We took a little break from all the work that we have been doing with our imminent move to head into the mountains to camp over the July 4th weekend.
By the time that we found the perfect spot to camp, it was very late, and we ate a quick meal of hot dogs roasted over the fire, and went to bed.
In the morning, as we got up, we enjoyed our coffee around the camp fire, and some time in the Word! It is such a precious time to enjoy with the Lord while camping! I always look forward to quiet mornings with a hot cup of coffee, and a crackling fire spending time in my devotions while the rest of the camp is sleeping.
After breakfast was cooked, we began to explore our camp site. This was the first time we had camped here, and we were so excited to find this spot! We call this "bush camping" where you camp basically out in the woods with no amenities at all, although we were close to this amazing creek.
The sound of the creek waters rushing over the rocks was so loud that it would put a large generator to shame! As we explored around the water and rocks closer to the creek, we had to speak very loudly or even yell at each other over the roar of the water falling on the rocks!
The dogs thought they had just arrived in heaven. They roamed around the campsite exploring the nooks and crannies of the rocks, and getting occasional drinks out of the creek.
This was not a campground, but simply state land with little camp sites snuggled into beautiful places.
To be able to enjoy all this beauty for free... without paying $$ to stay in a campground with hundreds of other people... oh it was so nice!
Of course, we were deep in the heart of grizzly and black bear country, as well as moose, mountain lion, coyotes and wolves. But... we were prepared, with bear spray, our trusty rifle.. but most importantly, our dogs! With their ears and noses constantly at work, we could count on them!
After we had explored around our campsite, and ate lunch, we went out to tour the state land with the dogs in our son's 4x4 truck. There wasn't room for all of us inside his truck, so we "rednecked" it! We put lawn chairs in the back of the truck so we could sit comfortably back there, as we rode around on the state land looking at the views.
The wildflowers were out in abundance! Such delicate winsome beauties these daisies were, as they graced the hills and valleys around us.
It was the middle of a very hot, bright sunny day, and not the best of times to get nice pictures... but you can see the beautiful purple-hued mountains to the north and west of us, and the amazing mountain lake stretched out for miles.
Breathtaking views!
The butterflies were out in abundance, grazing on the multitude of wildflowers growing on the hillsides.
Such beautiful creatures these little butterflies are!
Off in the distance we spotted smoke. It was at least 20-30 miles from where we were, and did not appear to have black smoke, so we weren't concerned. However, any kind of wildfire in this area is scary because we have had such a dry spring and summer, coupled with the extreme heatwave we have been experiencing. We found out later that this fire is not of serious consequence, for which we are very thankful!
Roger enjoyed riding in the back of the pickup - his joy was contagious!
After our ride in the mountains, we drove down to the mountain lake and went for a swim. I was wary of the water here, because I know it is usually very cold. However, because we were all so hot after being out in the sun for several hours riding around, it felt wonderful to cool off in the amazingly warm waters of the lake!
The lake was full of boats, jet skis, and the beaches were lined with people enjoying the beautiful weekend. It was impossible to get a picture without boats coming and going!
As we relaxed in the wonderful warm water, I couldn't help but keep looking at the beauty around me, and giving praise to the Lord in my heart for this beautiful world He created for us to live in. It makes my heart sing with joy and thankfulness for His many, many blessings to us!
Back at the camp we enjoyed grilled steaks that had marinated all day and were just the perfect ending to a beautiful day!
Annie had gotten her share of quite a few pieces of steak, and while we were cleaning up... this is where we found her!
The next morning, I was able to get up early enough to take these gorgeous pictures of the creek we were camping next to.
Oh the joy of watching and listening to the water as it sang and danced its way downstream...
Such beauty to enjoy on this beautiful morning!
Annie enjoyed her view perched on the banks just watching the water with me!
However, it was time for me to cook up breakfast for all the hungry stomachs... there is nothing like a hearty breakfast around a campfire!
Soon it was time to pack up and head home. As we were leaving, we visited another part of the beautiful lake and enjoyed the beautiful white sandy shores, and turquoise waters.
