Safety First

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If the DIY gods smiled on us regularly we would be able to proceed through our project list in an orderly manner. Sadly, they stopped smiling. As soon as we moved in we knew one of our first projects, along with carpet ripping up and major cleaning, would be replacing the front door locks.


This was partly for aesthetic reasons (I understand some people like brass, but understanding how anyone likes that shade of brass is beyond me), but mostly because the locks were basically nonfunctional. That's right, the situation was worse than this picture makes it look!



This picture actually shows the huge dent in the doorknob. We have no idea how the previous residents inflicted this damage on this poor, already homely knob. What you can't see is that deadbolt doesn't actually have a bolt. That's right, they just attached the front and back of a locking mechanism together without bothering with actual part that makes the door lock. The mind, it boggles.

Now changing a lock set is usually a rather simply little procedure. As long as you pick a lock set that fits into the preexisting holes on your door, read the directions before hand, and know how to work a screwdriver you should be able to do this job quickly and well. So Jeremy set out to complete this little project while I went to make dinner (how stereotypical of us!).

Sailor language soon filled the air. Nothing about the previous locks were done correctly, meaning there was much drilling, chiseling, and undoing to get our new set in correctly. Hours passed. Many tools were used. Some neighbors learned new ways to string together blue language.

The end, though, is fantastic.



The much improved interior view, complete with a deadbolt that actually locks! We debated a bit over what we wanted our hardware to look like, but we went with something simple, befitting the overall style and scale of the house. The oil rubbed bronze finish goes with the house while still looking modern. It'll look even better when we paint the inside of the door a nice, soft khaki color to match the rest of the trim.


The exterior shot. I love seeing all of the colors our door has been. Currently it is hunter green, but apparently it has also been bluish-gray and yellow. We look forward to sanding some of those layers away and painting the door a nice terra cotta color.

Eventually. For now we are simply enjoying being able to lock the door behind us.