Phase 1

Summer of Construction

We have tackled many large renovation and construction projects in the past, but this seems to be the biggest.  There are many phases.  

Also many sub-phases, of decisions and ordering supplies and demo of old parts of house, and moving things from one room to another and back again and living among chaos.

Phase one:  Build new room off of living room to the enclosed stage. (projected completion July 17)

Phase two:  Build new combination bathroom/laundry and dining area to the enclosed stage. (projected completion Aug. 3rd )

Phase three:  Build new pantry and kitchen space to the enclosed stage.  (projected completion Aug. 31st)

Phase four:  New Roof  (projected completion Sept. 7)

Phase five:  Interior drywall  (projected completion Sept 14)

Phase six:  Arrange cabinetry in kitchen and install counters  (projected completion Sept 21)

Phase seven:  Flooring throughout house  (projected completion Oct. 10)

Phase eight:  Complete interior of kitchen/pantry  (projected completion Oct 17)

Phase nine:  Complete interior of  bathroom/laundry  (projected completion Nov. 2nd)

Phase ten:  Complete new room off of living room (projected completion Nov. 14)

Obviously I HOPE that the projected completion dates are sooner not later and I'm able to do much of the simultaneous tasks to speed up the process.  Ideally would be to complete all construction by Sept 7... but .... the workers require breaks and sleep and have other full time jobs and insist on being fed.  If all goes well and Patrick takes a week off in August we should be able to shorten the projected dates quite a bit, but we'll wait and see.

Phase 1-4 must be completed before winter, along with building more cold frames, and cutting and stacking next winters firewood,  as well as my projects of staining the barn, painting the exterior of the house, gardening and planting trees.  

During Phases 5-10 I will need to stain the kitchen cabinets and paint all the new interior spaces

Next year.. build crannies and rebuild porch and back deck with back door.  Plant more trees.  Possibly relax a little.  (and any other grand ideas I come up with over the winter)

So we're finishing up Phase one... here's out it's going so far:

Home Depot deliveries are... shake your head in bewilderment eventful. 

They backed their own forklift into their flat bed truck... more than a few times.  They almost drove over the lumber pile they had just placed on the ground.  They drove over our pallet boardwalk and smashed one of the trampoline stakes.  ... Oh.. and they forgot half the order so they came back later in the day.  

They'll be back again in a week.  We'll move the cars and put the chickens away before they come!

Progress is slow... for the observer.  The crew claims that they feel like each day is productive.. but I can't paint yet or move things in... and there's a lot of noise.

The roof has really slowed things down..  There was excitement as concrete was poured and floors were built and then walls were put up.... and the roof... dismantling the old roof... repairing parts of the roof... .reconstructing the new pitch of the roof... laying the new roof and creating overhangs and gables... 

Meanwhile the walls feel neglected and the causal observer sees nothing... because we refuse to go up on the roof.

Our local OSHA inspector is ruthless with his constant pacing the site with his clipboard and incessant questions.  (granted they more often than not have to do with lunch orders and evening game or movie preferences... he's always hopeful they'll finish early... but they work until the sun goes down)

Well..

Mostly they work.

We do have a resident comic relief expert.

We are surrounded by construction.. supplies... noise.. and mess.

But it's happening.

We are learning as we go... 

After haircuts is not a good time to wear a baseball cap while on the roof all day in the sun... His farmer tan lines are quite impressive.

The roof delivery guy is a great driver and crane operator and was a delight to do business with.  He also had a really neat truck with an according folding top and a crane attachment.

Phase 1 is complete.  The interior will not take too long and will be done here and there... higgeldy, piggeldy alongside Phase 2 etc... 

Phase 2 is already behind schedule... the last delivery forgot crucial items and we are still waiting for them.  We are both busy with other tasks and twiddling our thumbs in anticipation of staying on schedule.

Odds and ends...

Some days fly by with routine and the mundane... others seem to have extra time.  Some of the ways we have filled our 'extra time' lately have been, 

Learning Chinese Skipping

Good indoor exercise.  We mastered some of the jumps and then added others.. I forgot how much remembering the order of the jumps and mastering them mattered.  Emerson definitely enjoyed the jumping but needs to learn to land more gently.. After a while it sounded like there were elephants skipping in the house.  

The 'die hards', practiced with chair legs while the cat looked on.

Hair cuts aren't uncommon, although you never know how it will turn out with me behind the scissors/clippers.  Just for fun, Emerson sported a Mohawk for 24 hours.  I couldn't take it longer than that and finished his haircut.  

A neighbour hired Duncan for two weeks to build this shed and stack some firewood.  

We began bike riding.  Jim and I were exhausted after the first few rides, but we've built up some stamina and have agreed to more than one ride per week!  We waved to Duncan as we rode past him working on the neighbour's shed.  Once his work was completed he joined us on future rides... Well... he led us on rides... and foolishly, we followed... on long rides... with hills and very bumpy terrain.  

Emerson has adventures as antelope dart out in front of him and another time, in order to avoid a car coming around the corner he swerved, hit a pot hole and ended up in a swampy marsh along the side of the road... but he stayed on the bike.  

