September 2: The SW-back corner, showing the forms for the concrete fountain basin. All the exterior shutters are up, along with faux attic vents, and strips of siding-trim to reduce the appearance of white aluminum above the outside of the porches (compare this with any earlier photo of the back of the house and you'll see what I mean).
Sept. 2: You could call it "The West Garden," or maybe "The Boulder Garden." The shed (8x8) on the left was finished this week, and thanks to a summer of miserable weather, the "garden" is definitely a work in progress.
Sept. 2: The basement walk-out area on the West side of the house, showing the concrete apron poured earlier this week.
Sept. 2: 2.8 tons of red flagstone for a walk-way to the front door. Anything left over from that,... well,... I have a list.
Aug. 15: In the little glade near the front gate, where the flagpole was erected last week.
Aug. 21: Finally, a good photo of one of the four hummingbirds I've counted, drinking at the back-yard feeder. There are three feeders around the house, and sometimes all four of the hummingbirds flit around a feeder, darting at one another, playing "get away, it's my turn!"
Aug. 6, the 900-foot extension of deer-fencing was completed along the Northeast property line (between me and the couple from whom I bought the land; their house is visible in the photo). Gates at either end remain to be put up next week, as well as some wire in places where the slope of the land prevents the fencing from reaching the ground.
Aug. 15: A large branch of the healthiest apple tree on the property,... a victim of one of the recent storms and,... well,... my "neglect." Pruning the apple trees has been on my to-do list since spring. Now I'll have to cut off the broken branch and seal the wound. The upside is having a supply of apple-wood, which is wonderful for smoking and grilling meats!
Aug. 15: A photo of the entire branch that's broken from the apple tree. Hundreds of apples are now within reach for easy picking. They're a bit small still, and rather tart, but quite edible,... great for pie or tart filling and for jam or jelly. I'll have to get to them before the critters do! Like, tomorrow. There's still a doe and her two fawns on the property.
July 12: Another split-rail fence was put in yesterday (for "aesthetic definition" between driveway and yard), along with an 8x8 stockade fence around the electric power-pad.
July 25: A photo taken from inside the back porch at dusk, with the shades down. This gives you a better idea of just how little light is blocked by the shades.
July 7: Roll-down shades were installed today, by Ace Awnings of Dubuque (Iowa), around the back porch and two sides of the front porch. They look dark in this photo, but the shades only block about 30% of the light from outside. Most importantly, they provide a rain and insect barrier.
June 19: Good news regarding the 9 nine maples in the field that I thought had been killed by deer: all of their roots were sufficiently established to result in re-growth from below the level of chewed-off bark.
June 19: Black raspberry bushes, especially those which get sun most of the day, yielding fruit already.
June 15: A raccoon chowing down on fallen wild bird-food,... tempting enough to bring a nocturnal animal out into the light of day. The level of destruction being caused by the rabbits brought me to buy a .410-/.45-caliber revolver, and then a 22 rifle. I never thought I'd be a "serious" gun owner, but...
June 15: They eat door-mats? I couldn't believe it, but I caught the rabbits up on the porch pigging out on the hemp or coir or whatever it is. When I found they'd chewed down a couple of young Clematis, and contemplated what they might do to a garden, my mind was made up to buy a gun.
June 15: I put this little palm outdoors because it was infested with spider-mites, but I never expected the rabbits to chew it up. I was simply hoping the ants would eat the mites.
June 7: I finished putting up the shutters on the front of the house today, but still have 8 pairs to put up on the South and East sides. It's been two weeks today since the lawn was "established," and there's been so much rain that I've had to water only three times. And how do you like that sore thumb of a satellite dish?
June 7: "I DO believe in fairies! Clap if you believe." Sorry. I saw it in a catalog and just couldn't resist. Neither could the big old fat raccoon I shoo'd away Saturday morning after he'd pawed it down on its face, leaving the poor fairies with no door to their house.
June 7: Goldfinches at the feeder which I moved closer to the house yesterday. The finches can clean out a large feeder in two days, and that finch-food ain't cheap. Oh, and there's at least one Baltimore Oriole in the vicinity with beautiful orange plumage.
May 22: A bat sleeping under the eaves near the kitchen window.
May 20: A close-up of wild geranium blooming profusely all over the property. Thanks to Jerry Brill back at the condo in Arlington for identifying it.
May 15: Rivers of slug-slime (and slugs) on the black-top the morning after paving. There are thousands of slugs dying on the driveway.
May 14: Paving of the driveway was completed today.
