Winterizing

Just when I was beginning to think that our mild autumn days would never end, the forecast came in - not for our first frost - but for a hard freeze. We spent all day Saturday getting ready for winter.

My first order of business was to rehang the dining room curtains.

Closed at night for added protection against the cold.

Open during the day to let the sunlight and warmth in.

It's almost a shame to cover up those pretty new windows, isn't it? But increased energy efficiency is more important than being able to admire our handiwork.

Next I moved into the garden. We don't have much growing there anymore, but a freeze would certainly bring an end to the little we were getting.

I got a good amount of green tomatoes. Some I'll let ripen, but we
had to have yummy fried green tomatoes with our Sunday burgers. 😋

Dan helped me cover the hoop house.

This year we added a door! Don't laugh! It's the old door from our original chicken coop. Not a perfect fit but pretty close.

Where our chickens used to live.

Our chickens used to share the old shed with the goats. Chickens on one side, goats on the other, with the milking room and feed storage in the middle. We saved their door when we built our current chicken coop.

I just hope I don't regret reusing last year's polyurethane on the hoop house. It's just utility grade, which means it's cheap, but it doesn't have UV protection. That means the sun will dry it out and deteriorate it faster than plastic with UV protection. Greenhouse grade would last longer, but I haven't found that locally yet, and the cost of shipping nowadays often prevents me from buying better products than what I can find close to home. We plan to upgrade this as soon as we can.

I had only one winterization job for the goat shed, to cover the remaining original window.

Nails in strips of cardboard hold the plastic in place.

You may recall that the Little Barn is actually built onto the original goat and chicken shed. Dan made window covers for the newly built part, but not the old. This old window gives light and allows in lovely breezes during summer, but it creates cold drafts during winter. Eventually we'll re-side the old section of the shed and build in new windows, but for now I covered it with an piece of old shower curtain, doubled. We still get the light but not the cold air.

While I did that, Dan filled the wood box.

On my way back into the house, I brought in my three potted plants.

Aloe vera, Meyers lemon, and ginger.

The Meyers lemon and aloe vera will do okay on the unheated back porch, but the ginger plant will need to be brought in where it stays a bit warmer. It doesn't much like temperatures below 50°F (10°C).

The next morning the temperature was well below freezing. The odd thing was that there was no frost. That's how dry we are. I was happy to see that the Little Barn remained about 10 degrees warmer than the outside air.

The only thing I forgot to do was to find my winter gloves. By the time I got in from morning chores, my fingers were freezing. That made the fire in the cookstove all the more welcome.

With a pot of oatmeal on top cooking for breakfast.

I know quite a few of you in North America have been getting snow! Any of you in that camp? How about the rest of the world?

Winterizing © November 2016 by Leigh 

at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Dining Room Windows Done!

I haven't blogged about house projects in a long time. This is because most of our work on the house is done during winter months. In some ways that's kinda crazy, because who in their right minds replaces windows and finishes hardwood floors in freezing weather? The thing is, that's the time when there's less to do outdoors, so there's time to work indoors. Once the weather gets nice we're outside again. All of that means that for almost a year, now, my dining room has looked like this:

Blog posts about this project with lots of close-ups and other photos are here:

• House Progress: Dining Room Windows
• Dining Room Windows - 1st One In!

Getting the windows done on the Little Barn switched Dan into a project-finishing mode. His next project to finish was those windows.

All they needed was a little more caulk and the trims. Nothing fancy, just 1-bys and sanded plywood.

Paint makes the difference.

I always enjoy before and after pictures, so here are mine:

Dining room windows before: single-glazed, cracked panes, and broken
latches. No insulation under the trim to allow space for window weights.

Dining room windows after: double glazed, energy star rated
windows with as much insulation as we could stuff into the spaces.

Just in time for Thanksgiving. All I have left to do is to replace the curtains and maybe get new socket and vent covers.

Here's how they look from the outside:

You can see an outdoor before photo here.

I really liked the style of the original windows, and when we first bought the house we thought we'd try to restore to the original look. We might have been able to do that if all we were about was the house, but that's not the lifestyle we want. The house needs to be energy efficient and in good repair, but not picture perfect. Even so, I like it to look nice, and I'm happy with what we've done so far.

Dining Room Windows Done! © Nov. 2016 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Progress on the House

It's been awhile since I've blogged about the dining room windows. They are installed except for interior trim (not a priority) and second coats exterior paint have been waiting on the weather. Dan did get the big tank in place, which was the whole reason for doing the windows and siding in the first place.

Dan was concerned about good drainage behind and under the
tank, so he put it on a bed of stone and added a drainage pipe.

