What we’ve accomplished in 4 years on our property

Every Winter, as we sit in our cottage with rain running down the front windows and wind whistling under the front door, I tend to struggle with seasonal depression and discontent. I mean, the reason we purchased this home was…not exactly the house itself. I remember saying things back then like “You can do anything with a house!” and “The house doesn’t matter, it’s the PROPERTY.” In fact, we didn’t even see the inside of the home until we were already under contract. But I was full of confidence and optimism, and so we went for it. It’s been a wilder ride than I ever could have imagined, but there has also been a heap of good. And that’s what I want to celebrate today. Let’s dive in to what we’ve accomplished in 4 years on our homestead.

A little history of our cottage

Today as it stands, our cottage is 1,848 sq ft. Originally it was much smaller- a 1-story cottage with an attic- but sometime in the 1990’s the attic was turned into 2 bedrooms and a small bathroom. The previous owners also added a mudroom, bathroom and bedroom off the back, an entry, dining room and study off the front. This really expanded the footprint of the house. I have a hard time imagining how tiny it must have felt before. They also put in beautiful wood windows on the main level in that era, and planted trees along the entire perimeter of the property, both of which I am continuously grateful for.

When we got ahold of the cottage in 2020 however, it had not been touched since that update in the 90’s. It sat empty for over a year. There were heaps of mouse droppings in the corners, especially the kitchen, and someone had decided to spray the entire house in a depressing shade of gray. I remember walking through after we’d already had our offer accepted on the property, thinking, “Every inch of this needs redone.” But we were fresh off a completed house renovation, my contractor Dad was with us, and I felt confident we could do what needed to be done.

The project begins

Soon enough, the keys were ours and it was time to begin. The boys and I grabbed hammers and started bashing into walls just hours after we signed our life away on a large stack of papers. We measured rooms and brought in the flooring material that needed to acclimate before install and move in. We ripped up carpets and removed tack strips and we were on our way! And I hardly had time to stop and think about what we were getting ourselves into.

With our former home, we had bought it in November and spent the next two months doing an extreme makeover. By the time we moved in in January, everything but a few small details were completed. It was essentially like moving into a brand new house. Small and simple, but clean, fresh and lovely.

When we moved in to Bramblewood, just a couple weeks after getting the keys, the only thing we had completed was the new flooring. We had no walls in some rooms, no kitchen, no trim, no heat, lighting or comforts of any kind. It was like we had gone through the demo phase, but had barely even begun to put things back together. With no basement, garage or even any closets, the boxes from our old home ended up stacked to the ceiling in one single room. It took me months to get through them all.

The rest of the house was a construction zone. I’ll never forget the look on my SIL’s face when she arrived at our “new house” for the first time. The look in her eyes said, “What in the world are you thinking!?” It was the first time I stopped, looked around and thought the same thing. What was I thinking leaving my beautiful, finished house and moving into this DUMP!?

We lived out of boxes for the first six weeks, navigating a cardboard labyrinth every time we needed a pot, pan or plate. I had a 2 and 4 year old who were refusing to nap in this new, unfamiliar space. They had nowhere clean or clear to play or even move. It was January, the rain was pouring outside, and I ran smack dab into the reality of our new situation. What had we done!?

Saved from ruin

More than once over the last 4 years here have I found myself in utter despair, flying high on the heights of progress, battling with deep discouragement, and having moments of pure magic. More than once have I plotted a quick and drastic escape. More than once, in nearly the same breath I have said “I understand why people commit arson,” and “I’m pretty sure there’s no better place on earth.” Living here has put most- if not all- of my weaknesses and flaws under a microscope. Pushed me to the limits of who I thought I was, and what I thought I could handle. But along the way of this very bumpy ride, God has called me up to better things.

We bought this place with the intention of saving it from ruin. With dreams of reclaiming the property, breathing new life into the fields and forests and building something together as a family that would provide us with meaningful work and memories. But as life has happened here, as I’ve been battered by the waves of this all-consuming project, I think I’ve realized that maybe this place is saving ME from ruin.

The ruin of putting too much identity and satisfaction into my home. The ruin of relying on a physical, earthly place for comfort and security. The ruin of thinking I was above envy, comparison or jealousy. I am actually learning, by MUCH trial and error, how to live out the ideals of a slow, simple, faithful life. And goodness, it is beautiful and HARD.

