How to cut down on the committee work in a marriage

This picture shows the door sidelight that I mentioned as being one of my recent projects. The opening originally contained a single thickness of fluted glass that I broke ten years ago (don't worry, it was an accident), after which I filled the opening with plywood that was covered over with lattice on the inside and painted to match the door on the outside. I never liked this arrangement because one end of the living room stayed dark. I couldn't find a full piece of glass that didn't strike me as a burglar hazard, and Peggy wouldn't agree to bars for added security so, after the passage of several years, we recently compromised on this arrangement. What you're looking at are two pieces of 5/8 plywood with a thick piece of laminated, frosted glass sandwiched in-between. The assembly is held in place with stout molding and long nails on the outside, and stout molding and long screws on the inside. Peggy argued for thinner plywood, and Peggy gets her way more often than not because I find it easier to give in than to spend eleventeen hours in committee. But when it comes to security, I'm often adamant, so Peggy will usually capitulate at the outset unless what I'm proposing is a complete deal-killer for her, as were the window bars I mentioned.

Our first thought was for the cutouts to be cats or maybe a crescent moon and stars, but we decided we would be less likely to tire of something less cutesy, so Peggy drew this pattern. I think it goes well with our 1955 house. As for the rest of the picture, we bought the lion's head door knocker in the '70s, and have put it on a few houses by now. I built the mail-slot because I couldn't find a ready made one that I liked. The pineapple was a Peggy purchase that she says represents hospitality--in Hawaii, I think. When a poor country boy marries a globe-trotting girl Air Force brat, he learns things like that.

20 comments:

Kerry said...

Looks like you reached a very nice compromise here.

We have 2 such long narrow windows on either side of the front door: must've been all the rage back in the 60's?

Marion said...

Looks very nice, Snow. I think the design is quite tasteful. xo

ellen abbott said...

1/4" laminated glass is about as safe as it comes and would have let in a lot more light, though I do like the diamond pattern. The lock froze on our shop door once which had 1/4" laminate in it. Marc whaled away for a good 20 minutes with a hammer until he got it so broken up that it became flexible enough to push ii out of the way to reach the lock from inside. we usually use 3/8 laminated for the etched glass we do for doors and windows.

kylie said...

i love the way you are posting so much, snow!
i am also totally dismayed by the amount of work you have done compared to what i have not and i dont have bad shoulders.

i wish i could be so tidy and orderly as you are, my husband is and i drive him nuts with my slobbiness, not that i'm dirty, just untidy. what i will say is that i cant stand clutter and spend my life attempting to get rid of it.

xxxx

lotta joy said...

Not only is that side light BEAUTIFUL, but so is your door! Here's what I hate about our new home: the side light is on the side of the door that has the door knob!!! No lock can work if a hand comes through the glass and just opens the door!

I had my Indiana home so secure, NO ONE was getting inside. Here? Single pane windows to the floor, and two large patio doors. It scares me.

Snowbrush said...

"I think the design is quite tasteful. xo"

Hey, thanks, Marion. I thought it was pretty cool to get such a delightful outcome from such a simple idea.

"i love the way you are posting so much, snow!"

Oh, baby, say things like that, and you'll have me rolling over on my back and kicking my legs in the air in puppy-like exuberance.

"1/4" laminated glass is about as safe as it comes and would have let in a lot more light"

That's what we got, but I just have no stats on how well it holds up to persistent kicks, and I haven't seen it after an attack either, so I just didn't feel good about using it alone.

"We have 2 such long narrow windows on either side of the front door: must've been all the rage back in the 60's?"

Beats me. They're still popular though, maybe even more so, at least among the mini-mansion crowd.

"No lock can work if a hand comes through the glass and just opens the door!"

You just have to wonder what in the heck people are thinking when they put such a window within reach of a lock. I should think that your best option would be a deadbolt that is keyed from both sides. If you already have one deadbolt, it shouldn't be hard to install.

Elephant's Child said...

What a brilliant compromise. Effective, security conscious and stylish to boot.

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality but I swear I heard a tale on a Louisiana plantation that when your host presents you with one during your stay, it's time for you to go home!

