Going At A Snail's Pace

The redbud seedlings are showing some blooms for the first time down at the farmhouse.

                 Also at the farmhouse is the quince I have been nursing back to life for the past six years, and it is finally paying off.
 

  A week passed without seeing any of the guys, but they did come two days last week. They managed to get the sink in the cabinet and are working on using my old butcherblocks for the top.  

      There were two large, very old, very heavy butcherblocks up at the main house when we bought it.  They weren't very convenient to use for chopping, too large and heavy, but I knew one day I would find a use for them.

     With the sink all the way to one side, this leaves a space to chop or set something down as the stove will be next to it.  I doubt there are many guests that want to cook when they are at an Airbnb.

   The chrome faucet was replaced with bronze.  All accents in the farmhouse are going to be bronze, except for the bathroom where the sink is dictating the chrome accents.

     These are the antique bronze knobs for the sink cabinet I bought on Ebay.  I really love how simple they are. Very heavy.

                             The other thing they did last week was remove the old propane furnace at my request.  This metal grate is in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. Since we now have a whole new heating system which is electric, I wanted the grate removed and the floor repaired.

                       I didn't get a photo of the big metal furnace, it was rusted and had holes and there was so much trash under it.  When they tossed it in the truck to take to metal recycling, a huge rate jumped out and ran back under the house, so time to get the humane traps out. 

     So as the guys are working on the inside, Bob and I have been working pretty hard on the outside.  Not that we needed another project right now, but the bushes on the driveway are getting so huge that the driveway seemed to be getting smaller and all the guys have  huge trucks.  We decided to start removing the ivy to the original  rock wall that lies beneath.  It gives at least six more inches to the driveway and this rock wall is going to be gorgeous!

     This rock wall starts at the street and goes all the way up to the main house.  It will be a project that will take some time to complete.

                            We also have two very old crepe myrtles at the farmhouse that have not been flowering like they should.  Trees have grown up around them, they don't get the sun they need. We cut those trees back and then hard pruned the crepe myrtles hoping that bringing them down lower they will receive more sun and flourish.  Bob got that fun job!

                         While Bob was doing that, I was on the other side of the fence where the driveway and path up to the farmhouse will go in. 

                         I've been working for weeks cutting down overgrown bushes and trees and deciding how I want to do the driveway, and I think I now know the best way to do it, not the initial way we were planning.  I was glad I had time to think on it and get it right.

                          You can see how overgrown things are, vines and bushes growing into trees.  I have been cutting all this down and hauling it off to a pile.

         I still have more to cut, but you can see the difference in this photo, the huge bush is beginning to e

  The pile is getting big.

     I've also been digging up and potting trees, magnolias, camelias, and evergreens that were in the path of the driveway and will be replanted once it's in. 

     The area down there is open with sun, I'm going to love planting a butterfly garden with gardenias and crepe myrtles, lots of color and perfume.

     One other thing that was done was the wall in the bedroom to the attic space was enclosed with the wood taken from the ceiling, which will be painted white. Moulding will be placed on the seam to finish it off.

   Tomorrow is Thursday, I have not seen the guys all week, but I did just get a text from Jake that they will be there tomorrow, so hoping they can get a lot done in the next two days so I have something to post soon!

Some Tiny Accomplishments This Week

    This week the electricians got the meter box in, and we had our inspection and passed.  Now we wait for the electric company to come and hook the main wire to the box and we're a go! The propane tank was also moved over and now is no longer blocking the back porch which is going to be replaced and extended into a little deck big enough for two chairs to sit and take in the view of the bamboo forest.
 

      After a lot of thought, we decided not to go with the free underground wire and go with a new pole on the roof.  Sometimes free is not good, they would come in and dig up an area that I would like to make into a perfume garden for our guests.

  Eventually I will paint the propane tank white like the house and cover this area in ferns to make it less of an eyesore, but propane was needed.  A few steps onto the porch with a stone pathway will make this a nice little area.

                 The toilet is in, and this new arrangement in the bathroom makes it feel so much larger!  The hardware for the sliding barn doors arrived.  Not having that huge bathroom door gave us so much more space.  I am very happy with the bathroom!

    After repairing and insulating the wall behind the sink, the cabinet was placed.  I think everyone will be surprised at how nice this will look once painted and with my antique bronze knobs and the butcherblock top all for a very minimal price!  Cheap can sometimes be good!

     The daffodils by the boxwoods finally bloomed, and the mock orange bushes along the driveway have been in full bloom and smell amazing and the honey bees have been hard at work.  This week we should have a lot more finishing touches being done.  This is the fun part, the asthetics!

The Mess Is Piling Up

    The electrians were here last week and are now here this week.  The house is being rewired, so we now have a lot of holes in walls that weren't there before.  
 

   The old 100 amp meters have been torn off the back wall and the new meter, 200 amps, was put up today.  That big propane tank will be moved, but needed to keep it as the tankless water heating system will be run with propane, more cost efficient.

                     This ugly water tank was in the kitchen, now on the back porch to be taken away and freeing up a nice space in the kitchen where an antique cupboard could go.

                                The new tankless water heater affixed to the back of the house. 

The new electric heating system is also affixed to the back of the house.

The system is in the attic space over the kitchen that was not vaulted, so much better than in a crawl space.

                           

                             The vents have been cut in all the rooms to be vented.

                The new wiring in the kitchen.

    The cabinet for the sink arrived.  I also got the antique knobs I ordered from Ebay.  I have antique butcher blocks that I hope to use on the top sides of the sink.

    Up at the main house the garden is coming into bloom, the daffodils are out, the mock orange bushes smell wonderful and things are in much better order!