2024
2024
2024
Chicken Coop Renovations
Another important structure we were thankful to inherit on this property was an old chicken coop. We decided to name it "Chez Poulet" (English translation: The Chicken House!) as a nod to my time living in France and job as a world language teacher! After extensive research and a full assessment of the existing coop we created a list of "must-dos". We prioritized completing safety, weather-proofing projects and then sprinkled in some fun aesthetics for the interior prior to our chickens move-in date!
Additionally in 2024 we were able to:
- Design & Construct a brand new enclosed run to the south side of the coop.
- Clean out, Renovate and Decorate the interior of the coop
-Install an automatic chicken door.
-Replace the existing leaking shingle roof with a brand new metal roof.
Greenhouse Construction
We decided to invest in and construct a small hobby greenhouse last year. It will help us extend our growing season with container plants, start seedlings outdoors rather than our dining room, and even grow some fun plants and flowers that otherwise wouldn't tolerate our climate.
Check out our hobby greenhouse by clicking here!
Backyard Overhaul
This project is a big one and while we made massive progress in 2024, we still aren't done! When we moved to the property our backyard consisted of beautiful rock ledges with (overgrown) gardens, an old root cellar, and a skinny stretch of grass. We have a lot of plans for this space and started making progress towards our goals this year.
We completely removed the "grassy" area and installed a new crushed stone patio complete with firepit, grill space, living room and dining room areas! Now we finally have a nice spot to relax as a family and to entertain guests!
Check out the patio install by clicking here!
Raised Bed Garden
Growing anything on a new property requires a lot of research and attention specifically relating to wind, drainage, soil make-up/health, sun patterns, and more! We took a LOT of notes last season and decided to have some trees removed to the West of the gardens as they were providing too much shade on the raised beds. This largely impacted last years harvest so we knew we had to have them removed as soon as possible. We hate to cut down trees, truly, but it was and is necessary to have sufficient sunlight for our garden so down they went! We arranged for the tree company to leave the cut trees on the property, which not only saved us a considerable amount of money in the cost of removal but also provided us with a large amount of firewood for next season! Waste not!
We also noticed the beds were quickly deteriorating this season, and will need to be replaced before the start of next season which is on our 2025 project list!
You can follow our progress on these beds by clicking here.
2023
2024
2024
2023
2023 was full of research, land evaluation and preparation,
plus settling into our newly renovated home!
We fixed up an old swing, cleaned up a little garden shed, and did some simple landscaping in the existing gardens. Our largest project however was clearing out and reviving an existing raised garden bed area. We fixed up the beds and installed new fencing and ground cover. We had a somewhat successful first growing year and most importantly learned a lot! Most importantly, we studied and took inventory of what our property had that we could renovate or repurpose in the future. From wild growing perennials, to an old wagon wheel, a cast iron tub and cement trough.. we have been prioritizing recycling and repurposing whenever possible and started working them in one by one to our future design plans!