Art days continue

Ava took the lead for this class and we painted silhouettes.. of cats of course!

Sarah ran a zentangle relaxation art day. 

Mask making

The Noble mask factory opened and ran for a few weeks.   It closed after I broke my sewing machine needle and had to wait a few weeks for replacements to be ordered and delivered.  

Once the snow finally melted, kite flying began. Sometimes a few times a day if the wind was favourable.  

Game nights

Online game nights have become a staple activity each week... We've tried a few different games, pictionary, disney trivia, bingo, scattergories, family feud... but by far Balderdash has been the hit of the crew.  Pre game activities are more relaxed.. tray memory games, scavenger hunts, hide and seek, story time with the little boys.

Discovering how to use virtual backgrounds and hilarious facial mask options in zoom has been a hoot.  Delightful ways to connect and get to know cousins better during isolating times..

Porch swings

Patrick rebuilt the porch swings since they had weathered poorly and the seat area was worn out.  They are sturdy now... but not comfortable on the backside... so I was on the watch for some cushions.  

These were just waiting for me at the local thrift store.  Ideal!

Seating on the porch has led us to listen to the birds more.. and watch the antelopes.. and be delighted that we could hear frogs and the stream in the distance. 

Hearing the frogs led to some exploring and some toading time.  Poor Emerson, within a week or two of catching his frog he had a wart on his finger.  No convincing him that toads don't give warts!

The boys online school began to offer a one hour each day live class.  They called it Power Hour.  It began with ten minutes of exercises, then a 40 minute class followed by a story time and then a 'kahoot' quiz from the class.  The boys were so excited to have a live class like the older kids, but their power hour was more fun and soon we were all engrossed.  Each day was a different subject.  They loved their science day with Dr. Pablo learning about anatomy.  They read, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' for Literature and were eager to watch the movies.  

They had assignments to submit... These were both from Literature.  They had to memorize the bones in the human body for science and make a food from another country for Geography.  They are sad that summer break meant that power hour ended.  It will begin again in the fall. We've ordered their new workbooks and excitement is high.

Before and 'almost' After

When we first came to clean and paint the house before moving in, we reached the bathroom.  After a very long day of cleaning, I determined that there wasn't any point painting walls in a room that really needed to be gutted.  So clean enough to move in and 'usable', we let it be. 

At first I was determined to 'make the best of things'. 

Then as times went by, we adopted the mantra, 'use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.'  We had no trouble using up the items we found left behind by previous tennants and owners.  As for 'wear it out'... it was pretty worn out upon our arrival.  As you can see with the state of the bathroom we embraced ..'make it do'.  but 'do without' we could not stomach. 

The floor only worsened and we became good at walking around the middle of the room so that we didn't feel the floor giving way beneath us...  

The bathroom lasted six months... well not exactly.. it lasted about 3 months with a few duct tape patching and bitter complaints about showering in a dark small stall with water spraying all over the bathroom.  And bathing in an RV size tub wasn't even exciting for the little boys... 

When the pipes froze under the shower and it began to back up and we had to shut it off so bathing became the only option... Patrick was more than unimpressed with the mini-tub.  In order to rinse off he had to reach around into the shower and pull the shower head around into the tub area.  Less than ideal.  

.. the floor kept getting worse. 

When the ozone levels increased in March (2019) and the EPA shut down the oil fields until levels decreased, we made a trip to Rock Springs.  We spent two weeks, without tub, shower and for a while no floor at all.. (only floor joists and a piece of plywood in front of the toilet)  But we were genuinely delighted to have a functional shower/tub and proper (INSULATED) floor.  So one half of the bathroom was improved.  Then Patrick went back to work and summertime had a long to do list and time and projects took over and the bathroom once again was pushed to the back burner of tasks... until a year later.  March 2020

It was high time to finish the bathroom... well almost.

We've had a perspective shift since moving and while we would dearly have loved to have built our dream home dome, the allure of no debt living and simplicity have won the higher place in our hearts.  Other than the eternal winter and cold... the tranquil solitude has us embracing the new mantra of 'Blooming where we are planted."

So, we improve our immediate surroundings and live the dream.

I must admit, as we began the process of completing the bathroom renovation, the adage, 

"you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" rang through my mind on many occasions.  

After new walls, new paint, new cabinet and counter and sink, new mirror and tiled back-splash and light fixture, it may have to be admitted that you CAN make a decent bathroom out of squalid one.

An unrecognizable upgrade!... except for the gaping hole in one wall that still leads to the pantry... hence the 'almost'finished status.  But there is progress on that score... excavation has begun on the new pantry so by the end of the summer hopefully we'll be installing an actual bathroom wall.  

My favourite part... 

the mirror was $1.00 at the thrift store.  I sanded and re-stained it

the door was a clearance item at the local lumber store because it had a small nick in one edge

the cabinet, counter and sink were free on the side of the road.

the flooring was a clearance item at Home Depot

the paint was left over from painting the rest of the house when we first moved in

Only actual expenses were the ceiling paint, the light fixtures and the tile for the back-splash and tub surround.  

NEXT...

Holes

Holes.

Mounds of dirt.

Moles?? Badgers??

Hints of progress....

