Courtyard Project – DIY Makeover Part Two…

Remember this trench from my post, Courtyard Project – DIY Makeover Begins!? I told you then that the trench had something to do with a present from Luke and Rory. If you Follow Me on INSTAGRAM, you know that I received a gorgeous lamppost for my birthday!

A Courtyard Lamppost

I have always adored old-fashioned lampposts. I even love the word lamppost and the way it’s spelled, LOL. As we were hard at work in renovating my courtyard this summer, we would sit exhausted at the end of a long evening trying to cool down. The problem we had was not a new one–the courtyard was dark. The two sensor-ed lights would not stay on for any length of time causing us to have to walk up to the light and wave our arms around like lunatics to get the lights to turn back on again. This was definitely not a relaxing way to take a break.

So Luke and Rory put their noodles together and concocted an amazingly wonderful idea for my birthday present. I can’t even tell you how excited and happy I still am about my lamppost.

We Got To Work…

The lamppost project was a big undertaking. We needed to:

1. Dig a trench from the lamppost location to the house (including under about 10 feet of brick patio).
2. Break through concrete.
3. Run electrical out to the lamppost and inside the house .
4. Tap into the house electrical.
5. Install a wall switch inside the house.
6. Mock-up and Test Fit throughout process.
7. Build a brick pedestal for the lamppost to raise it a little and also help keep the base from standing in water when it rains.
8. Strengthen and stabilize the base.
9. Put together the lamppost and connect electricity.

 

See how we did it…

We dug trenches along the brick out to the lamppost site and also in the side yard where the electrical hook-up would be placed. We dug cavities under the bricks and wall on each end.

Then we hooked up the Hydro-Pipe that Luke made for tunneling under the 10 feet of bricks and wall.  The Hydro-Pipe was made of galvanized pipe with a threaded elbow at one end for attaching a hose and a hose nozzle at the other end.

We attached the hose and turned on the water. This was amazing. What an ingenious way to flush out a tunnel for laying the electrical pipe. Mud bath anyone?

There were three galvanized pipes sticking up through bricks where an L-shaped bench had been cemented in place. That bench long ago rotted away, and we had some concrete benches sitting over those upright pipes. We too out two of the pipes and left the middle one to help support the lamppost, and hopefully to use for running electrical wire. So, Luke went to work trying to break-out a hole in the concrete at the pipe end to fit electrical pipe through.

We laid the electrical pipes, ran the wires, and tapped into the house electricity.

We put a wall switch inside the house to operate the lamppost.

Then it was time to lay the brick pedestal as the base for our lamppost. I wanted the lamppost to be a little higher, and the pedestal will also keep the base of the actual lamppost from standing in water when it rains.

The square wood contraption is a brick leveler and spacer that Luke put together. He slid he wood over the galvanized pipe and manipulated the screw for leveling. The bricks fitted up against the sides of the wood and were level with the top of the wood.

Then we cemented in the bricks, removed the spacer, and filled the center with cement. The joints were pressed and angled slightly to allow water to run off the brick pedestal.

While the cement was drying, we connected the electricity from the house to the wall switch and out to the lamppost.

Luke welded together a stabilizer for the lamppost. It slid down over the galvanized pipe and rested on the brick pedestal. The screws on the upright part, where used for centering, while the screw on the bottom where used for leveling and attaching the base to the bricks.

The lamppost base fit right down over the stabilizer and onto the bottom leveling screws where acorn nuts were used for tightening. We constructed the lamppost according to the boxed directions, and finished hooking up the electrical. And then,

It was time to Light the Lamppost…

Isn’t it beautiful? I am so pleased with how it turned out. I’m thinking this is the most amazing birthday gift I have ever received.

Think about all the possibilities for decorating this beauty for the different holidays!

Here it is all gussied up for Halloween!

This project was a lot of work, but we had a great time working together and getting it done. And we gained  a sense of accomplishment and pride, along with a gorgeous new courtyard lamppost.

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What do you have on your Wish List?

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Do you have a project in your plans?

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The Pumpkin Prayer  was featured at the 25th Pretty Pintastic Party!
Thanks for the honor; I’m thrilled!

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~Lorelai

 

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Contact Lorelai at Lorelai@LifeWithLorelai.com