April 27: The contractors got the Western deer-fence up in one day. They were at it until 5:30 this afternoon and should be back tomorrow to remove the last of the Old Field fence (North) and to dig holes for the flag-pole and Purple Martin house-poles.
April 25. "Ponding" alongside the driveway near the house. The landscaping contractor will correct the problem when he establishes grass around the house.
April 24. Ugh! Refuse at the bottom of the gully, certainly deposited more than 11 years ago by the second to last owner. I'm going to ask the excavating contractor if he'll remove it for me.
April 22: One of many measures taken to protect saplings and seedlings from deer-browse and interference from other animals.
April 4: A close view of the Michael Healy door knocker that arrived yesterday,... a contemporary spin on the traditional lion's head knocker.
April 3: The second and last order of interior shutters arrived Friday and I installed them today. In the lower left of the photo you can see most of at least one of the large, four-wing Purple Martin houses, waiting to be mounted on 16-foot aluminum poles, probably at either end of the Old Field.
March 30, a "prize piece," the "Waterfall Bradlee Sideboard" that arrived last night along with 7 other pieces of furniture.
March 30, a breakfast table, four side-chairs and a window chest, delivered last night.
March 30, another parlor chair with stool, also delivered last night direct from Virginia.
March 10: The fireplace is at last completed with the mounting of the cherry mantle-piece today.
March 8: The West wall of the great-room, augmented by the lovely magnolia tapestry (above the buffet). A wall-frieze is on order to fill that empty space at upper-right.
Feb. 8: A daring doe, probably curious about all the bird and squirrel activity around the three thorn trees in which the bird-feeders are hanging.
January 27: The arrival of an 8x11 area rug necessitated some changes in the great-room's seating arrangements. Absent is the fireplace mantle (being made this week or next), a second parlor chair (coming in April) and wall tapestries.
Jan. 27, a photo of the front guest bedroom or "office," taken from the doorway and facing the Northwest corner of the house. Tall shutters for those windows should arrive next week.
Jan. 27, the South wall of the front guest bedroom, showing the maple daybed made by the Hardwood Artisans in Virginia. The door on the left goes to the entryway for both guest bedrooms and bath.
Jan. 27, the West wall of the front guest bedroom and "office." The pictures I plan to hang on that wall are still in Indiana.
Jan. 27, the East wall of the "office" (the front guest bedroom). The double-doors open to reveal a closet.
Jan. 27, the walk-in closet as seen from its pocket-door from the master bathroom.
Jan. 27, the master bathroom with closer view of the air-tub and huge shower-stall.
Jan. 27, the guest bathroom, rather small but adequate.
Jan. 27, the long and narrow laundry room, off the entry from the garage.
Jan. 11, facing West in the master bedroom. I had to lighten most of today's photos with image software because the camera's exposure reading is thrown off by light sources (I haven't mastered those settings, because they're usually not a concern).
Jan. 11, a view of the master bedroom from the garage entry-way door into the bedroom. The basement, laundry, garage and great-room doorways are also in this entry-way, and the floor-heating pipe-junction is right underneath it, so it is, ironically, the warmest place in the house.
Jan. 11, a view of the master bedroom, facing the entry doorway.
Jan. 11, the master bedroom, facing its Northeast corner and the door to the master bathroom. The headboard, dresser and wall shelf were all made by The Hardwood Artisans in Virginia, as with most of the living-room and dining furniture.
January 11: The great-room with everything pretty much where I want it, although there are some area rugs on order, and I'm in the process of ordering two more matching dining side-chairs, another Parlor chair (like the one in the center of this photo), and a buffet that matches the dining table. Most of my furniture was made-to-order by The Hardwood Artisans in Virginia, so it will have to be shipped.
Jan. 11, the great-room from the dining area to the fireplace, which still has no mantle. I've changed my mind about that, and the cabinet-maker is going to make one for me from lengths of cherry to match the entertainment center cabinetry.
Jan. 11, the fireplace-seating area ("living room") of the great-room (Southwest corner).
Jan. 11, the great-room as seen from its Southeast corner, facing the front door of the house.
January 5: A photo of the great-room taken last evening, with furniture in place and window treatments. In spite of another inch of snow the night before, the moving van made it up the driveway with no problems on New Year's Eve.
Jan. 5: Thank gawd for a big basement to hold both empty and as-yet-unpacked boxes. There are about 85 boxes in all. In the background (back-right area of this photo) are the boxes, of mostly books, that I haven't unpacked yet.
Nov. 19: The heart of the floor-heating, hot water and air exchange systems. The plumbing and heating contractor is 100% finished as of yesterday morning, when anti-freeze was added to the fluid circulating in the floor heating pipes (you can see the bluish pipes). The black box on the wall left of center is the propane-fired boiler. In the center of the photo is the hot water storage tank (fed, as needed, by the boiler). Above and to the right of the storage tank is the air exchange unit.
