We drove down this dirt road, pulled up to a wire fence, and I took one look at the place. My eyes widened and I think I sighed with excitement; Phil said "Oh dear God." And that started our amazing journey on this path towards restoring this old farm house. We knew it was love at first sight with this beautiful mess. The farm sits in a little oasis of forest and trails, yet we are just one dirt road away from civilization. It is estimated to be about 250 years old, and it has been in the Fuksa family for about 100 years. It has taken on many identities in its long life, a working farm, market place, family house, with probably a host of residents. When we first walked through it, I was immediately drawn to the walls - they are all about a meter thick.... I thought about all the stories these walls hold. The lives they have seen, the laughter, tears, the people. The history of this farm draws me in every time. It's like it beckons to be rebuilt. To be restored, to be loved on. For new life to be breathed into it. It wants to hold on to the past and move into the future. I love this place - the quiet it brings, the space to process, and the messiness of it all. This is our journey as we navigate restoring and reclaiming this farm house.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

14-28 June

The theme is more outside plaster.  The cottage has been mostly covered...

And the prep for outside is coming along.  Scaffolding has gone up in the last 2 weeks (compare below)...



Tuesday, June 7, 2016

More Plaster (and more)!

First layer of outside paint to the finished plaster section...

Meanwhile the cottage is coming along - outside insulation has been added...

Inside the main house the concrete floor has been added, covering the under-floor heating...

We've kept some nice touches that were part of the previous owner's design...

 The dormers upstairs look good!  What fun places for the kids to sit and read...

A tub!

And the equipment from the mud room to the rest of the house is getting more and more complicated...