Category: News

This house is becoming a home!

We’ve been in the house for almost 3 months now. It’s still half construction site, but it’s now officially home! We (mostly) finished the two upstairs bedrooms before we moved in, but we’re still putting the finishing touches like baseboards and framing in the windows.

Claire’s room is so close to being done! Cory framed in her window and completed her built in toy closet. I painted it but we haven’t put shelves in yet. This space was previously part of her closet. It was a narrow long space, so we decided to break it up and open the access. This will be a more functional way to store her toys, separate from her clothes and true storage items. Here is the during and almost final product of Claire’s built in toy closet:




We also haven’t hung anything on our precious walls!!! I do want to hang pictures, but the thought of putting a hole in our freshly painted, newly hung drywall still makes me cringe (a lot).

The progress has slowed down a bit now that we live here. As expected, we spent time over the summer cleaning up the property and keeping it mowed. We miiiight have even spent some time floating in the pool with friends and family! We also found some great end of season bargains on outdoor furniture. We got a sofa set for the deck, a pair of chases, new umbrella for the table and two huge deck boxes to store all of the fun new pool toys.



Now that it’s turned chilly we had a cover made and winterized the pool. The one we chose is highly rated for safety, a 95% mesh weave, and will (hopefully) cut down the algae growth over the winter. We got lucky and were able to use all of the existing anchors for the cover so we didn’t have to drill into the concrete, phew!



We had some of the water hydrants in and around the barn replaced and spent several weekends clearing and burning branches.



Our major project in the house right now is the upstairs bathroom. It will be Claire’s bathroom and serve as the guest bathroom. I have a design plan and the tub is installed, so it should go pretty quickly now. I’ve got a test spot of the paint color drying on the wall as I type. This is some of what I’m planning:

clockwise from top right: floor tile, shower tile, vanity, granite for vanity, shower curtain, and wall color

We also replaced the water heater. Not as flashy, but oh so necessary!

On a more fun note, we were very generously given their outgrown swing set by Grampa (Cory’s Dad), Grandma Judy and Ben! Cory and his Dad spend most of last Sunday reconstructing it on the farm. Claire absolutely adores it (thank you guys)! We will be spending a lot of time out there enjoying it this fall!




More updates coming soon, along with more pictures of the upstairs. As always, thanks so much for checking in as we FIX THIS FARM!

October 29, 2015
TA DA! New exterior.

Without further ado, the big exterior reveal: Before & After pics

Before – Front Door

We couldn’t be happier with the new look of the house. The new siding is finally complete and the new windows are in! There is so much more light in the house now.

As you can see we changed two of the windows on this side of the house. The far left hand window was shortened to accommodate shelving and storage that will go in the new mud room. The second window from the right was shortened because we are remodeling the master bathroom and there will eventually be a shower right there.

After – Front Door

Before – road side

After – road side

Before – Back

The back looks totally different! The deck is on the project list this summer as well.

After – Back

(spoiler alert – the pool is my next post!)

We also love how the grey blue plays off the stone.

Siding and Stone

We have been so touched by the kind words that so many people have sent us. Thank you for following our journey as we FIX THIS FARM!

Two more posts to come tonight, we’ve been super busy! – Beth

June 7, 2015
We’ve got water.

We’re also excited to share that the pool is no longer just a hole in the ground, it’s officially a POOL! One that you can actually get in without needing some sort of tetanus or cootie shot afterward. We got to enjoy it with family on Memorial Day. I have to admit, it’s pretty nice to take quick swim breaks while working in the house.

Pool Before

Vegetation cleared, coping primed and stairs epoxied.

wait for it… you’re sitting down, right?

Pool Done!

I even got to ride for the first time in my own ring last weekend. It was absolutely amazing!! I’m so grateful that Sam brought her fabulous mare Fiona out for me to play with! Icing on the cake – I got to ride with Garland and Diesel THEN we all got in the pool post ride. Pinch me 😉

Back to reality with lots of work to do…

XOXO -Beth

June 7, 2015
So many projects, so little time!

Hello! We’ve made some major progress since my last post. Hold on to your jig saws, here come the pictures. (I’m still a little uncertain as to which one the jig saw actually is, but I’m picking up the DIY lingo!)

With the help of our WONDERFUL family we were able to make quick work of clearing all of the vegetation out of the “pool”. It’s amazing what 9 Peters, 2 Grahams, and 2 Cates can do when promised pizza and future swimming! THANK YOU ALL, we really appreciate it.

The family hard at work!

Pool Workday

Doesn’t look like the same hole.

We did have to call in the professionals for several projects. Getting the water back on was quite a feat! The well for the whole property is run off of the barn electricity so we had to have the Duke power meter relocated. It was previously housed on a dilapidated shed. Once the box was relocated, the power lines re-routed, and finally connected then we could turn on the well. It took 4 different visits from 4 different crews. Then, Claire and I spent a day with the plumber replacing pipes in the well house to get the water actually running again. We finally have water in the house! Thankfully the pump seems to be working fine but the pressure tanks will need to be replaced soon. Add it to the list… it’s a darn good thing that I enjoy making lists.

We’ve also had carpenters Joe and Mitch out working on the house. They pulled all of the rotten cedar siding down and put up OSB and Tyvek in preparation for the new vinyl siding. They also installed all of our new doors. We made modifications to 3 out of 4 doors on the house.

Even Tyvek is an improvement!

Tyvek with new storm door.

Since the house was retrofitted for handicap access it had a big sliding glass door as the front door. We re-framed and replaced that with a traditional wooden front door. We closed in the porch overhang into a small mudroom and added a storm door.

