The Farm Story
The Early Years
These posts are from our first few years at the farm, the story of how we started, the many bumps along the way, the learning and labor that went into remaking the farmhouse into the wonderful home it is today.
Marshmallow Walls
March, 2010 It looks a bit like sheepskin has been tucked into every nook and cranny of the walls. The whole house has become quieter. Foam insulation is a little pricey, but a great way to get an air-tight barrier. Anyone who’s lived in a drafty old house can tell...
High-tech Heat
February, 2010 When the old radiators were removed last fall, we found they were full of scale and rusting in many places. That opened the way for many choices for a heating system. The oil furnace is "newer" and could be used again with new radiators. But there's...
Tighty Whitey
February, 2010 Thirty seven. That’s how many wet painted boards I can stack on the makeshift shelves Clark nailed up for me in the garage. Priming: that thankless task of applying a layer of paint that will never be seen but will hold tight to the wood and grip the...
Fresh from the Mill
February, 2010 I happened to follow a big truck on my mid-day dash out to the farm, and when it blinkered at the corner of Foster Road, I knew it held my cargo of fresh-milled siding. The hill is quite a climb so I was patiently anxious, trailing behind, hovering...
Electric Blue
January, 2010 The house is now peppered with vivid blue electric boxes strung together with bright yellow and white wire. It’s like flashy undies, a little wilder than you want to show in public, fun to see but soon to be hidden by a tasteful covering of sheetrock and...
Colonel Mustard?
January, 2010 This was a week for mysterious discoveries. Today a dark puddle suddenly appeared on the dining room floor. The apparent source was a newly drilled hole in the floor joist above. But there was nothing on the second floor leaking onto the joist, no sign...
Water Sign
January, 2010 Today, a strange discovery. The guys pulled up the floor in the old kitchen addition and found an old well right under what once was the kitchen! It sits just outside the original house foundation and must have been really convenient in 1850. Today it’s...
Sooo-cold
January, 2010 It’s been tough since the end of December. Sam, the lead carpenter, has been struggling with cancer treatments and the frustrations of the health care system. His carpenter’s union insurance is not covering much and it's a nightmare for him. It's a...
Lesson in Wood
January, 2010 One of the ways I hoped to “go green” and at least nod toward restoration vs. remodeling was to resurrect the old wood siding and infill with new boards milled to the same profile. Ha! Not so fast. After much research I discovered that the siding was a...
