Saturday, September 12, 2015

Farmhouse Renovation Update

Hello-
A current update on our farmhouse renovation is long over due!

I'll begin by sharing our inspiration for the exterior improvements we are working on.  This rustic little farmhouse had a similar layout with the look and feel we wanted to achieve.  So this is what we came up with.....


Dirt was moved to build up and create a pad next to the home to prepare for the building of a terrace. Fortunately we have plenty of dirt on our 21 acre parcel here, so didn't have to go far to get all this.




What was once the side of the home will now be the front. Placement of a new front door, new windows and dormer with new roof will help re-orient not just the outside but will also make better use of the interior floor plan.  This home has a garage underneath so access was up a flight of stairs via a deck wrapped around half of home.  The big ugly deck had to go!! 
Footings and foundation are in progress before terrace walls can be built


The relocation of the back door will require new stone steps and some retaining walls but with a large portion of the deck removed it looks better already.  Once the new doors are in and new windows installed the rest of the deck will be torn down. Can't wait for that day! 


The wood siding will be stripped and the entire exterior replaced with a rustic color coat stucco.  We want to experiment with mixing multiple colors of stucco as it's applied for a very aged rustic appearance so Tom will likely take on the application himself.  We'll experiment with colors in several test applications as we get closer and see what we can come up with. 

 
Our favorite french country cottage was the inspiration for a new dormer to be added in the roof above the new front door. We stayed here in July during our shopping trip with Sharon of My French Country Home. It is such a charming little place.


and we love the look of several structures sharing a courtyard or terrace as in the photo below. If we ever add on at some point in the future the improvements we are making now can be incorporated into a future design.





 I'll continue to update on our progress and post photos to instagram as well.
 
We also ordered the vines for our vineyard. 3 to 4 acres of Rhone Varietals will be planted next spring so  Tom is also organizing the preparation of the water storage tanks and irrigation system for the vineyard. A small wine production facility and tasting room venue is also planned in the next phase of this project.




With several projects in various stages going on, Tom cut his "real job" work schedule back to three days a week so he can spend time at the site managing the progress. I continue to work full time and live 5 days a week on the Monterey peninsula gathering  inspiration and planning the interior renovation which we will dive into once the major exterior pieces are in place.   Stay tuned and yes, we are an ambitious couple!!

Cheers!

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