Inside projects we’ve tackled these first 4 years

My intention in writing this post is to celebrate the progress we HAVE made. So that in those (many) moments when it feels like things are standing dead still, or we’ll never get anything finished, I can look back and remember how far we’ve come. I also feel like it’s important to share what it’s actually like to do this sort of thing. It can look SO EASY on TV or the Internet, but when you’re a real person, on a small farming income, with limited time and limited resources, it is a FEAT. So let’s celebrate some feats, shall we?

Pine floors

The first thing we did when we bought the place was install new floors on the main level. There were 5 different types of flooring on this floor, with varying heights, and in such a small space it looked totally crazy. None of the existing floors went together or were very nice in and of themselves, so we decided to level it all out and put the same material in everywhere (besides bathroom and mudroom). We chose an inexpensive 8 inch, 8 foot Pine plank, which we finished with a matte Rubio Monocoat Stain, and though the floors have worn quickly thanks to the softer wood and more natural finish, they are rustic and beautiful. If I could go back, I would have gone for a much lighter, almost white stain like the Swedes do, but live and learn.

Homemade kitchen

With a very small budget, and so much to tackle, we decided not to spend a bunch of money on a kitchen. My Dad had saved my Grandmother’s 1936 gas stove, a Miele dishwasher from an old construction project and some beautiful fir lumber, so together we came up with what we called my “Swedish kitchen.” All we had to buy was an apron front farm sink, faucet, some bead board and a butcher block countertop, and I had a kitchen! It was a huge relief to get that space set up.

We did add a bigger window pretty quickly, which was a game changer. And though I have repainted and redecorated the kitchen 3 times, and we’ve added a few things here and there, my cute little kitchen functions extremely well, especially considering how little we paid for it.

Wood heat

The other project we were forced to tackle almost immediately was the heat situation. 3 weeks after we moved in, Oregon was struck with an historic ice storm that saw us without electricity for 17 days. Luckily my parents had handed down the wood stove that lived in my house growing up, so we quickly pulled it out of the barn, made a hole in the living room wall and popped it into place. We cooked off the top of it like Ma Ingalls, and stayed cozy and warm all through the storm. Once the storm was over, we tried using the baseboard heaters throughout the house, but the electric bill was so high that first month we decided to take them out. We’re still heating with that wood stove today!

Wood paneling on the walls + ceilings

Since the first time I’d laid eyes on our property, something about it just screamed Swedish cottage. So before I even saw the inside of the house, while we waited to see if our offer would be accepted, I began to research Swedish country houses. The things I saw over and over again were: a red cottage with white trim, pine floors, small spaces with lots of doors and windows and white painted paneling. So much paneling. On ceilings, on stairways, but especially on walls. I was intrigued! I’ve never liked drywall, I absolutely loathe that Orange Peel texture so common here in the West, so I loved the idea of covering our shredded living room walls in a beautiful wood paneling.

After living for over a year with half-exposed original shiplap, peppered with shreds of impossible-to-remove-wallpaper, I was SO ready for the paneling project. We covered the kitchen and living room ceilings with 2 inch fir, and paneled the living room wall with 5 inch tongue and groove pine. It was so beautiful I let it sit for almost 6 months before painting it white, but there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for the bright white walls. The lines of the tongue and groove make a small room feel so much taller.

If I have my way, we’ll cover every wall and ceiling with some version of the paneling, but that will take time and money, so it’ll be a slow process.

Stages of the Dining Room over 4 years

I think one of the things people don’t talk about often enough is how many stages there can be in a room before it’s complete. Especially when you’re doing it yourself, especially on a tight budget. When we moved into the utter chaos that was this house, I needed one space that felt clean, tidy and done-ish. So I bought a couple gallons of paint, painted the drywall and any trim that remained, bought a hutch and table off Craigslist and replaced the light fixture. It served us well for a few years, until we were ready to move forward.

