I didn’t like the old back door with the single pane window above it. It was difficult to move things into the basement.
We have a bungalow with a large basement and 2/3 of it serve as Carol’s studio. Adequate light was a challenge. I installed lots fluorescent lights and also enlarged 5 of the basement windows.
The finished project.
The finished door also lets in lots of light. Now back to the beginning.
Old back door with the window boarded up.
I removed the bricks and had the concrete cut to make room for the new door. Of course I also had to install a new header to carry the load of the roof over the larger span. The door came complete with the transom and brick molding attached. It was a job that required me to call in some friends to help put the door in place.
new door installed
Now for nicer weather and brick work. I had done a little brick work before, but the arch was new. I had some business at the bank and decided to take a walk instead of jumping into the car. Then to reward myself I went to Tim Horton’s for a coffee. I met my neighbor, and we sat down together. We chatted and the new door came up along with the need to do the brickwork. He came over to see and offered to lay the bricks for me. All I needed to do was build scaffolding and a form for the arch. He would lay the bricks and I could mix the mortar and do the cutting. Did I mention he’s a retired mason?
My neighbor John, hard at work.
John did a beautifull job of the arch. Carol has more light going down into her studio, and a grand entrance. I was able to trade labour by helping with John’s chimmey and replacing three of his old concrete window well with wedgestone. More about that in a future blog.
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