EXCITED to see some progress on our house building! The appraisal came back better than we expected, and we closed on our construction loan at the beginning of the month.
Since then, we have taken down quite a few more trees, experienced some sewer drama, and watched the crew begin site prep. Watch the linked videos for more info on all of that!
Still so far to go, but we are anxious to finally be seeing some movement!
PREPARING for some projects of our own.
While the crew takes care of the house building, we will be finishing up some of the projects that are small enough for us to tackle. We still have projects from last year’s summer bucket list to finish. Eight of the dining room chairs still need to be painted black, the girl’s bed frames need to be sanded and repainted, and these lovely cast iron sinks could use a good scrubbing and some TLC.
FINISHING up the school year. This has been the craziest month to date in terms of activities. Track meets, field trips, and concerts. Even preschool graduation!
We have had a wonderful school year, but are very much looking forward to summer and all the fun that’s in store!
STEPPING into summer with grateful hearts. Every year on Mother’s Day I ask for just one special gift. Family photos and a picture of myself with all of our babies.
So blessed to call this family mine. And looking forward to spending more time together in the coming months!
This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our family YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!
There is something special about a covered front porch. Today I am sharing the front porch essentials that can help you create a welcoming outdoor room.
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Most people who see a home with a front porch will have a fond memory fill their minds. Perhaps the sight of a porch brings back feelings of family and gathering. Maybe it is a bit of nostalgia – longing for simpler times.
With summer right around the corner, and the anticipation of Arrow Hill Cottage being built, I have found myself really looking forward to spending time on the front porch. Though we won’t be able to enjoy the space until this time next year, I did a bit of research trying to figure out how we can make it as comfortable and relaxing as possible.
Below are the front porch essentials I believe make them special. I also share the products that can enhance each of these elements.
A SENSE OF WELCOME
To their very core purpose, porches provide a sense of welcome. They are the gateways from the hustle and bustle of the roadway to the peacefulness of indoors.
The most connected neighborhoods likely have homes that are outfitted with front porches. Sadly, it is rare for homes to be built with front porches nowadays. It is much more typical to find a garage positioned closest to the street, with a rather small front door set back.
We were very careful, during the design of our cottage, to include a large covered front porch. Not only do we believe it improves the look of the house itself (see for yourself in this post), we also feel that it will make our home feel more welcoming to our friends and neighbors. Porches have a way of encouraging face to face conversations with neighbors.
Adding a welcome sign to a front porch is a great sentiment, as is a cherry welcome mat.
A PLACE TO CONVERSE
Once a person has stepped onto a front porch, they are going to want to stay a while. Almost guaranteed. Give yourself and your visitors that opportunity by providing plenty of seating.
A porch swing is classic, and a staple for most front porches. We will definitely be incorporating one!
Be sure to offer a variety of seating options. Placing a matching set of chairs opposite the porch swing, for example, can create a wonderful conversation spot. Provide a mix of rocking and stationary seating.
Large ottomans or plush outdoor pillows are great for little ones. They can easily be moved around, perhaps even serving as a small table for a snack, or to hold a book.
A SPOT TO RELAX
Your front porch should be an extension of your home’s interior. Soften it’s hard lines by adding cozy elements such as layered rugs and pillows. Don’t be afraid to have fun with color and pattern. These elements can also infuse a bit of excitement and playfulness to the porch space.
AN ENTERTAINING SPACE
Porches also make great entertaining spaces. The purchase of a small beverage and snack cart can make a statement. Find one with wheels, so that it can easily be moved in and out of the house to be reloaded with snacks and drinks. An antique buffet or dresser can be set up in the milder weather months of the year, offering a more permanent entertainment solution.
A large drink dispenser allows guests to help themselves. You may even choose to refill the dispenser daily and keep it on the porch during the hot summer months, for family members to access when working and playing outdoors.
With proper seating provided, it is important to also include small tables where drinks can be placed. Nestle a table in between a set of chairs, or offer small serving trays that can be held on laps.
A CONNECTION TO NATURE
Another element that makes a front porch special is the connection it has to nature. Covered porches have a sheltering aspect, while also allowing users to feel the soft Summer breeze and smell the crispness of Fall air.
Try adding potted plants and small trees to the space. Hanging flower baskets are very popular among front porch owners.
One way we are planning to further connect the porch at Arrow Hill Cottage to nature is by incorporating a large planter. This project was the topic of much debate between myself and my husband. I think that I have won the battle, at least for now, and am very excited to see the planter come to life!
A SHELTER FROM OUTDOOR ELEMENTS
The outdoor experience can be enhanced by adding a bit of climate control to your front porch. This can be as simple as choosing appropriate lighting, to extend the usefulness of the space.
For the stuffy, hot summer afternoons, consider including a ceiling fan on the front porch. They can be found in a wide variety of styles.
