Home Stretch

Got the walls up.
A trip to the hardware store, an afternoon of measuring and cutting and drilling, and now the entrance is assembled.

Remaining tasks:

• Paint the exterior boards
• Trim and tape the SceneSetters on the inside
• Make a bottom section for the front facade
• Make a wall section for the front facade
• Cover the roof supports with weed block

Total work time: about 2 days. Then we're done with the exterior build and can start on the interior. I'm hoping to have it complete by mid-September and then I can concentrate on the remaining odds and ends for the haunt.

Inside Out

Taking advantage of the warm weather and abundant sunshine, I tested the finish on the outside of the walls for water resistance. The blue color wash held up, the yellow came off a bit, and the brown came off about half the stones. So, after consultation with SpiderWitch, I went back over them with a blue and a gray wash. I also went over the panel lines to bring them out from the background.

Once that was done, it was time to glue/staple the SceneSetter backing on the inside of the walls. This was tedious, and it didn't help that a breeze blew in. But, all the walls have their insides prepped, so the project is one BIG step closer to being finished.

The next step will be to assemble the structure using L-brackets and fastening plates, to hold it steady while I make a roof out of the weed-barrier fabric. When that is complete, I'll finish detailing the outside walls- paint the trim boards, finish the bottom of the walls, add the moss and maybe some stains.

In September, I'll work on the bricks which will be laying about the grounds, as well as the crypt itself. Slow but steady...

Here are some pics of the repainted walls:

The inner side of the wall, showing the SceneSetter

The front arch, with its fresh coat of blue and gray

The upper side wall, with the toned-down brown panels

Foam to Stone...With a Little Help From My Friends

Lots of progress today!
First, got the black and white laid in with the sponge- turned the bare grays into a more granite-like look:

While I was working on this, the neighbor girl (9) came by to check things out. She was soon sponging away at the panels, which was a big help.

Once that was finished, we were supposed to weather the panels with some washes and color variations. However, it was easier (and more educational) to simply wash the entire surface of the stone with a thinned down color, which we were able to do in very short order:

Okay, maybe the colors aren't representative of "real" stone, and maybe they're too bright, or not tied together...but the really important thing is that today a love of Halloween- including the building of props and development of a theme- was passed along to a young girl...who will continue to be a part of our haunt until she grows and moves away and develops her own haunt- and one day, she can pass it along to the next generation. I'd rather teach one child about the fun of building and decorating than create the greatest prop ever...after all, we do it for the kids!

Not Quite Fifty Shades of Gray...Well, Two Actually

Got the primary colors laid in on the walls- two shades of gray, which gives them a subtle but distinct difference between them. The next step will be to use a sponge and add black and white paint to give it a stone look. The first pic has a higher contrast to bring out the difference in the colors, the second photo is more of a normal view.