It Was a Blast!

We got some bang for our buck this afternoon. A big hole was blasted into the ledge where the cellar of the house will be. The rock and dirt coming out of the hole will be used for the driveway and grading.

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We don't have a house yet...but we have an address.

LOGS INTO LUMBER

Many of the higher quality logs taken down for the house site are now being turned into usable beams and siding. Although not of high enough quality to actually be used in the house, they will make a pretty darn nice chicken coop and sugar house.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

A Zoning Permit was posted at the end of the driveway. Small print informs folks if they object to our building a house, barn, and garage,to do so within 15 days of posting. Hopefully no one objects!

Cracked Up

It's not just planning for the new home. The work also involves patching driveways, replacing tired carpet, and painting walls, to get 12 Butler Drive ready to put on the market.

House Plans and Budgets

It took many attempts, but we've finally matched a house plan to a budget. Once the appraisal is done and accepted by the bank, building should begin in earnest. We will build a one-story house with a walk-out basement that sits on top of the knoll, backing up to the woods, and facing southeast into the meadow.

MOOSE!

A young bull moose appeared out of the sapling stand in the middle of the land this evening while Don was doing a little brush-hogging to open a path around the property, He stayed for sometime, tearing down the little trees to eat. Eventually a deer came out to join him, then wandered off into the woods.

ALL CLEAR!

Don finally got the last tree down on the house site. He was out there cutting down trees in last week's 90 degree heat. Under all those roots was lots of ledge. Stay tuned for announcement of a blasting party later this summer!

The Work Begins

John Scott and his crew have begun the excavating work, beginning with fixing up the driveway. Look at the great new entrance!

Logging

 
Sunday was a full day of logging which cleared more trees around the housing site. Don and Scott were a great team!

31st Anniversary

 
A rainy day turned into a beautiful evening, so instead of sitting inside at a restaurant, we bought picnic food and celebrated on the property. Don gave me a Bocce Ball game setso we played a game of Bocce too

Catamount North

The land was the main attraction, but to really enjoy it, we want to live on it. So finding a builder to help us design and build a suitable house to best take advantage of the property was important. After careful research, we asked Catamount North Construction if they would be our design/build people. Take a look at some of their highly crafted work at www.catnorth.com

Couldn't wait

Don couldn't wait to move in before tapping trees for sap, so he made arrangements with a sugaring friend to boil his sap into syrup. It's delicious, and has been used on many mornings of pancakes and evenings on ice-cream.

Pond Site?

We're hoping a pollywog filled puddle (that has been full since extracting the tractor from the place last fall) means we may have a good spot to put pond. Time and drier weather, (and maybe a hydrogeologist) will tell.

STUCK

Apparently, according to all questioned in my non-statistical survey, anyone who has ever owned a tractor, has gotten it stuck at one time or another. I managed to enter that demographic early on.