# Granny's Mansion 2011 Build Progress



## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Here are a few pics of my new "Granny's Mansion" facade for this year. I was going for an old, run-down mansion look, but I think it turned out more like something from a Tim Burton film! Sorry for the "orbs" - it's pretty dusty in the garage right now.  








Four of these panels will span the width of the garage door. The tree on the right will be in front of one of the panels in a little grave yard.








The window is a piece of plexiglass painted black on the back side. It turned out really well! It's reflective, but dark looking.

I'll take more pics this afternoon as I start assembling the walls.


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

Love it!!!!


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Looks great. I can't wait to see pics of your party or haunt.


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## cherryred (Sep 9, 2010)

Looking good. Love the door


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## HalloweeNut Productions (Sep 26, 2009)

Unbelievable! I LOVE IT!!! Can't wait to see more pics!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

That looks super great! I like it a lot!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

I Like! Look forward to seeing the pics from this afternoon. When you post can you tell us more about what material you used for the panels and how you were finishing it. As I search for more ways to incorporate more yard space it's always great to get ideas from all of you. Should I assume that you'll be using the inside of your garage somehow as well?


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## MissMandy (Apr 18, 2011)

Looks great brees


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## Bcsgally (Oct 14, 2011)

Looks awesome!! Wish I was this creative!!  Can't WAIT to see more pictureS!!


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## Dark Passenger (Aug 22, 2011)

Very cool, a definite Tim Burton look to it.


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## JordanEDunston7789 (Oct 9, 2011)

Looks good. Your door is nice!


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Got about half of the maze setup yesterday afternoon and evening. I'll post some progress pics tonight. For anyone wondering about the framing/materials, I make most of the panels with lauan plywood framed with 2x2s. It's very strong but light weight and easy to work with. I painted the facade with a dark gray paint, then dry-brushed with black and light gray until I got the look I wanted. I'm really happy with the way it turned out! I'm using the facade walls from last year inside this year's haunt. There are some pics of last year's haunt here: 

http://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/105395-my-2010-garage-haunt.html








This is the 2x2 framing on one of the facade door panels.








The trim around the facade doors was made with 6" fence planks. I painted them starting with gray, dry-brushed with black, then dry brushed a little more with light gray.


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## cinders (Oct 12, 2003)

I really love the facade. I love the crookedness of the door! Can't wait to see more.


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## LadyRohan (Oct 20, 2010)

Very awesome! Wish I had room in my garage to make a haunt. Look forward to the finished product.


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Some progress pics:








The "false" exit door. The real exit door is on the right and will be hidden behind a pair of curtains (attached to the 2x4 mounted overhead).








Some of the wall and door assembly. The room with the brick panels will have a Bloody Mary-type mirror mounted to the window frame on the right. The two walls closest to the camera will be Granny's closet when finished (filled with clothes... and maybe an actor...).








This wall was part of the facade last year. I'll probably add some roaches crawling out of the hole.








The skull room. Most of the TOTers said this was their favorite room last year. I'm going to add some additional skulls hanging overhead this year.


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## tamster (Jul 27, 2009)

wow, that look so good, thankyou for sharing this


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## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

Omg, everything looks amazing so far! I can not wait to see pics of the finished product!!!


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## creeeepycathy (Jul 12, 2011)

wow! that looks awesome.


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## ezekiel (Nov 4, 2007)

Finally got around to taking a look at your progress pictures and must say they look great. I setup my haunt in the garage also this year and was trying to figure out how you could still open and close your garage door ... then it hit me ... duh ... your using the side entrance. 

How are you handling your lighting in each room? Running overheads, using spot led's, flickerlight candles?

By the way great job on the false door. Looks great ... and of course the skull room looks totally cool, it must look 100x creepier in low lighting!


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## ezekiel (Nov 4, 2007)

Finally got around to taking a look at your progress pictures and must say they look great. I setup my haunt in the garage also this year and was trying to figure out how you could still open and close your garage door ... then it hit me ... duh ... your using the side entrance. 

How are you handling your lighting in each room? Running overheads, using spot led's, flickerlight candles?

By the way great job on the false door. Looks great ... and of course the skull room looks totally cool, it must look 100x creepier in low lighting!


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## InIrons (Aug 19, 2011)

Hi great haunt set.... May I ask some questions on the brick panels?

1. Where did you get them?
2. What were their sizes?
3. Were they expensive?

Thanks!


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Ezekiel - The facade is actually built about a foot inside the garage door to allow for the bend at the top when the door opens. I had to remove the arm connecting the door to the opener, so the door only opens manually when the haunt is set up. Works pretty well! I use several types of lighting including LED candles and LED puck lights from Home Depot (these). In case that link doesn't work, it's item EE0115BA at homedepot.com. I use hot glue to attach color gels over the puck lights to get the colors I want. They are the PERFECT intensity for a small haunt! Not too bright or dim and they never get hot. 

I can't wait to see how well the false door gag works. I worked on that room this afternoon and it's turning out really nice. I'll try to post more pics in the next couple days.

InIrons - The brick panels came from Lowes. http://www.lowes.com/pd_13964-46498-288_0_?Ntt=13964++&Ntk=i_products&productId=1015475 They are 4x8 (same size as plywood panels). I think they were about $25/panel. I spray painted the "morter" to make it look more aged. I really like the look.


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Here are some updated pics from Granny's Mansion. I'll post some "lights on" pics tomorrow.









My new sign from Shindigz in the front yard









Lurking in the trees









Granny in her room









The black light spider pods were popular with the TOTers last year, so I brought them back. The pic doesn't do them justice - they look very cool under black lighting!









The false exit door. The door itself is painted onto the plywood wall panel (with a door handle mounted onto it). The door frame is made from fence wood. The real exit is behind the red curtain on the right.


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

A few lights-on pics:









The "jungle" hallway. It's 12 feet long and filled with these vines and other plants along the ground. When you walk through, a motion sensor triggers a couple flashes of lightning, then a loud clap of thunder. There's also an ambient rain sound.









This is a 2-way mirror effect that I setup using plexiglass and mirror film. When triggered, the foreground lights turn off and the light behind the mirror illuminates the hidden prop. Of course, it's accompanied by a startling scream!









This is the first room. The entrance is on the left. It leads to granny's room.









Rotting wall. This was part of my facade last year, but I like it better insider the haunt.


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## creeeepycathy (Jul 12, 2011)

again... AWESOME!!!
I want a video & tutorial on your 2-way mirror effect !


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## mcajq (Oct 23, 2010)

WOW!! Everything looks great! I love the door build and the wall of skulls especially. Very, very cool!


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## Forever Haunting (Jan 1, 2009)

Looks great! Very creative. I really like you vines in your entry.


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## MissMandy (Apr 18, 2011)

Wicked awesome job! I love it


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Here's a couple of pics of my new facade for this year. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. 









The entrance









The full facade


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## brees86 (Sep 8, 2008)

Had a GREAT turnout at Granny's Mansion tonight! I think there were slightly more TOTers than last year (I'll have to count the remaining glow necklaces to know for sure). It was around 250 total. It always amazes me that some of the scares that I didn't think would be very effective turn out to be huge hits, while others that I thought would be huge didn't quite get the reaction I expected. The air blaster in the spider pod room got screams nearly EVERY time! While the bloody mary effect (2-way mirror) wasn't as strong as I had hoped. The whole event went off without a hitch, except that my fog machine failed half-way through. Fortunately I had a backup ready to go (learned that lesson a few years ago), so it wasn't a huge deal. The looks on the TOTers' faces were priceless--they loved the haunt-- and, as always, they made the whole thing worth all the effort!


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