Jay your front porch posts are really nice.

The heat pump I think is the same as we have here.
Mitsubishi is our brand name and it is so nice and quiet. You barely know it is on until it runs through whatever it does just once in awhile and even that does not bother us. The air conditioner part works well too. We have a single head mounted in the master bedroom and it heats the whole house. It cut our electric bill to 1/3 of what it was. So happy for that. It is also user friendly. We also mounted our out side part up high but it is over 6 foot high to be totally out of the head bashing way. LOL

those pillars are looking great! did you do the stonework on them?
I don't think the ac unit on the wall look bad either. you most likely will never notice them.
love the door transom too. wish I had those over my doors.
The stuff you've been doing may not stand out but it's stuff that needs done. Then you can move on to things that are more visible.

It's gonna be a wonderful home for the 2 of you. Is your wife up there with you yet?

I admire the stone pillars, too and love your choice of windows and the wood moldings you have around them. Is there a connection with printing that made you choose the drawer pulls? Or did you just like the looks of them? They have heft and interesting details and make me eager to see the cabinets that they will go on.

Things are coming together. With walls in place, move-in can't be too far away now. Will you and Mrs. Jay be moving up from the basement one room at a time as things get done? Or will all the painting get done, then all the flooring, then the kitchen and so on and you end up with a big move-in date where you bring in all of the furniture at once?

I was thinking the pulls were a nice touch too.
Actually, they are the original things, not copies or reproductions, very "Restoration Hardware" looking. Whatever you paid for them, they have the appearance and attitude of quality. Not putting down new manufacture, but you have the real thing, Jay.

The posts out front, you must have put those together yourself. It seems each stone was placed perfectly. Which one did you build first? Can YOU tell the difference in the first and the last one? Or did you practice on something less important. Those bases for the posts set the tone for the quality of the Craftsman ethic. You are building your own true Craftsman.

Have you posted pictures of living in the polebarn this last winter? Isn't that what you said you thought would happen? If you did, I sure admire your wife for dealing with living there, or being on her own over such a hard winter.

Thanks for all those very good photos of the building process.

Truth in advertising- I didn't do the stone work, although getting the mason to do what I wanted, versus what HE wanted was a full-time job! Since we sold our house in FL, we're more inclined to hire out some of the work to speed things along. He did nice work, but grumbled about the small stones the whole time. He wanted to do nice easy TN flat stone, which would be all wrong on an authentic Craftsman. He also thought the columns were too wide, and too tall. I've photographed enough of the 'real thing' to know what's required.

I have no connection with the printing industry; I just happened upon some one day and thought it would be a unique touch. I paid an average of about $6 to $7 a piece; no more than a quality new pull would be. Some are painted; some aren't, so I'm going to try a finish technique I learned from a Czech blacksmith. I'll post pics when they're done (unless they don't come out too good LOL).

My wife is here full time, and we camped in the basement all winter. Outdoor temps got down to 3 degrees F., but the basement stayed in the 50's with a space heater. With the HVAC up and running, we are upstairs, but still in camping mode until we get a Certificate of Occupancy.

I'm always so excited to see your update posts.

The columns - love them. Good for you for sticking to your guns, I find that SO hard to do and end up sometimes nearly in tears after giving in to the contractor's whining.

You should be proud of what you have accomplished.

Schoolhouse, I feel as you do, but my opinion is they always give women a hard time. Make us feel our wishes are exhorbitant and unrealistic. That is one reason I'm so far behind in my remodel plans. It's taken a long time getting my wishes down on paper.

Good for Jay. He knows how to deal with another man.

' you must have put those together yourself. It seems each stone was placed perfectly.'

that was my thinking. but good for keeping on the guy to get what you wanted.

Yes indeed, keep after what you want. Now, the guy knows what a real Craftsman pillar looks like. How else was he to learn.

Well done!

Schoolhouse- I find that if you just stare the contractor down...they'll usually do what you want. Of course, I'm tall, so I stand a little on my tip toes, when I do this...and that seems to help.

In fact, I pretty much do the same thing, when I tell the horses to behave. Hmmm...... LOL

Lass, when I had the garden folly built I told "John" that I wanted floor boards to run length-wise, not straight across. I just happened to go out as he was beginning to saw the first board - he was ready to cut them short (to go cross-ways). I reminded him about what I told him in the beginning. He said I didn't say that. I said yes I did. He began to throw all the boards back on the truck, literally. I asked him what was he doing. "Well I have to go buy longer boards now!". pout pout. ugh.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread MushCreek.

Wow! Everything looks great! I really love those windows. They remind me of the windows and doors in one of my aunts houses.
The stonework is simply amazing. It is so good to see your ideas take shape.

