Deck lighting

Got home from my trip to Boston yesterday, and after getting home from work today and getting some sleep, I went out shopping for a new round of things that need to get looked at!

Last week I had removed the old, non-working back light off my kitchen.

 

As you can see, rusted, pitted and also...not very attractive.  One of the things that having a house does make you develop is a personal sense of style.  I've always been attracted to Frank Lloyd Wright's work, and its associated Prairie-style.   I found Hampton Bay Mission Hills Wall-Mount 1-Light Outdoor Oil Rubbed Chestnut Lantern which, while expensive, fits the decor I want.  

The previous fitting wasn't connected to a junction box, so I used some un-used washers & metal screws to dig into the white plastic mount.  I was more concerned with how the power leads were going to be connected then with measurements at this time.

But it screwed in tightly, which fit the bill.  The mounting screws (the long silver screws to the left and right in the picture above) are too long for the mounting counter-screw (pretty faux-bronzed screw cap that will attach the light to the bracket.) so I had to dust out the Dremel tool and cut off about 1/2" from both screws.

Afterwards, this was the result:

As you can see, the lantern look is GREAT!  The mounting panel is NOT even though, so tomorrow I will remove the lamp and shift the bracket up about 1" to center the light on the white panel.

I also got another estimate on the roof.  I'll make my decision tomorrow.  I decided to sign up for Angie's List for this month since I'm going to be looking at both roofing & heat pump installations, the discounts it gives plus the reviews are worth it in the short-term.

Tomorrow, look for some work in coaxial cabling in the basement.