Before moving in, there were two things that were essential.
First, we needed to do some remodeling of the house. The before pictures are not a true representation of the dated, dinginess of the house before the remodel. Christi was unwilling to move in without some updating. So we hired a local guy to complete the bathroom, then a good friend from church was hired to complete the laundry room, kitchen, and flooring throughout most of the house. The change is amazing and quite livable. Additionally, Bob updated the heating and cooling with mini splits. There are some winter projects left, like painting the cabinets in the laundry room and adding some personal touches to walls, but we are very comfortable.
Kitchen:
Before and After – What an amazing difference. It was very dirty and dingy before. The floors throughout were VERY cheap laminate. Now we have good quality luxury vinyl. LOVE them.
Bathroom:
Before and After – Its hard to see in the before, but the headboard was falling off the wall and the bath/shower was completely enclosed and had a whole in the floor of the tub patched with silicone.
Laundry Room
Before and After – So much brighter and cheerier. The cabinets were reclaimed from the kitchen and will be painted white this winter.
Family Room
The biggest change here was the flooring AND the removal of the large black wood burning stove set up in the back right corner. It is not seen in the picture, but it was a huge eyesore, and was not operable. It was a major effort to remove the 4×5 cement pedestal designed to set the stove upon. Do not miss that thing at all.
The second absolutely necessary item to create before moving in was a chicken coop. We had 5 chickens in Marietta, and needed a coop here for nightly protection. Bob was able to reclaim some cedar siding from a Marietta neighbor and together with our oldest two boys, Steve and Kevin, built this beautiful coop.
The girls LOVE it! The new coop is 8 times the size of the coop we had in Marietta so the girls eagerly go in by themselves at night. It has a door that automatically opens in the morning and shuts at night. Bob even created an automatic feeder and water can. We no longer need a chicken sitter if we travel! HOORAY!
While the chickens are very happy free ranging, that joy is temporary. With nearly 100 acres to scratch, dig and forage, their favorite place to hang out is our front porch. Chickens are great at laying eggs, but they are better at pooping, which they do freely all over the porch. This has made building a pen for them a high priority on our “to do” list.
Chicken Scratch
Another sign that the girls are happy is their willingness to interact with us. Here is one example of them helping with the gardening. Christi was weeding an area around the house. Pulling up the weeds meant there was loose dirt for them to scratch. They finding worms and insects even before Christi saw them. At times they were so involved, Christi couldn’t see what she was doing.
It’s so amazing! Can’t wait to come visit