Though the ceiling of a covered porch will add some protection from the sun’s overhead rays, a set of sheer curtains can help filter light further. They may also have the added benefit of deterring bugs and proving privacy when closed fully.
I hope that these porch essentials and product suggestions were useful to you, and give you insight into some ways to make your space really shine! If you have a front porch that you love, I want to hear what you do to make it a go-to space. Please comment below with your tips!
PIN THESE PORCH ESSENTIAL IDEAS
Click the links below for product information of all items in this post
It has been a whirlwind to say the least. In the last update I gave you, we were busy clearing trees from the property in the hopes that we would be able to build. We had to wait for our appraisal report, to find out if it would financially make sense to build at this moment in time.
Sorry to leave you hanging like that, but a lot has happened since that point – and I am ready to share all of that with you today!
A seasoned blogger might put their reader in suspense. Maybe make them scroll through the entire post to get to the news that they came for. Lucky for you, I’m not a seasoned blogger. I feel like sharing this news right away!
The answer is…YES!
We are going to be building our simple dream house!
To be honest, I doubted this many times over the past couple of weeks. I questioned our motives. Wondered if we were being foolish or greedy. It isn’t easy to take on a dream that has been in the back of your mind for so many years. You question why that dream came to be in the first place. Lose a bit of your resolve.
But, through many heart felt conversations with family and friends, and silent prayer seeking His truth, we felt hopeful. And just last week it was confirmed.
We signed on the dotted line, our intention to make this dream a reality. And we couldn’t be more excited (or nervous) about it.
If you think it has been all sunshine and roses since closing day though, think again. In fact there has been a whole lot of drama. Hence the title of today’s update post.
So much has happened in the past coupe of weeks, in fact, that it is hard to explain. I knew it would be much easier for me to sort it out in video format instead of typing every last word. Though the video is a bit long, I encourage you to watch through the entire sixteen minutes, to get up to speed to where we are at! Information given in the video may become relevant in future new home construction updates.
HOUSE BUILDING UPDATE NO.2
Whew! If you watched through the video you know that the roller coaster ride has just begun. We were aware that new home construction presented some drama, I think we just were surprised to see it happening so soon! I hope you will come along for the ride and share all the highs and lows with us!
At this point it is my plan to give house building updates at least once every couple of weeks, perhaps once per week if there is enough to share. I also hope to continue blogging about simple living tips and resources, as time allows.
Let’s be honest though, this summer is mainly going to be ALL about the house! Other posts regarding our new home construction can be found HERE.
Let’s be real. The rooms where kid’s play tend to get messed up faster than any other room in the house. Today, I am sharing a quick toy room refresh that I recently did at our rental home.
We have lived in this rental house for four years now. There is no basement here, and I can honestly say that I miss having a ‘kid zone’ space tremendously. While we definitely have a nice basement in the works for our new home, we have been making due, for now.
OUR TOY ROOM
The main level of the rental farmhouse has a small room that we have set up as a play space for the kids. It includes a tv with a gaming station, a couple of computers, a whole lot of Legos, and other miscellaneous toys. Brace yourself for a couple of pre-cleaning before photos.
This room is used on a daily basis. And, generally, we have the kids tidy it up every night before bed. However, the past couple of weeks have been beyond busy. With house building preparation in full swing, we haven’t always remembered to have the kids clean up. I walked into the toy room the other day and was horrified. It was an absolute mess!
In some weird way, cleaning is therapeutic for me. And so, this week I decided to use part of the afternoon, before picking the kids up from school, to get the job done.
WATCH ME CLEAN
I put on a pair of headphones, and my favorite Podcast (Young House Love Has A Podcast), and set to work. Listening to something entertaining while cleaning definitely keeps me going. Give it a try!
OUR TOY ROOM AFTER
With one hour of focused attention, I was able to get the play area tidy. You parents out there know that it isn’t likely to stay looking like this for long. But, I suppose that is just as it should be. After all, a toy room’s main purpose is to be played in!
I appreciate that the room has a bit of open floor space for the kids to sprawl out with their toys. The trampoline is also a hit with the girls. We are still debating if we will take it with us when we move.
The electronics section got a major cleaning. I made sure to use Clorox wipes on the controllers and computer mice. It’s doubtful that the kids would ever think to do that on their own!
The Lego area is ready for more creativity. Just in case you are wondering, yes. We do sort our Lego’s by color! Since this cheap shelving unit won’t be making the move with us, I will be searching for other ideas on how to store the collection.
TIPS FOR CONTROLLING TOY CLUTTER
At some point I will do a more in depth post about how to keep kid’s toys in check. But, for now I want to offer up a few quick tips.
ONLY KEEP WHAT THE KIDS USE
As I mentioned in this post about Kids + Minimalism, we have definitely seen that less is more when it comes to toys. We have decluttered our kid’s collection down to the basics. Their favorites include standard wooden blocks, a few dolls, matchbox cars, and, of course, Legos. All of these toy items allow for plenty of open ended playing.
