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Post 11: Footings and a Frost Wall
It was busy at the farmhouse today. Nils took this video with his new Brinno time lapse camera. Today was a practice for filming the house move, which is drawing nigh. We are excited and…
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Post 10: We have lift-off!
On Friday, while we were at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, learning about permaculture, forest management, growing blueberries and grain, tasting apples and watching teams of horses plow fields, we missed a big moment…
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Post 9: The Big Dig
The week, starting September 18th, it’s been noisy and messy at the Red House, the dooryard crowded with construction vehicles all doing their thing. Specially designed bobcats scoop out the dirt, rocks and sand from…
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Post 8: Preparing for the Move
Dawn broke on Thursday September 14 with a text message and the photo below from our GC, Ryan Crowell: The Irons Have Arrived. “The Irons” is shorthand for steel I-beams that will be threaded under…
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Post 7: Hole in the Ground
Excavation : Foundation dug! With our decision to move the farmhouse to a new location came the obligation to dig a new foundation. We waited and waited for the ground to dry, and then, when…
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Post 6: Preparing the Site
Excavation: Drainage On Friday, August 11th an enormous John Deere excavator was delivered on a flatbed and parked on the farmhouse lawn. On Monday, the farm’s pristine first field felt its toothy bite. Water proved…
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Post 5: Swedish Death Cleaning
aka “Furniture Hell” With work on the house delayed by rain, we redirected our energy and attention to sorting through two large self-storage units crammed with furniture and boxes of household items, books, art and…
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Post 4: Demolition Done
Weatherproofing & debris clean up When we lived in London, it seemed that one or more of our neighbors in Primrose Hill were always renovating their homes. “Skips,” better known as dumpsters in the U.S….
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Post 3:Demo Continues
Chopping off the 1840s addition In early August, the crew returned to the site to remove parts of the farmhouse we are not saving – the 1840s addition that was built without a foundation, and…
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Post 2: Rain Delays
Water, Water Everywhere To say that it has been a rainy summer is an understatement. Not only did the rain put a damper on vacationers’ outdoor fun, it slowed progress on construction sites, including ours….
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Post 1: Demolition Begins
Removing appendages After almost two years of dreaming and planning, designing and re-designing, pricing and re-pricing, our farmhouse restoration project has begun. On Monday, July 10, 2023, Josh and Alan from Crowell Construction got started…
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Post 0: Vision for the Future
Clearing the view Autumn 2021. Our building project officially began in October 2021, when we engaged the firm of Barba & Wheelock, Portland Architects, to make a Conditions Report for the 1805 structure. We worked…