Under Construction

Moving. Everyone hates moving. 

Except for me. 

I suppose I do- in a way, it's easy to despise the minutia of it, the cleaning, the heavy lifting, etc. But, it's the vision that makes us do it. It's the overall goal, the end of the day, the light at the end of the tunnel that says, it's worth it to pick up your belongings and make a CHANGE!  

That's how I'm feeling lately. We bought a house. WOW! A REAL live adult-like home with garage door openers and a garbage disposal and cabinets that close (mine pop back open when you close them) and a built in dishwasher rather than one that rolls. And Jon and I really, really love it- it is just US and we will fit in it and love it for ever and ever. We will literally never move from this house unless something drastic happens.

And, it's not just the house that will be new, I will have a new work place. Ever since I started working in the basement at the hospital, I promised myself I would not spend the entirety of my 20s working in a basement. Well, I'm 29 and 1/2 and I am about to get out of my 4th basement office and get into an above ground studio! And, what's even better is that it is alll mine so we can do whatever we want to it- invest, tear down, add to, paint, ANYTHING.

So, the building itself has a lot of character. It has swinging outside walls, is nestled right next to the woods, and has a nice tall ceiling. There is a lot to be done however to make it climate controlled, bug proof, water proof, lighted, functional, etc.

Here are the official "before" pictures:

It has been kept open like you see above and below with a wall swung out and propped up like an over hang. This will be turned into a permanent awning with four posts and we will install a french door in place of the wall. I will still have the open air ability and natural light, but will be able to close it and keep out weather, birds, rodents, etc.

It has a nice gravel path leading up to it from our drive way.

A look from the front with my handy friend and family checking it out as we were still shopping the property.

 The inside- all the inside extras have been removed now. The previous owner used this as a wood working shop. He had lots of gadgets everywhere, such as a swinging hose you can see in the above photo. Just removing the extra things I didn't need made a huge difference. The previous owner wanted to know if the new husband owner would be able to get good use out of the shop- he was glad to know that even though the answer to his question was a no, that it would certainly be put to use by the hubby's other half.

Here is present day!  My father in law, friend Gorg, and husband have been hard at work at rebuilding walls, adding 2x4s in the ceiling, getting spaces ready for windows, and keeping me on track for decisions I need to make and things I need to do.

Here is a look from the inside, it's deceivingly nice right now due to our temperate weather we have been having- I almost want to say, stop the project! This is perfect just like this!

Ah! And in went the french door yesterday. There is more to be done to frame it up but it is in there and is already giving a great effect. Today the electrical wiring for everything from the outlets to the lights to the kiln and AC will all be put in place. Then we will move on to insulation and walls.

And then finally, my idea of the finished product is below. I keep tweaking it and shifting things around but that is really the fun part, and I can do that the rest of my life.

Well, I'm pretty excited if you can't tell- things are coming along each day and we will have it up and running by camp time. I've been really busy with orders, and well, moving, so I may not update for a while, but I wanted to get some "before" photos documented so I could go back and remember what all took place. I'm so thankful for all my family and friends that are pulling this off.  It truly reminds me that we DO belong to each other as one of my favorite writers, Glennon Melton, says, and the highest form of involvement with other humans is interdependence (who says this, Carnegie?).

More to come... much much more.

Love, Lisa