I was a bit under the weather Friday, so I stayed indoors and fixed up a couple of the antique light fixtures I've been collecting. The ceiling fixture originally had the bulbs pointing down, but I wanted them pointing up, and the sockets and wiring were shot anyway. I mounted new sockets, and covered the bottom holes with cabinet knob back plates. The bulbs are LED, so the whole fixture only draws 15 watts. It hangs in the foyer. I have the middle pendant, but I need to repair it.

The wall sconce is one of a pair I bought. The electrics had been removed, and someone was using them with real candles. I put in new candelabra sockets, and wired them up. They need smaller bulbs, though.

I also have two pairs of porcelain sconces for the bathrooms that need refurbishing. The best part is that I've been finding the 'real thing' for far less than the cost of reproduction ones. The LED bulbs cost more than the ceiling fixture did!

They look wonderful Jay. I never would have known the lights were supposed to point down the way you hid that hole. The fixtures are really beautiful.

Seriously considering the investment for the LED bulbs here..

Wow, you've been amazingly lucky. Around here fixtures like that would go straight to ebay at $$$$$$. It all looks great.

Actually, I got them on ebay. $60 for the ceiling fixture; $50 for the pair of sconces. I search under a lot of different terms on ebay; some sellers don't use the right terminology. Any fixture that needs work, even if it's just re-wiring will go much cheaper than ones that are in operating condition. I spent about $25 in parts (other than the LED bulbs), and spent less than an hour on the ceiling fixture.

I paid $45 for a pair of vintage porcelain wall sconces for the bathroom, while reproduction ones are $160 EACH!

Wow, you did amazingly well. Congrats!

whoa - those fixtures are awesome!!!!

I guess I'm due for another update! I just about have the outside finished. It's been tough with wet weather on and off. On the rainy days, I work inside. I put up all of the ceiling fans, and a tin ceiling in the kitchen. The master bath is about ready for tile.

First up are the ceiling fans. We love them, so we spend a lot of time picking them out. In order, here is an original 1906 Westinghouse in the living room, a Hunter we bought years ago in the dining room, and a new one from Modern Fan Co., which was bought to complement the tin ceiling.

Here are some outside pics. I think i am officially in love with the roof brackets!

The front porch ceiling. There will be two ceiling fans and a nice swing eventually.

Finally, an 'art shot' of a foggy morning recently. We love living out in the country!

What a classic home you are building, Jay. I admire your dedication to the project, and the results are worth the effort. It seems that you are lost in a time warp out in your piney woods, and you could just as easily be building this house in the 1920s as now....except for the electronics and fancy appliances, right?

Thank you so much for the update.And for that artsy shot of God's sunbeams blessing your property.

MY update, still a project only in the planning stage. The best is yet to come. Being FINISHED will be the best thing about it. Of course, my DH and I are too old to do the work ourselves....except part of the demo....which I am pretty good at doing! hehehehe I can always tear something up.

Very nice, Jay! I can only imagine the peacefulness of your setting, your artsy photo gives a glimpse, though! I can see why you are in love with your roof brackets. They are very cool. I love the tin ceiling and await the finished kitchen. The glimpse of the hood looks fascinating.

Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing...and lovely picture of the sunlight streaming through the trees :)

That kitchen ceiling is special. How much work was it to install? Good job. Have enjoyed following your progress.

I always enjoy your updates! It's coming along great!

please keep posting more pics.

In some ways, the tin ceiling was easy to install; in other ways, it was tricky. You have to measure carefully and lay it out just so. As it turned out, the tiles and trim we used came out exactly right for the size of the room. I didn't plan it that way; just lucky, I guess. You have to have something to nail the panels to, so I sheathed the ceiling with plywood instead of drywall. On an existing ceiling, you could put up furring strips.

The hardest part (other than the awkward position of working straight over head) was getting the trim right, and using a different tile for the center of the room. If you look closely, you'll see that the center tile, where the fan is, is a different pattern.

OH Jay. It all looks so good. The tin ceiling is amazing. Als love the Art shot . Just beautiful.

Jay, such a nice photo journal of your progress. I love the Westinghouse fan (Dad worked for them for years) and the red brackets and stone anchored columns. And what a good idea on the angled returns for the window. It looks graceful, too.

Keep it coming! and thanks!

Aww, the pics don't work for me, I was hoping to see them!
Any chance they are up on a blog somewhere else?

Naween. Are you on phone or computer? If computer have you tried clicking SHIFT and REFRESH at the same time to see if you can get them to come up? They are great photos

Jay, how about making a nice craftsman style sign with the name of your house on it....

Mush Creek.....and then some Frank Lloyd Wright style design on the rest of the plaque, also using the lettering style so popular with craftsman and prairie signage.

I like the name Mush Creek. You built a NEW historic home. reminiscent of days of old style with new comforts. Many wishes for contentment there.

That is simply stunning! You have a terrific eye for pulling all the details together the way you did. I especially love those roof brackets!