The next version of the dining room included the installation of a 4 ft bead board wainscot that coordinated with our kitchen. I painted it dark green and the walls above, a creamy white. Then a few months, later, the wainscot white and the walls above the same light green I’d ended up with in the kitchen. Stereotypical as it may be, I LOVE the white windows and bead board. This room has the BEST light in the house and is such an important space for our family. Between 3 meals a day and homeschool, it’s the most used room by far. We now need to fix the ceiling from taking out the sky light during the new roof installation, and find just the right light fixture. But for now, I’m very happy with where the dining room is at.

New roof and windows upstairs

After a few years of battling all Winter with sickness, we started to wonder if our little old house had some mold issues. We eat healthy, live healthy and couldn’t fathom why we were spending the entire season down for the count. Lo and behold, we did in fact have mold issues. Almost the entire west side of our roof had moldy sheathing (the plywood under the shingles). Since we knew we were also in need of a new roof, we decided to tackle the whole thing at once.

Removing the old roof and moldy sheathing, not to mention taking out skylights, made a HUGE difference not only in our health, but in the look of our house! It looks so fresh and new and updated thanks to that sleek black roof. And I’m happy to say we’ve had a very minimal Winter of illness, at least in comparison.

With all the momentum upstairs, we couldn’t help but wonder if the original 1920’s windows weren’t another possible cause of mold and water damage, so we tackled those next. Despite the fact that there’s still very little insulation up there, the new windows have made an incredible difference in the warmth of the upstairs bedrooms. Not only are they big, beautiful and clean, they’ve kept our boys warmer and healthier all Winter long. We are so grateful!

Building a custom library wall

I think the last indoor project I’ll highlight for now, though there’s lots more work that’s been done, is the custom library wall my husband built in the study/playroom. Though I still haven’t managed to paint it, and have a few more ideas for that space (ahem, window seat), the library wall has been LIFE CHANGING for this homeschool family. I like to consider myself somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to most things, but when it comes to books, well, GIVE ME ALL THE BOOKS.

This shelf helps organize the space, provides room for books and toys to be easily accessible and beautiful, and adds so much character to the space. I love driving home at night, coming around the corner onto our road, and the first thing I see is that library wall through the windows. It’s the BEST.

Outdoor projects we’ve tackled these first 4 years

I will be the first to admit that the outside portion of this property can make me feel overwhelmed, and FAST. It’s a BIG space, with a lot of potential, but also SO MUCH care and maintenance required. We’ve done a lot of work and still just begun to scratch the surface. But here’s a few of the important things we’ve been able to accomplish since we moved here.

Painting the exterior

Some of the best money we’ve ever spent was getting our house painted. I mean, these guys came and did what would have taken us months, in the span of ONE DAY. It was the most satisfying thing ever and the Cottage Red by Benjamin Moore has been the BEST choice we’ve made here. It instantly added so much charm and character to a somewhat plain, boxy house, and really highlights the beautiful windows the previous owners put in.

Clearing the property

We didn’t intend to spend most of the first year outside clearing downed trees and branches, but thanks to the previously mentioned ice storm, we had 70+ trees to deal with, almost immediately. Taylor has also spent a great deal of time mowing down blackberries, tearing out scrub brush, leveling out ditches and holes and just generally cleaning things up. There is still a great deal of work to do, but I know our neighbors are thankful for all his hard work, and their improved view.

A new well

Another unexpected surprise of purchasing this place was realizing the first summer than we had no water. The water table is high here, in the Winter months we actually have a lake across from us. The fields flood out, our road floods over. It is a weird but wonderful phenomenon. So I’m guessing that whoever drilled the original well saw the high water table and just decided not to go too deep. But, with a young family requiring daily baths, laundry and copious amounts of dishes, not to mention a large garden to water, not having water simply wasn’t going to cut it. We also hoped to start a Christmas Tree Farm at some point, and knew we would need the capability to irrigate at that point.

Thanks to my clever Dad, who was able to pre-build a new pumphouse like a birdhouse kit, help us pour a concrete pad and install the whole thing in just a few days, once we had that well drilled, we were home free. Or so we thought. Whether it’s just the area, or the depth our well needed to be, we soon found out that our water contained a concentration of minerals that was not only damaging to our pipes and appliances, but caused my hair to become dry, brittle and fall out.

