I bet you've been wondering..."just how is Deb's house coming along?" I know. I get asked that all the time, by friends, acquaintances, family members.
The quick answer is, not as fast as we hoped, but we are making progress, and as soon as the roof is done and everything closed in and we have a heat source, we're moving in. I'm so glad we don't need to get some "certificate of occupancy" from the local government. We probably could not have gotten one for our current living quarters!
This last weekend The Hermit's two adult sons came up and helped put the synthetic roofing paper on one half of the roof. It's a big job, just getting brackets and 2 x 8's up so they can walk along the roof safely. It means a lot too; with wind and all that, the tarps that were covering the roof had been blown off and ripped to shreds, leaving the roof very leaky. This has been a drought year, so we haven't had too much rainfall to worry about, but still you never know when a downpour is coming. As luck would have it, we had one this morning about 4 AM...and the roof was way more protected than it had been before.
There was a time this summer when we thought, there's no way we're getting this done ourselves, we'll have to get a mortgage and hire it all out. But that never happened, thankfully. I want to own this house, right down to doing as much work as we can ourselves. I keep reminding myself, The Hermit and I dug the very well from which we get our water, ourselves. And that's a good feeling. I've done roofing, and laid the tile and brick for the hearth myself. I can do it again.
13 comments:
Oh Deb, it looks wonderful! And you're right- I WAS wondering how it was coming along! I can't immagine how satisfying it must be to have done it all yourselves.
Great post!
I know that satisfied feeling since we built our own garage (it actually is big enough to have two bedrooms above it) and now we are adding a dormer/bathroom to our house. We do ALL the work ourselves. Including digging the hole for the garage's foundation by hand (pick axe and shovel). Although we crawl along at a snail's pace, it feels so good and right to do it ourselves.
Wow, Deb, that's a huge undertaking. And the pride you have from standing back and saying "we did it ourselves" is priceless. Best wishes on your continued efforts.
I really love the windows in the side. It's going to be WONDERFUL once you're in there - and no debt! YAHOO!!
Nice going, Deb! That's a lot to feel good about!
Wow!! Good luck with the next steps! How wonderful to be mortage free! Although the amount of work needed just to keep up our "finished" house is enough to keep me overwhelmed; I can't imagine building a new one right now. More power to you!
Wow, impressive! I can't even get a little shed built so I can have a glass studio on my backyard. Ever think of visiting the Pacific Northwest? ;-)
I am in awe of you, oh great Deb! I can't even imagine how much work that is, but I think it is so cool to "know" someone who can do it!
that looks great, deb! Thanks for the update. I too am simply in awe. I love what you say about truly owning the house.
good luck and keep us posted!
Are you saying you don't have building inspectors or building codes?
More power to ya' for doing it yourself!
Lynne- Thanks...we almost lost the "satisfaction of doing it ourselves" in favor of the "get in quickly" mentality.
Pablo- Thanks.
Elise- It is a great feeling, isn't it? Congratulations on doing all that work yourselves.
RuthieJ- Sometimes I underestimate the hugeness of this undertaking and the deviation of our lives from what is considered "normal".
Madcap- We are having a problem with bedroom selection, Calvin specifically, who doesn't like the idea of a bedroom with a balcony instead of one with solid walls to keep out intruders. Okay, we'll send in someone who appreciates those windows!
Momadness- thanks. Again, I underestimate the magnitude of this house project sometimes.
GTR- I'll really appreciate when I have time to soak in a hot bath...one that was heated by a water heater...which I have lived without for far too long...Oh the luxury that lies ahead!
~Jennifer- And I am in awe of your weight loss efforts. I recently have lost a little weight, don't know how much since I don't have a scale, but it feels so good when those pants are fitting looser!
Barefoot Gardener- I never imagined this piece of land we bought, and worked to build our cabin, would become our home. Best investment we ever made (which isn't saying much, really!) It's been a lot of work, but most of the time I come home thinking I could not live anywhere else.
Dharma Bum- Thanks. I only recently thought about the well thing, remembering the day we took turns driving a sand point about twenty feet into the ground to get the water source we use today. And the thrill we got when we struck water.
FC- Our township is about as backwoods as you can get in Minnesota, in a county that is likewise. A lot of times, that's good.
What beautiful space around you! I want the "room with a view"! I used to have a view of a little woods until an evil developer built a condominium on it! More power to avoiding builders, codes, and too many neighbors.
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