The Life for Me

Early October view in Afton, Virginia.

Ok, a lot of landscaping. Good thing it needs to be done later in the fall. In the mean time... Craig delivered the wardrobe (which looks lovely).

Rainbow! A nice quick summer storm cooled things off and gave us something fun to look at.

Wow! Things sure got green fast. The tulip poplar is especially beautiful this year.

A pair of built-in drawers and shelves take advantage of some "unused" space up on each side of the loft area.

We got a very nice snow covering that lasted for about three days which is just about perfect.

Here are few photos taken on February 18. As you can see from the pictures at the bottom of this post, there is still a bit of work to be done in the basement. And the bathroom shot... please don't worry about the medicine chest. It will be mounted on the wall so nobody will have to lie on the floor to check their hair. Floor in the bath is ceramic tile.

We are getting down to the wire. Some finish painting, plugging in the microwave and dishwasher, and a good cleaning is about all that's left. Oh, and the landscaping that will have to wait for the ground to thaw. Who knew Virginia could get this cold for his long. 

The installers began the work on Saturday, but they will need to return to complete some finishing details and install the hearth (same material cut to fit). The maple/ubatuba combination turned out really nice. It even works great with the green walls.

Say that ten times fast... Craig, from Riner's Cabinet Shop, delivered and installed the cottage cabinets today. They're made from wormy maple (same as the house) and have a clear coat finish. They look great. It was a bit tricky to get everything into such a small space, but the floor-to-ceiling size, pull-out shelves and lazy-susan should help to maximize the usefulness of the space.     

Sorry about the poor image quality... All the window and door trim has been installed and painted. Tim - you have done an amazing job on the whole building. Thank you. Kitchen cabinets are being delivered and installed this weekend. Tile work will begin this week and roll into the first part next. The only thing after that will be the counter tops. I've been told that templating, cutting of the granite and installation will be done within two weeks after cabinet install. Keep your fingers crossed.

I've gotten behind in my picture taking. This shot shows the wormy-maple floor in the loft after it was sanded, but before the poly went down. The ceiling has also been completed. New shots to come shortly...

You can tell by the dry dirt that this picture was taken a week or so ago. Pete's Backhoe Service (Pete is featured in the hole with the tank) did a fantastic job getting the tank in and tying it into the drain field. Won't be long now...

Hardwood floors have been installed (wormy maple - same wood as main house but in random widths). Some painting has ben done. We are still on track to have it finished by the end of the month.

First shot shows the back of the cottage. I decided to tuck the stairs under the porch since the laundry is in the basement, and that will keep them out of the weather. The porch ceilings turned out very nice with the tongue and groove pine . I need to find some type of protective stain that can be applied without masking too much of the grain. The last shot is a view of the house from the back of the cottage.

We added a little "flair" to the corners.

Changing the roof pitch to 12/12 and opening up the loft brought the necessity for another window in the front. Light good. Dark bad.

The stone and brick chimney is finished as well as the stone wall inside. The roof is done as well. Yes, it's moving right alone. Siding, Insulation, HVAC, flooring, and sheetrock will follow in the next two weeks. Now where are those kitchen cabinets? Craig?

I have to say I'm a little jealous. The cottage gets the direct morning sun almost an hour earlier than the house.