He still needs to get the fittings and make a filter for it. In fact, we hoped it would be done by now but with garden preparation and planting season upon us, other projects got put on hold. Hopefully we can get this one wrapped up soon, so we'll be able to collect plenty of rainwater for the garden.

Progress on the House © April 2016 by
Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Snow Days

The weekend brought us our first winter weather, starting with 1.25" of wintry-mix rain on Friday and ending with 3.5" of snow on Saturday.

The ducks didn't mind but the chickens hung back.

The pigs? As long as food is part of the deal they're in.
After eating they headed back to their cozy straw beds.

Goats and snow don't mix so that was a "no way."

Cats go out on an "as necessary" basis only.

Except for going out to keep hay feeders full and water buckets ice-free, Dan and I used the day for indoor projects. For me it was making bone broth, baking bread, and knitting a baby goat sweater.

One of my snowy day projects was making bone broth from
all the chicken bones I've been saving. To each gallon of water
I add 2 tbsp vinegar to dissolve the minerals from the bones. 

While keeping the fire stoked and the pot simmering I knitted.
This is one baby goat sweater out of 4 or 5. More on those here.

Dan worked in the dining room on the windows.

Dan filled insulated under the window with both batting (left)
and foam. The foam is very dense and doesn't allow air through.

The first step was to install new receptacles, the second was to cover
the gap in the wall.We decided to incorporate that into the overall 
window trim. Once the whole thing is painted, who'll be the wiser?

We were glad for the progress, but still have a way to go.

We're gradually melting out from under of all the snow, leaving a huge wading pool between the house and the critter sheds. I'm glad we didn't get any more! Ice on the trees has meant quite a few falling branches, but at least we didn't lose power.

How was your weekend? Did anyone else get snowed in?

Snow Days © January 2016 by Leigh 

at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Dining Room Windows - 1st One In!

In my first post about this project (here), we left off puzzling over how we were going to install those odd-shaped windows.

Where we left off. The side light is there because the

opening in the wall is wider than the new window.

They're going to go on either side of the old dining room chimney.

We discussed taking down the old chimney, but that would
have cost more money and time than we wanted to spend.

Removing the old window was the easy part.

This was the very first window we've replaced that actually had a header! We replaced eight windows prior to this one, and every single one was simply stuck into a hole in the siding and nailed in place.

Old siding + stud + drywall + cement board = 5.25"
On top of that, we were adding 1/2" siding panels.

I've mentioned that the dining (and living) room walls are cement board. The builder nailed them to strips (not sheets) of drywall. None of that is coming down, and neither is the original wood exterior. We've been adding our new siding on top of that.

Tar paper and siding covering the window opening.

After cutting out the opening, Dan built the casing.

He made his own sill.

Inspections by Snoopervisor Meowy

Something to nail the moulding to when we get to it.

First set of windows are in!

So far so good! We need to finish with the insulation and it needs to be caulked, trimmed, and painted. However, Dan would like to get the other one in before we get much further along, so he can remember everything he did with this one. :)

Dining Room Windows - 1st One In! © December
2015 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

House Progress: Dining Room Windows

This is one of those projects that serves a purpose all by itself, but is also one step toward accomplishing something else. In this case, installing a larger rainwater catchment tank. The tank is large enough that it only makes sense to finish the exterior of the house behind where the tank will be placed. It will be too heavy to move once it gets put into service! Of course nothing is as simple as it sounds, and in the case of the house exterior, we need to replace the old windows first. Dan already replaced the one in my studio, next he needed to replace the windows in the dining room too.

Besides being single glazed, some of the panes were cracked.
Behind the trims are uninsulated spaces for window weights.

With most of our seasonal chores behind us, plus a few extra days off for Thanksgiving, Dan was able to make some progress on this very project. Needless to say, there were challenges.

The first challenge was finding the proper size replacement windows. I suppose we could have custom ordered them, but we can get more for our money by buying them at an area surplus building supply. Because it's surplus, inventory is sporadic and unpredictable. We felt fortunate to get three brand new energy star rated windows for a total of $50.

The biggest problem with buying surplus is that you
have to take what they have, not get what you want.

The first step was to remove one of the old windows. Unfortunately, the new windows are not the same size as the old.

The dining room walls are cement board, so cutting
means a lot of dust. Why did he cut them? Read on.

The new windows measure 27" x 71" and the original rough opening measured 37" x 66". We could add length, but what were we going to do with the extra 10" of width? Challenge number two then, was to figure out how to fill the gap. Paneling? Wide trims? Or how about more window?

We were able to pick up a couple of thermal entryway side light windows for just 15 bucks each. Their height was just half an inch difference from the lower side of the the arch windows. Challenge #3 was how to pull it all together.

Now what? Fortunately, Dan always figures that out!

