Things Are Heating Up

 Spring has sprung at Bethel Farm and as the temperatures heat up, so are things at the barn.  As the electricians continue making progress the mechanical contractors are busy installing the HVAC system. Like everything else about converting a barn, planning and installing the necessary ductwork has been a bit challenging.  While the main floor has ample space to run ducts, the downstairs has lower ceilings which means getting creative.  Fortunately, I think we've been able to make it work both functionally as well as aesthetically. 

The chimney for the fireplaces is another big project that was begun this week.  One thing I've quickly learned about construction is that it involves A LOT of inspections! So, of course, construction of the chimney is no exception.  First the concrete footings must be poured. But before they are poured the framing and rebar must be inspected.  That's where we are in the process. Once the footings are poured (and inspected) the real construction of the chimney and fireplaces can begin. 

We want the fireplace to be the focal point of the main floor which means it needs to be substantial due to the ceiling height and the open floor plan. We've scoured the internet for pictures to assist us in planning the size as well as the type of stone we will use.  We can hardly wait to see it come together.

As I've said before, there are so very many decisions involved in this project! Since I am a classic over-thinker it can be daunting at times.  I think creatively so I decided that making some design boards would help me to be more organized and decisive.  I've also enlisted help from some wonderful designers which has certainly eased my anxiety about it all.  Things like cabinet design and furniture choices are much easier thanks to them.  That said, I'm proud of myself this week because I finally pulled the trigger on some lighting choices that had been particularly hard for me,

Along with all the human workers involved in our adventure there are a few fluffy and furry characters as well.  Before we ever decided to make Bethel Barn our residence there were probably close to one hundred occupants.  Anytime you walked through you would find a mosaic of bird droppings on the floor and dozens of sweet barn swallows flying in and out.  They've never been a problem and, in fact, they help tremendously to keep the mosquito population low.  Now that we've closed up most of their usual entrances they are definitely fewer in number. But to my surprise they are not giving up their residence so easily.  With only a few ways in and out they have still managed to build around twenty nests. I have always been intrigued by them, but now I find myself in awe of their determination and resilience, not to mention the instinct to come back to this place year after year.  

While the swallows flit about another furry friend makes her way to the barn every morning and takes her place among the workers as a self-appointed supervisor.  Pearl is an Anatolian, Great Pyrenees mix who weighs at least 120 pounds.  She's a gentle giant and she has become the mascot of the barn. You can't help but smile when you walk in and see her standing guard over everyone.

(Pearl and just a few of the swallow nests)

 

Getting There

We've made some exciting progress over the last few weeks at Bethel Barn! With every step of the process we celebrate being closer to our dream. I shared the excitement of seeing our windows installed nearly two years after ordering them.  Well this week marked another big milestone as our exterior doors were installed.

Just for reference, here is the before picture:

(these doors are each about five feet wide)

And here are the new doors:

They are exactly what we envisioned! We have kept the original transom window above which will be painted black to match the doors and windows. It is fixed in place but previously it was operated by hand crank to tilt in, making room for a tractor to pull through with hay. We're keeping as much of the original charm of the barn as we can while giving it a modern vibe.

Along with the front doors there are two sets of french doors upstairs and two sets downstairs as well as two doors in the mudroom. 

The upstairs french doors will open onto the screen porch, those downstairs are in the master suite and will open to the patio.

Another exciting addition recently has been the staircase.  This was a head-scratcher for us when drawing up our plans.  Because we have an inverted floor plan with bedrooms downstairs, it was important to us that it not feel like you were walking into a basement.  We wanted the stairs to be as open and large as possible.  Thanks to our architect and our builder I think we have achieved that.  I can hardly wait to see them finished!

I tease Brad because every afternoon when we take our walk through and assess things he says, "It's getting there, my love."  It makes me smile to think about the many times in our 30 years together that this sentiment applied. Life is a lot of "getting there".  When we're younger we may think that we'll finally be happy when we get there.  But the older we get the more we realize that the joy really is in the journey.  As excited as I am to be able to wake up in Bethel Barn every day I am savoring each step of 

"getting there".

 

The Trees Come Down and The Walls Go Up

 

In the last few weeks site work has begun on the barn project. 

 Because we want to have sun exposure on the northern side of the barn and we plan to put in a swimming pool, a significant amount of trees needed to be removed.  Although I can assure you we still have PLENTY of trees on the farm, I always get a little anxious when I hear the whirring of chainsaws. I just don't like trees being cut down. I can remember growing up and only having one tree of any size in our yard.  I dreamed of living somewhere with hills and trees abounding.

