Thursday, February 3, 2011

Hello square one,

we meet again.

We are starting over. Completely.

No, not the whole yard.....just the church (Westerman Abbey) - I say "just" the church like it is just a small prop in the yard.

This is big.

Very, very big.

I know I am as stunned as all of you.....actually typing it out for the blog is a very scary thing to do.  It is more real now.  I told you all, so I have to do it.

At the moment, we are still in the planning stages.  I think our next step is to build the scale model and see what supplies we are going to need. 

Oh, you have your hand up, do you have a question?

"Why I am getting rid of probably one of the largest props in any home haunt?"

The answer is in the question.

It is bit cumbersome to put up.  We had an accident taking it down one year and this year while taking it down the 14' pieces of lumber we damaged (just years of wear and being out in the rain) - the only safe way to put it back up is to rebuild the frame.....and if I have to go to that much trouble.....I am building what I really wanted all along.

A ruined abbey.  Like Hollyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.


So Westerman Abbey will now be a ruin just like most of the other abbeys in the UK.

Ruins. (thanks Henry)

This last trip really got me thinking that if I could have anything....I rather have ruins.  But how to make ruins that will cover the shop.

We are going to use force perspective and build the structure closer to the street.  It does not have to be as tall that way.  

Like most things, solving one problem, causes others. 

How to stand it up since it will not be anchored to the shop and if I move it forward, won't you see the shop when you are not standing directly in front of it?

We are standing it up by building it as a long rectangle frame that we will anchor with 55 gallon containers full of water.

The rectangle frame we are building will go down the side of the driveway to obscure the view from the street angle.

That is the plan anyway.

If anyone can pull this off it is our crew.  After all, we are quite a talented group of artists :)

.......so anyone want a 3-story church facade? :D

21 comments:

  1. Wow!
    Sounds like a huge undertaking...one I will very much enjoy watching from afar. I totally understand starting fresh from time to time...sometimes as much as you want to hang on to an old piece, it is best to just begin again. Good luck!

    Dave

    ReplyDelete
  2. Woah - Square One is a scary place! But I must say.... I-like Dave- will enjoy watching you build again, and learn much as you go! Ruins! It's perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmmmm, if only I could find a way to transport a 14' church facade to Texas!!

    Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us! I'm sure it will be amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Huge undertaking, but it makes sense. When dealing with something THAT SIZE, having the best options for storage, set up and take down is key.

    Plus, I like ruins ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ambitious project, but I understand the inspiration. Good luck with the renovation!

    ReplyDelete
  6. On behalf of the crew, thanks for the props! (pun intended!) :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's pretty exciting! If you can replicate those reference pictures, it's going to be breathtaking.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are a brave soul! But like you said - if you have to rebuild it anyway...

    Happy building!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That *is* huge. I'm sure we all would love to see the process as you go through it. Too bad I'm not a little closer, I'd love to lend a hand.

    ReplyDelete
  10. WOW, how cool isn't that!! Can't wait to hear more about it, ruins are great.. I cross my fingers and hope you coem up with an idea that works with the shop and everything! Hmmmm maybe you can have the church up as a giveaway on your blogg;) Moooahhaha

    ReplyDelete
  11. I told hubby that you were getting rid of the old facade and the first thing out of his mouth was, "NO! You can't drive up and get it!"

    He's no fun anymore.

    I'm happy that you are starting anew! What an exciting prospect. You guys will do great!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! Ambitious project! Can't wait to see how it turns out. I love Holyrood.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What an exceiting event! Sounds like a ton of work but also a labor of love. Nothing gets the creative flow going better than a huge make over. Good luck, and I with the rest, will enjoy seeing the progress!

    ReplyDelete
  14. WHOA! That's major. And massive. But OH HOW I LOVE THE PICS!!!! Of both your abbey and the ruins you visited in the UK. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. wow...what an undertaking but if you guys accomplish this, it's gonna' be truly awesome. I can't wait to see the final product!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow! Looks like you have a lot of work ahead. Can't wait to see the final result.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Froggie it will TOTALLY be worth the trouble, how badass is that going to look?! I'm all in!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm trying to get the guts up to do something similar with our yard, and you guys are tearing down and starting over on another one?!?

    Wow! Please take progress pictures!

    I've been meaning to ask how you guys combat (or now PLAN to combat) the October winds? That's the scariest thought that keeps me from attempting such a HUGE project.

    Heck, we have a hard enough time keeping the tombstones and props from blowing away, much less a huge wall.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Archive