Improvements in the basement

 Martin has built an insulated door between the basement proper and the bulk head landing and steps. Gotta keep the cold out!

 He also put bridging between the joists.

 And added a third stringer to the main stairs.

An Tigin is completely shingled

The back of the house was the last bit that needed to be shingled. It is finally done. No more dipping. No more drying rack in the living room!

Ruts are filled in

We had ruts in the side lawn on the east side of the house. When we had two truck loads of gravel delivered for the leach field, they accessed the back yard by driving along this stretch. The trucks were so heavy and the area newly raised up with fill, that the trucks left huge ruts.

To add to the situation, the truck that delivered the septic tank did the same thing.

When our neighbor moved the piles of sand and dirt to level out the back yard, he brought several bucket loads to the side yard to fill in the ruts and then leveled it with the backhoe bucket.

Grass is the next step

We have a back yard

Our neighbor with the backhoe came and spread the last of the sand and dirt piles. We have a backyard. Now all we need is to spread grass seed and turn it into lawn.

new flower bed

 Friends of ours generously divided perennials from their flower beds to share with us. This fall, once the front yard was as prepared as I could get it, they dug up lots of flowers, came to Cornish, and put in the flower bed. I am excited to see the results this spring.

Martin's workshop

Martin cleaned out the workshop and sealed the concrete floor.

 Then he built ladder access to his storage lofts.

living room turned workshop again

My living room has been converted into a workshop again. We've started getting frost at night and cold days. It's too cold to dip shingles outside and they don't dry well either.

Martin dragged the drying rack inside, so now I get to dip in comfort.

shingling progress

Martin has been very busy putting up the shingles that I have been dipping.

 Both gable ends of the house are done.

bulkhead flashed

Martin pulled the bulkhead doors out and thoroughly flashed them. He had to have the front shingled before he could flash that shingle. He needed to have the rest of the bulkhead flashed before he could continue shingling.

shingle siding on the house

I thought that my summer was going to be spent shingling the house. However, with the concrete slabs and the septic system being priorities over shingling, I didn't get started on dipping shingles until August. That postponed starting the actual shingling until after work started for me.

I'm scrambling trying to get shingles dipped on weekends to keep up with Martin's shingling during the week. He is making steady progress

porch roof extension

The rain was coming off of the roof and hitting exactly where the bulk head doors meet. To prevent this, Martin extended the porch roof to provide protection for the bulk head. This will also move water off of the roof further from the house foundation.

shingle siding started

After much debate, trial, and tribulation, Martin and I have agreed to the pattern for the shingle siding. We got the siding started and ended up having to redo a bit, but we are on a roll now.

Insulation started

The first batch of insulation is in both Martin's workshop and the house.

mail box post

 We've got the Martin custom-made mailbox post in. Now we just need to buy a mailbox.

windows

I spent a couple of days cleaning and sanding the wooden sashes of the windows before I polyed them. Not a very photogenic chore, but one that still needed to be done.

 I've transplanted creeping thyme along the walkway between the pavers and the Belgian block. I've also added the Irish moss that my sister-in-law gave me to the hedgerow along with some solomon seal that I transplanted from home.

 The front yard is almost ready to start planting the flower bed. I have added coconut coir, peat moss, composted wood shavings and grass clippings, and two truck loads of horse manure.

 I'm keeping the front yard covered with tarps in hopes that I won't have to pull out too many weeds before the perennials get planted.

workshop

Martin has started putting his workshop together. Some of the insulation is done and he is currently building lofts to store lumber, tools, materials, etc. etc.

coconut coir

 My sister-in-law gave me three packages of coconut coir bricks.

I had never used them before, but had heard of them and was considering trying them.

Since the soil at an tigin is so sandy (read here - sand not soil) that I need to do some serious soil amendment to get the plants I want to grow. 

We have started hauling manure.

I added peat moss to the hedgerow.

 But with the pines and oaks surrounding an tigin, I am worried about the acidity of the soil and peat moss is acidic. 

Anyway, the rain barrels were full to overflowing and the coconut coir is supposed to soak in ten gallons of water. We just opened up the packages and put one and a half in each of the overflow rain barrels.

Instant swamp!

I am looking forward to adding them to the front yard, the area that I am prepping for a perennial flower bed.

If you have any words of wisdom for soil amendment, I would be thrilled to hear from you.