Sometimes people change…
Even bloggers. Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe, huh?
Several years ago, I wrote a post all about how much I loved living in a small house.
And it was true– I loved our little farmhouse with all its quirks. We had one toddler and a small baby and it fit us just perfectly.
Then things changed.
The toddler got bigger, the baby got bigger, I got pregnant with baby #3, our dogs got bigger, and we added a lot of new aspects to our life, including two home-based businesses and homeschooling.
And BOOM. All of a sudden, my quirky little farmhouse just plain stopped working. We were crammed into this house, no matter how much I purged, decluttered, and reorganized. It didn’t help the awkward layout made the space we did have (around 900 square feet) even less usable.
Something had to give. We either:
a) Had to move
b) Had to do some serious renovation on this quirky little farmhouse.
We decided upon the latter. The thought of moving after all the blood, sweat, and tears we’ve poured into our homestead, quite frankly, made me want to cry.
So bring on the remodeling…
My husband has an extensive background in construction (he’s also a Master Electrician) so after we did some checking around realized how much a general contractor would cost, we made the decision to act as our own general contractor. I would NOT recommend the Average Joe do this, as there is much value in working with an expert and General Contractors can be extremely valuable. But this route made sense for us with my husband’s prior knowledge and experience. (And the fact that our essential oil business has made it possible for him to work from home with me now.)
We paid a professional to help us figure out a design and draw up the blueprints (worth every penny), and after months of dreaming and planning, started ripping our farmhouse apart in April. Like literally, ripping it apart…
My washing machine was sent to live out in the shop (where it still is, at the moment…), as we demoed the laundry room, dining room, and part of the ancient basement. Twas great fun. And my already-crammed house got a whole lot smaller overnight.
We paid someone to dig the hole (also worth every penny), and excitedly waited for the concrete crew to arrive.
We worked with an engineer to make sure the house was supported sufficiently and wouldn’t topple into the hole during this period. A-hem.
And then it rained. And rained. And rained. And rained. Like monsoon rains. Like the type of rain Wyoming NEVER sees. And my poor husband spent many a night sucking water out of the old exposed basement with a Shop Vac.
The concrete crew was pushed off about two months. I would like to say I had a wonderfully patient attitude during that time, but I didn’t. It just about drove me insane to look out at the empty hole every day with no progress. My construction-savvy husband assured me that was just how construction goes.
But I still grumbled.
When the concrete finally arrived, I wanted to throw a party. And I probably would have, if I hadn’t been huge and pregnant. And if I would have had a dining room. And a table. (Hey, there’s no better time to be uncomfortably pregnant and have a new baby than in the midst of a major remodel project, right?)
So then we jumped into framing. Prairie Husband did all of this himself, with a little (OK, a LOT) of help from some great friends and neighbors.
Can I just say it’s a pretty awesome feeling to watch the plans you’ve poured over and dreamed about for months finally taking shape?
Mr. Turkey and the chickens also loved the new, open house, much to my husband’s dismay. For some reason, he gets all grumpy when there’s chicken poop on his tools. He’s so picky.
After that, we started busting our tails to get everything as weather-proof as possible before the snow flew. That might sound crazy, considering it was August at that point, but it’s not uncommon to have snow here as early as September, so the race was on. But that’s just how construction goes around here.
After ripping off the flimsy, plastic (and annoyingly yellow) siding off the old house, we discovered many of the boards under the tar paper were ancient and disintegrating. So we had to take a small detour and put up zip panels for reinforcement and insulation before we could start siding. Gotta love those construction detours when you’re already on a tight schedule…
We settled on a combination of cedar siding and corrugated panels made of weathering steel for the outside. We love the look of cedar (we are using a combination of lap siding and board and batten design), and the metal wainscoting not only provides extra protection (from dogs, weather, and my sloppy weed-eating skills…), but also will naturally rust and looks darn cool. It was a huge improvement over the flimsy plastic siding we had prior. I don’t miss that stuff at all.