Nov. 15, taken from the back porch, holding the camera horizontally, this photo of "The Ridge" (the highest point on the property) gives you an idea of the house's relation to the land. It's about the same height from the house down to Pauls' Paddock (the lowest point on the property).
Nov. 14: Two young men surprised me by showing up Saturday morning to install gutters and downspouts (which will look like sore thumbs until some landscaping can be done next spring). A "faux" attic vent needs to be put up on the wall facing the camera, and you can see why I want shutters for selected windows.
November 10: Once the top-soil and driveway were down, there seemed a need to "define" all that open space, so an 80-foot split-rail fence was put in today between the driveway and back "yard."
Nov. 7: Most of the boulders not used in the retaining walls were placed around the septic tank this morning, to hide it from view from the house. Whatever was left is scattered around near the well-cap.
Nov. 7, a view of [the front of] the house and built-up top-soil from the Northeast.
Nov. 7, a view of the house and finished driveway from the "triangle."
November 5: The kitchen (and bathrooms) were made fully operational yesterday after the counter- and vanity-tops were installed. The electrician and plumber then got everything "hooked up." The light fixture over the island was lowered two feet. All that remains to be done is to install a vent for the kitchen island downdraft system.
Nov. 5, a close-up of the kitchen, which was completed yesterday (countertops, plumbing and electrical work).
Oct. 30, the entertainment center cabinet, shelving and trim was put in this morning.
October 23, the West end of the great-room. The fireplace mantle and an "entertainment center" cabinet and shelving (in the nook to the right of the fireplace) are pending.
Sept. 24, the new electric front gate. Electric eyes, a keypad and remotes will come Monday (9/28).
Sept. 6, a photo of the house from the center of the old field. It will be an altogether different sort of view once the siding is on, because the color will be a blend between that of the field and the trees. After all, the intent was to make the house "blend in" with the land.
Sept. 6, the five new (deer resistant) spruces that were planted last Friday along the Southwestern ridge of the old field. Before next spring I'm going to have to find a way to protect isolated seedlings from "deer browse," or I will have wasted much of my reforestation efforts.
Aug. 26: Taken from the Southwest corner of the home-site, this photo shows the fourth and final retaining wall (center-left), put in yesterday.
Aug. 17: Spray-in insulation (kitchen area).
Aug. 17: A view of the house from the "triangle" (see next photo).
Aug. 17: The "triangle," where the main driveway splits off to the shed (right) and County Line Rd. (left).
Aug. 14: Crazy animal activity near an oak seedling. "Digging Practice," I'd call it, since the holes connect underground.
Aug 14: A photo of some of the hundreds of birch saplings in the Northwest area of the old field. You can make them out as the wind exposes the underside of their leaves.
Aug. 14: Anglophile that I am, I call this Pauls' Paddock; down the Western end of the old field toward the previous owner's property, where five horses are boarded. Seedling isolations are visible in the foreground.
Aug. 13: Wind Power. Four of a larger number of wind-mills several miles North, visible from the Southwest ridge of Middlehills
Aug. 13, Adam and I both agree that the Eastern ridge-vent isn't done right. For "looks" alone, why not have one continuous vent? Never mind the left side (see photo at right) is not "uniform" in appearance.
Aug. 13, a close-up of my issue with the Eastern ridge-vent, which looks "wonky,"... and that's only a yard or so of it. Adam will be asking the roofing contractor to come back and correct the problem.
Aug. 13: Tell me this isn't a grapevine! Altogether it's wrapped along about 20-feet of fencing and up in to a young walnut on the Southern fence-line. I tasted a piece of the fruit, and it's definitely a grape.
Aug 13, an eye-level photo of the Queen Anne's Lace dominating the old field.
Aug. 11: Very "wonky" thanks to the el-cheapo image editing software included with Windows Vista, but this is an otherwise accurate rendering of the REAL 1st floor layout.
Aug. 11, the fireplace was finished this morning (except for the mantel), with mortar still drying in the top section.
Aug. 3, a birch tree knocked down by the early morning storms that missed the town entirely.
Aug. 3, a walnut tree near the house, broken in half by this morning's storms.
Aug. 3: The Stuck Stick. I always chuckle when I find these dead branches, blown from the trees, sticking out of the ground like this.
July 30, the pile of branches I picked up this morning is on the right, and that's technically the burn-pile on the left, made up of branches gathered the day after the storm.