STORE IN EASILY ACCESSIBLE BINS
Unless you want to be constantly supervising play time, it is essential that the toys themselves are accessible to the kids. Keeping them on low shelving and in durable bins is a good idea.
ESTABLISH SOME RULES
Teaching kids to clean up after themselves is an important life lesson. A great place to start is by making sure that they learn to put away any toys they are finished playing with. This is also one of the seven daily habits that can help you keep your house tidy without the stress!
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As step one in the construction of our new, custom designed cottage, we are starting site clearing. Our building site is essentially covered with mature trees, some of which are possibly over one hundred years old.
Arrow Hill Cottage Construction | Week 1
For future construction updates, please visit this link
It feels a little surreal to be writing this post documenting the start of a construction process, after ten plus years of dreaming, planning, and calculating. And, in full disclosure, we aren’t even fully sure that everything will be going ahead just yet.
We are currently in a holding pattern, waiting on appraisal results. The bank wants to know what the value of our property, with the house we are proposing, will be worth when completed. This appraisal valuation will determine the amount of money they are willing to loan us for the construction.
Ideally, we would not have to go through the bank at all. Yet, as you are probably aware, building a brand new house is quite the investment. Knowing that we are planning to live in this house for hopefully the rest of our lives, we are willing to put more money toward it upfront.
However, as mentioned in a recent post about how to save money, we are a frugal pair. Spending this large sum of money is scary for us, and we want to be sure we are doing things in a financially wise way. Being guided by emotions alone could get us in trouble.
So, for now, we wait to hear back. In the meantime, we want to be productive and moving in a forward direction. And so, this past weekend we started clearing the site.
NATURAL FEATURES OF THE SITE
Our building site features over two and a half acres of mature trees. Mainly, species of oak, maple and aspen. The land slopes toward a 6 acre pond. It is an incredible setting, and we absolutely want to be mindful of the unique natural features during construction.
The photo above was taken many years ago, when we first purchased the property. Standing on the frozen pond and looking toward the land, one can get a clear view of the site’s beauty.
You can read about why we chose the name Arrow Hill Cottage for our property in this post. Take a virtual tour of the site by checking out this post.
SITE CLEARING FOR OUR NEW HOUSE
Though it is sad to think of having to take down any tree, removing a hundred year old tree is that much more painful. However, there is simply no way around the fact that some trees will need to be lost in order to build a house on this particular site.
I was very careful, during the design process, to minimize the house footprint. This decision will reduce the number of trees that will need to be removed.
We walked the property with our contractor and the excavator, to determine a general position for the house. They marked the trees that they felt would be within the footprint, or would be too close to the finished house. Then Craig and his dad set to work.
CUTTING TREES DURING SITE CLEARING
Thankfully, Craig’s dad has a lot of experience with cutting down large trees. Craig’s parents continue to heat their house through the winter by using a wood burning furnace. It definitely isn’t the most convenient method of heating a home, but the warmth is unsurpassed.
Instead of paying a tree removal company to come and cut down the trees, we were able to do a trade of service. By helping us remove the trees, we compensated Craig’s parents with wood that can be used to heat their house. A win for everyone involved.
A few of the very large oak trees have long, straight trunks. We hope to find someone who is able to mill these into boards. These boards would then create a very special feature piece for the finished house – a harvest dining table.
CLEARING THE SITE VIDEO
Though it was sad to cut down such large trees, it was an amazing site (and sound) to watch.
GETTING THE KIDS INVOLVED
This process is so special for our family. Our boys especially are very interested in how the house will come together. They want to be involved as much as possible, and clearing the site offered a wonderful opportunity. Our oldest and youngest son joined us this time, while our middle son helped out by watching the girls.
They got a kick out of trying to use semi-dulled axes to cut at a few of the smaller trees. Hauling away the branches and loading the logs into grandpa’s truck were a couple other things that kept them busy while the adults were doing the heavy work.
Of course, there is always time for a short hot cocoa break! Showing our children the hard work that is involved in building a house is invaluable. We hope that these memories will stay with them throughout their lives. And I will cherish these photos.
COMING UP NEXT
After a few more trees are cleared, and we are able to mark out the property lines and the setbacks, we will be able to position the house. There is still a bit of a question as to the most suitable angle for the house.
On paper, it made sense to angle the cottage so that the porch was oriented toward the road. When standing on the site, however, there is an argument to be made in favor of rotating it so that the long dimension faces the pond. This would give the best pond view out of the living room window. It would also, according to the excavator, be less expensive when it comes to positioning the walkout and the amount of retaining wall that would need to be used.
The trade off of this rotation is that the view from the kitchen sink wouldn’t be ideal. It’s likely we will end up splitting the difference between both rotations.
The positioning of the cottage is going to be pretty important. It isn’t like a wall color that can be changed in a few years!
OTHER SIMPLE HOUSES BEING BUILT
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