We're at the point in the building of our new old farmhouse that we're starting to think about some finishes. That means Nat is trying to wrangle all the choices with counters and tile and colors and trim and such. But it also means things like railing hangers and garage floor epoxy and doorbells.
Yeah...doorbells.
And Nat and I have been looking around online to find a doorbell that we both like and while there are some neat ones that seem right, I just haven't found anything that I'm in love with. I know...it is just a doorbell. But, I loved our last one. And I want to love this one.
That's lead me to this crazy idea: what about a mechanical doorbell?
See the photo above? That's the 'outside' part of the mechanical doorbell. You have to 'turn' the dial to ring the bell. Below is a photo of the 'bell' part that would sit inside the house.
Remember, we're trying to build a #NewOldFarmhouse. We're already using some salvaged house parts like our windows. And the knobs that Nat has chosen are really awesome and fit the whole 'new old' thing. I'm thinking this doorbell would fit that theme, too? But is it obnoxious?
How does it work? Well, check out this video below that shows both parts.
The video shows a small rod connect the two parts. Because that's how you would mount it to a door. That's about the thickness of the normal door. But, I think we love our new front door a bit too much to want to drill into it. Also, there's lots of glass on it, so it might not work.
But, what about mounting this right where the normal doorbell button would go? Like right next to the door? Turns out, that's doable. I asked our builder what the final thickness of the wall would be after the siding is put on the outside and the drywall is put on the inside and he said it was in the 7" range.
If you check out this listing on the Vintage Hardware site, you'll see that they offer this mechanical doorbell operator that comes with a 10" long rod. And that you can easily trim the length of the rod to make it work for your specific size.
So, instead of having a doorbell with a electric chime, we'd have one of these.
Am I crazy?
That video makes me think the bell is loud enough? But, Nat is worried that our doorbell would need to come with 'instructions'. "How would the UPS guy know how to ring the bell?"
My answer is that there *are* instructions, right? Look at that photo above again: it says 'turn'.
Also, you've seen the Sebastian Maniscalco routine about what happens today when someone rings your doorbell? LULZ. But, true. People don't just 'pop over' these days, right? So, the doorbell isn't used all that much unless you're expecting company? In that case, we'd be listening for it, right?
Give this a watch.
If you came up to a house and saw that mounted to the outside of door, would you know to turn it to ring the doorbell?
Our hedge of Frans Fontaine Columnar Hornbeam trees is waking up for Spring and has begun to leaf-out all over the trees. The last time that I looked at these trees was earlier this (late) Winter, when all of the trees were still clinging to some of their previous-season's leaves (something called foliar marcescence). The screening that comes from planting these Frans Fontaine Hornbeams along the property line is starting to come into focus this growing season as the small leaves are opening from their buds. Below, is a photo showing the current (mid/late April) state in our yard in Northern Illinois (Zone 5b). And, here below, is a look at the leaf from the Frans Fontaine European Hornbeam (Fastigata). They are curled and ribbed with a hob-like flower/fruit on the trees It won't be long until they fill-in for the year - check this post to see what these trees look like mid-Summer (July 2022) where they're screening our neighbor's yard. These trees ...
I've written pretty extensively on my love of columnar trees here on the blog. We have this stand of eight Frans Fontaine European Hornbeams (that you see some of above) and have this Weeping White Spruce that I picked up this season in our yard. And I've posted multiple times about the columnar street trees of Tokyo over the years. My love of columnar, narrow trees is something I've think I've well established here. But, that doesn't mean that I know everything about them! Recently, I read a note from Amy in from Pretty Purple about her take on narrow trees and thought it was worth sharing here. Those of you who read the blog might remember Pretty Purple Door from my post earlier this year talking about tulip bulb colors and how she outlined some of the ways to make colors work together (add yellow!). In her post about narrow trees, she talks about how/why these trees work in suburban yards (space, duh!). She includes some...
Earlier this year, I planted three small quart-sized nursery containers of a new (to me) nepeta named 'Chartreuse on The Loose' . It is an interesting variety that has a unique color foliage (lime green), habit (trailing) and maintenance needs (it doesn't require deadheading to re-bloom). Right away, one of the plants was eaten-up by the (dang!) rabbits. But the other two seemed to do just fine. Look back at this planting post in early May when the three small plants were just that: small . Lots of mulch showing between them. Today? They've made a drift with no gaps in between them at all. See below for the current state of these trailing/spreading catmint perennials: I've mentioned that I need to continue to remind myself to add more of WHAT IS WORKING instead of adding net-new stuff. But, these are both a reminder that sometimes new things can be great. But, now that I see them working, I have put them...
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