You Know You're Taking Too Long to Build Your House When...

...you're starting to re-do some things and you haven't even moved in yet. 

I think I could do a whole series of posts that start with "You know you're taking too long to build your house when..." but I'll simply start with this one.

I decided to replace two of the exterior lights on the JayBee. I bought these two light-sensing, motion-sensing lights years ago.

By the time I got around to installing them on the JayBee, it was clear that one of the light sensors did not work. (The light came on whenever it sensed motion, even in broad daylight.) It probably never worked, but I took too long to figure that out, so I bought a replacement light. Even though these lights are advertised as "exterior" lights, it turns out that water collects inside them. When they would stop working, I emptied the water out, dried them out, and replaced the batteries...and the lights would work again--until the next time they filled up with water.

Finally, I'd had enough. I decided I just had to replace the lights entirely.

Step one: Remove the installed lights and the trim pieces they were installed on. Check!

The new lights are bigger, so I cut new, larger trim pieces. See one of them compared to the smaller size--below. Installing the new trim piece on the north wall was easy because I haven't installed shingles up that high on the wall yet. 

The east wall was another matter, because the opening in the shingles was the size of the smaller trim piece.

To make the larger trim piece fit, I made an angle cut in its bottom edge.

And it fit perfectly!

I stained all sides of the trim pieces, and installed them.

The east end light installed.

The north wall light installed.

I like this style of light a lot better than the first style, and I think it fits me and the house a lot better. This new style wasn't available years ago when I purchased the first set of lights--so maybe this was just a roundabout route to reach the right solution!

Walking around the east end of the JayBee after dark... first, one light came on...

...then, the other. And, it turns out that just the cats walking around does not turn the lights on! Success!

This is one project that proceeded just as I planned and got done quickly. No bad surprises, no delays. Gotta remember this the next time disaster strikes.

Update 22 August 2016: Since we had a hard rain from early to mid morning today, I went out after dark tonight to test the lights. They both came on--and went off--as they should. Apparently they do not fill up with water. Yay!