It was such a beautiful day to be here, and although we didn't have time to go swimming, I did take my shoes off to go wading in the cool waters.
A huge uprooted tree worn smooth by the lapping waves through the years...
Glimpses of beautiful wildflowers growing along the lake...
Their bright beautiful purple colors a gentle contrast to the greens and blues surrounding it...
Finally it was time to go home, and we all were ready to enjoy a hot shower after unloading the camper, putting away the food, and all the general clean up that comes after a weekend of camping! Because we were out in the back woods, this year we did not celebrate with fireworks due to safety concerns, yet our hearts were very grateful and thankful to be living in this beautiful country which the Lord has blessed so abundantly. I pray that people begin to appreciate the many blessings that we enjoy here, instead of taking them for granted.
I hope that each one of you had a blessed and safe 4th of July weekend.
God Bless America!
By the time that we found the perfect spot to camp, it was very late, and we ate a quick meal of hot dogs roasted over the fire, and went to bed.
In the morning, as we got up, we enjoyed our coffee around the camp fire, and some time in the Word! It is such a precious time to enjoy with the Lord while camping! I always look forward to quiet mornings with a hot cup of coffee, and a crackling fire spending time in my devotions while the rest of the camp is sleeping.
After breakfast was cooked, we began to explore our camp site. This was the first time we had camped here, and we were so excited to find this spot! We call this "bush camping" where you camp basically out in the woods with no amenities at all, although we were close to this amazing creek.
The sound of the creek waters rushing over the rocks was so loud that it would put a large generator to shame! As we explored around the water and rocks closer to the creek, we had to speak very loudly or even yell at each other over the roar of the water falling on the rocks!
The dogs thought they had just arrived in heaven. They roamed around the campsite exploring the nooks and crannies of the rocks, and getting occasional drinks out of the creek.
This was not a campground, but simply state land with little camp sites snuggled into beautiful places.
To be able to enjoy all this beauty for free... without paying $$ to stay in a campground with hundreds of other people... oh it was so nice!
Of course, we were deep in the heart of grizzly and black bear country, as well as moose, mountain lion, coyotes and wolves. But... we were prepared, with bear spray, our trusty rifle.. but most importantly, our dogs! With their ears and noses constantly at work, we could count on them!
After we had explored around our campsite, and ate lunch, we went out to tour the state land with the dogs in our son's 4x4 truck. There wasn't room for all of us inside his truck, so we "rednecked" it! We put lawn chairs in the back of the truck so we could sit comfortably back there, as we rode around on the state land looking at the views.
The wildflowers were out in abundance! Such delicate winsome beauties these daisies were, as they graced the hills and valleys around us.
It was the middle of a very hot, bright sunny day, and not the best of times to get nice pictures... but you can see the beautiful purple-hued mountains to the north and west of us, and the amazing mountain lake stretched out for miles.
Breathtaking views!
The butterflies were out in abundance, grazing on the multitude of wildflowers growing on the hillsides.
Such beautiful creatures these little butterflies are!
Off in the distance we spotted smoke. It was at least 20-30 miles from where we were, and did not appear to have black smoke, so we weren't concerned. However, any kind of wildfire in this area is scary because we have had such a dry spring and summer, coupled with the extreme heatwave we have been experiencing. We found out later that this fire is not of serious consequence, for which we are very thankful!
Roger enjoyed riding in the back of the pickup - his joy was contagious!
After our ride in the mountains, we drove down to the mountain lake and went for a swim. I was wary of the water here, because I know it is usually very cold. However, because we were all so hot after being out in the sun for several hours riding around, it felt wonderful to cool off in the amazingly warm waters of the lake!
The lake was full of boats, jet skis, and the beaches were lined with people enjoying the beautiful weekend. It was impossible to get a picture without boats coming and going!
As we relaxed in the wonderful warm water, I couldn't help but keep looking at the beauty around me, and giving praise to the Lord in my heart for this beautiful world He created for us to live in. It makes my heart sing with joy and thankfulness for His many, many blessings to us!
