Let’s Build a Lamp Post!

Yes! I’ve always loved lamp posts! Did you read the Chronicles of Narnia or watch the movies? Remember the lamp post that is on the Narnia side of the wardrobe? Magical!

Project inspiration

I’m not sure why but recently I was thinking about how fun it would be to have a lamppost in our front yard, close to our front porch. Maybe I saw one on Pinterest or in a movie, I can’t remember. But, as it usually does, that thought became a search for ideas which became a search for supplies and then the purchasing of said supplies.

Don’t you just love the thrill of a new project idea? It’s so delicious thinking about how to bring your vision to life, shopping for the supplies, and then starting the project. While I do try to enjoy each step, the thought of how the finished project will look remains firmly in my mind. This project was no different. However, the thrill of seeing the completed project did not happen! That’s right, this was a project fail! Have you had a project that just wasn’t turning out as you envisioned? What did you do? Muscle through or give up? My response to a project that isn’t working out has always been to muscle through. I may not love the result but I finish it anyway. That is until THIS project.

What happened

Let me show you what happened.

What materials do I need?

Like I said, after doing a bit of research, I bought the supplies for my lamp post. There were many decisions to be made regarding the supplies. Some of the questions I had to answer were:

• Did I want solar, plug-in, hardwired lighting?
  • Plug-in. Will work even when cloudy. Less expensive than hiring an electrician
• What height did I want it to be?
  • 6′ Not too short, not too tall
• What size of pipe do I buy?
  • 1″ Big enough to thread plug through
• Do I buy PVC or metal for the pole?
  • Metal for strength
• Would it make sense to use a plastic or metal lantern?
  • Metal. More durable
• Do I buy a cement planter or make one?
  • Make one. Less expensive
• How do I keep the lamp post from falling over in the wind?
  • Attach pole to wood & fill planter with rock

Once I had my design questions answered, I went to buy supplies. Since my decision was to use metal pipe, I headed to Home Depot. After picking up supplies at Home Depot, I went to the At Home Store to get a lantern.

Supply list

• A 5′ section of 1″ pipe = $21
• A 12″ section of 1″ pipe = $10
• A 1″ T connector = $5
  • Since I was going to use a plugin light, I would need to feed the wire through the pipe then through the T connector
• Two 1″ flanges = $16
  • I planned to secure one to the bottom of the lantern & the 2nd to a wooden block that would be cut to fit at the base of the planter
• Bolts & screws = $8
• Four 16″ x 8″ x 1″ cement bricks = $3.50
  • My plan was to glue these together using Blue Max
• Edison plug in fixture = $21
• 21″ lantern with candle = $20

The reason I bought this particular lantern was that it had a hole already cut in the bottom of it. It came with a candle and I thought that if my idea of threading the plug through the pipe didn’t pan out, I could always just use the candle as the light.

• 

• 

Beginning the project & issue #1

The first step in my project was to build the planter that would hold the lamp post pipe. Since it was cold in the garage, I brought the supplies inside. Using a paintbrush, I applied Blue Max (a thick blue substance that can be used to glue together cement bricks) to two of the long 1″ sides of the bricks. Then I set a 2nd brick on each of those, propped them up, and allowed them time to dry. When enough time had passed, I checked the bricks and found that the glue didn’t set up on one pair – my 1st issue. When I looked closer, I could see that the side I had tried to glue was too porous so I applied the product to another side and left it to dry.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The son’s offer

While I had the bricks drying, one of my sons came over for a visit. He asked what project I was working on. I told him and explained my design ideas. He was skeptical that it would come together and asked why I didn’t just buy a lamp post? I said because they are expensive and besides, I love a good project. As we visited, he did a quick search for lamp posts and I was surprised at how reasonable they were! He showed me some that I liked beginning around $125….considering I already had spent over $100 in supplies, I was intrigued! Hmmm, tempting but I told him I was going to build one instead. His response was ‘I’ll be waiting for a text with a picture of the one you want’. Hahaha…..

Gluing bricks & issue #2

When the glue was dry, it was time to combine the two sides to create the planter. Here is where my 2nd issue presented itself. Apparently, the bricks are not uniform. Who knew that .88 cent bricks wouldn’t be made perfectly square? It’s not as noticeable in the pictures, but the gap between the last side was too large for the Blue Max to work at all. Ok, no worries, I’ll just dig a hole and set the two sides next to each other and push the dirt firmly against the sides. It’s all good, let’s continue the project.

• 

• 

Prepping the pipe

Now that the planter was ‘done’, I focused on attaching the pipe to the bottom of the lantern. My first step with the pipe was to wash it. If you’ve bought black pipe before, you know that it comes with some oily finish on it. I took the two pieces to the kitchen sink and washed them with soap and water.

Prepping the lantern & issue #3

To make the bottom of the lantern flush, I needed to fill the space with 1/4″ wood. Since I didn’t have any 1/4″ wood, I decided to use several pieces of beadboard & glue them together. What that meant was that I had to go out to the really cold garage. Using my miter saw, I cut 3 pieces of beadboard 8″ x 8″ and glued one to the other with Elmer’s wood glue. Once the glue dried, using my drill and large bit, I cut a 1″ hole in the center of the wood so I could feed the plug through it.

• 

• 

• 

The candle was screwed to the floor of the lantern so I removed the screws. I then set one of the flanges over the hole that was already on the bottom of the lantern. THIS is where I encountered my 3rd issue – the hole was so large that I couldn’t drill holes to attach the flange. Seriously?!

Time to throw in the towel?

Ok, it was time for me to decide if I really wanted to continue. After some contemplation, I decided No, no I didn’t want to forge ahead. As unusual as that was for me, the decision came with a sense of peace. I returned all the supplies with the exception of the bricks (which I’ll probably use in the backyard this summer) and the nuts & bolts as I needed some of those anyway. When I returned the pipe to Home Depot, the cashier commented on how clean it was. I told her I washed it. She said she had never heard of anyone doing that before and wished others would return things in such great condition. 🙂

New lamp post

When the lamp post arrived, my son came over to help me install it. The light fixture and pole are heavy aluminum, but what I like most about this particular lamp post was the base. It is plastic but is a reservoir for sand. As I mentioned earlier, we get a lot of wind here and I wanted one that would be sturdy. We assembled the lamp post then took it outside to the location where it would stand. My son dug a hole about 4″ deep and the width of the base. We then filled the base with sand, set it in the hole, and covered it with dirt. (If we were to assemble another one, we would fill the reservoir first, then assemble the rest of the lamp). I then set a few flagstones on top of where the base was buried. There is a 15′ power cord that we attached to a heavy-duty outdoor extension cord and plugged into an outlet near the garage. We have had several strong wind storms since installing the lamp post and it has stayed upright!

• 

• 

So, yes, I gave up on a project. But, I gained a beautiful accent to our yard that makes me think of my sons each time I see it! We love it so much! I didn’t even notice that our little concrete lion fits the Narnia theme – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

• 

• 

Please leave a Comment

If you read this far and are saying to yourself, I could build a lamp post! Please scroll down and leave a Comment and let me know what your plans are. When you make one, either add another Comment or send me an email. I’d love to see it!

For your convenience if you need supplies

For the pipe & fittings, it’s best for you to go to or order from Home Depot or Lowes.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to order through these links, it will be at no extra cost to you

Let’s Stay in Touch

Send me all the Goodies!

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Leave this field empty if you’re human: