Hello Barn

We finally said Buh-bye to our c.1998 Florida Room*. Bill dismantled it piece by piece in late August and our go-to guy, Gordon, carted it away with hopes to re-install it or re-sell it. This de-installation will give the interior of the future Family Room a much better view to the yard as well as additional natural light.

The west elevation of our house is rid of its unsuitable appendage...the vinyl siding is gone…and we can now see the barn. What a beautiful thing. After Bill stripped and prepared everything-and figured out how he wanted it to look, our neighbor, Ed Somers**, came back to help us.

Bill also cut away two-thirds of a very well-built deck...and saved one third of it for our future screen porch. This will be a very nice place for Indie the cat to sit and dream, and a very nice place for us, too.

The door opening will remain as is...and be replaced with a large window. The new siding is vertical barn board, made of pine. It has a finely textured surface. It will remain natural for now. Why decide now when we can decide later? The opening will remain, but, be a window rather than a door (because the furniture plan will work better this way). Trust me.

*We saw the Florida Room like the c. 1980 microwave we bought with the house-
not much of an asset.
**Check for Ed Somer's name in '09 archives.

The Auction Block

In August, we experienced our first auction. It was held at a beautiful estate called White Farm. Bill and I visited the preview and met the auctioneer-he advised us to know the items we were interested in and what we want to spend on them-and everything will be fine...and not to get emotional-there is no crying at auctions. (I am paraphrasing here).

There were three auction “areas”; under the white tent (fine antiques and collector’s items; in the barn (small wares and accessories, mostly boxed); and along the left side of the driveway (larger household items and lawn and outdoor equipment).

We walked around an enormous barn and looked at over-filled boxes of stuff. I kept our shopping list for the Little Brick House in mind. I saw a couple of small, metal, decoupage lamps and an interesting teal blue crackle-glazed vase. Bill liked the box of old brass hooks, and another filled with miscellaneous copper wares.

The tent display was more refined, and had rows of folding wood chairs-some were reserved with the next day attendees. There was great artwork, beautiful furniture,
quilts and blankets, and, if you can believe it, a dismantled paneled staircase. We liked a shaker bench, a painted blue blanket chest; a wrought iron garden bench and a couple of pieces of art. We didn’t have a lot of hope of bringing any of it home.

I arrived back the next day at 730am and signed in to get a number. The barn sale began at 8am. I was very excited, but, tried not to show it. I didn’t want to look like a novice- just like gamblers at a casino, you don’t see many smiling faces at an auction. I bid on more items than I ever expected to, and thankfully, I was out-bid many times. I did take home a lot of great items including the lamps, the copper stuff, the brass hooks, and an unframed painting from the under the white tent.

Box of dirty old brass hooks- 25 dollars; two decoupage lamps- 5 dollars; unframed painting of a European street scene- 45 dollars; experiencing my first auction-priceless!

Second Life

We own two homes now. A weekday home and a weekend home. It is twice the work and double the fun.

Cooking, house-cleaning, laundry---those domestic tasks don't go away. Doing laundry is a weekly challenge. Our bags fill the VW to capacity and give Indie* a nice big cushion for the long car ride. Thank goodness for Squeaky Clean.**

Weekends exist for us to relax and unwind-but, who does that anyway? A change of scenery is good for the soul. Bridgton is a great place to be if you choose to renovate a home. We work a lot and relax a little. A late afternoon at the lake can't be beat after a do-it-yourself project.

Our home, much like our design work, is a work in progress. We like to create things in our minds. We like to make things with our hands. And we like the process of them coming together.
We anticipate the end, but, we are enjoying the work as we go.

*Our sparky cat, Independence.
**the local laundromat that accepts drop-offs

The Spring Thing

It was a long winter...but, I am still not quite ready for spring. There is so much pressure to have a good-looking, or at least respectable-looking yard. (I am not ready to use that 6-letter word, garden.) Please keep in mind that I am an "interior" designer.

