Ring My Bell

My front door is looking pretty good these days:

There are just a few more things that I need to do… like replace this ugly doorbell.

There are lots of things I hate about it. For one, the doorbell was inexplicably re-mounted to the left of the hole where the wiring comes out (and has been since I moved in). I can see an outline and old hole marks for where the doorbell must have been originally, so I really can’t understand why someone would put it in any other place. Plus, it’s tarnished and clashes with all of the other finishes on the exterior (which have all slowly been replaced with satin nickel finishes, including the house numbers, knocker, porch light, and just recently, the door handle and deadbolt).

For this project, you’ll need:

• screwdriver (flat or Phillips head, whichever works for your screws)
• new doorbell
• paint
• wood filler
• sandpaper
• drill
• spade drill bit (depending on the doorbell style)

To replace, I first removed the front plate of the doorbell, which unintentionally removed the (nasty old) button as both were held in place by the front piece. I then unscrewed and detached the wires from the back (for safety reasons because the things I do to my house are to my house and you should always do the safe thing even if I don’t, turn the power off, K?).

The new doorbell is nearly the same size, but I needed to first figure out where it was going to go compared to the old. AKA, a smidge to the right.

Knowing that I wouldn’t be putting it back in the exact same spot, I needed to patch and paint the screw holes and unpainted area beneath the old plate on the left side of the trim work. You can probably guess where this is going…

It took a couple of coats to cover the dark brown, but it was also a fun reminder of how much lighter the exterior paint is now versus where I started five years ago.

The back of the new doorbell had a much larger area on the back that would need to be recessed into the trim. To achieve this, I first traced out the size of the hole with a pencil. After checking where the wire was threading with a flashlight (so that I could know where the wire was and wasn’t behind the trim), I carefully (!) drilled a larger hole using a spade drill bit sized according to the instructions on the package (5/8″). You can use a hole saw bit if you have one small enough, which makes a cleaner and prettier hole usually, but the spade bit was the first I found in my garage and got the job done (the hole would be covered by the new doorbell anyway, so pretty wasn’t important).

Kind of like the kind of mess a carpenter bee makes. Except they refuse to listen to instructions, so they weren’t available for help on this project.

Then, it was a matter of reconnecting the wires, drilling some new holes for the screws, and done!

Before…

And after!

The button glows, so it’s easy to find at night, too. It’s probably going to make things a lot easier on the pizza guy.

Like most of the things I deal with in an old house, it’s never going to be perfect. But overall, it’s a far cry from where I was several years ago.

Even Danny from Archer is a fan. (Sorry, this clip just makes me giggle.)

Me too, Danny. Me too.

(P.S.: Atlanta  folks: The YHL book signing is going on in Atlanta tonight, and I plan to be there early. If you see me, please say hi… I’d love to meet you!)

The post Ring My Bell appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

Website // Subscribe // Advertise // Twitter // Facebook // Google+

The Project Domino Effect (and New Front Door Hardware)

***Overshare post alert*** Some time ago, I replaced my front door handle and deadbolt.

There are a number of reasons why this was a good idea at the time, but there’s one that still makes me laugh to this day as one of the strangest (and yet, still oddly logical) reasons to replace something in my home: I got tired of really, really needing to pee.

You see, the old deadbolt key was getting twisted and stuck nearly every. damn. time. I came home from work and unlocked my front door. In order to get the key to work, I had to wiggle it just right. The deadbolt would eventually catch, the door would be unlocked, and all would be right with the world.

Except, many more times than I would like to admit, I would get stuck in traffic on my drive home from work (it is Atlanta, after all — home of some of the most insane traffic jams ever). And even though I didn’t really think I had to use the bathroom when I left the office, by the time I got all the way home, things would be… considerably different. My bladder would sometimes be so full that I’d need to do that dumb little dance while praying for the door to release its death grip on the interior pins within the lock, and I’d be muttering under my breath, “for the love of God, damn you! TURN! TUUUURN!”

(There were other good reasons for replacing the hardware as well, such as the fact that I only had one really old front door key and it was almost too twisted to even fit in the lock, but the pee-pee dance story is just way more funny and embarrassing.)

Anyway, I picked out a new deadbolt and handle to match the other nickel exterior hardware. And not only am I no longer working on my peemergency dance moves in front of my neighbors anymore, but I have been enjoying another funny, unexpected perk: instead of needing a free hand to turn the handle, I can use my elbow and shove the door open with a nudge from my hip. It may not seem like much, but when you might need to pee and you’ve got two armloads of groceries? Magic.

I didn’t reveal the new door hardware at the time because it was one of those domino effect projects: fix this, change that, and then realize that there are two or three other things that you really should take care of to have a more complete update about it. But then, months pass, you ignore the little things around it that irk you, and the project sort of hangs on the to-do list indefinitely.

After staring at my door like this, every day, for months, I finally got frustrated enough to just fix what was bugging me. Thanks to the different sizes between the original and replacement, a sliver of the old red paint from the original door color was peeking through around the deadbolt, and I had reached a tipping point between putting it off for one more day and being tired of this little reminder still being on my to-do list. Perhaps it was all of the exterior updates surrounding the door. Perhaps it was knowing exactly where the paint was from having organized my garage this year. But all it took was a little paint brush to finally attack that little sliver of red paint. So I did. And I moved on.

