Monday, December 22, 2008

Mouse wars.....

No pictures this weekend - too busy waging war on the mice! We have them under control, I think, except for one little guy living behind the kitchen cabinets. He is a brave little soul. Saturday afternoon, we would periodically check the bait under the sink, and it would had been moved every time, so he was busy eating during the day!

Sunday morning, I got up, let the dogs out, and then started inspecting the cabinets to see if he had run around that night. I opened the dishwasher and pulled out the bottom rack to see if he had managed to find his way in again, and there he was! I screamed, and slammed the dishwasher shut. He scared the @(#*@ out of me, and I'm sure I scared the #(#*@ out of him! We still can't figure out how he got in a latched dishwasher......

The good news was that there weren't any in the bedroom closet or anywhere else in the house. And this one ate enough bait that he shouldn't be around the next time we come. So, hopefully, the mouse wars are over for now.....

On a happier note, we actually saw some snow flurries Sunday after lunch as we were coming out of The Pines!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Great Gifts from Good Friends


We have had some wonderful gifts from our friends and family for the Roost....First of all, my good friend Glenda gave us this fabulous sign for our new place for Christmas. Our neighbors gave us a nice 27-inch television to replace the 19 inch one we were squinting at from across the room. My friend Sherree gave us two VERY nice deck chairs for the porch. And my Mom bought us a small breakfast bar to put in front of the kitchen island (since I wasn't smart enough to have them build a counter when I designed it!) It gives people a place to hang out in the kitchen without being in the way!

I have finished (almost!) recovering the "Charlie Brown" chair I bought at the consignment store for $25. I think it turned out pretty well and looks just perfect next to the hearth.

We were up this weekend, but the weather was horrible - here is what we woke up to on Monday morning......
But the most fun was when I arrived on Sunday to find there had been an INVASION of mice! All over the house!!! The kitchen cabinets, the bedrooms, the closets - you name it, they were there. Somehow they even managed to get in the dishwasher, which was latched. We put out lots of mouse bait, but needless to say, I didn't sleep well on Sunday night. I spent most of the day Sunday washing everything only to find on Monday morning they'd been at it again. We're going back up this weekend to see if we can get it under control.....Anyone got a black snake or cat they want to lend us??????

Monday, December 1, 2008

Thankful at Thanksgiving


We had a lovely Thanksgiving at the Roost - and are so thankful for being able to spend the holiday there with our mothers and our girls. Thanksgiving day was beautiful, and Mom and I spent it cleaning, cooking and doing odds and ends. Tom worked outside cleaning up the fields. We cooked our Thanksgiving meal on Friday so our cousins, Lee and Danny, could join us. Lucy also drove up on Friday. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take a picture of us at the table!

Suzie is still afraid of the floor, but managed to get just a little braver as the weekend went on. She actually walked straight across the floor to the door one time!

Saturday before we left, Tom helped Danny and Lee decorate their barn for Christmas - they really look forward to seeing a pile of snow this year!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Snow, snow, snow!!!!


Yes, we actually woke up to snow on Sunday morning! Not a lot, but we had a good solid snow shower at 7:30, then off and on tiny flurries for the rest of the morning. But it was so windy that you couldn't get outside to enjoy it - the wind was howling at 20-30 miles an hour.

We took the dogs this weekend for the first time. Sister settle right in, but Suzie was terrified of the linoleum and laminate floors. Here she is cowering on the mat by the door where she stayed for almost a half an hour. We finally coaxed her into the den into her bed, but she wouldn't budge from there. We had to use a treat to get her back out the door to pee. By the end of the weekend, she was walking across the floor without a problem, but she still didn't like it!!!!

Monday, November 10, 2008

We're in!

We moved in this weekend - this will be a long post with lots of pictures.....

The only problem we had was with the washer. I ran an empty load just to clean out the dust, and when it started to drain, there was MUCH water on the floor! They'll be out to fix it this week, but I couldn't wash any of the sheets or towels. But I used the hell out of the dishwasher!

Okay, now to pictures......

The Clampetts head back to the hills Can anyone identify the essential of life that's hidden in the trailer? Here's a hint.....it's a pink box!

Here's my kitchen - after 2 days of washing all the dishes and putting them up!

The hearth and TV area....

Here's our chairs - one of them to be replaced later
Here's my lonely dining room table - I still haven't finished the chairs!
The hall bedroom...
The hall bathroom....
Our bedroom - just a blanket on it now. I haven't bought a bedspread yet!
The large guest bedroom with my quilt that Mom and my mother-in-law gave me for my birthday...
And last but not least, our porch dining set!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

The power is on!

