homestead/house pics

[creekside-angie]

This is our little barn house project!!

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/creekside-a/scan0002.jpg

outside before any work! June 2003

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/creekside-a/scan0001.jpg

Inside before any work!! June 2003

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/creekside-a/102_1730.jpg

A foggy feb. morning 2007 (still alot to do)

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/creekside-a/100_1344.jpg

rear view feb. 2007.

I am glad I could share these pics w/every one.My family thought I was crazy when we started this but,it has turned out to be much better than everyone expected!!!

creekside-angie

[SwampRooster]

That is great. It really came a loooong way. We would like to take on a project like that but not that big of a project. That looked like a handfull. It definatly shows me that none are totally beyond repair.

It is great and I am happy for yall.

Question: Aproximatly how much did it take to get it livable again?

[creekside-angie]

SwampRooster,
It's really kinda hard to estimate cost, we put a few hundred in every week.When we moved in,the kids had to go around outside to get to the basement where their rooms are.The porch,w/the stairs was added the following summer.I'm Thinking it probably took about 5,000$ to get it livable.It just depends on what you concider livable.We did every thing our selves tho except the swirl texture walls and ceilings that a good friend did for us @ a very discounted price.I even got him to put in raised medalions around the main lights.We rented a jack hammer for the well and drove it ourselves.We also rented a backhoe for the septic and drain field.
As you can probably tell from the photos,some of our windows are just storms.We will be replacing them w/real windows as we go.We also kept in mind places we will want windows and framed for them,then drywalled over the framing.
My husband is a plumber so that was a big savings not to hire one,we also ran all our own electric wiring.When we did that we also put in a salvaged triple throw that is in between our main box and the house.So when the grid goes off(like the other day)we just shut off the main, throw the knife switch and turn on the generator.It powers most of the house and theres no chance of back feed.
Most time consuming for us was the clean up.There was grain upstairs and hogs in the basement.This used to be a dairy farm and the house burned years agoe,also the hip roof barn.People have been dumping stuff here for about 40 years before we got here.So every time we sink a shovel,we find something.
The permits were costly and they hit us every time!We will be adding another porch across the front this summer and the permit for that is about 300.00$Even for an open deck style!
My advice for any one doing their own plumbing would be to put shut off valves EVERYWHERE!! That way you can isolate a leak or add to the system as you go fairly easy.For electric just plan ahead! We still don't have the wall our breaker box is on drywalled after 4 years!
The things we looked @ when we decided to do this was the foundation and the old main beams.Everything else could be re-done(and was).I wish we would of laid it out a little differently and when the kids are grown and out we may change it around,putting the main living area in the basement so the heat will rise and heat the whole house.
The main section is only 14'x24' on the inside so our wood burner is definately keeping us warm in the winter.The loft area is the master bedroom and we are adding a second bathroom @ the end.
The main reason we did this is because my husbands work is pretty seasonal.We have been thru losing one house and I was not willing to re-mortgage this 5 1/2 acres to put in a modular or whatever.Our payments are under 200. a month and I want to keep it that way!
Things like interior paint are cosmetic and still aren't completed.I keep an eye out @ Lowes for mis-matched paints at a great discount.Usually 4.00 a gal for the good stuff.Our flooring in the main area is actually pine closet liner.Not the most durable,but budget friendly and looked pretty good for long time.Eventually I will put in real hard wood flooring.
So right now we may have about 12,000.00 or so total in every thing material wise, the price of O.S.B. being most of the cost.
If you do ever get a chance to do some thing like this,and I hope you do,take your time.Shop around for salvaged and discount items and "think out side the box"(there are other uses for things like closet liner besides closets!)Also if the salvaged/discounted items are actually some thing that you can REALLY use.If you can't it may be more costly than you planned.
Every time I get frustrated w/the slow progress I just look at all the 200,000.$ houses that have sprung up around us since we started this and Thank God I don't have their payments, so patients is the most valuable asset you can invest in a project!