I thought at six months into this project, we'd be much farther along. David has been working a lot and we've both been doing some volunteer work, so we are not as far into the restoration as we thought we'd be. We are in the phase where the visual reward isn't a reward at all, like electrical updates, insulation, knocking down unnecessary walls, etc. I can see the end result in my mind's eye, though, and this keeps me going. I've come to the conclusion that demolition is awful, even when you have a separate (clean) place to retreat to at the end of a demo day. I don't understand why folks on the home improvement shows get so excited about demolition. This little cottage was destined to become a chicken coop and had been condemned. Will post more photos soon.
Before...
Certainly not after, but a work in progress...
Before...
Certainly not after, but a work in progress...
16 comments:
Hang in there... it is looking great and the dream is worth the effort.
It is looking great so far. I have found that home improvements no matter what they are always seem to take twice as long as expected.Good luck!
Blessings, Joanne
I see a lot of progress. The roof, door, windows all look great. These are things that are structural and very important for safety and keeping out the elements. Keep it up and don't get discouraged on how long it takes. You didn't want the ceiling to fall when you are sleeping:)
You are getting there, don't rush it or it will become more work than pleasure. Hey, don't wait another three weeks to post. Wondering what happened to you.
I think you are making progress just fine!
Looking pretty good to me! Thanks for the update!
I know the feeling. Quality takes time though. It's looking good from way up here.
If you need a break from construction, swing by my birthday blogparty. Cocktail weenies and whiskey sours for all!
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I also have in mind that seemingly wealthy, but terribly impoverished class of all, who have accumulated dross, but know not how to use it, or get rid of it, and thus have forged their own golden or silver fetters.” —Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Just discovered you by clicking on "next blog". I am intrigued! I like your budget and I like that you are using what you have. We bought this campground and the main building was built in the 60's and in poor repair. We are slowly redoing what we can on a seriously meager budget, too. It is fun to find unusual bargains! I am Kathy at Kathy's Kampground Kapers
Duke, Joanne, Lou, Ddick, HJ, FC Hermit, Pablo, Anonymous Kathy, thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I intended to have updates but have been sidelined by the flu again! I've been holed up for 5 days. Will post photos soon.
July 20, 2011
PabloIgnacio PedroCarlos
have things changed since ?
posted by jack Hennessy in 2006, see if things have changed ?
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Driving in West Texas and Terlingua Tx
When we first came to this area we asked someone how to get to a certain place. The reply was, "go to the middle of nowhere and take a right, then go even more to the middle of nowhere - you’ll be within a few miles from there".
That was a pretty fair statement at the time. Now, things are closing in a bit. It doesn’t feel so isolated and the distances seem more manageable. That’s one thing about West Texas - the distances. It’s 1.25 hours to get to the nearest hospital (if you can call it that), 3.5 hours to the nearest commercial airport (5 hours to the next nearest), 3.25 hours to reasonable groceries and a real hospital, 7-8 hours to a real city, and only 30 minutes to a bank branch and a post office. All of this is on good straight roads with speed limits of 70-75 miles per hour.
Every so often I’ll drive the 3-3.5 hours to go shopping, spend maybe 3 hours hitting the butcher shop, grocery store, liquor store, pet shop, home center and wholesale grocery and drive back the same day. You need to be very organized to do that run.
Our neighbor who is building a house has to make the trip about once a week and it doesn’t seem to phase him. Texans are used to distance and they usually talk in terms of hours instead of miles, it’s easier because some places aren’t far but they are hard to get to. When we came down to look for a place to buy the realtor put on 250 miles one day just showing us around - pretty usual for her but we were exhausted. Some days that 250 miles yields no sale.
A drive across Texas from El Paso in the northwest to Brownsville in the southeast is a hard two day trip and I’m not talking backroads but interstate highways most of the way. Personally, I’d do it in three days just to get in some quality scenery time.
Texas backroads are a treat. You can drive for miles without seeing a soul on the road. You can pass through very small towns without seeing anyone on the street. Yet you can stop at a farm stall out in absolute nowhere and they’ll have sold out the melons for the day.
It’s interesting. In all this open, deserted country, people are far more observant of speed laws than around cities. You can be driving down a stretch of road that is absolutely straight for 15 miles and no one is doing more than 3-5 miles over the limit and most are right on the limit. Texans don’t seem to mind driving.
So, being so far from anywhere, what do you do in an emergency? Well, you mostly hope that there isn’t one. If there is, the ambulance is 30 miles away or more but usually a Sheriff’s Deputy is only 10-15 miles down or up the road. And, they’re all good at what they do.
They loaded me up in the ambulance one day and trucked me up to our non-hospital. We had to go through a Border Patrol checkpoint on the way and some windy mountainous country. From call-in to delivery was about two hours including a pretty thorough exam at our house prior to leaving. Of course, if I’d been very bad off they’d have transferred me to the real hospital another two hours away. If you have a really serious problem your chances are poor.
If you choose to live out in the boondocks you need a couple of things: good health and a real appreciation for the inside of a motor vehicle, because here you’re "going nowhere in a hurry, fast".
posted by Jack Hennessy 2006
Hi, Pablo. Yes, and no, too, to your question. Some things are the same. However, I live on the other side of the checkpoint, so I don't have to deal with that. I rarely find it necessary to drive to the city to buy stuff, which is about 2 1/2 hours from me. I lived here almost 3 years before needing to go to the city to buy some necessary items, which were for the remodel... unless I need to FLY somehwere, and then it's necessary to go to the city. My "rule" is more than 9 hours by car = flying is best for me. Hennessy is absolutely right, one must do one's best to stay in good shape and good health. It's quite motivating. The hospital is OK, but heart attacks and strokes, etc., usually mean an air flight to the city. Even so, I love the simplicity of living here. My daily commute to work is less than a mile. We have a McCoys and they have almost everything I need for the renovation, or can get it.
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Great thoughts and efforts.
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