Rusty Roof in North Carolina

One day after we completed the stairs it was time to for a new roof. The addition portion, front porch and the covered “walkway” leading up to the side entry all had to be done. We went back and forth a bit discussing the new color. We considered black but I just didn’t feel good about that and didn’t want the cabin to look like a trendy farmhouse. (nothing against a trendy farmhouse…just not the look we were going for) We settled on just the regular metal, like it had been before.

I told the roofer how much I loved the rust on the roof. This little cabin has had THE LIFE, it’s been places, and I love that it looks worn. He assured me this new roof would never rust, and not gonna lie, I was kind of bummed.

You can see the difference in the new metal and the old!

The actual pitch of the roof will be replaced with new metal during Phase 2. We didn’t want to disrupt the entire house while we were still living here. The pitch portion will come off this spring and we will have new insulation blown in as well. We DID however save all the old rusty tin….more on that to come.

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I love the sound of rain on a metal/tin roof. And I have a feeling I will like the rain even more when we can get a little grass to grown again :)

Redeem Roofing & Construction

Find their information HERE

If you are local to the Triad area in NC we could not have been happier with Redeemed Roofing. They were professional and meticulous! We love our new roof and can’t wait to have them come back in the spring to finish the pitch portion.

DIY Spiral Staircase

Before we moved into the cabin, we had an excellent idea of what we wanted. And then we moved in, started living here and our priorities and expectations for our space changed. We originally wanted to start with renovating the kitchen and adding an island. However, that changed after we used the stairs over and over again. These stairs to the left of the pic lead to the only bedroom and bathroom in our cabin; quite simply, the stairs are/were not safe! The treads were far too small and the rise way too high and steep. We knew something had to change.

After a few weeks of pouring over possibilities and talking to our cabinet guy about building a custom spiral out of wood, we realized we wanted this space to feel more open and wanted to incorporate a more industrial look to this little corner. Feeling like more wood might make the room feel too heavy, we settled on a metal spiral staircase “kit.”

We did save the steps! They are being repurposed and used in our bathroom vanity!

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This was a PROCESS! From start to finish, working around our work schedule, kids (and virtual learning - YAY) it took us 2.5 weeks to complete.

Step 1: Receive the MASSIVE box of parts and pieces and regret all of our life choices up to this point.

Step 2: Remove the existing stairs and oven (FYI, I haven’t had a range since November 20, 2020…not that I am keeping track.) P.S. I have perfected the art of cooking via toaster oven and instant pot….but this post isn’t about me; let’s continue.  

Step 3: Invite Jon’s brother to spend the entire weekend here helping. He accepted, and the kids and I moved out for the weekend while most of the demo was happening. 

So thankful for help!

The guys spent all weekend making sure the space was structurally safe before we tackled getting the stairs put together.

Step 4: Jon and Bryan had to cut out part of the upstairs flooring to make a perfect 6’ square space for the stairs to live. Which involved moving a header as well and adding additional boards to existing headers for more support….it was a whole dang thing, y’all. Trust me.

Step 5-2000: Bust up the existing tile floor, put together the spiral staircase pole (no one wants to talk about this part. No one) Install the platform to the upstairs floor, bring the assembled pole inside and lift it into place….remove the pole, because it’s too large. Re-group. Eat pie. Cry a little. Get back to work.

Step 2500-4000: Legit get the pole up, begin placing the treads on the pole, read instructions 800 times and still be confused. !!!!!!!!DO YOUR DANG BEST NOT TO LOSE ANY PIECES OR NUTS OR BOLTS OR ANYTHING!!!!!! Because there are about 980,000 pieces. Hire a tile guy to lay a tile floor before you set all the treads. Set all the treads (I’m not sure we have pictures but I know I have video of me hanging on the treads to get them set and level. And THAT was the day I learned why I work out.) After the treads were set and spaced correctly and leveled, we install the balusters - screwing metal onto metal is not a fun noise but use your imagination. We don’t need to talk about the fact that each baluster had to be cut to fit…do we? Let’s don’t….

EDIT - During these 14 Days when the stairs could not be used, our little family of 5 used a ladder to go up and down to get to the restroom. My mom loved this, I am sure. Let’s continue; we are almost there!

Step 1 million: Bend the metal handrail and attach it to the balusters. Admire our hard work and make a promise that we won’t install another spiral staircase in our lifetime.

“Change is a process, not an event. ”

As things become a bit more permanent I’ve been able to start decorating….which I love. :o)

Taking Shape

Slowly, ever so slowly things keep happening. Tradesmen show up and another thing gets checked off the list.

