Renovate Fox Ridge! Whoa-Daddy: Buildin' A Green House!

Green House Platform: Before. We are recycling a platform we found on the property when we bought the house. It has been sitting behind our house for almost 2 1/2 years, hence the dirt and grime. A special thanks to the dog for adding a touch of glamor to an otherwise uninteresting photo...

Two days (and so many hours) later, we are well on the road to completing The Green House Project. I am totally wiped out, as is the chain-gang, but we're checking things off of the to-do list at a clip. (I'm pretty sure they would not consent to being called "My Crew", but you know who they are: John, Mummy, Papa, and the ever-helpful dog.) There have been many heated how-to debates, but we've managed to haggle our way through almost everything so far, and with only two days left of the Do-It-Yourself-Marathon, the pressure is mounting.

John's "Pressure-Mounting" Face. Watch out. 

Platform, with the additional square footage added. My dad and John are cunning carpenters and this bit looks superb.

As you can see in the photos, we've made some ridiculous headway on The Green House, but there is still so much left to finish before we leave! A roof would be terrific, for instance, and then finishing the 3rd and 4th walls, and eventually we'll have to paint everything, inside and out. 

I'm guessing that isn't all happening in the next two days, but then of course, there is also everything else on the to-do list. Wiring the wiggy sconces to use in the city? Check! Making them less ugly and more awesome? Double check! Making the pillows for the living room in the city? No check yet- but the fabric has finally arrived, so hopefully pillows are down the pike.  

The spring-garden-prep? Mummy has been like an amazonian explorer, chopping down the jungle in pursuit of the golden chalice (or in Mummy's case, fertile soil...) Almost check! 

(Anyone with a garden knows that this box will never be fully checked off. Every time you turn your back, something is growing where it isn't meant to grow and simultaneously, something is keeling over where it isn't meant to keel. This is an endless battle. Based on Mother Nature's previous successes, I do not expect to emerge the victor.)  

So many new things have been added to the list, it is hard to remember what we originally planned to do and what wasn't done when we got here. Mummy always jokes that going on vacation at my house is like going to boot camp. And right now, we're all feeling a little battle-weary. So, enjoy the photos, and I'll fill in the details soon. 

I'm pretty sure it is annoying to mention this, but in the middle of all that other stuff, we've also managed to squeeze in a couple of antiquing trips, a bit of yard-sale-scouring, and have made some pretty rad meals to-boot. Later this week, I'll include my recipes for knock-out hamburgers and a delicious, yet healthy Kale-Grapefruit-and-Piave salad, so you can enjoy some of the same meals we've relished during our stint of hard time.

Now Back To Work Or It's Into the Hole With You!