Inside

We did not spend very much time working inside the house this summer. There were two projects on the main floor that we completed.
The most important event of the summer of the installation of a toilet. We have spend the past 9 months, since we bought the house, improvising in the bathroom department. You had two choices: hold it until you got back to town, or use the great outdoors. And when the girls were out at the house with us, it never failed. They always had to go. So installing a toilet became a must. The only problem with the toilet is location. We installed it in what will eventually become a powder room on the main floor. However, the powder room does not have any walls. So you are completely exposed from all angles. A word to the wise, check every direction first!!

From Briggs House Remodel

From Briggs House Remodel

The other big project on the main floor was replacing a beam in the dining room. The large beam above the entryway between the dining and living rooms had settled over the years and it was causing the floor to push down. Josh decided to replace this beam with a new one to help level things out. The beam that we put in was 14'x16"x3 1/2". It weighed a couple of hundred pounds. We actually had to use to separate beams that Josh and I nailed together to give them strength. Lifting it into place took the help of a drywall jack. That really helped make it easier.

From Briggs House Remodel

From Briggs House Remodel

From Briggs House Remodel

From Briggs House Remodel

There will be more projects coming up in the fall, now that the outside of the house is looking better. More on that next time...

Outdoor Work in the Spring

I have been very lazy in my postings this summer, so I am going to play catch up for the next couple of postings and cover all of the things that we have worked on from May up till now.
One of the first outdoor projects that Josh undertook was creating a lateral field for our septic system. Laterals are a way for the septic system to slowly and safely leach out into the land. Don't ask me to explain anymore than that because I really don't know how they work!
Anyway, Josh placed ours in the pasture west of the house. It was a huge excavation project that took several days. After the laterals were placed and back filled, we have a series of long furrows beside the house. Josh is still working on getting them smoothed down a bit.

From Briggs House Remodel

From Briggs House Remodel

From Briggs House Remodel

Josh also torn down the last of the small outbuildings. The last shed had a rotten floor and a nasty groundhog that lived beneath. Now the only building is the corn crib. After clearing the area, we planted grass and added more rock to the driveway. Tearing down the buildings really helped to clean the place up and make things look so much better.
Speaking of the driveway, there were some issues there that needed to be resolved. The tube under the entry was partially filled, which could cause some real problems down the road, so Josh took it out and replaced it with a new, longer tube. This also allowed us to widen the entryway, making it easier to back out of the drive.
The girls also got involved in the outdoor projects. They helped their dad put up a swing in the big Elm tree by the house. They love it and it provides some entertainment when they come out to the house to help.
My dad has also helped me to identify some the of the trees in the yard. The biggest tree by the house is a Slippery Elm. The other large tree by the drive and a smaller one near the road are White Oaks. We also have a Hickory which will have to come down because of its location. All in all, the land around our house is really starting to look well cared for.