Back at the camp we enjoyed grilled steaks that had marinated all day and were just the perfect ending to a beautiful day!
Annie had gotten her share of quite a few pieces of steak, and while we were cleaning up... this is where we found her!
The next morning, I was able to get up early enough to take these gorgeous pictures of the creek we were camping next to.
Oh the joy of watching and listening to the water as it sang and danced its way downstream...
Such beauty to enjoy on this beautiful morning!
Annie enjoyed her view perched on the banks just watching the water with me!
However, it was time for me to cook up breakfast for all the hungry stomachs... there is nothing like a hearty breakfast around a campfire!
Soon it was time to pack up and head home. As we were leaving, we visited another part of the beautiful lake and enjoyed the beautiful white sandy shores, and turquoise waters.
It was such a beautiful day to be here, and although we didn't have time to go swimming, I did take my shoes off to go wading in the cool waters.
A huge uprooted tree worn smooth by the lapping waves through the years...
Glimpses of beautiful wildflowers growing along the lake...
Their bright beautiful purple colors a gentle contrast to the greens and blues surrounding it...
Finally it was time to go home, and we all were ready to enjoy a hot shower after unloading the camper, putting away the food, and all the general clean up that comes after a weekend of camping! Because we were out in the back woods, this year we did not celebrate with fireworks due to safety concerns, yet our hearts were very grateful and thankful to be living in this beautiful country which the Lord has blessed so abundantly. I pray that people begin to appreciate the many blessings that we enjoy here, instead of taking them for granted.
I hope that each one of you had a blessed and safe 4th of July weekend.
God Bless America!
Just wanting to wish everyone a blessed, safe and beautiful July 4th! Our plans are to go camping this weekend, and it will be nice to have some time to relax together with our family and friends after the hectic last few weeks!
This past week, I had put on a simple meal of beans and cornbread. My husband loves jalapenos and so I decided to try adding them to my cornbread. Then, I got inspired, and thought I would make Jalapeno Sourdough Cornbread, and what a delight it turned out to be!
Oh the excitement of our house arriving this past Saturday was quite exhilarating! Several of our friends and neighbors stopped by to see the house, and it was such a joyous time for us, in spite of the high temperatures. Typically, we may get one day a year that reaches temps over 100 degrees, and that is usually in late July. However, this year, we had a run of two days straight with temps in the 100s. Several friends reported seeing thermometers registering temps as high as 110. Our temperature gauge got to 102, which was still pretty brutal!
We have been very busy getting started with the remodeling process that needs to happen before we can move in. So many things need to be done, but right now, the floors are taking precedent.
Oh, what a mess! The top layer of the linoleum in the trailer comes up easily enough, but the felt adhesive backing underneath it... oh what a totally different story! We have chipped, scraped, and pulled, all without much luck. Because the floors are already so uneven, we need to get all the adhesive off, so the new flooring will have a clean surface to attach to. I have researched different options online, and none of them are very appealing. The best one I have heard that works is using boiling water with a rag, and dipping the rag in the boiling water, and laying it on the adhesive, waiting 10 minutes, and then peeling off the adhesive. Problem is, we don't have hot water yet...
My husband has hooked up the water, sewer, and electric lines, which was quite a bit of work, but because the hot water heater is gas, we can't use it, as we don't have gas here. So right now we are shopping craigslist for a propane tank, and then we will have the valves switched over from gas to propane. So far, we haven't had any luck finding one within our budget.
So... until we get a propane tank installed in order to have hot water, we will just have to continue chipping away at this nasty adhesive!
A dear friend, T came over to help my husband with replacing the soft spots in the floor. There ended up being more soft spots than we realized, but thankfully these are being easily fixed with new plywood.
Another option that we are considering is putting down a new sub floor in the kitchen and then placing the new flooring on top of that, considering that the adhesive is so difficult to remove. I wanted to put vinyl flooring or interlocking floor planking through the whole house, but after checking prices at Home Depot, the sticker shock caused me to reconsider other options. We will probably lay carpet in the living room, hallway and bedrooms, and only lay the new vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom.
