[newtodead]

So I am building a old farm house in the front yard this year 16×8. I've already built the panels and just haven to put them together when the time comes. The thing is I have a two story house behind it so I'm trying to do something to take the attention off of it. I know at night I can focus the lighting effects and lights on the farmhouse grave yard and corn field but just wanted to do something to incorporate or kind of hide the house itself. I thought if ordering some sort of cloth backdropd but I would need two for the front porch at 6x8 and then something for the top floor. Thanks for aby input and suggestions. I was going to post a pic of the house to be hidden but not sure how to do that.

 

[Jenn&MattFromPA]

Hi! My first thought was whether you could get your hands on some cornstalks or lighter-weight taller branches. For example, we have a bunch of butterfly bushes that we cut branches off of each Halloween, and they can be around 6-8 ft tall but aren't heavy and they won't damage the plant for next season. Then, you can push them into the yard or attach using rebar or stakes to help camouflage your bigger house. If you had a tall PVC pole, you could attach cornstalks or branches all the way up the pole to make it extra high & then line up multiple poles together. Sometimes you don't really have to cover up a whole eyesore, you just have to distract people by making them look at something else, so definitely focus your lighting onto the prop farmhouse.

If your regular house is a brighter color, like white, maybe pick up some bulk tulle or netting and then hang it in panels downward from your roof to help cover up a bright wall that looks very obvious. Hope to see some pictures of what you end up doing! Good luck!

 

[newtodead]

Hey Jenn and Matt. I love the idea of making trees with PVC and branches. That will be good to do even if I don't hide the house just to put behind the old barn to give it some depth so it isn't just bare behind it. I grow corn specifically to use for props so I always have a cornfield as part of the scene off to the side. My house is actually a dark red brick so at night with the lights off it probably wouldn't be much of an eye sore as much as I think it would now that you mention it. I am def going to do the tree thing around and behind the barn I think that will make things "pop". Thanks for the great idea. Sometimes you get to thinking so hard about it and you forget about keeping it simple. Thanks so much!

 

[Jenn&MattFromPA]

No problem! When you were talking about your cornstalks, I recalled a thread here that I had read recently. There are some good lighting ideas in it, and some photos of neat looking corn stalk arrangements. Take a look!

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/115607-top-10-largest-least-expensive-props-decorations.html

I also recall a really awesome photo someone posted with cornstalks being illuminated from inside a circle & then throwing shadows around, but I can't find it just yet. I'll keep looking since it was a very nice effect!

 

[Witchful Thinking]

One year I bought one of those giant rolls of erosion cloth (really loose weave burlap) and hung it from the eaves so it hung down (48") and then cut into strips to blow in the wind. It looked great in the day and when lit up at night. I think if you hung it long wise (the rolls are 48" and 225' long) you could cut panels that go from your eaves to the ground so it hangs in sheets. It is thin enough weave you could still see out of the house but it would mask the house and could be a good backdrop. As usual I did not get good pictures of the full effect but here is what it looked like somewhat for what I used it for. I got the erosion cloth from scareproducts.com but you can find it lots of places online. I included a photo of the roll in case that helps. Your haunt sounds amazing!! I hope you will post pictures of in progress or at least the final product!!

 

[newtodead]

Jenn, It's a really good thing I don't have a desk job or I would be fired because I could look at this stuff all day long lol. I am really liking the back lighting of the corn. I am going to have to try and work with that this year. There are so many great ideas you want to do them all.

Whitchfull thinking thanks for the great idea. I am so glad I came on here and ask because you all have saved me a bunch of money and plus your ideas will look much more natural and go along with my scene. Thanks for helping out guys I really do appreciate it

 

[newtodead]

Btw Witchful thinking, I like the wooden tombstones as opposed to the foam ones I normally make...they kind of go with the time period I'm looking for.

 

[Witchful Thinking]

Thanks - we made those probably 15 years ago when we came across some old pallets. They were easy to cut up. We ran a thin pipe down the back of them that we can hammer into the yard for stability and to discourage thieves or mischief makers. Its all I can do to pull them out at the end of the season so no quick grab and runs. I love JennandMatt's corn idea on the corn too. I have seen some very eerie/beautiful pictures of that effect. Your haunt is going to be amazing!

Btw Witchful thinking, I like the wooden tombstones as opposed to the foam ones I normally make...they kind of go with the time period I'm looking for.

 

[newtodead]

Yea I am looking forward to it this year (more than normal) I actually have a theme I'm going with in short It is an old farm that was taken by force and torn down by the government back in October of 1917. The fields were torn up, the family graves dug up and the home was burned down. The family couldn't be found the day that this all happened but it was later discovered that the mother father and 13 children were inside the day it burned. Now every October they come back to take what's rightfully theirs and punish those who took it. I made a video to post on FB kind of like a trailer to lead up to the haunt season lol..I'm eat up with it this year. I have planned it all year. I took my parents old cedar fence they took down and my my farmhouse panels out of it. They are 30 years old and aged nicely. Thanks again everyone.