Just a reminder of the original mailbox first...
Then here's our new one. It was "challenging" to get the box to be sturdy on the post. It's still not perfect, but Dad Madden spent a ton of time on it with family friend Nick's help and it is pretty steady now. Certainly not going anywhere. We obviously need to re-do the pavers to something more suitable, and build up the dirt and landscaping under the post.
Here are some pictures of how the powder room is coming along. We still need to hang the mirror and add the cabinet hardware, as well as paint and install the baseboards.BEFORE
AFTER
This weekend we tackled the powder room, and it did not go as smoothly as we'd hoped. We had made a big purchase several weeks ago when we had a 10% coupon for Lowes and we'd picked a new vanity with sink, and a new toilet for the powder room at that time. First Paul and Dad Madden tried to install the new toilet and got the wax seal put on and everything ready to go, and had it in place to screw in when they noticed a crack under the seal on the bowl. Back it had to go. Then we realized after pulling out the old vanity that one of the plumbing pipes came out of the side wall instead of the back wall where the other plumbing was, and the first vanity we'd purchased wouldn't have worked with that side pipe. We also realized it didn't have a backsplash. Back it had to go, too!Below is the new cabinet we finally decided on after several trips back and forth to Lowes and Home Depot. Sheesh! I think Paul and his Dad must have been in 3-4 Home Depot/Lowes today alone! Also, a photo of the granite top Paul found to go with the cabinet. I'll update in another post with photos of the final outcome.
We've been thinking carefully about this for some time. As much as we hated to cut down a living and sometimes beautiful vine, it was the right decision for us. We weren't using the patio at all because it was buggy and constantly covered in leaves and droppings from the canopy of wisteria outside our garage and sun porch. And Paul had already trimmed it back from the roof of our garage once, and it aggressively grew back again in a matter of weeks. The seller told us that it didn't bloom the beautiful purple blooms every year, and in fact, had only bloomed recently when she fertilized it both spring and fall. After our work today, we were able to blow off the patio, uncover our patio furniture for the first time in over two years, and have dinner al fresco! So nice to enjoy the balmy weather, and there weren't even many bugs out when we were out there.
Then here's our new one. It was "challenging" to get the box to be sturdy on the post. It's still not perfect, but Dad Madden spent a ton of time on it with family friend Nick's help and it is pretty steady now. Certainly not going anywhere. We obviously need to re-do the pavers to something more suitable, and build up the dirt and landscaping under the post. 