A whole lot of thinking and calculating went on after that. We ran out of time before we finished, so I will have to live with a boarded-up window for awhile. Hopefully our mild weather will last until the project is done.

Continued here >>> Dining Room Windows - 1st One In!

House Progress: Dining Room Windows © December
2015 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Remodeler's Temporary Kitchen

Mama Pea (who recently finished her own kitchen remodeling project) asked what I'm using for a kitchen right now. Our kitchen is pretty much an empty room now, except for the fridge, and the sink and it's cabinet (which came in handy to stand on when we put in our decorative ceiling beams). Both will be removed soon.

The electric stove and former peninsula have been moved out to the back porch.

My canning & summer kitchen. Good for remodeling too!

We did the porch first for this very reason. Since it will be my canning and summer kitchen, this is the electric stove's permanent home. I have it and laundry tub so I can cook and clean up. The cabinet opposite, formerly the peninsula in my kitchen, is handy for food preparation or using my electric skillet or crock pot. It is were all my pots, pans, bowls, etc are stored. The tops of the washing machine and dryer make convenient close by work spaces. When we put down the new kitchen floor, the fridge will temporarily go to the left of the stove. (For some "before" shots of my back porch, click here.)

For early morning convenience, the coffee pot and toaster oven are in the dining room.

Temporary breakfast set-up in the dining room

I put the green kitchen island in here just for these. I also moved the brown shelving unit you see above, out from the kitchen to use for dishes, glasses, mugs, cookbooks, cereals, chips, crackers, etc. Everything is convenient for breakfast and lunch.

I admit it's not a set up I'd like to use for very long. Still, it's so much better than eating only soup heated up on a hot plate and washing dishes in the bathtub like other remodelers have had to do. We are trying to keep meals simple, to minimize time and clean-up. So far it's working out pretty well.

Remodeler's Temporary Kitchen © Nov. 2011
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Dining Room: As Done As It Gets For Now

At long last, I can announce that with one exception, the dining room is finally done.

That exception is the doors: the double French doors going to the living room, and swinging kitchen door. I won't do the French doors until we finish the living room, and the kitchen door just isn't a priority right now. Other than that, the dining room is livable. Yay!

We started work on it last November, and finally got the pictures on the wall the last week of June. Most of it has been done for awhile, but we put all house projects on hold while we got ready for chickens and goats.

It's been so long since I posted anything about our dining room, you probably can't even remember what it looks like. ;) Here are before and after shots, along with a few extras.

Before

After

French doors remain white until we finish the color scheme in the living room. This is on hold until we put in the new front door, as it will require tearing into the living room and front of the house as the new door is considerably larger than the old one. Another shot of that corner...

The print on the wall, along with two others in the dining room, are originals from a Godey's Ladies Book. I have some close-ups of two of them here.

Next corner...

Before

After

That corner hutch...

.... contains a family heirloom tea set. It was passed on to me as the eldest granddaughter. I have no idea as to it's age or maker. There are no identifying marks on the backs and bottoms of any of the pieces. I just remember it in my grandmother's china cabinet when I was a very wee girl.

Continuing around the room.....

Before

After

Eventually I'd like to replace the table, chairs, and hutch which are oak, with something a little more formal. I'm thinking cherry, but that may be awhile.

A neighbor handcrafted the hutch for me me many moons ago. Dan woodburned on it and I love it. Details and close-ups here. You can click on any of those pics to enlarge them.

And another view of that corner. And looking toward the kitchen...

Before

After

As you can see, the swinging door into the kitchen has yet to be re-hung. Actually, Dan started refinishing it but we set that aside for other homestead projects. In the scheme of things, the door can wait.

What you can't see very well in those photos is the floor.

We love the floor we put down and finished ourselves, but also bought an area rug for under the table and chairs. It helps protect the finish, adds a little color, and helps with room acoustics.

I know I've shown you the medallion and new dining room light before, but here it is again, in the finished room.

You might have noticed that I collect Blue Willow. I won't bore you with all those, but here's a shot both Michelle and Minikat will appreciate...

Lastly, here is our dining room project blog link list, with details and photos of we did:

Beefing Up the Dining Room Floor - adding support to the floor
Color For The Dining Room - choosing a color scheme & painting
Removing The Old Linoleum - & preparing to put down a new floor
Sort Of Like A Jigsaw Puzzle - laying out the new hardwood floor
Dining Room Floor: Getting There! - installing the hardwood floor
Dining Room Floor: Sanding & Staining- & polyurethaning
More Problems With The Dining Room Floor - & what we did about it
Dining Room Details - threshold, baseboards, cabinet details, & swinging door

Would love to hear what you think...

Dining Room: As Done As It Gets For Now text & photos copyright July 2010 by Leigh athttp://my5acredream.blogspot.com/