For the roof, we went metal, due to the angles we had to work with and our frequent high winds.
Thankfully, the Prairie Husband was able to do all the roofing and siding, which was a very good thing. The siding and roofing ended up having a TON of cuts and tedious detail work, which would have made it prohibitively expensive if we had hired someone else to do it. He’s pretty handy like that.
I can’t stop staring at it. SO much better. (Still gotta paint that door brown though…)
We’ve officially passed the “big” inspection for framing, electrical, and plumbing, and now we’re currently waiting on the sheetrock to get done. (We hired that out– also worth every penny.)
As the project progressed, it quickly became apparent our current kitchen layout wouldn’t flow well with the new addition. So yeah… we’re currently gutting the kitchen and re-doing things there, too. The old ceiling was sagging and needed to be reinforced anyway. It’s kind of like that joke where the couple buys a new couch, which ends up being a new chair, then new curtains, then new carpet… But I hear that’s just how construction goes…
So yeah, I currently have only one set of working lights in the kitchen, a exposed ceiling, and plywood walls. And I have to wash the dust out of all the pots and pans before I use them. It’s almost like camping. Except you never get to go home to civilization. And there are no s’mores.
But all in all, even amidst the massive chaos, dust, and craziness, the process has been fun, we haven’t killed each other yet, and I’m exceedingly thankful we are able to expand our living space like this. And I’ll be even more thankful once it’s all done and I’m no longer living in half of a house. We won’t be in by Christmas, like we originally hoped, but that’s just how construction goes. Or so I’m told.
And yes, I’ll definitely be posting ‘after’ pics… Once we get there… If that ever happens… Just kidding… Sorta.
UPDATE: We finished! Here’s the post with all the after pics—>
So exciting! And who needs coordinated winter clothing? 🙂
I know exactly what you mean. We will be doing some major renovations and remodeling in a few years (just bought, from a rent-to-own situation) and after having previously re-done the kitchen ceiling and bathroom floor of this particular house, I know how construction type things can go. It is so aggravating, but so worth it in the end. Good luck and congrats! It looks fantastic!
my mom and dad built their house from scratch. they lived there over 50 years and mom said it was never finished 😉
I can totally relate to that feeling!
This is going to be awesome!! I will be following along for sure!! I love the cedar and the medal together..great job!
Looks great but hard work well worth it. Is that a basement you put in? Bet you had fun getting the furniture down the stairs!
Oh. My. Word …. I’ve almost lost my mind during a 3 week long kitchen reno, I can’t imagine living at home during your reno! And I wasn’t (am not, will not be-too old) pregnant! You have my utmost sympathy!!! And admiration for keeping your humor and sanity.
Well, not sure about the sanity, but trying to at least keep the humor, ha!
Looks great! I love the wood/steal look outside!
Amazing Jill! I can’t wait to see the ‘after’ photos.
I love it! … And as always, also love the way you write…..or shall I say your sense of humor! I also love the cedar and metal…and all that extra space! Can’t wait to see the finished inside! Woohoo!
Looks like it’s coming along. My husband installs seamless aluminum rain gutters. If you are interested in an estimate email me.
This is awesome and so exciting! I love what you’ve done and the metal outside, that’s genius. Everything looks amazing my favorite is your deck. You’re going to love that space – it’s beautiful and the cedar (my favorite too) is fantastic! Enjoyed and Congrats – you’ll be settled before you know it. Hang in there!
Aren’t handy husbands the best ! My hubby is a true Renaissance man and that is good because there is a lot of fixing/changing/repairing that needs to happen in our house too.
Looks great, can’t wait to see it finished (I know you share that feeling)
Your children will always remember this experience. I especially loved the photo with your son and husband working together and the photo where your daughter was hammering. Those are special times for those children.