  But Brad has great vision when it comes to these things and I am learning to trust him. The improvements he has made to the farm in the five years we've been here are proof enough. So, as the trees come down I am beginning to see his vision coming to life.

As sitework continues outside, there has been no lack of work going on inside.  Before framing could begin on the lower level plumbing had to be roughed-in and concrete poured.

With the concrete poured, framing has been nearly completed, masonry work is beginning

and the walls are going up.

Today as we were walking through the barn discussing next steps I told Brad that I can't believe we're at this point in the process.  It's getting busier by the day!  So. Many. Decisions.

But I'm determined to enjoy the process as much as possible and not lose sight of what is important...

...building a HOME.

"A house is built through wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.

Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables."

Proverbs 24:3-4

And French Fairytale Windows

 If I'm completely honest, there have been many moments since we made the decision to convert the barn when I doubted that it would really happen.  The time from the completion of our drawings to actually having a building permit was almost exactly two years.  As I mentioned previously, there were a few hoops to jump through and several hurdles to overcome. With each bump in the road I would ask The Lord, "Is this not Your will?"  As much as we wanted this dream to come to fruition we knew if it wasn't God's will, then He had a reason and we would accept that.

But, here we are, permit in hand, running full steam ahead.  Demo officially began right before Christmas and while we were away for New Years our builder, Nelson, sent us this picture.

It looks like a muddy mess but to us it was beautiful!  To us this picture represented a dream becoming reality.  To give you some context the next picture is before demo.

Over the next few weeks demo continued inside.  In the lower level the concrete floor was cut and removed to prepare for plumbers to lay drain lines.  The bedrooms and mud/laundry room will all be on this level. The existing concrete enclosed staircase was also removed.

The picture above is where the stairs previously came down.  The block walls

around it were removed first and then in the picture below the

 concrete pad was removed.

These two pictures are where the feed trough/mangers were located.

There will now be bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchenette, and a small theatre area .

The pictures above and below are what was the tack room.

This will be the location of the mud/laundry room.

As exciting as the demo phase has been, the project has definitely kicked into gear in just the last week!

Framers began working on the main living level just over a week ago.  To say it's exciting is an understatement. When we walked down to see the progress after the first night we were amazed at all that had been done in one day. (I was so excited I was dancing a little.) This picture shows the ceiling joists which had to be altered to accommodate insulation.  That's a lot of work in one day!

The next evening we, again, walked down to see the progress.  This time I squealed!! 

Do you see that??  Those are walls!!!

After so long waiting and hoping and doubting and hoping...walls!

I could cry just writing this.

Ok, you probably see where this is headed.  Today as I was returning to the farm I glanced up the driveway to the barn, and this is what I saw...

I sent the pic to Brad and said, "Do you see what I see??"

In late 2020 we were with our closest friends on a vacation and talking about all the delays we were encountering with the barn.  Our friend is a homebuilder by trade and he advised us to order our windows before anything else.  He explained that they had houses sitting complete and unable to close because they could not get windows. By April 2021 we had ordered our windows. But I should clarify these aren't just windows to me.  These are the windows I dreamt of having as a little girl, French casement windows.  These are the kind of windows in English cottages, French chateaus, and Italian villas.  They're the kind of windows that you push open and lean out to water the flower boxes, or talk to you neighbor. I really never imagined that I would even have a place to put such windows.  

So you can understand my excitement as I pulled up the driveway today.  Our beautiful windows which we ordered almost two years ago and had delivered almost one year ago are finally in!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Away With The Manger

 One of the interesting aspects of Bethel Barn is the fact that it's two stories.  Looking on from the front it isn't apparent because the lower level is built into the hill.  The previous owners leased some of the land to a cattle farmer and the lower level is where the cows came in to feed. There are hatches in the floor of the main level where the hay could be pushed down into feed mangers.  As demo was begun to prepare for construction this is where we started.  

As I was taking some "before" photos it occurred to me that these mangers may be the type in which Jesus had lain.  I had always imagined a wooden manger like we see in most nativity scenes.  But it's more likely during the time of Jesus' birth and in the region he was born that the manger was made of stone. Suddenly the lyrics to Away In A Manger went through my mind.  I couldn't help but giggle because actually Away WITH The Manger would be more appropriate for this occasion.