Home for the Holiday

Our first holiday in the house has happened. It was fun to use my kitchen; the kitchen is not done, but it is done enough that I have all my dishes out and places to work; limited space but enough. I have my kitchen sink and dishwasher which is amazing. My brother & sister-in-law are here for the weekend, and my parents have been in and out and eating with us. Christmas decorations have begun.

Noel’s project right now is the boiler. Personally, I would rather have kitchen cupboards and doors, but there is a method to his madness. There is a large tax write-off if he has it operational by the end of 2022. Secondly, it is the heat for his kiln; we need the kiln to dry the wood for cupboard doors, room doors, pantry and closet shelves, and trim.

As you have seen probably, Noel doesn’t do anything halfway. Thank you to Daryl Kincaid & Aaron Nicholson for answering his boiler questions along the way.

Hooking up the outside wood boiler is getting close to completion. It will heat the floors in the house for a very comfortable heat, the floors in the shop, the hot tub, the wood kiln, and the furnace (and eventually a greenhouse). We have our own wood obviously, so we will be cozy warm for relatively no money. Below is the manifold for the house giving complete adjustability of zoned heat.

But backing up a bit, we officially moved in on October 12. It was an exciting day when the plastic divider came down between the shop and our temporary home. Noel had his dream shop. He now has his tools spread out and usable. It isn’t situated the way he wants permanently, but everything is accessible.

On October 12, we had our living room furniture, our bed, and shelves in the pantry. If we needed a change of clothes, we ran to the shop to our dressers. By the end of the week, we were fairly settled.

The following week, we had dear friends, the Collogans, come for a visit; we hadn’t seen them for several years. They also have built and remodeled and had wisdom that we needed. Noel was able to ask Dan some questions and get some great advice from an expert. We had such a great visit! They are some of those friends that you don’t see for years and then you get together, and you just carry on as if it wasn’t years. It was a wonderful visit.

Within a couple days of moving in, Noel had built the cupboard that holds my kitchen sink. My sink is monstrous, Then came a temporary plywood countertop next to it so I actually have a place to work. Next came the dishwasher. Amazing! I’ve been so glad this was in place before I had Thanksgiving company!

While I would like daily changes to the house, there have been several detours.

Noel cut down 4 large trees from the front yard. If you have seen previous pictures of the front of our house, you might have noticed trees leaning every-which-way. They should have been cut down before the house was built, but he laid them right down where they should be. They will provide firewood for the neighbors next winter.

He has laid the framework for the front porch and will finish the boards in the spring. People will actually be able to get to our front door after that.

So what is missing? Doors I think is the biggest thing – bigger even than kitchen cupboards. My washer and dryer can’t come in out of the shed yet. Kitchen cupboards will be amazing. Bathroom vanities and sinks would be helpful. We need trim.

But it’s so cozy and wonderful to be in our house.

So tonight, Noel and I, along with Paul and Missy and 3 snuggly dogs are watching a Hallmark movie in our almost-done house.

The shoes tell the story of the hard work that made tonight possible. Noel thinks it will take 10 months to totally be done with the house. But are you ever done? =) But for tonight, we will enjoy the fire, the cocoa, and the movie.