Barnwood Christmas

This year's 'homemade' Christmas became 'barnmade'. 

The old barn at the ranch has been a project lately.  The hundred year old roof was sagging and caving in.  It needed to be replaced.  

The workers were pleased to remove and replace the roof.  Others were eager to have some other projects tackled.  Tina had the bathroom redone.

There was still a stack of leftover barn wood.  I knew that Rob was claiming most of it for a project at his house so I piped up.  I would like some please.  Most of it was too rough for use indoors as wall, or shelves.. or wainscotting but I had an idea.  

I simply wanted the nativity barn wood to be used to create nativities.  Now each home has a piece of the nativity barn to remind them of the spirit of the nativity year round.  

What's in a name?

Why do I feel like this home needs a name???

Growing up the 'ancestral' home was Haultain house.  It was on Haultain Street.  

That would make this Chief Joseph house.  Not the feel I'm after.

I delved into the conundrum of naming a place... historically... and I'm speaking from my own limited life history.. we've tended to name things based on location.

The Chaucer street house.

Grandma's, Lulie street house

Collins street house.. or Texas house.

The townhouse.  Not even a location moniker attached.

The Pinedale house

The blue house.

Or the West Jordan House.. although that became complicated when we remained in West Jordan but moved... so often it was just referred to as the old house.

This one just had coordinates.

It is simply referred to as 3090.  Not even the 3090 house... just 3090.

We lived here as long as I lived in Haultain House and both had an extraordinary amount of living that took place inside.  

This was at least, the little house on the ranch.

The 'ranch'.. much like visiting the farm in Oregon was ALWAYS referred to as simply 'Portland'.  

There is an actual name for the ranch.  The Flying U, but most often it is referred to as the Noble ranch.. but even that is confusing since there are 4 other Noble ranches within... 'close' proximity. 

So why the desire to name our current home?

It obviously doesn't stem for growing up in estates with formal names.  

Perhaps it is the propensity to name places associated with fun.

G'waydumbee Cottage

Perhaps it isn't even important that it be a house.

Garden of 'Eat'n'

With that in mind I realized that they day we moved in I officially dubbed the hill beyond our barn as Gopher Hill

That same week as we tried to give directions or describe where to put things, Half-pipe Gulch was named.  A few of the buildings had temporary names.  The mini house, the metal building finally became the pump house.  The lean-to, the sheep shed and the ugly metal thing is now the gas shed.

It was obvious that everything was getting named.  Some things are still trying out new names... the clubhouse, the white trailer, the chicken shed.... It may not need naming if Patrick gets his way and we can forever refer to it as no longer!  Recently we even named our neighbours back yard as Antelope Terrace.

The 'garage', recently had a transformation and has christened with a perfect name... another post of its own.  The only constants around here have been... The greenhouse and the barn.

As we drive around, we see that naming a large ranch or homestead is important.  Larch Archways with proudly displayed name placards state;  Pape Estates, Boot Jack Ranch, Rock Bottom Hideaway...  

Why I couldn't be content with Chief Joseph house, or Green River Ranch place (our subdivision name), I just don't know.  I used to joke that I disliked 3090 because we didn't even have a named street.  Now we have a named street... I just don't like it.  Down the road there is Looking Glass Lane.  That would have been FUN! but no....         

I considered Hidden Creek, since our creek is hidden from view... but that would just remind me how sad it is that I can't see the creek.

The name Peaceful Place ran around in my mind for a bit, but it seemed like a meditation retreat.

      

The Tin Can was one I used for a while but it has a rather derogatory connotation, plus it doesn't reflect the whole place and what do I do when we finally build or renovate?

Timbuktoo or Middle of no where are too overused..

The search for a name was on... 

I poured out my lack of a name woes to any unsuspecting soul who would listen... 

Thankfully, most commiserated or just nodded at appropriate times.

And then....

 sweet Elowen solved all my woes.  

It was perfect.  

It summed everything up, 

it was simple,

it was charming,

it was clever and witty.  

Barn and Nobles

It is also apparently INVITING!

Within hours of hanging our sign, visitors began trickling in.

Guests do ask ... why is the barn empty?  When are you getting cows or sheep?

Why so many barns? .. (only one barn.. lots of sheds though)

Please 'bear' with this 'paws' in Noble blogging.

Bear came with the house.

For all its' flaws, he's rather attached to it.

Sometimes it's as though he's 'bear'ly even there.

Other times he 'bears' with our silliness.

His handsome good looks are almost un'bear'able at times.

His halloween costume.. he was 'bear'ly recognizable!

For Valentines he held this close to his heart.... until someone closed the front door, then the impact made it fly out of his 'bear' hands.  After a few close calls with the heart attack...

we decided holding some flowers would be a safer option!

He was pleased to welcome in spring time with us with traditional Sakura, Cherry Blossoms, as we studied Japan.

He's picked up some tunes around here.

Showing his Wyoming pride.

The force is strong in this house. 

He perhaps is she??  Either way, he's on mummy's side in hinting that it's still a bit chilly, sporting a sweater, even in his perch above the wood stove!

After that sweater fiasco... he would just like the right to 'bear' arms!