What's happened at Heck Creek so far

We purchased the land in October, 2010--

42 acres of steep hillside in Madison County, NC.

Our big white oak and decrepit shed down by the creek

Summer 2011 we hired the father-son team of William and Edwin 
to install a culvert so we could get across Heck Creek, 
put in a driveway to the house site, excavate the house basement and 
install a sewer system.  

Ralph views the culvert

Edwin does the initial clearing of the driveway

Driveway grading

Robyn, Ralph and Rhiannon in the basement

Summer 2012 the well was dug,

Well-drilling truck

Ralph at the well head

 and the electric line run underground up the driveway.

The electric box

So now all we need to do is build the house!

 

 

End of February

Quercus

Salix

Picea

We haven't had much snow the last few winters here in MO.  Maybe an inch or so here and there, but mostly ice and freezing rain.  The snowfall this week at about 3 inches is the largest in some time.  It was a wet, heavy snow that clung to the trees.

Zenaida

Happa says....

"I have inspected these tiles and approved them for use

in the House above Heck Creek."

Imbloc

I went searching for snowdrops and found none.

Only a frozen daffodil in a sunny spot in the backyard.

End of January

Quercus

Salix

Cercis

There were robins in the backyard today.

It was 74 degrees on Monday.  Tonight's predicted low is 10 degrees.

Zenaida

The End of October

giant post oak in the backyard

redbud

forsythia at the back door stoop

plumbago at the sidewalk steps

spruce in the front yard loaded with cones

Plan B

When last we visited with the contractor, his estimate was $50,000 over our budget. Ouch!  Something had to go, so back to the drawing board (actually the computer and TurboCad). 

I ended up reducing the size of the house by 20%.   The Springfield house is 2,400 square feet plus attic and cellar.  The first plan for the house above Heck Creek was 1,680 square feet plus basement.   The new plan is 1,344 square feet.  We had wanted to downsize, but that’s a lot of downsizing!

I took two feet off the east end of the house, making the bedroom and office each two feet shorter.  The rest of the reduction came off the west end.  Goodbye sun room and most of the living room.  That left a great room about the same size as the Springfield living room.   The great room will include the kitchen, dining table and a small sitting area around the wood stove.  We’ll finish part of the basement, making a den for the tv and the big couch, and the fiction collection.  We’ll also have bunk beds downstairs for extra sleeping.

I’ll most miss the sun room.  With all its windows and tile floor, it would have done triple duty as a greenhouse and worry-free Happa territory, along with providing some solar heat gain in the winter.  We can add a small lean-to greenhouse in the future for around $3,500 for a kit.  Happa will live downstairs --that means all electrical cords will need to be wrapped and the bookcases will need doors. (Happa says, “Books, yum, yum.”)

My Poor Little Blog

It's off to such a slow start.

I didn't post about the owl on Heck Creek...

Barred owl, first spotted by Robyn, photo by Ralph.

I didn't post about the early summer flowers in MO...

 Oenotheras and daisies take over the bank.

I didn't post about our June trip to NC...

Ralph at Craggy Gardens

I mostly started this blog to keep family and friends updated.  My new goal will be to post at least once a week.  Surely I can do that and then maybe I’ll work up to twice a week.