A New Year, A New Blog.

I haven’t been the best at keeping up to date with our project and where things are at these days. My last post was almost a year ago. One of my goals for the new year is figuring out how to do a better job of documenting this project of ours. I don't know if things just got busy or the weeks have just run together to where I don't think anything major has changed. Some days I just don't want to talk about it because I'm frustrated and others because I feel like others have to be getting annoyed with me talking about it so much. I know both are true. The novelty of remodeling a house comes and goes after almost three years, don't get me wrong I'm not saying I'm not thankful. It's just the grind of getting there that weighs on me. I know how blessed we are having the ability to borrow money and have the know how to make this project come to life, and I know there are still so many more fun and exciting parts, like the ones they show on tv. We have so much to look forward too. I have personally learned so many new things and skills over the years, and had a lot of fun along the way. It's our normal life to be remodeling now and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I hope that this remodel/reconstruction of a house will finally become a home this year. You can't say it hasn't so far for lack of us trying to get there.

Since I am switching it up this year and bringing the blog to this new home, here is the quick and easy version of our story. Yes I said quick. For those who know I am quite long winded, I will try.

We will have been working on this home for 3 years this coming April.
We have done about 90% of the work ourselves with the help of a few amazing family + Friends.
The house is an 150+ year old log home we bought as our first house.
We have demoed it COMPLETELY and touched every inch of the house in remodeling so far.
and yes, We. Are. Crazy.

So along with that here is a list of the items that changed this past year, and not in chronological order.

2016.

What has changed.

the roof came off
new rafters and plywood went up
built new gables
put up siding on gables
built facia and soffits boards
a toilet was put in (big win)
“new” distressed floor beams in one side of cabin
chinked two more sides
chimney was dug out and repointed.
roughed in heating and cooling for kitchen
reran water drain
dug out and put cement floor in cellar space
repointed wall in cellar
ran gas line to furnace (=heat in the kitchen)
ran plumbing in kitchen
hooked up water lines outside
ran electric in lots of addition and cellar spaces
water heather and furnace put in
took down the columns (big change)
ripped down the porch and cement stairs
dug out footers for new addition and porch
laid new foundation for addition and porch
built new addition (easier said than done)
put roof on new addition
put in bar top and bar covering
white washed and put in celling in old addition
rerouted the drainage system

Now I know that isn't everything, I'm sure as the weeks go on I'll remember even more pieces that came together. We've been working on this for so long that it just seems like normal life. There are the days where it weighs on you, like any remodel will do and those are hard days, but theres no going back now. There is nothing to do but keep hacking away at it. This project has taught us so much, about ourselves, about patience, and grace. We still have a ways to go, but like they always tell me "it'll be worth it".