Update on the homestead. We’ve been living here full time for 9 months now. While the interior is mostly finished there are still areas left to tackle, and I haven’t started the outside… I suppose there always will be more to do. But we’re really enjoying the house. It’s comfortable, warm, clean, and very functional for our use.
I never really posted before and after pics, and it’s taken this long to have the house presentable enough to photograph it. So without further ado:
Kitchen before:
Kitchen after:
Living Rm before:
Living Rm after:
Master/bathroom before:
Master after:
Bathroom after:
(To make sense of the new layout, look back through the demolition pictures in this thread.)
Our septic system backed up in June, so I called a pumper truck to clean it out. Turns out… there is no septic tank. Just a straight pipe to the ditch, which was clogged up. So I got to drop several grand into building a septic. Now we have a 1500 gal tank and leach field to match. Plus I had the guy grade our yard so water would run away from the house, instead of into the basement. That has been a big improvement!
I expanded the rainwater collection system, and re-plumbed it to solve some overflow issues. Now with an adjustable overflow pipe, which drains excess water before it enters the tanks, and added two more tanks bringing the capacity to 1300 gallons.
I spent the summer bush-hogging when I had time, but the tractor is currently down - a bad engine knock has me concerned. I need to pull some bearings and have a looksee. The oil pressure gauge has never worked.
Actually several vehicles are down right now, waiting for my attention. The current one one the bench is my Toyota truck which blew a head gasket. I’ve been tearing it down as I get time. Not having a truck really stings right now. However I do have a tractor and field trailer which is good for hauling firewood.
We’ve put away about half the wood we need for the winter. I’ll continue to work on it, but I’ll probably end up buying some.
And, I’ve started sketching out the new house layout. It will still be a few years before we can build, the old bank account needs a rest. But, the colder weather now means sitting by the fire together, it’s a good time to start dreaming.