The power was connected yesterday, and today they will test out the water (to make sure there aren't any leaks!). We plan to go up and stay this weekend, assuming that the water is working.......

We forgot the camera last weekend, so I don't have any updated pictures. The kitchen is still a mess anyway - boxes everywhere while I decide where to store things - decisions, decisions!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

We have a CO!!!

We have a Certificate of Occupancy! This means the house has passed inspection, and they will come out next week and connect the electricity. We're heading up this morning to move some things and get the kitchen set up. Pictures next week!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Almost done!

We should have a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) this week! Which means they will connect the electricity either this week or next week. We'll be going up this weekend and starting the move of all the furniture, kitchen stuff, etc from the old house. Can't wait!

Anyway, here are the latest photos from this past weekend......

The skylights in the porch roof - didn't he do a beautiful job with the ceiling!


The cathedral ceiling of the screened porch - we'll be adding the screen next spring after we stain the woodwork.


The French doors into the living room....


The beautiful fall colors - past peak, but still beautiful!


Can anyone tell me what Tom is doing? First correct answer gets a voucher for a weekend visit at the Redd Roost!!!

Monday, October 13, 2008

And the roof goes on......

The roof went up on Saturday - well, almost all of it anyway.

They've got just a little more to do on the back side of the house. The door to the porch, and the siding to finish the outside are on order and will hopefully be here next week. They got the tank from the well installed under the house last week also. So we're making progress. I spent early morning Sunday up on the deck all by myself - it was so peaceful and quiet, and I took a picture of the sunrise....

I promised a picture of my Charlie Brown chair, so here it is! With a swatch of the material I might use to recover it....

Friday, October 3, 2008

Construction update

Progress has been made! If you notice the new title photo, we've got a deck and most of a porch! The porches have been finished this week, and the roofers should start next week. Next week, the well will be hooked up to the pump under the house, and they will install the heat pump. What's left? The electricity and plumbing have to be hooked up and a few other odds and ends. But the goal is to be finished by the end of the month. We're really hoping to be able to spend Thanksgiving up there.....



On the furnishings front, I'm working on my chairs for the dining room, and I bought another used chair. It's sort of a "Charlie Brown" chair - it looked like it needed a home, and I think will be perfect to sit next to the hearth. I'll recover it of course. I'll add a picture in my next post.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Furnishings....

I've been slowly working on furnishings for the house. We already have a queen size bed and dresser, which will go into the guest bedroom. We also have a few chairs and shelves we'll be moving from the old house. But there's a lot more rooms to furnish!



For our bedroom, we'll be buying new king-size mattress and box springs. I've seen a wrought-iron headboard and footboard at one of the second-hand shops that I'll probably buy this weekend if it's not already sold.



I've been going through all the second-hand and thrift stores in Winston and Greensboro the past few weeks searching for furniture. I bought 3 chairs this week for the house...a glider rocker from Kinnaman's antiques, which will be Tom's chair in the den, and 2 ladder-back cane chairs to go with my little dining room table that I'm painting (see below).







I have also refinished an old stereo cabinet that we bought at a yard sale many moons ago. It turned out to be a gorgeous deep cherry color, and it will be our TV stand in the den. It has lots of nice shelves in it, so we can use it to store books, games and puzzles too.



I've had a little wooden kitchen table since I graduated from college (it was the first piece of furniture that I owned, and it was used then!), so I have no idea how old it is. I just know that I've never been able to get rid of it - it seems like an integral part of my life. It's a great little table - it has 2 leaves so it can seat 4 or 6 comfortably. Anyway, I have stripped it of it's multiple(like 10!) layers of paint and have painted it. Let me know what you think!

Monday, September 15, 2008

And most importantly, the views!

Once the porches and deck are completed, here's what we'll be looking at.......


The view from the deck and screened porch:
We're across our driveway and looking at Catherine's knob,
the highest peak in Alleghany county....


The view from the small side porch:
We're looking across our land down towards the road.



The inside

I finally got to see the inside of our house this past weekend. Tom has been up to meet with various workmen and has been through it 2 or 3 times - it was just killing me. Anyway, here are some photos of the inside. They are busy seaming, putting down the laminate and caulking the woodwork. The deck builder has started on the porches, but didn't get much done last week because of the rain. As soon as the porches are built, the roofer will be next.




