It was a long spring, summer, and now well into fall since the last time I wrote anything. Remodeling just took all my mental energies away.
But at last we’re finished with the exterior repairs and replacements.
Everything looked just blah, and it was worse than that. The deck, roofing, railing, and siding all needed to be fixed. The railing was pretty unsafe. Leaning on it was a bad idea as it could have simply fallen over, as the guys discovered when they removed it. It was scary easy to do!
![View of the southern windows, which I think of as the front of the house even though you don't see this when you drive into the property.](http://redmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/exterior2.jpg)
View of the southern windows, which I think of as the front of the house even though you don’t see this when you drive into the property. The house is level, but my camera holding skills are a bit suspect.
The spring day I took this picture, we were building the infrastructure for the Purple Martin houses. The blue tarp was protecting the concrete we had poured to hold the metal post that holds the martin houses so that the forecast rains didn’t mess anything up.
This was late April, after the snows finally melted; none of the trees had leafed out quite yet.
So fast forward six months.
![A more cheerful looking house!](http://redmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/exterior3.jpg)
A more cheerful looking house! And fall colors. And still the sky is cloudy just like it was in the spring. The Big Leaf Maple trees are all turning color and dropping huge leaves all over the yard. Some of those leaves are 12 inches across.
Yesterday the contractors finally finished installing the railings on the deck, which was the last thing on our to-do list. Well, except putting the gazebo together in the back garden, but that’s next weeks’ project.
If we ever decide we’ve lost our minds, this is the view from the pond.
Next year is all about the garden. The fencing is just great, and almost not noticeable to the right of the house. And there is a gate right off this door on the south side of the house, down the rebuilt stairs which are actually comfortable to walk up and down unlike the old stairs which I avoided if at all possible. And you’ll end up in the midst of the orchard part of the garden. I was dreaming about raspberry plants this morning. And we can plant flowers and bushes!
So new roof, new deck and railing, new gutters which actually drain because they were installed properly, replaced siding, and everything was painted and stained. We had already replaced light fixtures and exterior doors when we remodeled the inside. The only thing that is left is the furnace and heat pump. Hopefully that will not need to be done for a couple more years.
Happiness is being done.
Done? You’re never done! Or are you???
Nice looking digs–when are you moving that house down here? Hahahahahaha!
Hi Just talked to Cheryl and she said you had sent her your blog address. So I went to my computer and I see your house. So pretty. I for months I have not checked your blog. I am thrilled to see it running. I do not have my email fixed. Some day I will. I an doing ok. Love you