rails and fences

I put up a railing on the stairway and fence and railing along the top to match the railings on the catwalk above. I used 1-1/4 inch galvanized pipe and fittings.

monochrome finishes

The bedroom and downstairs bathroom are finished off in gray with a variety of metals (aluminum baseboards, chrome shower fixtures, stainless steel wallplates, and galvanized roof panels). The walls are painted medium gray and the shower wall is stuccoed with the same shade of concrete. I used commercial grade switches and outlets which come in gray, instead of the standard white.

frost proof shallow foundation

The slab that the house sits on is insulated on the outside with 2 inches of rigid foam. I finally got around to coating it to protect it from UV degradation and the occasional bump or scrape. You can see a bit of the underlying pink insulation at the bottom left of the photo. I used a premixed grey stucco and just troweled it on in 2 coats. The rough cut lumber siding is weathering nicely. It's been on a little over 2 years now. It's grayer at the bottom where it gets rain splashback, The outside finishes are all designed to be maintenance free. The copper flashing, siding, and now the stucco will all patina over the years without having to seal or paint or scrape any of it.

agricultural and institutional furnishings

I put up corner shelves made out of the old barn floor boards and got a metal daybed from my friend Linda. I've been looking for something with a thin profile that casts the least possible shadow to maximize the passive solar gain to the slab in the cold months. And it's incredibly comfortable. For a pad I have a yoga mat (high density foam) with a 1 inch memory foam pad over it and fake fur over that. Actually it's insanely comfortable. It's a bit rusty and I was going to paint it but it matches the color of the firebrick so I'm waiting. That about finishes the living room. The dining table chairs can wheel around for extra seating.

trimming out the indoor shower

I trimmed out the skylight over the shower and also did some small finish work in the upstairs bath. I hope to start the front patio soon.

big snow

February is going out like a crazed lunatic. About 3 feet of snow over 2 days. More where it's drifted. It was up to the doorknob of the kitchen door so I escaped out the sliding glass doors. Thankfully, I have an emergency wood pile right outside the livingroom. That's one less thing to dig out.

kitchen 18 months later

I've been living in the house now for a bit over a year and a half. The kitchen counters are holding up incredibly well. They are made of antique wood from the barn floor. I oil them about once a month or less with mineral oil and keep standing water from pooling up on them. It's less of a hassle than I imagined and it has the added benefit of keeping the counters clean and free of junk. I use cutting boards for chopping and oil them when I do the counters. There is a pantry with a sliding door on the far side of the fridge and between that and the "multiuse chamber" above the oven, I have plenty of food storage space. The rest is all open storage on shelves under the counters. Garbage and recycling are in a pullout under the sink. I still need to finish the door trim.