• Windows - check!

• Insulation - check!

• Electrical - partial check

• Drywall - check!

Something that I did not do, that I wish I had done, is count how many times we had to move our washer and dryer. Gracious!! Maybe I don’t want to know! As with a lot of things in life and especially with a renovation, sometimes it gets worse before it gets better.

This Land

It’s not always work with no play…this land of ours is so diverse. We have sweet friends that love helping us explore. Wild mushrooms, creeks, massive ferns and beautiful sunsets, this land is healing and refreshing when we take time out of our crazy schedules to enjoy all the beauty is brings.

Time spent amongst the trees is never wasted. - Katrina Mayer

Framing

Framing happened this fall. It seemed like it rained every other day which put us a bit behind schedule. We are adding 2 bedrooms and a bathroom to the left side of the house.

We said goodbye to Jon before the framing began. The crew worked so hard those 4 weeks he was gone.

The next big obstacle was moving the steel beam that was originally on the left side of the house. It was the perfect length to cover the width of the carport and front porch, so that we did not have to add extra supports. Our friend Jorge, my brother-in-law, father-in-law and skilled skid steer operator made it happen in an afternoon!

Because the front door had to be moved over, the guys boarded up things from the inside until the new door could be installed. They added a temporary door beside the kitchen so me and the kids could get in and out of the house safely.

The biggest stressor for me in this whole process has been the constant mess and constant change. Once you get once space figured out and half way organized everything has to shift because a new phase of construction has started. I’m learning to embrace the process and keep the end goal in mind!

After 4 lonngggg weeks…but lots and lots of progress we got to say Welcome Home, again. Our favorite place to be is together and Army life makes saying good bye difficult, but the home comings are always sweet.

Concrete is IN!

No more mud….at least not AS MUCH mud! The guys at Cruz Brother’s really created such beautiful and functional pathways for our little cabin. A simple driveway, little curb, steps that lead to the front porch and a slab for the addition. We could not be happier!

This post is a little late as we have already started the addition…but trying to keep things official over here and document as best I can! More progress to come and some side-by-side before and after’s.

Happy Fall

Fall is my favorite time of year! Watching the leaves change colors, feeling the dip in the air, and of course all the baking and coffee drinking.

I thought you would enjoy a few views from the cabin. Life here is good. It’s messy, overwhelming and stressful at times, but everyday, EVERYDAY I am truly so grateful we live here.

The golden leaves are magical to me…makes me so happy!

Q’s newest hobby is catching tadpoles. :)

No filter needed!

I hope you spent some time in nature this weekend. It’s so good for the soul. Happy Monday and thanks so much for following along on this journey! I am glad you are here. :)

Are we having FUN yet?!

Almost as soon as Construction began———it came to a halt. Rain! Rain! Go Away! The crew completed the footers on Thursday, and the rain started shortly after. Jon and I spent part of yesterday digging additional trenches to divert some of the water. Not the most fun we’ve ever had but it’s done and sunny days are coming! The process has started, and we are still grateful to be in this messy place we call home.

Are we having fun yet?!?!

We've already learned so much during this renovation, and I feel like the work is just beginning. Shifting our perspective to what we do have control over has helped me not to feel too overwhelmed. It's not a perfect process, but the result will be worth all the blood, sweat, tears, AND money….of that we are confident. I also know when this phase of renovations is complete; I shall be done. Done!!

Art Class

Our mailbox was in ROUGH shape! We plan on getting a new one and moving the location but until that happens I thought the kids would have fun painting the current one. Kicking myself for not taking a before pic but just picture an ugly, dull black mailbox!

I spray painted the whole thing with a rust-resistant grey, and let that dry. Then let the kids help paint it with some leftover spray paint we had around the house.

They loved pulling off the tape! It's not perfect but it was a fun way to use up some paint and get them OUTSIDE and off their computers. We had Art Class our way. :)

Long walks, snakes and babies that don't keep

As tight and messy as our space has become during this renovation, I still love coming home—the drive, the views the sky, the silence. It's an incredible blessing to be surrounded by this much nature in our ever-changing virtual world.

SNAKE!

I could do without the Copperhead….

I could do without the Copperheads though! This was the highlight of our most recent early morning walk. A (thankfully) dead Copperhead in the middle of our driveway.

Another highlight from our walk—-my baby girl. Babies don’t keep but her beautiful, kind eyes certainly do!