July 29, the interior of the East wall of the house. All of the first floor interior framing is done and awaiting wiring, plumbing and then drywall.
July 29, the interior of the West wall of the house.
July 29, in the basement, about 10 feet from the West walk-out door, is the newly completed masonry base (and ash-drop chamber) that will support the fireplace. The dark lines of mortar aren't dry yet.
July 29, the stack of all the light fixtures and bulbs (to date), awaiting installation.
July 29, the well-water pump and holding tank in the Southeast corner of the basement.
July 28, yet another milestone: running water at the shed.
July 24, the sunset after the disastrous hail-storm.
Mark-up (with a cheapo software program) of the 2005 satellite photo of the land with boundaries and a few of the landmarks added.
Untouched satellite photo of the land from 2005 (Google Earth).
July 24, a view of the house from the Northeast corner. I especially like the tall windows for the front of the house.
July 24, the concrete floor of the garage completely finished.
July 23, the three thornless boysenberry bushes surrounded by rocks to prevent the raccoon(s) from digging them up.
July 16: Although this photo is from a few weeks ago, this is the main entrance to the property "as it is now."
July 16, another milestone, electricity for the shed.
July 15, taken from the Southwest corner of the glade, shows the beginnings of all 3 retaining walls and the extent of roofing at noon.
July 15, a close-up of the Northwest retaining wall, which looks as though it wants at least one more layer of boulders.
July 15, piles of boulders delivered yesterday, waiting to be put in place for the retaining walls.
July 15, floor heating pipes in place in the basement, awaiting the pouring of the concrete floor.
July 11, from the Southwest corner of the glade, shows the size of the house from basement floor to roof peak, and also shows that some roof boards had been put up since my brief visit the day before.
July 11, the "septic field." The septic tank is a huge 2-chambered pre-cast container with three lids. The white-capped pipes in the left half of the photo mark the ends of the three long "leaching" tanks.
July 9, from the Northeast corner of the central glade, shows roof trusses being lifted into place and secured.
July 6 photo of the lone mulberry tree which had been left to grow on the Eastern fence-line (now removed) of the old field.
July 6 photo of one of the hundreds of black raspberry bushes (now bearing fruit) that populate the land.
July 3 photo showing destruction of the zero-turn mower's seat by what I assume to be a raccoon.
July 2, taken from the Northwest corner (lowest point) of the central glade, gives a good idea of how high the house is on the terrain, and how much fill-dirt has been delivered so far.
June 29 (2009), view of only the Southeast quarter of the old 11-acre field after careful mowing, shows (by the presence of stakes and darker green patches) the number of new plantings and seedling preservations that are part of my reforestation effort.
This photo, also taken June 29 (2009), from the North end of the old field, gives some idea of the number of new plantings and newly-isolated seedlings. It shows about half of the old field, and there are non-field areas that need reforestation.
The back porch, finished June 24 (along with the much larger front porch), just to give you an idea of the color and texture of the concrete. Both the front and back porches will be covered by roofing.
June 24, taken in the basement from under the master bedroom area. This gives you a better idea of the size of the great-room and two guest-rooms area.
June 24, the basement taken from the "walk-out" door-way. Floor-heating pipes will be laid on the Styrofoam and then the floor will be poured. The area at bottom-right is where an extra 10-inch-deep "footer" of concrete will help support the fireplace.
June 20, 2009, close-up of the finished water-well. The pump, water-line and wiring were put in June 18. The metal "casings" (pipes) are 10 inches in diameter and go down 200 feet to another 60 feet or so of limestone, through which the water is derived.
June 9, 2009, close-up of the cycle gate, showing how much more "cycle-friendly" it is for access to the public road than the main driveway, which is not only steep, but currently made up of base or "breaker" material.
May 2, 2009, view of the central glade the day after initial excavation.
The Massey-Ferguson 1540 compact tractor with bush-hog. A dozer-blade has since been installed. Yeah, bring on the snow!
The shed and "mule," spring 2009. The shed, which is 16x24 on concrete slab, was put up last summer by Adam (my home builder) and his co-worker. I admit it was meant to be something of a "test" of his abilities before asking him to take on the house.
Original floor-plan of the house. The storage room in the kitchen/dining-room area has been removed to expand the kitchen and give me a sink under a front window, and all superfluous interior walls (especially for a "dining room") are out. A master bath vanity has been removed to accommodate the toilet so that one big shower-stall can be put in.
Artist's rendering of the house. In reality, the siding will instead be "Hardie Shingle" (cement fiber-board that looks like cedar shakes) in a "heather-moss" color. The roof will be more brown than shown. Also, the windows will all be "casements" without grilles.