Now that spring is here, our time is divided between indoors and outdoors. Not to mention, at the Kimball's...hiking...antiquing, and etc. We have decided that we are on the 5-yr plan...which means we have 2.5 years left to go!

Bill has made a lot of progress in the kitchen. Beams, floor, walls, trims...all ready for paint. I have contributed some---mostly lunch, the social calendar, and keeping Indie the cat occupied abnd out of the way. Summer is on the way. We are gearing up for a lot of weekends at the lake.

A Dedication

Life happens. I wish I could see into the future. I would have taken a few minutes to say three little words. I would like to dedicate this blog to Larry Malfy and Gerard Reilly, two family members who died too soon and are greatly missed.

Larry, a dedicated and loving husband to my cousin Patricia, passed away suddenly on January 26th. He was a thoughtful and caring man. The first to greet you at the door and to ask how everything was going. He loved home projects and naturally always asked us about "The Little Brick House." Larry loved being with family. He took care of everyone and everything. I would like to dedicate this page to Larry for his love of home and family.

Gerry, a very dear uncle with a great big heart, died at home on April 6th. He supported this old house venture in many ways, with a birdhouse for the yard, local restaurant cards for lunch, and all sorts of greeting cards to our PO Box in which he said, "I feel like I am really getting my money's worth by sending these all the way to Maine!". People were always laughing when Gerry was around. I would like to dedicate this page to my Uncle Gerry for the many gifts he gave to all of us.

Red Bench, Red Wine, Red Slippers

Renovating a home is not all about working...you need to have some fun along the way. In November, we invited Bill's UNH crowd to our house for a Clayhouse Vineyards wine tasting (compliments of Cathy Paris). In our partially-renovated, temporary kitchen, there was enough wine and chatter to keep us warm and plenty of seating and tasting areas...thanks to a red bench and a pair of oak tables.

In mid-October Bill spotted an 8' long bench outside of "Harry Barker's Emporium".*
Coincidentally, it was the same weekend we borrowed my sister Lisa's Range Rover. It was a sign...it fit perfectly in the back of the truck and it fit perfectly in our kitchen!
We also acquired a pair of oak tables from Salem Country Club in October. The club, also under renovation, offered some gently-used furniture to its members. We jumped at the chance to have a little memorabilia from the grille room in our Little Brick House kitchen.

It is fun to entertain during a renovation. Everything is forgiven. The window openings...covered with rigid insulation; walls are primed and wait for a final coat of paint; the floors... half-way to knowhere; and the heat...barely there. Our friends don't mind...it involves them in the process to see the house in an unfinished state. They wait in anticipation for the next gathering.

*a group antique shop on Main Street in Bridgton, in partnership with Harvest Hills Animal Shelter

Jumbo Belgian Blocks

Our property is surrounded by flora and fauna. We have a Norway maple in the front yard. There is a large Ash behind the barn. Over-grown lilac trees run along the south side. Recently, we met with landscape architect, Roger Wells* to get some professional advice and also get to know our property better...i.e. to know the names of the trees in our yard is a very good thing!

This is the short version of what we learned that day. The big, scary apple tree? Keep it...it has so much character. The new growth in the old garden plot? Spray Preen in the spring. It will not kill anything but the new growth. The foundation plantings? bye-bye...our home has a beautiful granite block foundation and there is no need to hide it. The lilacs need pruning...any branches wider than the diameter of a fist should be cut. This will encourage flower growth.

Roger loved Bill's idea of a terraced side-yard. Starting at the end of the driveway, and reaching up to the back yard. It would be a half a days work to move the earth with a small bulldozer. It sounds so simple! We have many large boulders on our property that will retain the earth for the terracing. And we can direct the placement of them as needed.

Do you know what a Jumbo Belgian Block** is? Neither did we, but, we did have them stacked up alongside our shed just waiting for a useful purpose. They are perfect to edge the crushed stone around the foundation. It will keep the stone in place and help prevent the growth of weeds.

Thank you, Roger. We have a lot to look forward to next spring!

* http://www.rwellsdesign.com/

** cobbled granite blocks 10.5" x 7.5" x 4"