From the exterior views, Farmdale Cottage
is shaping up. It is looking like a real house. “Never an old barn a little
paint couldn’t hurt!” That’s my mantra these days.
Painting has started. Gallons upon
gallons of Valspar and Ben Moore are soaking into my pine board
and batten, and I am loving it! Shutters have been made and are awaiting their
installation. I even spread some pine straw around the foundation to keep the mud
from splattering on my custom brick blend. This folks, I’m afraid, will be the
extent of my landscaping. It’ll be all I can afford! Inside Farmdale is another
story.
So much work is being done where we
can’t see, but I must appreciate it nonetheless. Wiring and plumbing and HVAC
are running a subfloor marathon. Miles of wires and yards of pipe shall ensure
that I can turn on my lights and have running water – a fete accomplis
for my neck of the woods – ha! My floors are here but not installed – waiting
on walls. Some the shiplap boards are awaiting to be installed for walls too,
but we must pass inspection. First inspection failed as it always does in my
county. The old “the hip bone is connected to the leg bone…”song is so apropos
for building a home – it runs through my mind all the time. Can’t put the
insulation in until the wiring and plumbing passes inspection. “It’ll fail the
first time, trust me…” I was constantly reassured by my contractors. “What a
joy…” was all I could muster. After the passing inspection, insulation, walls
and ceiling finishing can take place. “The leg bone is connected to the knee
bone…” la la la…
Seeing paint and progress outside
makes the interior look too far ill advanced than the exterior. The railings
are starting to take shape and the bones of the house are really visible. I
love my chimney and the old brick on my back hallway wall and soon to be
floors. I decided to paint the brick on the rear façade of the house for added
texture and that “added on over time” look and feel. My floors are antique
heart pine planed from nearly two hundred year old beams. The beams once
spanned a cotton mill and now will be underfoot for me and my friends and family.
A few beams left untouched and boasting their patina of flaking paint, will
span my kitchen. Oh the stories they could tell! My house smells divine – fresh
cut lumber, fat lighter (heart pine) and some paint… if I could bottle it I
would!
I’m still a long ways from being able
to move in, but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. A glimmering
match lit in the cave maybe?
So here’s the painting schedule thus
far:
Board and batten body of the
house: a custom blend but for a quick
match Valspar
“Dark Chocolate” will give you a great color.
Shutters: another custom blend by Benjamin Moore. “Zeus”
by Sherwin Williams will get you
close to it.
Trim, columns and railings: “Linen
White” by Benjamin Moore. This is my “go
to” white and I love it with the dark brown with a hint of green.
Painted Brick: Valspar
“Gentle Lamb” – the name alone made me want
it but it is the perfect neutral cream – not yellow but not gray either. The
primer is still on the brick but Gentle Lamb cannot frolic onto my brick fast
enough!
I’ll post some finished shots of the
paint job, but what’s going up now is so fun! Paint goes on quick and is
instant gratification. Deciding on the scheme is what will send you to the
looney bin. Speaking of heading to the nut house, I just about checked in there
recently. Enter my banker, my builder and my accountant – the three horsemen of
the apocalypse – ha! No these gents just have to reign me in and keep me on the
straight and narrow. I wouldn’t won’t their jobs working with me! Ha!
So after meeting with my banker and
my accountant, my builder was next in the firing squad. This is a dark,
Southern gothic even macabre comedy or sorts. My builder gave me the final
projections for completion costs. I looked at that gigantic, huge, mind-numbing
figure five times my calculated tally and I just smiled. I said “thank you” and
walked away. My builder, who I work with on nearly every design job and know
quite well, grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. “You ok, James?” I just
kept smiling. Smiling that dumb smile of bewilderment a person can express only
in total shock.
In my mind, I was talking but nothing
was coming out of my mouth… just an odd smile. My builder asked me again,
“James, are you ok?” I somehow managed a nod in the affirmative but my builder
was not convinced. “James, say something. You ok?” my builder kept asking.
Finally, after what I thought was an eternity, I spoke. What I said I’m sure
did not make any audible sense. My builder just looked and said, “James, you
were silent – for so long. You didn’t say anything at all. I told you about…”
and he went on and on about lumber and paint and brick delivery etc. etc. etc.,
while I simply stood there and smiled in silence. “James, don’t ever do that to
me again. I was really worried!”
“What did I do that worried you so?”
I replied. My builder said, “James, you were silent. You were quiet. You didn’t
say a word. I knew something was wrong!!!” Silence is not a natural reaction
for me, y’all. After meeting with the Big Three, dumb silence with a wry smile
was all I could afford.
So, somehow I must now finish
Farmdale but not in the quintupled budget as of late. Sweat equity is going to
be key, but I love being a part of the process. At least the outside looks
kinda/sorta/almost done. Keeping up appearances is what I’m doing now, y’all!
Let’s just hope the inside will come together before I enter another silence.
From Farmdale to your homes, happy
fall y’all!