The house looks and feels very solid. There are lots of little things that are weird. For example, if you look at the picture of the kitchen, why would they put a plug in the island on the side that faces the den? Why would they make it white, and why wouldn't they at least center it? And the lights in our bedroom aren't even. But those are all minor and can be fixed. The appliances, cabinets and hardware are good quality, so all-in-all I'm pleased.


Photos of the the guest bath, and our bedroom and bath......














Sunday, September 14, 2008

Setting the house



The foundation took forever.....after grading, we had to wait forever on the state to approve the footer plan. Once approved, the grader had to mark the footers and wait for an inspection. Then after pouring the footers, another inspection. Finally the masons could start the foundation. Unfortunately, we didn't get a good pictures of the whole foundation before the house was set, so no photo. The foundation looked really high, but after contemplating it for a bit, we decided we really liked it. After the foundation was laid, the home people had to bolt the house plate to the foundation. By this time, the house was finished and sitting on the lot in Sparta.


As Hurricane Hanna was approaching, the modular home people decided to set our house before the rains came. We almost missed it, since it was a last minute decision. It was pretty wild to see them bringing the house up the road and setting it with the crane.
Here's the first half before it was set on the foundation......you can see the fireplace, the small side porch, and one corner of the foundation.


It really something to see a house swinging in the air.
Watch and see for yourself!

The road


After the loan, which was a pain in the &*(%, as you would expect, we started on the road. We had an existing road that had been graded about 10 years ago and was in pretty good shape. It just needed some repair, especially on culverts, and a new layer of gravel. Here's our entrance (before gravel......) The road curves to the left and goes on up the hill, through a grove of rhododendrons and up to the house site. The grader did a fabulous job, and I will post a picture of the finished road in a later post.

Changes, changes, changes......

Of course, we couldn't settle for just the standard stuff! The upgrades we chose for our modular were:

  • Cedar siding
  • Green metal roof (you've just GOT to be able to listen to the rain.....)
  • Large screened porch off the den with 2 skylights
  • Double French doors to open into the screened porch
  • Floor to ceiling rock fireplace ready for gas logs
  • Deck along the back of the house
  • Upgraded appliances (flat top stove and side-by-side frig)
  • Laminate floors

Other than that, we took the basics. It's just amazing, but the home comes with all appliances, including washer and dryer, decent quality blinds, and even curtains and valances. Other than furniture, it will be ready to live in.

The house plan

The next step was finalizing our home plan so we could apply for a loan. I actually had no idea that you could customize a modular home plan to your specifications (with a few restrictions). So I started with this basic floor plan, a Norris porch-end entry home, and added ideas from some of the other models in the series. Using Better Homes and Gardens Home Design software, here is the floor plan we ended up with.

The small cabin becomes a house.....

The idea to build actually came from my cousin Patty.....one day, she said "You just need to go ahead and build my guest house up on the hill. Then you can build your dream house later!" Little did she know that she would start this whole process! We started thinking about it, and decided it would be a great idea. We even had a second house site on our land (we have 30 acres) that would be perfect.

So the exploration of the idea began. What would we build? We didn't want to get into designing and building a traditional house - just a small 1000 sqft cabin would be perfect! We did some research , talked to the modular home people and realized that a modular would both quick and relatively inexpensive.

The next step would be getting a road to the new house......simple, huh? We brought our grader out to the site and after much suveying and talking about options, he declared that a road to this site would be $30,000 as a conservative estimate! And the grading of the site would be at least another $10,000! So that idea was ditched pretty fast........

So we went back to our original "dream house" site, which already had a road to it, and was partially graded years ago by the previous owner. Since we were building on our primary site, we decided to grow the house into something bigger - now it's a 1400 sqft 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. Big enough to live in, but still small enough to keep up easily.

We finally decided to build.....

After years of postponing building a house on our land, we finally decided to jump in. We had always planned to build our "dream house" and move to the mountains after our parents had passed away (We are both only children, and our mothers are in their 80's and 90's and need relatively constant attention, so a permanent move isn't possible). We finally decided that we're not getting any younger, and they may be with us for many years yet.

The dream house was not in the picture since we wouldn't be living up here full time, so we scaled down to an "affordable" modular home. We'll be blogging about the building of the home, the things we have learned along the way, and once it's built, we'll continue with decorating, landscaping and the fun and interesting things we do and see.

I'll be breaking up this inital blog into several posts, since we've been working on the house for a couple of months.