diamonds from heaven

So this has little to do with my house except that the ice storm knocked out my power for 18 hours. The masonry heater kept me toasty and a few candles kept me from bumping into things. Pictures don't do it justice, it was spectacular.

happy heating

My wood-fired masonry heater has been working like a dream. I built a fire last night before bed and the house stayed toasty all night. Outside dropped to the single digits with below zero wind chills. Inside, the temp went from 68 degrees last night down to 64 this morning. All from one armload of wood.

personal hygiene station

I'm working on the downstairs half bath. The toilet is in and the bidet is next. These are some pics of the placement. It's up on a step to make it more flexible as far as usage. I'll also be installing grab bars on each side. The wainscot is cedar house siding and the baseboard is a cedar 2x8. I'm hoping to leave the wood bare or maybe just mineral oil it lightly once in a while. I'll see how it patinas.

a few very busy things

The sideboard was inherited from my mom. She had "antiqued" it avocado to match our dining room set in the 70's. It's stripped back down to rosewood now and resting comfortably. The portrait is another gift from Aunt Jackie, it's one of her distant inlaws. We both like it most for the frame. And then I couldn't pass up the giant oxblood velvet, way too busy,display case. A 40 dollar bargain from Green Demolitions, our local thrift. But as less is more, I think I'm done with the gilt.

some win some lose

The apples are crazy this year! The other tree... not so much. Although it's striking.

the outhouse door

I scraped and stripped the door Mike gave me. I don't know the whole backstory but he's been carrying it around for years from some Upper East Side NYC renovation. I put one coat of tung oil on it and it seems like enough for now. Hot water is on and the bathroom and kitchen are functioning.

jackie's fridge

My auntie wanted to buy one of the appliances for the house. So here it is, my new and shiny Summit bottom freezer. I built a pantry next to it with a sliding door so I don't have to look at all the crap, I mean food. Thanks Jackie. I'm set.

the kitchen

I'm finally close to finishing the kitchen. I still have to figure out the pantry next to the fridge, and paint some trim but she's in. I've been working on a bench for in front of the fire.

slow month

It's been a while since I posted, I've been doing the trim work in the kitchen, working on the electric and finished the waste drains so that the water is ready to hook up. The fridge and faucet come this week and that will just about finish the kitchen.

on to the inside

I sanded down the countertops and oiled them. They're made of the same old barn floorboards that I used for the stairs. The countertops get mineral oil once a month or so.

outside more or less done

The tin is done on the porch and the wood siding is up and ready to weather.

porch tin

Al and I finished putting up the tin porch ceiling. It's a bit dangerous to work with (buy some bandaids!) It adds almost no weight to the structure and is much cheaper than wood. Also it's recyclable, and looks great. A little more trim work and the exterior is done.

porch railings

I put up the porch railings yesterday. I used 1/2 inch galvanized pipe and slotted it through holes I drilled in the upright posts. The metal pipe varies greatly in price locally. For a 21 foot length it was $52.00 one place and $38.00 another. You can guess which place I got it. Anyway, it looks great without obstructing the view.

house from field, vice versa

more siding done.

stop stairing

I finished the majority of the stairs and painted the wall behind a bronze green. The treads each got 3 coats of tung oil finish as did the LVL stringers. Now I have to start on railings for my porch.

first step

I've been working on refinishing the steps this week. I'm using a tung oil finish, probably 3 coats to start. Also, the loft floor is installed and looks great. Siding is on hold as I wait for my full crew. It really requires at least 3 people to get those 16 foot boards sawn, carried, and attached. More stair pics soon.

board n' batten day two

Still cold and rainy, but nothing can stop my crew. The exterior should be pretty much done by Memorial day. I'm not sure if I'm still on schedule since I don't have one.

shingles and siding

The roof is finished and the first wall is sided. I'm leaving the rough cut wood siding and the copper flashing to weather naturally. That should save me a few decades of maintenance. It was in the 40s most of the day with wind and rain. Way too cold for the end of May.

luck burns a hole in the hill

the kitchen begins

The kitchen is taking shape at last. I've repurposed some more of the old barn floor planks into countertops and Mike built the cooktop island out of them as well. The unfinished chunkiness gives it a real Flintstone vibe. Al and Jim finished the roof and I got the rough cut board and batten siding delivered this week.

rafterview from the floor

This is the lid to the last post.

porch view east to west

more springness

more porch

More progress on the porch.

deck and door

We got the cedar decking on and the final door in today. The new glass door really helps light up the upstairs. Tomorrow we start on the porch roof.

building the porch

We've started on the porch and should have the decking on tomorrow. I'm using cedar which, even though it's at an all time high, it's still cheaper than composites like TREX or tongue and groove mahogany. Since the porch is going to be covered, it should last a very long time. The view is even more spectacular from up there. The leaves are just now starting to unfurl.

raised porch

After close to 6 months of waiting, I finally got the support beams delivered and installed for my raised front porch. They're Corten steel which left unpainted will patina to a rust color over time. Installation was less than an hour and now I'm ready to start on the porch.