Photobucket shows all of those photos as broken links for me, not sure why. "This page can't be displayed"

I'll try forwarding this thread as an email. May not work...but we can give it a try :)

Thanks for the compliments and well wishes! It's truly a labor of love. Not sure why you can't view them, Naween. I started a blog a couple years ago, but can't figure out how to get in to my own blog to update it. Maybe I'll start another.

I like the Mush Creek name, too. It is a local creek; I have no idea where the name came from. I've probably mentioned this before, but there is evidence of former moonshine activity in our woods. I'm sure the 'shiners used the creek as a water supply. IIRC, Lavender Lass came up with Bootleg Hill Farm, which is a cute play on the moonshine history. The other name I like is 'Timely Manor' (borrowed from someone else). Maybe Timely Manor at Mush Creek Hill Farm?

I did reach a milestone Saturday, finally finishing all of the siding. It was the longest, most tedious part of the whole build. All that's left outside is some gutter work, a bit of paint, and the upper part of the columns. Just in time, as we are going to get very cold this weekend. Now I'll focus on the interior, and dabble with the porch columns on nice days.

Wow- Six months have gone by! I've been busy, but a lot of it isn't very photogenic. I poured two concrete slabs, one for the house, and one for the barn. Then, I insulated and drywalled the garage. I still need to sand and paint the garage interior, but the focus now is getting a certificate of occupancy. I finally put some infill on the back deck so we can safely let our dog go out there. It is galvanized 'hog panel', and seems to block the view less than regular balusters.

Next, I moved on to the master bath. I finally got the shower tiled. I got a little carried away with the tile work, but we are happy with the results.

The kitchen is nearing completion except for floors and counter tops. There are 33 drawers! I incorporated the toe kick area into the bottom drawers, so I gained an extra 4" of depth. I also made several compound drawers with a drawer within a drawer for storing smaller items. There is a lot of storage in this kitchen! There are several pics of the kitchen. You can see the prep area (where the stool is) with its own sink, and a place to SIT and do work. Why stand up all the time?

I still have a lot fo work to do, but it's slowly taking shape. The flooring will be reclaimed heart pine from an old cotton mill built in 1896. They mill the huge beams into flooring, but it retains the lovely old patina. I hope to get the flooring done this summer. I'm going to paint first so I can be a slob and not worry about my new(old) floors.

Jay- It's beautiful...such a lovely home! The kitchen is amazing...but the bathroom! I think that shower is just wonderful. That tile work...wow :)

Well, I see I'm long overdue for an update! The big news is that we've passed our final inspections, and got our Certificate of Occupancy! Yay! No more living like gypsies! There's still some work to be done, such as painting trim and installing baseboards, but the house is livable.

The front porch columns finally got done:

The powder room floor:

Detail of powder room wainscoting:

Floors! Our flooring is reclaimed pine, milled from beams from a local textile mill built in 1896. The floor took a LOT of finish- 5 coats of Waterlox in all. Final coat is satin, as we didn't want a high gloss.

The kitchen counters are part Formica Basalt Slate in matte, and two areas of maple. I bought rough-cut spalted maple, and planed it, jointed it, sanded it, and glued it together.

Prep corner:

Starting to move the antiques in! This grandfather clock is circa 1790, and has all wooden gears. I have a number of antique clocks to dig out and display.

This has been a real adventure- 3-1/2 years in the making, and has been a real labor of love. I hope y'all have enjoyed the journey! I'll post some more pictures as we finish up and furnish our little nest.

Always a treat to see your updates. Keep them comin'. Very happy for you and admire your ambition.

WOW! Your home is just beautiful. Thanks for the latest updates. You've done a fantastic job, one to be very proud of. Enjoy!

FlowerLady

Congratulations on your C.O. Your house looks great - you are quite the craftsman. I love the maple counters.

You've made a thing of beauty, its just lovely.

It is beautiful! I love the character details you added. Is that a tin roof in your kitchen?

I am full of admiration at all you have done -- the craftsmanship, the originality, and the wonderful sense of homeyness,

What Rosefolly said! Your work is beyond amazing and very thoughtful. The kitchen is awesome! Love the combo of stone and wood, love the ceiling. Love the tile work in the baths. Outside is perfection. Great job.

Diane

Another piece of the puzzle got put in place this week. Way back when i first envisioned this little house, I wanted a leaded glass transom in the foyer. Fast forward 5 years or so, here it is! I have a friend who is a local stained glass artist, and she made this for us. It is inspired by a window in the little country church we attend. Clean and simple.

Mushcreek, you have one of the few new homes I've seen that has as much character as an old one.

Beautiful window!!! Really adds so much charm. Your whole house is a work of Art.

I'm always eager to open your thread to see updates. I agree, the window is perfect. Better than a very colorful one, you made a great choice.

Wow, how elegant that looks!! Just beautiful!! Definitely worth waiting for!