Homestead Farmhouse Update from Shane:

” HUGE progress has been accomplished in the past two weeks! Finally got all of the water lines completed, and water turned back on. Completed all of the new drain lines and reconnected to the septic tank. We had a company come out to open and inspect the septic tanks (yes, there are two), and they passed muster with flying colors! That was a big relief! I was able to finally trench and pour a new foundation footing at the back of the house, that had been compromised by the previous owners, who decided to just blow out cinder blocks for drain and plumbing work, and then just leave it a mess. I was then able to install new cinder blocks to complete the foundation repair. Not gonna lie, that project kinda sucked, but I made it through with just a pinch of cursing. Next up, we got all of the new roof gutters installed today, and they turned out great! I was also able to accomplish a plethora of other small tasks too, including, but not limited to, running the new electrical circuit for the stove. Next up, I continue to prepare for the day that I can put the subflooring back in the kitchen. Over the next week, I’ll run the new gas line for the stove, install a moisture barrier down on the ground under the kitchen, do some floor joist blocking, take one final look at everything, to make sure all is well, and get at putting the flooring back down, and hopefully, God willing, I’ll never, ever, have to deal with ANYTHING under the kitchen ever again! Shwew. Sounds easy…”

Homestead Farmhouse Update: Big progress is coming this week! The house will be getting it’s new siding finally! In preparation for the siding, I needed to build the water heater enclosure, and I figured that water heater enclosures are usually not fun to look at. That said, I decided to have a little bit of fun with ours…

What do ya’ll think? The new siding makes a bit of a difference!

Update from Shane:

“Homestead Farmhouse Update: I haven’t posted progress in a few weeks, but I can assure you guys that a lot has happened! All of the old aluminum siding is gone. All repairs have been made. House is completely wrapped and ready for the new siding! A bunch of electrical work has begun, as well as the new porch roof. A new slab has been laid for the new water heater annnnnd all of the soffit has been repaired and Reinstalled. I even fabricated a few missing pieces to make it happen! Sooooo much progress! Stay tuned folks!!!”

Update from Shane:

Homestead Farmhouse Update: progress is happening, slowly and steadily. The last, new, exterior door has been installed after widening and improving the frame. I finished repairing the last section of flooring that was damaged by termites eons ago annnnnd I pushed the cart in front of the horse a bit by installing an accent wall made of repurposed tongue and groove wood from the original kitchen walls. Tomorrow, I’ll start reframing and installing the new windows on the front of the house. Lot’s of movement will be happening there, so stay tuned if you dare!

Homestead Farm House Update: Where to begin? Somedays, I feel like I’m burning more of this house than I’m saving. But I look at it and realize that I’m really not. Most of it is still intact in all of its glory. Renovating an approximately 100 year old farm house that’s had many, many, many years of neglect and deferred maintenance, does not come without its moments. This little house has made me bleed my own blood several times. It is very stubborn and somewhat cantankerous at times. When it bites me, I pull out a bigger hammer, sometimes a bigger saw to put its attitude back in check. I’m making progress, albeit slowly at times. This week has seen 5 new windows moved, framed, and installed. A new front door has been widened and installed, but only after repairing a good section of flooring, sill, and rim joist due to ancient termite damage. A window has been removed and plugged up too. Soooooo much work! But I WILL make this little farmhouse our beautiful and very strong, forever home. Keep. Pushing. Forward. Always. Dreams only come true if you work hard to make them your reality.

Homestead Main House update: Finally finished getting the exterior siding replaced around the kitchen. This siding was removed to make all of the repairs/ replacement of the lower sill and rim joists. Got Michelle’s new walk-in closet framed up, and repaired the flooring in it that had been cut for the old HVAC system. I also tackled a few ceiling joists that were extremely, and stubbornly bowed. The process of straighteng those was a bit janky (utilizing a 4×4 and a floor jack), but highly effective. Unfortunately, due to poor construction, there are several more that will need straightening and reinforcing, but we’ll get there, joist by joist! Progress is happening on this little old farm house!

Homestead Update: Nothing too exciting today. Finished nailing and lag bolting the new floor joists and rim joists. Removed a window and framed in and opened the new exterior door, opened the wall area for the new walk in shower and did some other miscellaneous framing in preparation for framing some walls. Nothing exciting, but progress is, in fact, progress!