Walter nor I are excited about electrical projects. I was raised by an electrician and plumber father. Therefore I never had to learn about how to do any maintenance or upkeep on anything, whether major or minor, around the house. He always said the projects he got called in on were always harder and longer to fix than if the homeowner had called him before tackling them on their own.
Therefore, his best advise concerning DIY projects was call a professional and write a check. Then we could rely that the job was done properly and safely.
Now that we are both retired, we do have more time to put into DIY repairs. So recently Walter decided he would try to replace four outside light sconces that had rusted and weathered on the front of our house.
With much tribulation, we bought replacement lamps and dug out the ladder and several tools. Walter said the lights had three colored wires and that he could just uncurl them and reconnect the newer wires with the same color wires coming out of the house and then screw the lights back into the brick.
After several adjustments to the brace bar and some minor changes to the screw length, the first light was wired up and properly burning. Hurray! My father would be so proud. In case anyone wondered how I fit into the project, I stayed with him the entire time. I moved ladders, handed tools, encouraged and was available to dial 911 if needed.
Lucky for us no call was necessary. The lights went on smoothly after the first one was finished. Although they are brass finish and that may not be as popular currently as other finishes, I like brass and I feel it will come back into popularity some day. It is a little harder to find now, but we have brass all over both the inside and the outside of the house. To change out now would be far too expensive for something that is just for character and not for function. So I will continue to replace with brass until all the outside lighting is new.
And now for a few pictures:
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| Old Rusted Lantern |
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| Safely Off the House |
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| Walter Using Plastic Gloves |
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| Walter Showing Me the Wires From the House |
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| Tired Walter Poses at My Request |
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| Happy After the First Installation |
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| New Beautiful Brass Lantern |
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| Me Comparing the Old to the New Slightly Larger Fixture |
Walter replaced four fixtures that day. I was so glad to have them replaced with no money spent for their installation. Walter was both happy and relieved to finally get off the ladder. He deserved an atta-boy for this job well done.
