What the Men did in two days...

While the men were working, Bob and I laid water pipe and electric wire in the trench down to the cabin. The water pipe was fairly easy, but the electric wire had a mind of its own. It was very heavy and kept kinking and getting tangled. Think about how fun it would be to unwind a very cheap water hose that is very heavy and is 300 feet long. Not fun!






You can see on the left the limestone ledge in the trench. We eventually put the lines that crossed this ledge [and one further up] through PVC pipes to make sure they don't get punctured when they are covered over. Where the trench is shallow the guy who covers the trench will have to pile up the dirt 24-30 inches to insure the water line doesn't freeze.

It was hot, dusty work. 




The guys cut a laundry chute hole through Bob's closet. See how happy he looks. I was in the laundry room, laughing when I took this shot.

 The laundry room door was hung. See how tall the basement is! You would not know how great this is unless you saw our current house. The basement in it is  5'5" tall in some parts up to about 5'8". And the stairs are awful. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have smacked my head and the boys about knocked themselves unconscious many times during their teen years when they were growing like weeds.

Insulation was added to the top of the basement walls. Some places were really hard to access [especially around the heat pump and duct work], so we were glad to see it done. 

Window sills were added. This really looked great.

This 1/2 wall by the basement stairs looks great after this nice wood sill was added. I am not sure whether to paint it to match the trim or to stain and varnish it.

Two window sills.

They put up quite a bit of siding and fixed the siding that was on to secure it to the house better. They added these box things [I have no idea what they are called] so the electrician can put up the fixtures and plugs when the time is right.

They did a lot more trim work, roof work and more. It was great to see so much accomplished in just a few days. It is the first progress we have seen in months. We are getting closer.

Getting closer...

Scrappy looking out Bedroom window--it really needs a wash!

My friend Linda and I went out to pick wild blackberries yesterday and to see the progress on the cottage. It is coming along, slowly, but surely.

The grading is done, which really makes the place look more inviting. Some blackberry bushes lost their lives in this process, but there are still tons of bushes and millions of berries.

Cottage from back, notice the view!

Cottage from the front, grading done.

Here is the cottage from the back. I LOVE the bay window/window seat on the right side.












Here it is from the front. It looks much better with the dirt smoothed down and sloping. Once the siding and wrap around deck and porch get on, this is going to look awesome!

The painter should paint early this week, then I guess the ceramic tile goes down, then the rest of the molding and trim. Still lots to do, but things are coming along.

Take care,
Jill

Interior Doors and Trim...

When we got to the cottage today, I opened the door and the neighbor dog ran out! Oh, no. We were hoping he wasn't stuck in there since Friday night. Bob and I gingerly inspected the floors--no smell, no mess! What a relief, but we still wondered how long he had been trapped in there.

Well, we figure only a couple of hours. Milton [our builder] had been working in the cottage today. We could tell because of all the trim that was on the floor and around some doors.
Your can see the almost finished bay window here.

The interior of the bay window and the finished dry wall job.

The loft, dry-walled and ready to paint.

See the trim along the floor and going up the wall?

Ahh, two doors. One on the left to the bedroom the one on the right to the bath.

After releasing "Bo" from the house and taking some photos, we cleaned up the mess that was left from our Independence Day Picnic on Friday night [lots of fireworks rubble], then Bob and I picked close to 2 gallons of wild blackberries. There is a bumper crop at the farm this year and they are especially sweet.

I made 2 jars of jam, ate some, left some fresh and am quick-freezing the rest. Bob wants a pie--but my favorite way to eat them is on Cheerios with milk and sugar.

Take care,
Jill