My husband keeps reminding me that the house is paid for, and we need to keep things simple, and that is great to think about... except when you start trying to make difficult decisions, and of course, stores know how to "up-sell" product, and leave you reeling with the cost of it all!
I took our kitchen measurements to Home Depot to see what kind of prices were available on cabinets. The man who worked with me was a former contractor, and I told him I wanted the cheapest options, and the most functional. We ended up spending 2 hours designing these cabinets. This is a computer rendering of what the finished product would generally look like. The happiest part of this - the cabinets are on sale for 20% off. I have until July 8th to make a decision on whether we want to do this, or not.
If we went this route, we would use the bar area cabinets that are already in place... (minus the dishwasher, as we tried it, and it is broken!)
... and simply add a corner floor cabinet with a Lazy Susan, hanging wall cabinets, and the pantry, with it all coming to a total of $684.00 plus tax! My husband thinks this sounds like a reasonable option to consider.
However, with our plan of keeping this process as cost effective as possible, I went back to the cabinets that were stacked inside the kitchen. These had not been installed, but when I looked at them closer, they could possibly work! I would have to sand and paint them, and add door handles, but this option might be the cheapest one yet.
So my question to you, my reader, is this... what would you do? Save the money, and use the very cheap particle board cabinets, repainted - or go with the very cheap on sale cabinets that Home Depot is offering at about $700.00?
I also picked up paint while I was at Home Depot, and these will be the colors, - Scribe (a beautiful light creamy color that unfortunately got washed out in the picture above) Real Wood (a beautiful dark chocolate) and Aquifer (a lovely turquoise color that my daughter wants to paint her room).
Here are flooring samples that I am going to probably have to choose from (left to right in picture above): Armstrong Heartland Timbers Walnut (87 cents/sq. foot or Armstrong Sentinel Tavola 98 cents/sq. foot. My thought is to find something that won't show or hold dirt, and I am leaning pretty heavily towards the Heartland Timbers Walnut. So, if anyone has experience with this type of flooring, it would be nice to hear how it worked for you! This would be the most cost effective flooring IF we can get a level floor surface.
This particular flooring is the ALLURE Ultra Interlocking Resiliant Plank Flooring that can go down on uneven surfaces, is waterproof, and has a lifetime warrantry. However, it is very expensive, at approximately $3.00 a square foot!
So... there are many decisions that we will need to make shortly. One important factor in the decision is that this is not a "forever" home, but simply a starting point to where we can save our money to build the home we really want. It is all very exciting though, and I am so eager to start painting, but my husband says painting can't start until the floor patching is finished, and until we make a decision on what we are going to do with the floors, because there will be so much dust from the floors, which would hinder the painting process.
So for now, my husband and son, and our dear friend T and another dear friend A are working on getting the floors repaired, and then we will see what happens from there.
I certainly appreciate any comments, ideas, or suggestions on how to make this process go more smoothly, and be as cost effective as possible. :)
We have been very busy getting started with the remodeling process that needs to happen before we can move in. So many things need to be done, but right now, the floors are taking precedent.
Oh, what a mess! The top layer of the linoleum in the trailer comes up easily enough, but the felt adhesive backing underneath it... oh what a totally different story! We have chipped, scraped, and pulled, all without much luck. Because the floors are already so uneven, we need to get all the adhesive off, so the new flooring will have a clean surface to attach to. I have researched different options online, and none of them are very appealing. The best one I have heard that works is using boiling water with a rag, and dipping the rag in the boiling water, and laying it on the adhesive, waiting 10 minutes, and then peeling off the adhesive. Problem is, we don't have hot water yet...
My husband has hooked up the water, sewer, and electric lines, which was quite a bit of work, but because the hot water heater is gas, we can't use it, as we don't have gas here. So right now we are shopping craigslist for a propane tank, and then we will have the valves switched over from gas to propane. So far, we haven't had any luck finding one within our budget.
