So, I've been working to make this happen. Not only was this my first real house but it was custom designed by a collaborative effort between me, Jeff, my dad who drew up the plans and Rocky, the builder -- plus anyone else who was willing to give advice along the way. I love it too much to leave it but there are lots of little things I would do differently next time.
We have an awesome wrap around porch but the lighting has always bothered me. So much, in fact, that I'd rather just leave the burnt out bulbs in place and ignore them. I've been keeping my eyes open for something that would speak to me. After our trip to Jackson, Wyoming last winter - I knew exactly what we needed, I wanted a new antler light fixture for the deck. I waited for the right fixture to go on sale for the right price and pulled the trigger.
Light fixtures are easy to swap out. It's a matter of unscrewing things, matching like colored wires, screwing them back in and calling it good. Usually. Until there is an extra wire. And a mismatched colored wire. And the ladder barely reaches. And you have to perform all of installation tasks 16 feet in the air with one arm because you are holding the 30 pound fixture with the other hand. But after a 911 call to my favorite electrician, an impromptu trip to borrow my brothers ladder and a little bit of blood, sweat and tears -- the fixture was up -- and it's beautiful.
Before:
After:
