These are from over the weekend after the big storm. We got about 17 inches of snow!

Sorry for such grey pictures. I wanted to post a new picture as we send out our Chirstmas cards which have the URL if the blog. I'll have more pictures soon! This was our first snow of the season (12/5/09).

Here is a picture of the railing. We are very pleased the way this turned out.

Final stretch. We are still working our way down the "punch list" with the final building inspection on Friday (7/31/09). Punch list items include yard grading, tight doors, metal flashing, etc. The big event today was the carpet installation.

One setback was is the window trim. We wanted it red and agreed to go ahead and install the 3 1/2 inch white border prior to painting, but now we found out they are very difficult to paint while installed. We are looking into options such as colored flashing and shudders. Suggestions welcome. White-on-white was not the planned look.

Long time since the last post. Lots of work going and we are within a month of moving in...I hope. Here are a couple of shots, one from the front showing off the lillies in full bloom and the other of the inside window trim and base board. We are attempting to bring some of the original log home architectural features into the addition. Look at the "Before" post back in September for a similar picture of the front.

Here is an inside picture of the kitchen and one outside looking off the front porch. We are doing the tile work ourselves along with the painting. As you can see, the lawn and landscaping in front of the house is pretty much in tact.

Here's a better picture of the board and batton siding looking from the back.

The siding is just about complete. We plan to paint the trim around the windows a barn red to match the surroundings and tie in to the log cabin. Lots of work going on inside. The porch is the next big item outside.

Working on the tile is slow going, but I like the results. We are saving by doing this ourselves. Notice the backer board underneath for support. Both of the new bathrooms are getting the same tile.

The chicken house has a new home. We were able to move this outbuilding by putting it on four 6x6s and sliding across the property. It was located way too close to the addition. It will now serve as a club house/storage.

Front porch is just about done. Lots of decisions on materials to use. The previous owners had purchased over $2000 worth of mahogany to for the construction of the porch. We decided to use that wood for some inside items like the stair railing. We used synthetic materials for everything but the lower posts which are made out of Spanish cedar, also from the previous owner. WE plan to paint these to avoid the wood color competition with the logs.

Notice the overhead wires? We are getting those buried when we hook up the utilities.

Long time since the last update. I had to travel for a while and came back to find most of the electric wired and some of the pluming completed. Needless to say most of the action is inside now. I'll try to take a picture of looking out the back double window in the next post.

The Roof Work Continues

Lots of action on the roof this past week in spite of very cold weather and some snow. The roof work was sub-contracted to a company employing Mennonite workers. It was interesting to see them work together as they took off the old roof, put new sheeting on, and then installed the metal roof in four foot wide sections.

The Roof Goes On

As you can see the roof is over half way complete, and this picture shows the lines of the addition taking form. It's slow going right now due to the cold and windy days.

Wish we had logs for this side of the additon to contrast with the "board and batton" siding on the old kitchen. We plan to use this type of siding for the entire addition, with barn red boarders around the windows.

Happy New Year!

Dec 20, Making progress in the cold. Part of the roof goes up and the old porch is demolished on the front side of the log house.

Lots of rain this past week and now the cold is back, but the addition is taking form. Is it always bigger than it looks like on paper? I was pacing off some measurements downstairs and realized two windows were out of place (you can't seem them here). I met Pat over at the house and he confirmed the mistake. One of his carpenters measured from the end of the window instead of the center. It will take about three hours to fix, but better now than later on the project.

Making Progress

Another section framed with the house wrap tacked on to reduce the wind while they are building. It's hard to picture in your mind, but the portch goes in front of this first floor structure.

Here's the view looking North again. This is one side all framed up.

Here is the link to our cabinet maker. The link show the color and shape of the doors. They are Bluemont Oak, honey square.

http://www.shenandoahcabinetry.com/products.asp?id=45

Well, no new progress on the outside the last couple of weeks. This was due to some bad weather and another project our builder is working on. We did have the new gas lines put in and the old furnace hooked up. We are heating the place with propane and the existing home came with a new furnace. The builder is going to seal up the opening in the basement so we can keep minimal heat in the house before we get the big freeze.

Pat, our builder, did a great job lining up the foundation and first floor with the existing structure. The new kitchen-to-dining room entrance will have no steps to manage. This was the plan.

This past weekend we picked out the kitchen cabinets. We picked Shenandoah Cabinetry made with solid oak doors and facing with plywood frame /shelves.

Picture taken just as the first story floor joists are installed

Surrounding buildings (old barns for the small farm)

This is the "cottage," which may end up as a quiet place to study. It may also be used for our guests (hint hint).

Side shot looking North. Forward section is a crawl space under kitchen and family room. Far section is a full basement under a bedroom, hallway, and bathroom.

Completed block work