So... until we get a propane tank installed in order to have hot water, we will just have to continue chipping away at this nasty adhesive!
Another option that we are considering is putting down a new sub floor in the kitchen and then placing the new flooring on top of that, considering that the adhesive is so difficult to remove. I wanted to put vinyl flooring or interlocking floor planking through the whole house, but after checking prices at Home Depot, the sticker shock caused me to reconsider other options. We will probably lay carpet in the living room, hallway and bedrooms, and only lay the new vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom.
My husband keeps reminding me that the house is paid for, and we need to keep things simple, and that is great to think about... except when you start trying to make difficult decisions, and of course, stores know how to "up-sell" product, and leave you reeling with the cost of it all!
I took our kitchen measurements to Home Depot to see what kind of prices were available on cabinets. The man who worked with me was a former contractor, and I told him I wanted the cheapest options, and the most functional. We ended up spending 2 hours designing these cabinets. This is a computer rendering of what the finished product would generally look like. The happiest part of this - the cabinets are on sale for 20% off. I have until July 8th to make a decision on whether we want to do this, or not.
If we went this route, we would use the bar area cabinets that are already in place... (minus the dishwasher, as we tried it, and it is broken!)
... and simply add a corner floor cabinet with a Lazy Susan, hanging wall cabinets, and the pantry, with it all coming to a total of $684.00 plus tax! My husband thinks this sounds like a reasonable option to consider.
However, with our plan of keeping this process as cost effective as possible, I went back to the cabinets that were stacked inside the kitchen. These had not been installed, but when I looked at them closer, they could possibly work! I would have to sand and paint them, and add door handles, but this option might be the cheapest one yet.
So my question to you, my reader, is this... what would you do? Save the money, and use the very cheap particle board cabinets, repainted - or go with the very cheap on sale cabinets that Home Depot is offering at about $700.00?
I also picked up paint while I was at Home Depot, and these will be the colors, - Scribe (a beautiful light creamy color that unfortunately got washed out in the picture above) Real Wood (a beautiful dark chocolate) and Aquifer (a lovely turquoise color that my daughter wants to paint her room).
Here are flooring samples that I am going to probably have to choose from (left to right in picture above): Armstrong Heartland Timbers Walnut (87 cents/sq. foot or Armstrong Sentinel Tavola 98 cents/sq. foot. My thought is to find something that won't show or hold dirt, and I am leaning pretty heavily towards the Heartland Timbers Walnut. So, if anyone has experience with this type of flooring, it would be nice to hear how it worked for you! This would be the most cost effective flooring IF we can get a level floor surface.
This particular flooring is the ALLURE Ultra Interlocking Resiliant Plank Flooring that can go down on uneven surfaces, is waterproof, and has a lifetime warrantry. However, it is very expensive, at approximately $3.00 a square foot!
So... there are many decisions that we will need to make shortly. One important factor in the decision is that this is not a "forever" home, but simply a starting point to where we can save our money to build the home we really want. It is all very exciting though, and I am so eager to start painting, but my husband says painting can't start until the floor patching is finished, and until we make a decision on what we are going to do with the floors, because there will be so much dust from the floors, which would hinder the painting process.
So for now, my husband and son, and our dear friend T and another dear friend A are working on getting the floors repaired, and then we will see what happens from there.
I certainly appreciate any comments, ideas, or suggestions on how to make this process go more smoothly, and be as cost effective as possible. :)
For the past couple of years, ever since we purchased 10 acres, we have been dreaming, planning, and trying to save to build. It was our hope to build a darling cabin on our acreage. However, as more and more time progressed, we realized that it is hard to pay bills on two different pieces of property, and try to save money, so our thoughts turned to how we could just move out to our land, and thus save money by living there, and then building as we can. After making that decision this past year, we began actively looking at options for something to live in while we save to build.
Our options ran a big gamut from travel trailer, to park model trailer, to remodeling a shed into a home, to a single wide mobile home, and then even considering a double wide mobile home. The Lord opened up the door for us just a couple of weeks ago (see this post and this post to see just how this came to be), so that we could purchase at a very cheap price, an older single wide mobile home, and it was something affordable for us, and that we could make work.