We just moved to our “farm” a year ago. Everything needs remodeling, cleaned, moved, etc. But we love it. It has been a dream of our for many, many years. Our children are adults with children and they were worried we were getting a bit dingy in our old age. But, they now see what we saw and love the place as well.
I wish you and your family the best in completing your home and totally enjoying it. Merry Christmas!!
Yes, special times for sure!
Yes– this whole deal wouldn’t have been possible without the handy husband part! 🙂
I sort of know how you feel. Husband and I just bought our first home, an old farmhouse on an acre of land. The interior decor had been stuck in the 70s, the house had been empty for 2 years (cobwebs anyone?), and the old guy had a humongous problem cleaning anything. We started our changes on the small side, with the understanding that later we will probably have to redo a lot of things (like replace all of the walls). We haven’t reached the point of tearing down walls only because my dad has extensive construction experience and talked me out of it. I really enjoyed this post and look forward to reading more.
Absolutely love your site and your writing style. The exterior is fantastic!! You’re more brave than I’d ever be with a huge remodel and 3 kids! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Thanks Kathy!!
I understand completely! We completely remodeled our house when we bought it – inside and out – and lived in it, too. . At one time, our entire living room was a recliner and a tv. 🙂 Everything unnecessary was in the basement. And we started this in March, so at times we had gaping holes in our walls and were bundled in quilts while they worked.
It’s complete chaos, but once you’re done the sense of accomplishment and pride is wonderful. It will be worth it! 🙂 Can’t wait to see when things are done!
Yes– looking forward to that sense of accomplishment once it’s done!
All the hard work is worth it. Ya’ll have a home to enjoy and grow into. (We lived in our DIY remodel for a year and a half…no oven, no sink. .no lights. )
Oh yes– you definitely can relate then!
In the photo showing when the concrete was poured, is that a door to a root cellar I see?
It’s actually the doorway to the very old, hand-dug basement. It has concrete walls, so not an official root cellar, but I will be using it for food storage for sure. It stays cooler down there, although the moisture level isn’t quite high enough to store root veggies without some help. 🙂
So cool to watch the progress…but I have to say…better you then me! We built this house we live in when I was pregnant with my second, finished the basement when pregnant with number 3, built a shop when pregnant with number 4 and built a mudroom when pregnant with number 5…I feel like as I’m typing this there may be a pattern! Hang in there mama it’s all worth it 🙂
Oh yes– what is it about pregnancy that causes remodels to happen? It’s insane!
I loved seeing all your pictures. It will be so nice to be able to spread out when it is done. I especially liked the picture of your hubby and son doing the electrical work (the holster fits really nice right above the tool belt) and my kids never know knew what color coordinated clothes were until they were old enough to buy their own.
haha– yes! Matching clothes are SO overrated. 😉
Wow, You are an amazing woman!!! To have been pregnant, living among construction and all that waiting, the dirt, dust, all while managing your businesses and kids and blog posts! I am in awe of all you accomplish. The house looks like a brand new home with the new facelift! I love the look of the cedar and metal!
Thanks Wilma!
The house looks fantastic! I cant believe you are able to do everything you do with a new little baby. I have a 5 week old and am exhausted. Great work! Hope you are finding time to rest.
Love it Jill, been there but not with a newborn and two young children. You’ll all be so cozy , can’t wait to see the finished product.
I can totally relate.. My old kitchen cabinets are in a heap in the middle of the kitchen floor. Friday the sink will be torn out and I hear it takes two weeks to wait on the counters. And they aren’t even ordered yet. I’m not pregnant but I’m 85 and getting overwhelmed!
It can definitely be overwhelming for sure!
In the future you may see the positive effects on your children. My father was a carpenter and a carpenter’s house is never finished. It was fun to be invited back to see the latest remodel by the new owner after being gone 50 years. They found my 4-H record from when I was 18 in the attic insulation.
The foundation for the wood furnace and tarpaper cold air returns were interesting details they they were having trouble understanding.
