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Rehabbing
Step one in living in the country is buying or building somewhere to live. We decided to buy an existing house. The second step is to make the house livable...
Bathroom Progress
Among the gardening and other outdoor activities, we still have a house we are trying to update. We are slowly nearing the finish line,...
Ed
Nov 30, 20242 min read
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Main Bathroom Update - Before Pictures
We've had our "homestead property" since March, 2019 (nearly 5 years as of this writing) and our main bathroom is still in it's original...
Maggie
Feb 5, 20242 min read
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2022 in Review; and the 2023 Theme is...
As we near the end of the year, it is time to look back and assess how 2022 progressed. We try and give each year a theme, to help guide...
Ed
Dec 25, 20222 min read
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Coop Windows and Doors
As we assessed our spare shed for conversion to a chicken coop, there were a few issues we noted: The windows were in tough shape and did...
Ed
Oct 29, 20222 min read
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Chicken Coop Conversion
As we slowly convert our property to a self-sustaining enterprise, one of the next steps is to introduce animals into the mix. This year,...
Ed
Oct 27, 20223 min read
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Year of the 'B' Midyear Update
Each year, I try to create a theme for the upcoming work on our farmstead. It provides direction and helps us tell our story. This year...
Ed
Aug 6, 20222 min read
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Refurbished Tiny Basement Bathroom - Maggie's Perspective
This is really Ed's story to tell; but, I'm most pleased with our newly refurbished basement bathroom. It's a tiny tiny space (as small...
Maggie
Jul 28, 20222 min read
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Shower Walls
After months of looking at concrete walls, wall studs, or concrete backer board-covered walls, we finally have final finish walls for our...
Ed
Jul 10, 20223 min read
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Wood Burning Stove Install Now Complete
The pad looks different than I remember it, but all is installed now and ready to go. The installers were nice enough to walk through...
Maggie
Jul 7, 20221 min read
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Shower Status
Once the rough plumbing was finally completed, the shower in the basement bathroom has finally started to take shape. Rather than...
Ed
Jul 2, 20222 min read
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New Wood Burning Stove Install - Not Quite Complete But...
I wish I would have noticed the time that the installers arrived this morning. It was early - maybe 8 or 9am. They left at about...
Maggie
Jun 28, 20222 min read
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Plumbing Progress
Some days, nothing seems to go right. That was the case on the day I tried to install the shower plumbing for our basement bathroom...
Ed
Apr 27, 20223 min read
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2022 is the Year of the 'B'
Writing '2022 feels odd', but time marches on. Come March, we will be entering the fourth year of working on our property. It is hard to...
Ed
Dec 28, 20213 min read
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Bathroom Update
We reached an important milestone - we re-installed a toilet in the basement bathroom. After stripping the old adhesive from the concrete...
Ed
Dec 19, 20211 min read
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Basement Bathroom Update
As happens in Wisconsin, indoor projects take a backseat when summer rolls around. The brevity of the summer season combined with nice...
Ed
Oct 11, 20211 min read
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New Project - Basement Bathroom
We are finally at the point in our farmhouse rehab where the end is in sight. Our next major project is the basement bathroom. Once we...
Ed
Jul 10, 20213 min read
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Stairs Project / Rehab Completed
Our dog was happy that our stair rehab project was finally completed this weekend. Like most of our projects, it took longer than...
Ed
May 31, 20213 min read
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Stairway Update
Much of our rehabbing was placed on pause last month for the 3-week maple syrup season. By the end of a day, I was usually too dirty with...
Ed
Apr 4, 20211 min read
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Stairway Deconstruction
Roger Cook from This Old House used to say that before you start construction, you have to have some destruction. Our staircase project...
Ed
Jan 24, 20212 min read
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Stairway Facelift
Once we finished our back hallway and laundry room project in September, we shifted to a couple of months of outdoor projects to enjoy...
Ed
Dec 6, 20202 min read
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Deck the Hall
Our back hallway is the hardest working area of the house. It leads to our back door, which is our primary route in and out of the house....
Ed
Aug 9, 20203 min read
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Getting Ready for Hall Flooring and Washer/Dryer
In order to have our washer / dryer on the main level where it was previously, Ed needed to do a little updating of the valves for the...
Maggie
Jul 26, 20201 min read
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New Stove Hooked Up - Kitchen 100% Completed
Almost to the day, the Richland Center Sears Hometown Appliance store closed right when we were ready to purchase a new stove for our...
Maggie
Jul 24, 20204 min read
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Not Ignoring the Outside
We really don't want any lawn ornament clutter; however, we did bring the metal sunflower from our Milwaukee property to the "farm". As...
Maggie
Jul 22, 20201 min read
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Windows and Doors
All of the main floor and second story windows / window trim have been painted white on the inside. There were 11 windows in all (some...
Maggie
Jul 22, 20202 min read
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Kitchen Tile, Part 2
After letting the thinset cure, we moved on to grouting our kitchen backsplash tile. Based on her research, Maggie sent me to the store...
Ed
Jul 12, 20202 min read
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Kitchen Backsplash, Week #1
Our kitchen backsplash project actually started several months ago. We identified, explored, and discussed numerous options for...
Ed
Jul 4, 20204 min read
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Smallest Rooms of the House
I knew that it would take several weeks to rehab the hall closet and pantry. However, when you stand there and look at them, it is hard...
Ed
Jun 28, 20202 min read
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Ode to Clothes
Another pair of shorts ruined. One of the hazards of rehabbing a house is the wear and tear on clothing. I have old tee shirts that I...
Ed
Jun 21, 20202 min read
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Ready to Assemble Cabinets for Bedroom and Office
When I ordered three of the 7 drawer cabinets from Amazon, little did I realize how much assembly would be required. (I should have...
Maggie
Jun 17, 20201 min read
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