CHRISTMAS UTAH

Daytime photos

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ROOF and MOUNTAIN

THE MOUNTAINS:  This includes the top section of the backdrop that was in the back yard in 2004 and 2005.  It was moved to the roof in 2006 to change things up a bit.  The mountain display was built by attaching corrugated plastic to a metal frame.  Ropelight was used to outline the peaks of the mountain.  The metal frame was made with one-inch square metal tubing which was bend into shape and welded together.  The current mountain is 24 feet wide.  It is mounted to the roof with metal braces that are held in place with sandbags.

THE ARCH:  In 2003 I built a large metal archway that spanned the driveway.  It was used for three seasons.  When I mentioned that I was no longer going to use the large archway I heard objections from several people.  They felt it was the trademark display of my light show.  I felt that the archway blocked the view of the animated characters on the front of the house.  I came up with a compromise.  I removed the center section of the old arch, the part with the "Christmas Utah" lettering, and moved it to the roof.  A new frame was welded in place and lined with ropelight.  The arch is held in place with two of the metal braces that support the mountains.  Since the arch stands fairly high in the air I added four guy wires made of aircraft cable for additional support.  The original star that was on the old archway was added to the top of the new arch.  The arch and star were constructed of 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch steel round bar, welded together.

THE ROOF GRID:  The grid includes 32 strands of lights with 200 lights in each strand.  Each strand is on it's own individual computer circuit.  The lights are attached to the roof shingles with binder clips.  Binder clips provide a secure attachment without doing damage to the shingles.

THE ROOF OUTLINE:  The edges of the roofline are outlined with about 200 C7 size light bulbs.  Three strands of sockets were woven together, and controlled individually by computer channels.  This allows the lights to chase around the roofline.  I build my own C7 light strands using SPT-1 cable and "vampire" style sockets.  Building my own strands allows me to get the spacing exactly how I want it.

Scroll over the pictures for descriptions

The view of the mountain and arch from the street   The real Utah mountains can be seen at the top of the photo   The arch is held securely in place with steel guy wires   Another view of some of the real mountains that surround the Salt Lake Valley   Ropelight is attached to the mountain outline   The arch is made of steel rod and ropelight   Sandbags are used to hold the steel braces in place   A view of the steel framework   Another view of the supporting members   Binder clips are used to attach lights to the roof shingles   C7 light bulbs line the edges of the roof   The roof grid  

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  Daytime Photo Index / 2006 Gallery /  Home