NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

Staying warm and a beacon of light

by

I’m actually not. Staying warm, that is. Which is why this week’s barn progress is so important.

Barn January 20143

Insulation. Lots and lots of insulation.

Ryan and Kyle got almost all of the insulation up on the walls and ceiling in the barn this week. It’s helped the work environment already. It’s a bit hard to do much work when you have to wear a parka. The insulation is already helping tremendously.

Barn insulation5

Since Ryan’s not quite finished running the plumbing, the kitchen and bathroom will be the last areas to be insulated. Here’s our huge, spacious kitchen. 😉 This little span of wall will need to include cabinetry and storage as well as a fridge, stove, sink and microwave. Geesh.Barn insulation4

With the ceiling insulation installed, the apartment’s started to feel a little smaller. But the space is mostly open and we’ll brighten it up with light colors.Barn insulation2

You can see in this picture of the guys that the ceilings aren’t very high. It makes the windows and lighting even more important.Barn update January2

Here you can see the ceiling insulation from downstairs in the eaves. Ryan’s planning to add a small door to access this space. I plan to cram it full of storage of things that I don’t want to get rid of. (Ryan doesn’t know that. Don’t tell him.)Barn insulation3

Here’s the downstairs of the barn. It’s becoming a bit of a catch-all for building supplies. But that’s renovation. The insulation is really helping the temperature down here.Barn insulation1

A utility room

The furnace, water heater, electrical box, and washer and dryer will live on the first floor of barn in this small utility room. Ryan got all the walls up this week, insulated, added drywall to the inside, and started mudding and taping.

Barn utility room1

I love that the space has a window. Every single inch in this room is accounted for and Ryan’s been really careful about where lines are running. The washer and dryer will be stacked straight ahead of the doorway. We’ll reuse the original exterior barn door for this room.Barn utility room2

You can also see the furnace sitting to the left. Ryan actually bought the furnace/AC from a guy on Craiglist who was investing in a bigger system. For this space, the small one is perfect. And it saved us a bundle.

Not related, but do you see all that trash on the right side of the barn? Poor Ryan’s been bringing it all home in stages to stuff in our can. No trash service at the barn.Barn insulation6

Beacon of light

When we decided to rebuild this barn, the first thing Ryan wanted was a cupola. So, he built one and put it on the top of the barn. When we decided to add an apartment upstairs, Ryan thought it would be neat to make the cupola into a skylight. It’ll add a bit of light as well as some height. Then, we wired a light up there. I sort of love it. (It still needs to be finished and framed.

Skylight1

It even looks awesome from the outside. A real beacon of light.Barn January 20143 The boys

Thank goodness for Ryan and Kyle’s hard work. It’s coming right along. And Henry loves to go out and visit.

Barn update January1

 

Who needs play toys when you can use a real drill? Right? This is totally safe.Barn update January3

So that’s an update. Also, it’s still as cold as can be out there. Barn January 20142

Cold, but pretty. And my boys seem to like it anyway.Barn January 20141

And that’s an update on the barn.

Comments

  1. It’s looking amazing already. How fabulous that Ryan and Kyle can do the work themselves. You know it’ll be done right! ;0)

  3. You guys are making some amazing progress! Kudos to Ryan for being able to pull this off AND work full-time alongside being a daddy and hubby. And it’s so sweet that you and Henry go and visit – I’m sure he loves all the action! I can’t wait to see the end result!

  6. It’s looking great! My parents remodeled their farm house a few years back and did it in stages. I remember we were visiting one day (they were lucky enough not to live there during the renovation) and they were putting up insulation that day. It was amazing how quickly that house warmed up. Glad you don’t have to wear a parka to go over now!

  10. Brrr looks so cold! Glad the insulation is up and keeping things well insulated. 🙂 You are making quick work of this barn to apartment business especially for the winter!

  13. As usual, LOVE IT! The cupola was a very nice “extra” touch.
    It is amazing how much smaller it feels when the insulation goes up, but I know you’ll gain some of that open feeling back with drywall, paint and finishes. Keep up the great work, Ryan!

  17. Light in the cupola, that’s brilliant! Good thing it’s been too cold for us to do electrical this winter, now I can add that to our spring to-do list (although ours is louvered and won’t have that beautiful lantern effect yours does)…

  19. you guys are so cool. i can’t believe normal people can do amazing stuff like this! (that’s a compliment, even though it sounds weird!)

    i love the light at the top!! i hadn’t noticed it before, but the light really makes it a focal point. i cannot wait to see how this turns out and how it’s like when you all live there – such an adventure, right?!

  23. Well done, boys! And the cupola is awesome – love the details you guys put into your work. Oh, insulation. How I love you! Our garage at our old house was insulated – totally took that for granted until we moved to a house with an uninsulated garage. Guess what’s next on B’s project list?

  24. you should just let henry help build the walls, etc- character building at its finest.
    we need insulation in our basement- want to come do ours?

  26. i love seeing these pics! i was thinking you were living in there while renovating…phew! that is what we did and i was really worried about you. it is not fun! love the shot of your little boy and the drill:)