Or so I thought. A few days later, I then noticed that by having painted the area around the new handle and deadbolt, the sheen of the dark blue paint on the rest of the door had dulled a little. I could have ignored it, but I knew it would eventually bug me like the red paint did. So I whipped out a regular paint brush, cleaned the door, and repainted nearly all of the door wherever I saw a dull sheen.

I then noticed several old gouges in the trim next to the handle. I’m not even sure why this area had been notched out originally, but using some quick-dry wood putty to rebuild the corner took care of it in no time.

After a little sanding and more paint, the new door hardware looked much more camera-ready!

So, here’s the old door as it was ages ago:

And here’s what it looks like now!

That’s not all that was updated, so be sure to  come back on Wednesday for a quick tutorial on the new doorbell!

The post The Project Domino Effect (and New Front Door Hardware) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

Website // Subscribe // Advertise // Twitter // Facebook // Google+

Puppy Love (Giveaway)

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored giveaway written by me on behalf of Beneful Brand Dog Food. All opinions are 100% my own.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good ol’ fashioned post about Charlie. For many of you, you’re already familiar with this sweet face:

For more than four years, this blog has had a furry, goofy mascot with tons of personality. Her name is Charlie, and she’s my crazy “kangaroo” mutt. Here she is, hanging out on my roof like a fearless nutjob.

Sure, she’s timid as can be when tiptoeing across my laminate floors, but life just wouldn’t be interesting if she weren’t a total hypocrite when it came to actually dangerous things. She can also clear my six foot backyard fence like a world-class hurdler. Not to mention, she also seems very aware of her good looks.

When I got Charlie as a pup, I did it mainly because I missed my ex’s dog (who used to live here) and felt lonely living in my house all by myself. I needed a companion, and adopting a sweet little furball from the Atlanta Humane Society seemed like a great idea… right up until she peed on my brand new carpet about five minutes after getting home. We clearly had a few things to work on.

Colby and little Charlie

A year after moving into my fixer upper, the first part of my family came together… just the two of us. And it’s been a riot ever since.

Having a dog hasn’t always been easy, but she has grown to be an excellent companion. Whenever I’m busy on a project inside, she can’t help but get right into the action… even if it means walking into wet paint or getting dust on her nose.

She is always my little helper, ever-curious and wanting attention.

Her favorite spot in the house is on my painted staircase, about halfway up, keeping an eye on the window and the kids playing in the street. She is a much bigger fan of them than they are of her. Same for the pizza guy.

Her favorite toys have been the same since I got her home. Naturally, her rule of thumb seems to be that the more fuzzy mess it can make, the more fun there is to be had. I love spoiling her with them just as much, but those specialty “tough” toys can really get pricey when you throw in treats, dental chews, and all of the other goodies that taunt me from the pet store display shelves.

Toys used to be too big for her!

Now… not so much.

As if I needed an excuse to spoil her more, it just so happens that this is National Dog Week. Beneful asked if they could send over a box of goodies to help Charlie celebrate, and I happily agreed since there’s always a difference between spoiling my dog and having the funds to spoil her as much as I want to. The care package they sent came with a few things that I already know she’ll love, including two packages of dental chews and two tennis balls (this is the only pic I got with everything in the box, since she immediately took off with a ball up the stairs before I could snap another pic!). I see lots of vacuuming of little fuzzy bits in my future, but it’s a small price to pay for her contentment.

And as for the treats? Charlie-approved.

Toys and snacks aside, to “celebrate” National Dog Week, Charlie and I have spent a lot of it outside, trying to enjoy this fall weather as much as we can. Even though I’ve been busy with lots of gardening, she is perfectly happy to play and watch me work… provided that she gets the occasional belly rub or trip to the park.

Beneful is also celebrating this week by offering everyone a $3 off coupon for a 13 lb. or greater size bag of food (which you can get here). And of course, a giveaway! You know how I love simple entry, so all you have to do to enter is use the Rafflecopter widget below and leave a comment on this post about your pup. What’s your favorite activity to share with your pooch? What’s the funniest thing they’ve ever done? Etc., etc. (funny entries keep me entertained while I approve comments). Here are the full details:

• Prize: A fun box of goodies from Beneful
• Number of winners: 1
• Giveaway ends: Wednesday, September 30 11:59 PM
• Ships: U.S. only.
• To enter: leave a comment on this post about your furry BFF (What’s your favorite activity to share with your pooch? What’s the funniest thing they’ve ever done?) & mark that you’ve entered on Rafflecopter (you must do both to achieve entry).

If you want to celebrate National Dog Week even more, feel free to share a pic of your pup by using the hashtags #NationalDogWeek and #FriendsWithBeneful on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram. Lots of luck, and enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Puppy Love (Giveaway) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

Website // Subscribe // Advertise // Twitter // Facebook // Google+