Winifred said...

I love that door & the side panel. I like our door but the side panel is just plain. It's double glazed security glass so it's safe, just boring!

Nice work Snowbrush.

Zuzana said...

It looks great.;) My old house had a similar door, with a glass window in the side.;))
have a great weekend,
xoxo

All Consuming said...

This looks fantastic. Love it.

A Plain Observer said...

very tasteful.
Now, to catch up with your posts.

rhymeswithplague said...

There are worse things in life than being an Air Force brat. A bitter expatriate Mississippian, for example.

I'm only kidding and trying my best to get your goat.

The Blog Fodder said...

Looks awesome. You do good work.

Caddie said...

Your entrance looks very nice and welcoming, Snowbrush. Immaculately neat. Are safety measures so necessary in your area? This morning I found I'd left the front door standing open during the night but it's quite safe here. I have no defense weapon except the 4 four-legged alarm system; sufficient so far. Before that my 'madwoman' stance was protection enough. Ha, I'd have been a good actress in my day!

Snowbrush said...

Whoa, I see that I got a little behind, so I'm just going to respond to a few responses tonight.

"Now, to catch up with your posts."

What a wonderful compliment!

"It's double glazed security glass so it's safe, just boring!"

Tempered glass--like in car windshields--is sometimes called security glass because it won't cut you when it breaks, but it's not great for burglary protection because it can be broken instantly and relatively quietly with a spring-loaded punch, so I hope you mean that your window is laminated.

"What a brilliant compromise."

Yep, we done good this time.

"Are safety measures so necessary in your area?"

Violent crimes are low in Eugene, but property crimes are high. The situation for criminals is made more appealing by the fact that only violent criminals stay in the local jail for more than a few hours or, at most, a few days, due to overcrowding. This leaves them free to leave the state with little chance of being extradited. All of my neighbors have either been robbed or someone attempted to rob them, but I the only thing we ever lost were a couple of cheap yard ornaments that Peggy had put in a flower bed. Its' also true that I'm the protective type, and I had rather not wait, like many do, until we've been robbed to take precautions. I've been increasing home security almost since we moved in here in 1990, but I still have a way to go because Peggy won't agree to some of what I would like to do.

"There are worse things in life than being an Air Force brat. A bitter expatriate Mississippian, for example."

Then Peggy has the worse of both because her parents were Mississippians, and she was born there and spent a lot of time there. In fact, she vowed to never marry anyone from Mississippi because she knew she would never want to live there unfortunately, she and I spent our first 15 years there). Between the two of us, I would be less opposed to moving back than she would.

"I'm only kidding and trying my best to get your goat."

Your best. THAT is your best? You're either too sweet to pull it off goat grabbing or you're not trying hard enough. Maybe you could find a blog where people are really nasty, copy what someone wrote, paste it here, and pretend that you wrote it. I know that you would prefer to stand tall atop the strength of your own genius, but I can't see that you have enough to support you unless you stood on the toes of one foot. Others, as you know, disagree and will no doubt soon conclude that you're a sadist and I'm a masochist, and then they will exit my blog by the plane load until it's just you and me left, at which time, you will leave too. Then, my goat will be got, and I'll retaliate by writing a Christian advice column as well as lots of Christian inspirational books under the pseudonym Faith H. Charity. When I get really rich, I'll stop writing on April 1 of that same year, saying, "Ha, ha, ha, fooled you all. I was an atheist all along, and you didn't know it. Ha, ha. ha."

rhymeswithplague said...

A sadist and a masochist went out on a date. The masochist said, "Hurt me, hurt me." And the sadist said, "No."

Mim said...

I like that side light. Do you live in an area where people tend to get their houses broken into?

Been catching up on your other posts, you've been a busy boy!

Snowbrush said...

"Do you live in an area where people tend to get their houses broken into?"

Yep, I do.

Robin said...

Snow....the entire door, side area - all are beautiful! Bravo to you for doing such wonderful work! When you and Peggy work on creative projects....it's so welcoming - so warm - and yes, so full of Love!

Love to all 4,

♥ Robin ♥