The past two weeks have been a flurry of activity around here as the process to ready our land for the arrival of the trailer began.
We needed trees taken out, trenches dug for water, sewer and electric lines, and a gravel pad put down. All of this of course took place while my husband was out of town, working to pay for it all. We have had experience in the past with setting up a mobile home, but my husband was always around to make the important decisions -- but not this time. I was dealing with the contractor trying to decide where best to put the house, and making important decisions about the moving of the trailer, consulting with my husband along the way, yet.... there is nothing like having him here to see, and make the decisions. It was a big weight for me, as he always has been the one to make these kinds of decisions. However, I prayed every step of the way, and the Lord blessed me with peace about it all.
Our son and our dear friend JH went to prepare the home for travel. All the skirting had to be taken off, and the addition separated from the home, porches had to be removed and all the blocks underneath the home had to be stacked and brought to the gravel pad. It was a lot of work for them to do.
The home is small, very small! It is a 14 x 56 mobile home, built back in 1977. However the previous owner had gutted the home, replaced the insulation, had it all rewired, put up sheet rock all throughout the home, and new windows.
Once my husband arrived home, we went to look at the house together. I had not seen it yet in person either, as I had decided to wait and see it with him. It was a huge leap of faith to buy this home without ever seeing it, but we knew the Lord's hand was in the midst of it all.
This is the 14 x 8' porch addition that comes with the home. It is unfinished, but has four large windows, and has great "bones" that we will be able to use. We plan to insulate it, finish the floors, roof and walls, and make it into one part mudroom, and one part office for me. I love the large windows!
There is still quite a work of that needs to be done cosmetically to the inside of the home. There are a few kitchen cabinets, but they will need replaced. This bar area will need to be finished. Carpeting and linoleum will need to be pulled out, and a new floor surface put down.
The stove is quite a mess, and will be tossed. We will replace it most likely with a gas stove.
One of the things that quite impressed me about the home was the large new storm windows with screens that were installed, that allow lots of light into the home, and the ability to see out into our yard easily.
This is the small second bedroom, which will be our daughter's. It is a lot smaller than the bedroom she has, but we are going to make it work. She wants to paint the room a soft baby or turquoise blue.
The bathroom is in decent shape. The floors had all been replaced with new boards, and a new tub installed. I will no doubt want to change the vanity out at some point, and of course the camouflage curtain will be the first to go! ... lol!
There is room in the corner for a shelving unit which we will use as a linen closet.
This is the master bedroom. It is very small! However, we will have room for the necessities that we need. Again... the curtains will be tossed... lol!
There are no ceiling light fixtures in the house, except for one in the kitchen. The ceilings are low, only about 7'. The previous owner installed these "lanterns" for light fixtures. I am sure I will find something to replace them, as well... :)
This is the master closet, which is actually pretty nice, and has been redone. There are closet doors that just need to be hung.
Finally the big day came, this past Saturday, when the mover was able to come and move the trailer to its new home.
Here is a better picture of the addition. This was not able to be moved Saturday, because the mover didn't have equipment ready to haul it. He will be moving the addition this week sometime.
Here is the trailer being readied for transport.
... And its arrival to our property...
... a wide swing coming in...
... and getting straightened out
The gravel pad all readied for the arrival of the trailer...
It took a little maneuvering to get it straight, but not much...
... and there it was!
The movers worked very hard to level it and it was quite late when they left, so I didn't get a picture of that. I know it doesn't look like much... in fact it looks pretty small doesn't it! Yet, we purchased this home for $3000 and we own it free and clear! My husband keeps asking me - how does it feel to own your home? LOL! It feels great!
We have a LOT of work ahead of us, but -- our dream of living simple, and debt-free -- is much closer to being a reality! In particular, the kitchen will need a cheap remodel. I don't want anything expensive, as that would negate the whole purpose of what we are doing. I have plans to visit our local Habitat for Humanity to see what they may have, and I have also been scouring craigslist looking for cabinets as well. We plan on replacing the flooring and painting to begin with, and then see what happens next.
