Reader Mike is wowing his neighborhood — he had a carpenter build and install this U-Bild Santa and reindeer lawn display on his front lawn. Mike used vintage plans he found on ebay, but guess what: We can still get these mid-century plans (and more like them) made new today by the same company — in business since 1948 — 66 years! This is over the top fantastic!Mike writes:Background: We purchased our 1950 house from its original owner in the winter of 2010, and within a month of signing the contracts I bought a vintage U-Bild kit (Santa, sleigh, eight reindeer) on eBay for around $50. I don’t really remember how I stumbled upon it or what what prompted the search; I just knew when I saw it that it was the kind of thing that very well may have stood on our front lawn at Christmas 60 years earlier.U-Bild is still in business today, with many of their most popular vintage plans still available for purchase. Where to buy these plans for DIY Santa displays and more:. including a complete.
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or by the piece, and.Mike’s story:The kit consisted of high quality paper posters (reindeer done in 5 pieces). Each piece had to be cut out, glued to plywood, cut out with a scroll saw, assembled and varnished.We had the Santa on our front porch when I was a kid, so it’s very nostalgic to now have the whole set on the front lawn of my own home.Fast-forward 4 1/2 years, and I determined to find someone to finally assemble this for us. I lucked out when young carpenter Kyle Reckman answered the ad I had placed on kijiji.com (similar to Craigslist). He was establishing his own business and was looking for jobs, and he was willing to guarantee completion within two weeks. Kyle was very enthusiastic about this unusual project, and he offered to complete every step of it himself: picking up the plans from me, purchasing the necessary construction materials, gluing the patterns onto the plywood, cutting all the pieces out carefully with a scroll saw, assembling everything with screws and wood glue, sealing the finished products with a protective coat of urethane, and delivering them and installing them on our front lawn. The project ended up costing about twice what I had budgeted, but given its scope and Kyle’s terrific execution it was well worth it.We set it up on the lawn with two strings of old-school C7 lights serving as reins, and two flood lights positioned on the lawn to illuminate it sufficiently at night.Our neighbours are already raving about it! I plan to purchase one more reindeer kit so that we can add a Rudolph (complete with red lightbulb nose) to next year’s display!Jingle Bellzapalooza, this is amazing!
We’re gonna guess: Not only are the neighbors all along your street jealous — everyone in Retro Renovation World is, too, today. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Mike — including another great new/old resource: U-Bild. We are already in touch with the company about doing a detailed profile. Good Morning Pam, My husband Gary and I are one of your “mystery readers”. We purchased our 1949 built home in July of 2013., with all of the contents. You have been inspiring us since Gary went to the internet for advice on renovating our pink lavenette. When you posted Nathan’s story about U-bild, he said “we have one of those, too!” His first attempt with Santa was devastating.
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He used the wrong glue and when he tried to reposition the paper.well, he killed Santa. I ordered a new one and signed up for U-bild’s newsletter. Unfortunately Santa’s workshop and the soldiers are no longer available and they are starting to discontinue some other patterns because they are so expensive to print. We do have others in the original mailers in our “archives”. We can take some pictures and send them to you if you like.
We feel an obligation carry on the history of this home and the treasures it holds. It is an adventure everyday.
In some neighborhoods, creating the perfect holiday yard display is serious business—the stuff holiday movies are made of. Whether you live in such a place, or just want to give guests a preview of the festive fun to be had inside, here are our top 9 do-it-yourself outdoor Christmas woodworking pattern and kit picks for a memorable holiday yard.Stock up on pattern-transfer paper, plywood, and paint, get your jigsaw ready, and keep reading to find the project that'll put your DIY skills—and holiday spirit—on display. Snow and Child.
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March 2023
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