Cory’s office door was replaced with no major modifications. However, we did have to replace some water damaged sub flooring.

Joe and Mitch working their magic.

Cory’s office door installed.

The biggest change was made to the door in the living room. In order to increase access to our outdoor living space we wanted to open the area up as much as possible. So the wall, bay window and small door all came out to make room for a 9.5 foot, 4 panel french sliding door. I’m so excited that it completely changes the space and adds a view of the pool!

Back door onto deck.

Back door open.

The siding and window crew started today, so check back soon for the official before and after pictures. I can’t believe the difference already!

Thanks for following our journey as we FIX THIS FARM. xoxo – Beth

May 15, 2015
The one month mark.

We’re making some major progress! A month has flown by since we purchased the farm and we have had several great work weekends. Huge shout out to our family and friends for all of the help and support!!

PODS arriving

Our PODS were delivered and our second 22 yard dumpster is completely full. We de-tree’d (new word) the pool and backyard fence line then drug everything to our newly constructed burn pile. Which, was harder than it sounds… trees are heavy. Very, very heavy. We also pulled the old pool cover out of the bottom of the pool. It’s starting to look like a proper hole in the ground. I mean pool!

Pool Before

After:

Pool (mostly) tree free

Burn pile and another pile ready for the chainsaw:

Burn pile

Now that the new roof is on and there are no move active leaks, Cory is working some magic on the upstairs! I’ll let him show you his transformation thus far. It’s amazing!!!

I was thrilled to get some major scrubbing done downstairs – from ceilings to floors! Cory moved in our dishwasher and refrigerator. I also got the laundry room scrubbed and a fresh coat of paint on before Cory brought in the washer and dryer. I can’t wait to get some fun storage bins. I’m on a mission to optimize every single bit of storage space available in this house. I’ll post pictures when the laundry room is complete!

Don’t be fooled, this month has not been all work and no play for the Peters. We did take time out to monkey around a little for Claire’s FIRST BIRTHDAY!

As always, thanks for following us as we FIX THIS FARM!

-Beth

March 19, 2015
NEW ROOF!

I’m so excited that the exterior transformation has begun! Check out the before and after of our new roof. It was raining when I took the after pictures but the new roof is grey and best of all, not missing huge chunks. HOORAY!

Before:

In progress:

AFTER:

Next step… siding, windows, and doors!

Thanks for checking in 🙂

-Beth

March 16, 2015
Projects, projects, projects!
Throughout this adventure you’ll probably learn three things about me. I get bored easily, I prefer to multi-task and I finish what I start (eventually). The first two tend to get in the way of the third one as Beth can attest to when I installed hardwood floors in our old house. This is going to be a major DIY project for us, and it will really challenge us… but we’re diving in head first.

So with that in mind we have started three projects at the same time (told you). We’re going to post on the progress of each of these projects separately using categories within the blog so that you’ll be able to keep track of the progress on a single project by just filtering on that specific tag. We’re hoping this will be the best format but we’ll see how it goes.

Project #1 – Exterior

We’re really excited about this one. This should really start a massive transformation on the house.
- Scope: Replace the roof, siding, windows and doors.
- Code Name: Curb Appeal
- Project Lead: Beth
- DIY? No, we’re calling in the professionals on this one.
- Blog Category to Follow: Exterior
Project #2 – Pool

I used to be a Life Guard and Certified Pool Operator but there’s nothing in my old books about this. I don’t think shocking it with chlorine is going to cut it.
- Scope: Remove all debris from the pool, repair the pump and plumbing, replace the liner and generally get the pool functioning again.
- Code Name: Terrarium
- Project Lead: Cory
- DIY? For now…
- Blog Category to Follow: Pool
Project #3 – Upstairs

This may be broken down into three separate projects in the future.
- Scope: Gut the upstairs with new insulation, drywall, floors and re-do the bathroom.
- Code Name: Claire’s Domain
- Project Lead: Cory
- DIY? You betcha.
- Blog Category to Follow: Upstairs
February 23, 2015
Before Photos

Welcome to the farm! Hardhats on for the official before tour. Enjoy!

Photo 1 – The house. The entire house will have a facelift very soon but that’s a post all on it’s own.

Photo 2 – Shed by the house. Future carport?

Photo 3 – The “pool”, aka the terrarium. And yes, that is indeed a maple growing in it. Fear not, it will be one day be a pool again.

Photo 4 – The view from the back deck. In the future, this will be one of my favorite spots on the farm! Imagine with me… pergola, grill, floating in the pool, umbrella drink and view of the horses, ahhhh. But back to reality, the deck is not in phase one of the renovation plan.

Photo 5 – Barn. The barn is also in need of a lot of work but that’s phase two for sure.

Photo 6 – Indoor arena with attached tack room. It’s in desperate need of footing and kick boards.

Photo 7 – This shed row will be one of the first things to go. I can’t wait to see the barn from the front door.

Photo 8 & 9 – Buildings

Photo 10 – Outdoor arena

We’ve yet to settle on a name for the farm so stay tuned. Thanks for joining us as we FIX THIS FARM!

February 16, 2015
Our Big News

We bought a farm today!! My face is still stuck in an extremely goofy perma-grin.

We bought 14 acres of the old Sunburst property with a house, a big barn, an outdoor arena, an indoor arena and about 6 other buildings in various states of disrepair. Oh, and one large hole in the ground formally known as a pool. With a little TLC, I think it will be awesome. Here you can join us on our new adventure as we FIX THIS FARM. We will be contracting out and (mostly) DIY’ing our way to our own little slice of paradise.

I’ll post the official “Before” photos tomorrow evening.

PS – We also acquired the coolest next door neighbors EVER.

February 13, 2015