The pilaster columns at either side of the service gate were built with conduit in place for the eventual placement of lighting. I've given it some thought from time to time, even to the point of browsing through the catalogs for the appropriate architectural accent for this place. Having done so, I knew it was going to be an expensive proposition to outfit these pilasters with fixtures equal to the calling. It also promised to be a challenge to locate the other end of the conduit tubing and put in the wiring. Consequently, it was easier to put off making a decision to spend time & money on this project while so many other projects clamored for attention, and to let the matter gestate.
The other day, while on a Sunday outing, we spotted a sign for a "huge garage sale", and noticed that it was in our neighborhood, so on the way home we paid a visit. It was a beautiful Craftsman-style home modelled after the Gamble house, up in the hills east of our spot. After perusing the several guitars for sale, I noticed the lamp.
Brand new and never installed, the home-owner was asking about half of it's current retail value, and I recognized instantly that it was perfect for Searock.
The design motif, called 'cloudlift', is a classic Greene & Greene signature.
So the project's time for birthing came to be; I verified the do-ability of the physical installation details, placed an order for a twin fixture for the other pilaster, and installed the lamp.
I located the ground box where the conduit from the pilaster terminated, determined to install a post with a switch to operate the lamp adjacent to the path that was, fortunately, next to the ground box and leading up towards the service yard where the lamp would be located.
In the picture below, the ground box is removed from around the wiring, and a trench has been excavated over to the rock path where the post will be:
.
In the next picture, the post is prepared with a channel on it's backside to run the wires up to the switch, and with holes for bolting the post to the rock. The channel was later capped with a strip of wood so that there are no wires or conduit exposed.
The finished post with switch.
The installed lamp(s) will provide light for a dark outpost where guests or service people often need illumination, put the finishing touch on the service gate project, and complement the architectural heritage of Searock.
(be sure to click on this pic for a peek at the crescent moon)
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