Farm on the Hill: The biggest Honey do list you'll ever see......

November 16, 2011
Well....Since I am so far behind on my blogging I figured I would bring everyone up to date in one single blog.
I had a client in yesterday who is an avid blogger, she knows who she is...after she left I started thinking that I really should get this blog updated and since things have been a little frustrating lately with the re-construction of the house, this blog might help a little with possible venting and it is also fun to share with everyone exactly what we have been up too. I say "we" but in all honestly...Brian. Brian has been working so hard on the house and things have not been easy. He vents his frustrations but not once did he make me feel that we are in over our heads. He has a solution to every problem/surprise that comes our way and trust me...there have been several. He amazes me everyday with his accomplishments! To know the house we will live in was built by his hands with his love makes it even more appreciated!
Here I am today...nothing to do....I can't believe I just said that! Isn't there always something to do...well I am sure I could find something but today is blog day! I am usually running here and there on my days off but not today! Brian hired some guys to help him with the house this week and he is busy with them. I usually head out to help him with what ever I can. I feel like I am not much help at times but I try to do what I can even if it is just bringing stuff to the burn pile, it is one less thing that he has to do.
We are well into demos now, the summer was good to us and Brian worked with a few local guys to bring the house down. It wasn't an easy job...wall to wall...slate board and plaster! What a terrible job. I went out one day and tried to help and lasted all of 10 mins! The dust drove me crazy and for a day after 10 mins only I was blowing out white stuff in my nose. The whole house pretty much except for the 2 new additions..I say new but these additions too are old...just not 106 years old. We didn't find too many interesting things in the wall which was kinda disappointing but had fun reading the old newspapers that were acting as insulation for the house...mixed with sawdust and some weird seed....looked like flax seed. Once the walls were down the birds loved it!

Brian found this thing in the wall...not really sure what it is???

An old shoe in the wall.

There are a few other items too..but on Brian's camera..so will post later.

Brian first started with the upstairs. He took down all the slat board and exposed the post and beam. This went by rather fast. At this point we hoped that we could keep most of the house intact and only replace the interior part of the walls. We wanted an open concept and also wanted to turn the attic into an extra bedroom. Little did we know that only the frame of the original 106 year house would be left standing. Turns out that the additions that were put on were not constructed properly and would have to be torn down and also rebuilt. This was disappointing but yet gave us the opportunity to change things up a bit, making it more suitable to our wants. One thing I mentioned to Brian is that we need a big entry way! I hate trying to get in the door, usually with bags in my hands, two kids, and two loving animals there welcoming you home. Any house I have ever lived in always had a cramped entry way, so with the new addition we can now make a grand entrance. There was mold build up in the addition part of the house as well, the previous owners had put in an additional water heater which leaked into the walls. So after we found that buried in the pantry under the counter we knew that in order to get rid of this mold completely...the whole wall would have to come out.

Hard to imagine that the oldest part of the house was the best constructed!

Thank god Mother Nature has been generous this fall...we are way behind schedule and this weather has been perfect to hopefully finish up getting the house closed up and then we will be able to work on the inside during the colder months.

The kids and I have been still going up on weekends but the nights are getting cold and waking up to seeing you breath is no way to welcome the morning.

Here are some more up to date pictures! Apparently over the past two days the addition that you see in the last pictures has been completely removed. I get so excited heading out there on weekends to see what has been done while in my absence. I am kinda jealous of Brian that he gets to be out there permanently but yet know it can't be pleasant doing some of that work. I only pray the weather stay nice for him!

I will try to be more consistent with updates. I know I left so much out but in the past months so much has happened that in one blog I am afraid I can't cover it all. Brian's "Honey do list" will be forever ongoing I'm afraid...

Mold along the window due to the leaky water heater

Room that we wanted to make into kitchen but decided to completely destroy

Original part of house..still standing

original part of house..will be children's playroom

Entry way..GONE!

Original part of house..future bathroom/laundry

Scary basement which I will probably never enter

Original house...shingles that were on the inside under slat board and plaster.

more mold from water heater

Interesting door under drywall which was suppose to be one of the newer parts of the house

Has been completely removed now

Pantry..old stove..which we kept in hope to put in the carriage house one day. Our next project!

can you guess how many layer of wallpaper?

The upstairs!

Brian put a hole in the side of the house so he could shovel the plaster out the window

upstairs

just a big friggin mess

Yikes!

A little more than I could handle that day! somewhat discouraging.

The pond left of the house..hopefully a future skating rink!

I had to go to the other side of the house to make myself feel a little better

Good bye ugly blue siding

I know trampolines are dangerous...but if provides hours of entertainment for the kiddos

the little stream that runs in front of our house..we have had several boat, rubber ducky races. Muggs and Wolsley love it as they always have a fresh supply of water.

Our outdoor furnace! it will heat the barns, our house, future carriage house and in hopes of a hot tub outside that too!! We decided to go with radiant heat throughout the house....this was the most efficient way for us to do it. With an abundant amount of wood on our property...than why not!