Of all the steps we've taken during this reconstruction thus far, this one wore on me the most. Whew! It wasn't so much that it was hard, but that it was a lot. A lot of hanging. A lot of waiting. A lot of thinking. A lot of hurrying. A lot of cutting. Just a lot. This phase took us about three weeks from start to finish, and I'm grateful that this beast is behind us. LOL!
I'm, also, grateful that we decided to start this project in the spring before the weather gets too hot. There were even a few genuinely chilly days mixed in here, and they were nice for working in the sun. The kids played with the scrap wood (as usual) while we hung nearly each wood plank, making this truly a family bonding experience.
Regardless of how it felt like it dragged on (even though three weeks really isn’t that long), this phase definitely shows off the transformation the most. It finally looks the way we want it to, sans doors!
We bought rough-cut wood from the same man we bought from our first build, because we love the look and quality of his work. We weren't disappointed once we started hanging the planks up - we LOVE how it turned out! He is located in Gray Court, too, so we were glad to support a local business.
Braxton helped us often, of course. He loves to help with whatever we're doing - especially so with this project, because he currently says that he's going to be a builder when he grows up. Sweet thang!
Both Methus (our friend) and Pops (TJ's dad) pitched in with this milestone, and we were thankful (as always) for their willingness to jump in and offer their brains, hands, and experience to us.
Braxton was excited to get some experience on some new tools, too!
Bethany could care less, hence why she's no where to be found on the jobsite. LOL!
I, also, learned that Teesh thinks I'm quite the looker with a nail gun in my hand. ;)
And just like that, after three weeks of buying, picking up, measuring, cutting, and hanging wood, we put our last piece on this past Friday. Wahoo!
Here is what is currently looks like...
The next things on our list are to build / install barn doors, run electrical to the building, install drywall in each room (3), and close in the ceiling. After that, we'll be all done. We are sooooo close! And we are soooo excited. We haven't compleeeeetely busted our original budget either, although we are projecting to be about 8% over our initial number. I know, I know -- it's kiiiiind of nerdy to have it down to a percentage like that, buuuuuuuut it works for us. Anyway, we had a pretty conservative budget for this big project, and we're pleased with the decisions we've made that have cost a little more than they could have if we'd chosen to cut corners.
Shameless plug about our debt free journey: although we are very early in our journey toward becoming financially independent (meaning, a high savings rate with retirement, net worth, and hopes/dreams in mind), this project has been the biggest confirmation that we are on the right path. Until we changed our mind and habits around money two years ago, this project was just something we had *hoped* we would get to complete *one* day. Now, we are witnessing the fruit of our labor in a way that's pretty extravagant for us. I will never not be out-of-my-mind grateful that we took that step on our Day One. Praise!
*steps off soap box*
Here are a few before / after peeks at the progress we've made since we started at the end of March:
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| Side view, from our backyard. |
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| Side view, from the street behind us. |
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| Front view, of what used to be three open bays. |
It's amazing how different it looks now. Hardly recognizable, especially when you look at it from the front. I think that it looks so much bigger now that the color is lighter, too. Isn't it crazy what color can do for a space?!
Many of our neighbors (most of which have lived in their homes for a long time) have stopped by as we've been working and shared how proud the previous owners would have been. This always makes me smile, because we genuinely want to honor them with every project we complete here. They say that a lot of fun was had out in this building years ago, and we're grateful to continue that legacy while adding our own flare to it. We honor the fact that it was someone else's before it was ours, and we hope that they would be proud of what we've done to their old home.
This is what our little slice of heaven looks like from the road. My hydrangeas are blooming (swoon!), my ferns are still hangin' on (it's been a little touch and go if i'm being honest, LOL), annnnnd you can see our barn tucked in the back there on the right. The grass still needs some TLC, but we've been tryin', y'all. LOL. It's pretty surreal to see something come to life before your eyes after sketching it out so many times on paper. We are so proud of and thankful for all the fun we've had turning our home into the best version of itself.
Full heart over here, y'all. A full, full heart.