1) Try to strip the existing front door in mad, vain hope that it can be salvaged. Give up when you realize it’s not salvageable. Accept with degree of weariness that you now look like a very religious household indeed.
Do nothing with mildly creepy and ugly front door for a while.
Then, get a flash of inspiration and a tiny cash flow injection.
2) Buy new front door.
3) Varnish new front door, or employ delightful labor to do so on your behalf.
Said labor works for handjobs, which makes it cheap skilled labor because as I’ve said, I have two specialties – hand jobs and risotto (although not, obviously, both at the same time because nothing says a visit to the burn unit quite like taking someone in hand near a gas flame. I’m just saying.)
4) Varnish repeatedly.
(Realize that looks like I’ve shellacked it with an awful lot of resulting hand action but no, that’s real varnish.
5) Not related to the door, just wanted to show off his new toy. He bought a cement mixer (as you do) that’s from France (as it does). I call it Tik Tok and resist the urge to go touching everything green and shouting “Oz!” at the top of my lungs.
6) Take old door off hinges.
7) Realize the door frame you bought from completely incompetent 12 year olds the local DIY is shagged and doesn’t work and you must therefore screw the old door back on to the front of the house in order to have a door. This process is also known as “Hello, Robbers!”
8) Wait for three day bank holiday weekend. Said weekend arrives and just happens to be the coldest fucking weekend in yonks, which makes replacing said door by nice man who is wearying of said task (there’s only so much thanks a person can take) and a household set to freeze. Wrangle children and keep them in the corral while the barn door’s flung open.
9) Shag previous door in the removal process, to the point that there’s only one place for it, as overseen by local fire marshall.
10) Hang new front door. Love new front door with a worship that’s nearly unholy.
11) Revel in the light that it brings the hallway.
12) Then realize that the door is just the beginning, there’s still an entire piece around tiling the floor, finishing the stairs, and re-painting, something you think of every time you see the light that needs to be hung over the door and the massive pile of tiles to be laid. Resist urge to cry, especially since you’ve already done that once today and no one needs a cry baby.
13) Still – you have a new front door and it’s a start.
-S.
You might caution A to be careful of that cement mixer. I seem to recall a story a few years back about a man who got his workout pants somehow caught in a running cement mixer. The turning of the mixer ended up getting his man panties as well, and…well…eventually his wang. He now has frankenweenie.
Here’s the story.
The new door looks beautiful – I’m jealous of all the light streaming into your hallway!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who’s seen that movie. Thanks.
Love your new entry way!
Maybe I’ll post those pictures of my bathtub post-destruction. Someday my husband will start replacing the tile.
Nice new door!
I should not have clicked that link!
May the new light shining in your hallway be an inspiration for the other projects!
Where’s the door knob? How do you open the door?
@ Amy – sorry, yes! The doorknob, lock, and mailbox are all installed now. This was prior to those being installed.
And a lovely front door it is!
I LOVE the new door!!
Oh, such a lovely front entrance! It just makes it so much more welcoming!
The door is lovely, and the rest of your home will be soon. It might seem like there’s so much to do, but look around you and be proud of all the work done so far!
and yes, that does look just like Tik Tok!!
What a beautiful, lovely, well-fitting door this is. I’m officially jealous now.
:-) Lily
Beautiful door, good work!
Having just replaced ALL of the exterior doors in our old, unlevel house, I can totally sympathize with the process and frustration. The only fun part about it was burning all the old wood doors. :)
It is a lovely front door. Just take it one day at a time, love. You’ll get through it.
That makes me want a nice front door. We’ve got the cheap, plain one the builder installed. Yours looks great!
Now that it’s done and looks great, I’m sure Angus is glad he did all the effort, and you’re glad you did all the “favors”. :)
I just LOVE your renovation blogposts! I’m such a sucker for house renovations. And the new door is beautiful!
We desperately need a new door but the hubster just hasn’t got around to it yet. Now I know the missing motivation – hand jobs! Woo Hoo new front door here I come! Pun absolutely intended ;)
Now come and do mine, will you?
Also, all my internal doors, my flooring, the deck and the painting.
It’s not so cold here :)
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