If any of you have any suggestions for the upcoming renovations that we will need to do, be sure and leave me a comment! I would love to hear any tips or helpful ideas that would allow this process to move along more smoothly!
Our options ran a big gamut from travel trailer, to park model trailer, to remodeling a shed into a home, to a single wide mobile home, and then even considering a double wide mobile home. The Lord opened up the door for us just a couple of weeks ago (see this post and this post to see just how this came to be), so that we could purchase at a very cheap price, an older single wide mobile home, and it was something affordable for us, and that we could make work.
The past two weeks have been a flurry of activity around here as the process to ready our land for the arrival of the trailer began.
Our son and our dear friend JH went to prepare the home for travel. All the skirting had to be taken off, and the addition separated from the home, porches had to be removed and all the blocks underneath the home had to be stacked and brought to the gravel pad. It was a lot of work for them to do.
The home is small, very small! It is a 14 x 56 mobile home, built back in 1977. However the previous owner had gutted the home, replaced the insulation, had it all rewired, put up sheet rock all throughout the home, and new windows.
Once my husband arrived home, we went to look at the house together. I had not seen it yet in person either, as I had decided to wait and see it with him. It was a huge leap of faith to buy this home without ever seeing it, but we knew the Lord's hand was in the midst of it all.
This is the 14 x 8' porch addition that comes with the home. It is unfinished, but has four large windows, and has great "bones" that we will be able to use. We plan to insulate it, finish the floors, roof and walls, and make it into one part mudroom, and one part office for me. I love the large windows!
There is still quite a work of that needs to be done cosmetically to the inside of the home. There are a few kitchen cabinets, but they will need replaced. This bar area will need to be finished. Carpeting and linoleum will need to be pulled out, and a new floor surface put down.
The stove is quite a mess, and will be tossed. We will replace it most likely with a gas stove.
One of the things that quite impressed me about the home was the large new storm windows with screens that were installed, that allow lots of light into the home, and the ability to see out into our yard easily.
This is the small second bedroom, which will be our daughter's. It is a lot smaller than the bedroom she has, but we are going to make it work. She wants to paint the room a soft baby or turquoise blue.
The bathroom is in decent shape. The floors had all been replaced with new boards, and a new tub installed. I will no doubt want to change the vanity out at some point, and of course the camouflage curtain will be the first to go! ... lol!
There is room in the corner for a shelving unit which we will use as a linen closet.
This is the master bedroom. It is very small! However, we will have room for the necessities that we need. Again... the curtains will be tossed... lol!
There are no ceiling light fixtures in the house, except for one in the kitchen. The ceilings are low, only about 7'. The previous owner installed these "lanterns" for light fixtures. I am sure I will find something to replace them, as well... :)
This is the master closet, which is actually pretty nice, and has been redone. There are closet doors that just need to be hung.
Finally the big day came, this past Saturday, when the mover was able to come and move the trailer to its new home.
Here is a better picture of the addition. This was not able to be moved Saturday, because the mover didn't have equipment ready to haul it. He will be moving the addition this week sometime.
Here is the trailer being readied for transport.
... And its arrival to our property...
... a wide swing coming in...
... and getting straightened out
The gravel pad all readied for the arrival of the trailer...
It took a little maneuvering to get it straight, but not much...
... and there it was!
We have a LOT of work ahead of us, but -- our dream of living simple, and debt-free -- is much closer to being a reality! In particular, the kitchen will need a cheap remodel. I don't want anything expensive, as that would negate the whole purpose of what we are doing. I have plans to visit our local Habitat for Humanity to see what they may have, and I have also been scouring craigslist looking for cabinets as well. We plan on replacing the flooring and painting to begin with, and then see what happens next.
If any of you have any suggestions for the upcoming renovations that we will need to do, be sure and leave me a comment! I would love to hear any tips or helpful ideas that would allow this process to move along more smoothly!
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