Exterior Lights Wood Mounting Blocks

Normally we just install our exterior light fixtures directly on top of the cedar shingles and just cut the shingles so that they do not cover the electrical box.  This can cause the light fixture not to sit flat because the shingles are thicker at the bottom than at the top.  So to correct this problem we made our own wood mounting blocks. 

Of course you know that we made them out of scrap wood.  We used 2 pieces of 1X6 glued together.  After the glue dried we cut the wood to measure 5 1/4 X 5 1/4 inches.  To gild the lily, so to speak, we ran the router around the edge with a round over bit.  The bit was adjusted down just a hair to give us not only a rounded finish on the edge but an additional detail on the top.

Then we drilled a tiny pilot hole in each corner for a finish nail.  We also drilled out the center so we could pull the wires through and then attached the mounting bar for the exterior light fixture.

There was some debate (argument/discussion) over whether the mounting blocks should be oriented square or rotated 90 degrees so it looks like a diamond.  We (I won) decided on the diamond orientation because it accommodates the shaped of the light fixture where it mounts to the house.

When I look at that above photo, the mounting blocks do not look like they are in the same place on each side.  I am not exaggerating when I say we measured three times and the only difference is less than an 1/8th of an inch spacing side to side.  The up and down measurement is right on the money.  

We installed more shingles and are up to the the sides of the mounting blocks when we ran out of wider shingles. We were ready to quit because it was a long day today.  Yesterday we loaded up half of the old Anderson windows that we removed and replaced with the restoration windows.  And this morning we used one of our two allotted dumping permits to get rid of those windows.  We backed up to the dumpster (located on a lower level) with the tailgate lowered and then just slid the windows off the truck and into the dumpster.

We have 4 big picture windows left to get rid of but they are far too heavy for me to lift so our son is going to stop by on Sunday to help R load the last 4 windows into the truck.  Then we will use the other dumping permit to get rid of those 4 windows. 

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Patio Exterior Lights

We were able to get a few more cedar shingles installed before it started raining yet AGAIN.

If it rains tomorrow we can run the wire to the boxes from inside the house. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't rain because I still have some stuff to put away before we get freezing temperatures.

Elvis wanted to go outside, but when we opened the door and he saw it was raining, he just stood there.  He would be happy if we just left the door open so he could be outside without actually going outside. 

Tomorrow's high temp is suppose to be 57 degrees.  That is warm enough to prime IF the shingles are dry enough after all this rain.  Raw cedar shingles are like sponges when it rains, that is why I try my best to get at least one coat of primer on them.

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Deciding on the Correct Height for Exterior Lights

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was enjoyable and your turkey was cooked just right.  We dined out with my son and daughter in law at a Hungarian restaurant in Detroit.  B and I both ordered chicken paprikash with dumplings, my son ordered goulash with dumplings, and the Hungarian at the table ordered filet mignon, go figure. 

Goulash with Dumplings

Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings

But the real star of the dinner was dessert.  I ordered a milk chocolate and walnut torte.  It was very good and I thought I had made the perfect choice until I got a taste of B's dessert.  She ordered kremesh.  Sometimes referred to as kreme.  This dessert is made all over Europe but I guess some places add too much garnish and make it too sweet.  From what I have read, the French version has whipped cream on top and is drizzled with caramel.  In Hungary the kremesh is just the filling between puff pastry.  It is so good. You taste the cream which isn't overly sweet.  I wish I had a photo of it but I did find a photo online which is very close to what the restaurant served.  The only difference is that B's piece wasn't yellow and was just lightly off white.

Kremesh

The current exterior light on the deck is located above the door.  I wanted a light on each side of the door so when I purchased my other exterior lights I just bought two extra.  This means each side of the patio door will have a light.

Now has come the time to decide on the placement of these lights.  I started by checking the Internet to see what the 'Net' had to say about exterior wall hung lights.  Several sites said 60 inches up from the bottom of the door and between 6 and 11 inches away from the door casing.  Sounds good so I got out the tape measure and a piece of white chalk and measured up from the door sill and marked the 60 inch mark.  I stopped right their because that was just too low.

I called to R to hold the light at various heights until I found a spot that looked good.  I marked this location with chalk and then measured the 6 inch and 11 inch marks.  6 inches was too close to the door.  R suggested the mid point between the door and the window.  Normally I am all about things being centered and symmetrical but in this case I thought it was best if the lights were closer to the door because the lights are there to cast light around the door opening.

11 inches was perfect but that point landed right on a stud so we were able to move it 1 inch closer to the door for it to work.  But before I could say 'this is the location' I needed to check the other side and make sure there wasn't a stud problem.  All was good, so we moved on to cutting out the hole for the 4 inch octagon box.

The light may look like it is centered between the window and door but the new door will have 5 inch wide casing so the light is located closer to the door than the window.  I am so ready for that door to go buh bye.

Probably one of the worse things that I can ask R to do is hold something, while I decide the correct placement.  He just doesn't understand why I can't just say "right here" and move onto the next task.  It frustrates him to no end.

R cut out the opening and reattached the tar paper.  He then installed the box and we attached the light to the box just to make sure that it looked good.  Our hands were so cold that it was difficult to screw the little cap onto the threaded stud.  

I also screwed in a LED light bulb and right away didn't like how it looked.  It is so white that it stands out.  I'll wait and see how it looks after the electrical is attached and the shingles are installed and painted before I make up my mind.

Tomorrow we have a few errands to run before we can install the box on the other side of the door.  The other side should go faster now that we know the location.

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