Now that I had the water turned on a toilet, the next project (since the front door lock was out) was to install a mailbox. I know I'll get over it fast, but I'm excited to get mail at my new address, even if it is just the water or trash bill. The house already had holes drilled in the wall for where the old box was, and I was hoping the one I picked out would fit.
I brought all the tools I would need with me, just in case. As it worked out, I had to drill new holes because my mailbox was bigger than the one before. That was actually much more of a challenge than you might think. I wanted to make sure the box was level and center, then mark where to drill. It is hard to mark exactly on a stucco wall. Drilling the holes was also a bit of a challenge. The first just took a bit of time, but for the second, I actually had to drill through something metal. I called my dad, who said the drill bit should make it through if I just keep going, so I did. I was pushing so hard that when I finally did break through the metal I nearly pushed myself through the wall because it was hollow. I installed my plastic anchors, temporarily hung the box and marked the position of the lower holes. With those drilled, I re-hung the box and fastened it securely to the wall.
I think it came out ok. It has a nice big opening for mail to drop, and locks so no one can get it but me. It took about 45min, but I'm happy with the result.
After installing the mailbox, I took a bunch of measurements of the holes cut in my door for front door hardware. I mentioned before how my door is not designed for a standard lock. I took my little diagram to Home Depot and asked a guy in the door department about it. After I described my door, he told me that it sounded like it was cut for a special type of lock called a mortise lock, that they don't carry and that are pretty expensive. Of course they are. I decided to price out getting a new door entirely. The fact is, my front door is nice, but it does need to be refinished, it needs expensive hardware and it's not really my style, so it might be worth it to do.
Another factor is that on my way to the Home Depot, I stopped by a yard sale and struck gold. The guy's dad used to own a hardware store and he had all sorts of hardware: door handles, drawer pulls, towel rods, etc. The handles were all still attached to the sample boards. I found a front door set I liked and made a deal for $50. On my way to the atm to get cash (I hadn't been planning on going to a yard sale) I decided to try to make a deal for the whole board, that had 3 other handles on it too. I was able to do it, and came home with handles for nearly every door in my house.
Only 80 bucks! There are a couple scratches, but to buy this stuff new in the store would cost over $200! While my savings on this hardware will be partially (ok, probably completely) negated by the price of a new door, I still think it's pretty awesome. I'll have to try to find more yard sales in the future.
Nice bargaining!
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