Enter another unexpected chapter of the water saga, one that saw us purchasing a reverse osmosis system for the kitchen sink and a water softener for the rest of the house. It was such a BIG project, but I am so grateful to have clean, plentiful water, and VERY happy to be back to healthy hair.

Putting in sprinklers

Piggybacking off the new well, was the irrigation project. When we moved into the cottage, there was lawn clear up to the front door. I immediately saw a lush cottage garden with ambling pea gravel path instead, but we knew we’d need water to make it all happen. Last summer Taylor put in an extensive irrigation system for our lawn and gardens, and boy was it magical to have a healthy, green lawn all summer. Not to mention water my gardens without a thought. Green grass just does something for you mentally. It was absolutely worth all the work!

Planting 500 Christmas trees

I already covered this in another post, but just this last Fall we were able to begin on our dream of having a Christmas Tree Farm. It was a big and beautiful moment for our family, and I’m already looking forward to inviting friends and family to do it again this Autumn.

Putting in fencing for 3 acres of pasture

You really learn something about your relationship when you have to work together to put in a straight fence. Turns out, I’m not great at it. Thank goodness for a patient husband and an excavator with a post-pounding attachment. We spent our second winter putting a new fence around our 3-acre cow pasture so we could raise our own beef. We also put in a “cuter” fence along the front property line to keep soccer balls and kids out of the road. Both fences are sturdy and secure, and I love the delineation from the road in the front yard.

Building a livestock shelter

We inherited 3.5 tumbledown buildings with this property, and one of them sits with its back in the pasture. We decided to incorporate it into the animals space and used a recycled patio cover from my in-laws to make a nice, dry shelter. It’s nothing fancy and not the prettiest set up, but it has worked out super well and I know the cows are grateful to be warm and dry!

Orchard cleanup

There is still so much I’d like to do in the orchard- I have dreams of filling it with Spring bulbs that will bloom before it’s time to mow the grass in Spring- but for now we’ve done quite a bit of work to clean it up, keep it pruned and producing actual harvests of fruit. The orchard was the first thing we walked through when we visited this property, and a huge part of why we fell in love with it. Since we’ve been pruning faithfully, it’s yielded bountiful harvests of apples, pears, plums, figs and quince. I made a quince jelly this Fall that my family died over. It is so incredibly beautiful and satisfying to make food from your own land, for FREE!

Putting a 4,000 sq foot garden over 4 years

Another one of the reasons we fell in love with this property was all the potential we had for gardens of all kinds. The first year we moved in, determined to have a place to plant my precious collection of some 65+ dahlia tubers, I laid some cardboard and compost out in the small pasture next to the house. Over the next few years, that evolved into a 4,000 sq ft garden with in-ground beds lined with stones, wood chip paths and a 6 foot fence. It’s not perfect, I’m still battling weeds that have lived in that soil for years, as well as all the ones that blow in from the neighboring pasture, but I’m hopeful that someday I’ll win the fight. It’s a great place to grow, has yielded some beautiful fruits and flowers, and has been an incredible place to learn.

Building a home takes time: 4 years so far!

I think it’s truly unfortunate (for so many reasons) that the world has convinced us that time is our enemy. That “taking time” is a negative thing. That slow and steady is for losers, and “overnight makeovers” and “glow ups” are the standard. These unconscious expectations certainly haven’t helped me in my journey of contentment and gratitude.

So I guess I want to just stand up and say, not only is it ok for things to take time, it might actually be BETTER. Because in the process you learn to bend and break in ways that you wouldn’t otherwise. Ways perhaps, that need bending and breaking. And when you do eventually complete the project, or make some progress at least, so often you’re realizing that maybe it wasn’t even about the project at all. Maybe building a home is just as much about building ourselves as anything else.

I hope it’s been helpful for me to share our process, our triumphs and failures, and to own that it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. I am grateful for this beautiful and hard life, and I can’t wait to see how God continues to grow us and shape us along the way. Thanks for being here friends!

Leave a comment below

Chime in on this discussion, won’t you? I want to hear from other people out there fighting the good fight! It’s taken us 4 years and we’re nowhere near the end. Leave a comment! What long term, slow burn things are you pursuing in life?

And save this image to Pinterest so other like-minded folks can find the encouragement they need as they tackle major projects.

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