In this renovation update, see what the large wooden gate that closes off the courtyard looked like when we bought the house. Then, see what it looked like after our DIY project to restore it.
Note: Sorry! TikTok doesn’t allow me to embed photo slideshows on the website without a third-party tool that I don’t have. So, for this update, click on the photo below and another tab will open to see the photos.
What You See in the Video
- Take a look at the big wooden gate in the courtyard before we did any work on it.
- See what it looked like after we restored it.
The Story Behind-the-Scenes
Nearly all of the work in the house was done by experienced professionals. The sheer size of the project and the expertise needed was well-beyond our abilities.
But as work on the house continues and eventually finishes, there are plenty of smaller things we can do ourselves. The first project was the huge wooden gate that closes off the courtyard from the street.
I like to call this gate the “medieval” gate because it looks straight from the Middle Ages. There are two heavy wooden doors that completely seal the courtyard and can swing open wide enough for an SUV or truck to drive through. On the courtyard side, long rectangular pieces of wood fortify the gate just like in ancient castles. Our friends jokingly call it “Fort Knox.”
When we bought the house, this gate was the epitome of neglect. The wood was faded and splintered, especially on the street side where it’s more exposed to the sun and elements. Even though the renovations aren’t finished, we wanted to fix it up to protect it from any more damage. Doors like these are hard to find and aren’t cheap. Plus, it would be a nice improvement for the look of the village, too.
At the paint shop, I used my Italian skills to explain what we wanted to do. I had prepped the conversation in my mind and starred photos on my phone for backup. The only thing I forgot was to actually measure the door!
So, after faltering for a moment, I confirmed that we could drive a car through the gate, which gave him a sense of size and how much stain we would need. We walked out of the shop with a combination stain and sealer that we could use even after just lightly sanding the door.
Once we were ready to start, I opened the can only to be surprised by how thick it was! The stains we have in the U.S. are so thin. This was even thicker than a milkshake. But the photos and description on the can seemed to be what we needed, so we went with it. Even though I was replaying the Italian conversation from the paint shop in my mind to recheck for any glaring mistakes and hoping we weren’t about to make a lost-in-translation mistake.
Immediately, though, the difference was amazing. The door was coming back to life before our eyes, which helped quiet any lingering doubts I had about what I had said back at the paint shop. The combo stain/sealer was perfectly thick to hide small marks and missing layers that had splintered long ago. By the end, it was immensely gratifying to return our “medieval” gate to its full beauty!
When you manage an epic house renovation in Italy, so many things feel out of your control, from the technical language needed to talk about work to the expertise of actually understanding the work being done. So, our courtyard gate project felt like so much more than simply checking something off our to-do list.
It felt like one of those wins we should celebrate. And so we did, without jousting or juggling, but in true Piemontese fashion…with a nice bottle of Barbera and a plate of agnolotti at one of our favorite restaurants.
Where To Next?
See all the renovation updates in order by heading back to this renovation journey page.
Or watch more now using the navigation links below.
Previous update: Front Door Before & After
Next update: Coming soon!