Some of the things saw happening in the pictures that may have a parallel: Having to constantly sweep up after my father may have contributed to 35 years as a housekeeping contractor. I learned to mix mortar for the wood furnace chimney when I was 5. My toys were pass key locks from my father’s remodel work and I was instructed to take them apart and put the good parts together to make them work,
Yes– this whole remodel process has been so good for both of them. They were in the middle of everything all summer and as a result have an impressive knowledge (for a 5 and 3 year old) of how a house is built. Sounds like you have some very special memories, too!
This is my life right now too!!! We live in a 66 year old house that is a little bigger than yours (1700 sq ft) for the 5 of us, tiny little stairs that I have to turn sideways to walk down and NO dishwasher! Then we got pregnant with #4 and decided to finally remodel after 3 years of talking about it. So we are adding on 500 square feet, new kitchen, more bedrooms and bathrooms. We broke ground in Jun. Baby was born in early August, then we tore out kitchen in September and we were doing dishes in the bathtub! Kitchen is finally done but upstairs is not. Currently all 6 of us are in 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. We actually had to fire our general contractor after because he stopped showing up. So now I’m moving forward as the GC with a 4 month old. Thank goodness we are able to use most of the subs we started with and our neighbor is a builder/carpenter so he’s helping out. Of course my husband is NOT handy so that’s a bummer, you are super lucky to have a handy husband who is also an electrician, score! I was laughing when I read your comments about cleaning dust out of every dish, oh how many times I had to do that too! I’m not sure when our upstairs will be done now that our project has derailed. We are keeping up our spirits though and have had lots of laughs and tears through the process. One day hopefully these will all be good memories 🙂 Good luck!!!!!!!
Oh man– you can absolutely relate!! I think laughing through the chaos is the only way to deal with it. 😉 It will all be a memory someday when we are both enjoying our new, roomy additions. 🙂
I feel your pain! It’s so worth it though. At least your children will get to grow up in that larger renovated space and enjoy being indoors together. We raised our three girls in a 1200 sq. foot house with four bedrooms. No room was very big so we all felt cramped. As each daughter grew up and moved out we took a wall down. Now we have a two bedroom home with a huge new den to hold their families when they visit. We feel like it was a fair trade! LOVE your choice of siding! Can’t wait to see your “After” pics.
Yes, it’s hard to live in a perpetual state of feeling crowded. I can’t wait to post the after pics!
what a patience test! Glad you are still sane and close to moving in to your new space. God bless and Merry Christmas.
Peggy in Houston
I recently discovered your blog – love it! My husband and I try to do as much “urban homesteading” as we can – we are lucky to live in a city that allows chickens and livestock, and has a pretty extensive community of home gardeners and DIYers. And we have a supportive neighborhood full of little houses with like-minded home owners – the neighbor keeps bees that help all our gardens, we share our produce, etc.!
We live in a teensy house (950 sq. ft!), and don’t have kiddos yet, but when they do come along and get big, we imagine doing an efficient, sensible addition, too! We love our little house – in 950 sq ft, we have an efficient, open plan, with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms!! We entertain a lot and throw large parties in our backyard, and when people come over for the first time, they are always surprised at how cute and efficient our little cottage is. And, I think, a tad jealous. 😉 Especially of the fact that it takes about 10 minutes to vacuum!
Love the blog! And I’m also a big DoTerra fan!
How fortunate you are to have a like-minded community. That makes it so fun! And yes, our house was awesome when it was “just us”. It worked perfectly for us for a good number of years. 🙂
I am in love with the cedar siding and metal wainscotting! And I will pray for you….:-)
Thank you Lisa! <3
WOW…this is major! I’ve been following your homestead off and on since the Barn Hops that you took over from Amy. I didn’t realize you were a homeschooling family…so are we! Do you blog about your homeschool?
Merry Christmas,
Melissa
Wonderful post, adore the way you explain things. Cetainly will give this
a share to one of my twitter groups.