot by the time I got everything unplugged.
Too Funny... My folks had one that was also connected to the smoke detector and police/fire depts. and while they were away for a year or so my brothers family moved into their home. Every time my SIL would make dinner (she had a tendency to burn the food!) So, the smoke detector would go off and then the fire dept. would call to say that they were on the way! LoL... finally my folks called the security com. and asked them to turn it off completely... it was embarrassing my SIL... but, on the lighter side... ahem, the family always knew when it was time to eat!
Oh, and I'm thinking they put the labels onto the windows... so they don't spoil the new paint jobs!
I love the vintage look of your door. It’s so appealing and inviting. The small glass pane is a beautiful touch to the design of the door. It’s functional too. Now you don’t have to worry about getting natural lighting.
>Vernie Herr
How’s the front door doing? Has the paint aged enough to match the walls, or did you replace it with a fresh coat of paint after a while? I really like the glass pattern, though I usually see those on the side door windows rather than on the actual door itself.
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