Project House: Exterior Lights

Had we been living in this house, "upgrading" the exterior light fixtures would have been more of a priority. As it was, I simply located the breaker and cut power to them. The light on the side of the house was obviously a safety hazard. Hanging loose as it was left the wires exposed and the lack of bulbs meant for exposed sockets. There was also a very large wasp nest in the box. 

So to begin with a word on safety: When working with electricity, I employ the SAFETY THIRD method.

1. turn on the light and shut off breakers until it goes off (shut off the power at the breaker)

2. shut off the switch (cutting off the power at the switch)

3. check for power with a non contact current detector--because you just never know...

When electricity is involved, safety should be first, second, and third in your steps.

After evicting the wasps and letting the area dry completely, I removed the old fixture, which involved cutting and stripping the wires as it had rusted to the mounting plate and the wire nuts had rusted on. 

Once the old light was removed, I prepared to install the new one, which meant getting two rusty screws out of the box. The mounting screws that came with this fixture were very poor quality and both broke when I tried to use them. One I had to drill out, so I was cussing under my breath some. Luckily I always keep every extra screw, bolt, etc that comes with anything so I had good replacements. Never throw away a screw. That's a pro tip right there.

Now here is the REALLY important part, especially if you live in the south. When you install a light fixture or buy a new home, be sure to caulk around the base of exterior fixtures. There are three reasons to do this. 1. Water. It rains a lot here and this fixture is exposed. The brick meant it did not seal flush to the wall it was mounted on, so rain could run in to the box. Rain and electricity are not a good combo. 2. Water. It causes everything to rust and makes replacing a fixture super annoying. 3. Insects. Remember those wasps? Also could be a great home for ants or even termites. For brick walls, I like Mor-Flexx because it looks like mortar and although it only comes in beige and gray, I find I can match just about any mortar. Many caulks are paintable if you can't find a color that matches either your paint or light fixture. 

While I was wrestling the light on the side of the house into place, the hubby installed the new one over the garage door. We used Slate Gray caulk to seal it up as it is a very close match to the paint we chose for the new siding. The fixture is a nice modern upgrade that suits the mid-century style we are aiming for.

After a thorough inspection, the old light was installed on our neighbor's back patio where it fits right in. Her old fixture had not been caulked and thus was a rusted mess that had to be pried off the wall. She has strict instructions to caulk the new one sooner rather than later!