The house rises

As I drove down the Ridge Road, I told myself, "don't expect too much...maybe one new wall or so." But I was actually hoping that I would see the upstairs coming well along. That I would see the shape of the old house rising up. Closer, closer, closer. Yes! I could see it!

Beautiful fall weather in Vermont. Very cool, but sunny. The crew has been able to move forward quickly. The window delivery is next Monday. The metal roof will go on soon.

I walked around inside the house. Whereas last time it was seeming a bit small, sure enough this time it is larger!

This opening will be French doors out onto a porch/deck all along the south side. Nice view.

I'll also be able to look straight over to the barn from here.

(The dirt pile and rocks in the foreground will finally be gone next week.)

This is the layout looking from the dining room area into the living room. In the old house there was a wide opening between the two rooms (sort of like an archway) but more walled in than this will be. The small wall you can see on the right in this photo, will have the wood stove/hearth on the living room (far) side. This side of that wall towards the kitchen (near side) will have a tall pantry cupboard.

Here's a slightly different angle on the same view (see photo below). This would be taken from the kitchen sink looking back at the other rooms.

The living room is on the far end of this photo on the other side of that small wall. You can see what will be the wide front door near the base of the stairway. That used to be a wide hallway, but will now be open to the living room.

In the foreground of this photo, straight ahead and to the right is the kitchen...up to that small wall. In the foreground and to the left is the dining room. Halfway across the kitchen to the left will be an island section made of the same bases as other kitchen cabinets (kind of plunked in the middle of this space in the foreground, running from the foreground towards the background.) It will separate the kitchen from the dining room a bit.

Now let's pivot...imagine you are standing at the stove and looking back around towards the kitchen (see the rectangular framed box on the left that will be the kitchen windows over the sink). From here there will be the island straight ahead, running from left to right, and then beyond that the dining room.

Let's head up the stairs.

A little harder to visualize up here, but next week we will have a better view of the layout.

This view (photo below) is looking towards the west, the front of the house. It used to be the tiny '3rd bedroom' with the best view of the mountains. This will all be open now, a sitting nook with the view available from this whole middle section of the upstairs at the top of the stairs (via the two windows that were always there in that front dormer).

Here's where those two windows will go.

Upstairs south bedroom, looking towards the barn.

Upstairs bedroom to the north.

View from the upstairs bathroom towards the back of the house. There will be a bathroom-sized dormer up here eventually.

View of the house from the barn.

Next week, the house foundation backfilling will get finished and perfected, the dirt pile and rocks will get moved, along with the beginnings of a stone wall to protect the well head. There was always a stone wall there along the little road that goes up to the barn. So it will be in that area and flowers will get replanted...Lilly of the Valley, along with Irises and others.

Love this little place on the hill.

See you next week!