The rock siding is complete. We are thrilled with it! Our mason, Adam Scott, is an incredible artist and craftsman. He was able to use some stone that we harvested off of the old house, which I really love because they show weather from the years they served the old house. I also think it gives the house additional character beyond the new rock he used. Here are some shots of all of the sides of the house.
Work continues on the cottage. Rick built temporary stairs for the front door, as opposed to the ramp we had been using. These are much safer than the ramp and allow for mor stability when walking in the door.
I also couldn’t wait. So, I decided to apply Walrus oil to the reclaimed barn beams around the door, as directed by the creator of the framing. I had not previously heard of Walrus oil. The label indicates that it is also used on the logs in log cabin homes.
Well, we need a couple more pallets of Rock for the siding. since we already have to figure out the transport for the two additional pallets, we decided to also purchase some thin veneer to apply to the concrete retaining walls and that will match the siding on the house. This veneer is 1-1.5 inches thick and was cut from the same area of the quarry. It similar to working with tile. We ordered 250 square foot of it.
The coolest part about our order is that Finn Gottschalk, owner of Gottschalk Sandstone Rock Quarry, made the delivery and was able to see the house in person. He hand cuts all of the stone in the quarry using a minimalist, old world approach.
Finn also went to see the final product of the remodel/addition on Dad and Carla’s house. It was really neat to spend a little time with him and walk him through the project.
After the stucco cured, Rick primed and then painted the other gable end. I really love the yellow. It is Sherwin Williams Classic Yellow.
With the knowledge Rick gained from installing the other windows while assisting George, he asked me if I wanted to help put in the final three windows on the west side. These are the windows on either side of the fireplace as well as 1 window in the future kitchen. I said YES, especially since it would allow Adam to continue rock siding on the west side.
Following Mikiah’s last day of school, we took a week off from our jobs and drove to Houston, Missouri to complete some projects and work alongside Adam Scott, Stone mason, who continued applying the rock siding. To clarify, we are using real roubidoux sandstone that is native to the Ozarks and was used in the 1930s when the original home was constructed. This siding method is not commonly used in the 2020s, but we are committed to being as era consistent as possible.
One year ago, we started demolition on the little house up the road from my Dad’s place in Houston, Missouri. The existing home was beyond repair which meant renovation was not an option. It is really crazy the difference one year can make. Check out some before and after pics below.
Climbing up inside the house in the roof area on the trusses was my favorite part. Being able to give Dad the wood he needed to finish the outside of the gable end was what I enjoyed the most so far.
MLM
A highlight for me from the past year of this project includes when we actually put trusses on the roof. It was a big project, with many people and it went really smooth.
Rick, May 2021
One highlight for me of this past year has been the incredible contributions, craftsmanship, and sense of community the project has provided. Starting the project during a global pandemic made things interesting to say the least. However, it has been heart warming to be surrounded with so much support, encouragement and love.
L. Taylor
Ninety percent of the lumber used to build the cottage was harvested from a pine thicket on Dad’s property within a mile of the cottage. It’s really special that we were able to use lumber from right near the property to build our home. We feel so lucky that Dad didn’t want to ‘waste’ the
We are almost one year into the project. And, we are to the phase of building your own home where we are fatigued and need a break from it for a while. As such, we are pushing hard to get it enclosed and weather proof, which would allow us time to step away and wait until we are ready to tackle the next step.
We spent several hours cleaning, scraping, oiling, and scraping some more. Here are some before and after shots of our progress so far. We used a bristle brush in a motion that went the wood grain to scrape. We also used a razor blade and putty knife for scraping. There were so many layers of grime, dust and dirt it was crazy. Literally 100+ years of it all! Yuck and yuck. The outcome is very satisfying. We absolutely love the oak wood grain shining through. We have at least 10 more hours of work on it before it is to a point that I would consider done.
The Country Cottage 