Enter at Your Own Risk

I'm taking liberties with the timeline of this renovation so that the reader is spared the agony of our somewhat sporadic approach, most usually caused by me or that old foe named Indecision. Indecision is an enemy that attacks both of the people living in this house. I'll tell you that we didn't spruce up the entry of our house all in one go, and I'll dedicate a post entirely to the front door. However, as we found these little touches, we were pleased to add them to the entry experience.

The first thing we tackled was the mailbox. Mail is an inevitability, and having a mailbox was actually an important first step to becoming residents. There was an old mailbox mounted on the lower bricks just as you begin up the steps, but it was small and rusted. It's a neat design and I considered restoring it and using it as yard art, but in the end I sold it on Craigslist, concluding that I have other projects more worthy of my time. And, that neat little mailbox deserved to be actively appreciated. We replaced it with a brass mailbox from Rejuvenation, which we mounted to the right of the front door. It's lovely and I like the sound it makes as the lid clangs shut when the mailman drops off our junk mail for the day.

Look! A paper holder...a relic of the past.	No newspaper...just junk mail.

House numbers. Looking for a house in the dark (before GPS), used to be a source of anxiety for me. I don't see well, and especially not in the dark, and so often house numbers are small, hidden, or not in a well lit location. Because of this, I had some opinions about getting new house numbers. I was met with zero resistance from my other, so ordering the new brass numbers was an easy process. The old numbers were on a placard that was probably 3" x 6" placed above the door. You really couldn't make them out even if you were standing on the stoop.

Huh? *squint squint*	Ah ha!

I've always liked those old push button doorbells. If my memory is correct, I think we had one one the first house I lived in growing up. If my memory is wrong, maybe my grandma had one. At any rate, I like them and wanted something similar. Wouldn't you know, they're not so easy to find in reproduction. We actually bought two doorbells. The first one was a discontinued model and not returnable and we got home with it only to discover that the dimensions wouldn't work for how we wanted to mount it on the brick. Not to worry, we ended up getting one that I like even better.

For sale: $20	Press it!

And finally, a front entry needs a porch light. This Rejuvenation light with the orange stained glass is so fun! I think it fits nicely with the Tudor style.

Welcome!