Sunday, November 13, 2011

Finishing For The Year

Things are pretty much done on the outside of the house for this year. We finally got some great contractors...What a blessing these guys have been. The house has been fitted with new windows, screen doors, sliding door, all new trim and finally gutters all the way around. The coupe' de gra' was the completion of my long desired patio and pergola....

Thirty-eight feet of pure outdoor heaven. The guys personally cut each one of these fancy ends on the overhang and I don't think a laser cutting machine would have gotten them any more perfect...
Enclosing the hot tub was my honey's idea and I think it turned out just right...
Next year I will transplant my trumpet vines and maybe a climbing rose bush or two around this and maybe extend a flower bed along the length of the patio. 'Course ya know I'll be putting up hanging baskets of flowers down the length of it. LOL.

There are still some things to be done...the electrician is coming back and has a full day's work to finish up all my kitchen lighting and hopefully will get the exterior lights and plug-ins put in on the patio. I'm excited to get some twinkle lights up and maybe even a Christmas tree out here. (giggles) I have waited all my life to have a patio like this. I am soooo excited and happy with it. Thank you Honey for trusting me and letting me have my way, yet again. Your the best!

The guys also stripped off the old shingles on my shed, laid a good quality water barrier down and did a really nice job putting new shingles on...
Nice not to have to look at the bare spots on the roof anymore or have to pick up all the shingle pieces out of the yard every time the wind blew.

Next year, the house itself will get reshingled and the walls stuccoed. Then it will be done. Finite'. No more remodel, fixer-upper, mile long 'honey do' lists. What on ever will I do with all that time on my hands? LMAO

Ohhh...And I doubt anyone remembers that starving cat that jumped in My Honey's car at the stop sign?

Now here's a good reason to label posts...I don't remember when that was. A year ago maybe? I stopped to talk to MH at the stop sign up the road and this poor starving cat came out of the ditch. With almost no hesitation, he jumped in the car window and velcroed himself to MH and the rest was history.


Well...Charlie Cat, aka-Charles In Charge, aka-the shop cat...
Is a far cry from the poor starved creature that decided he was coming home with us...someone...anyone. For a long time we kind of assumed that the poor cat had been dumped by someone unable or unwilling to keep him anymore, but considering we have discovered that he has a penchant for sleeping in vehicles and has no qualms about someone driving off with him(several friends have had to return him), I think it is safer to assume that he mistakenly took a ride and found himself getting out of someone's vehicle in a strange neighborhood. He is such a cool cat, I am sure someone mourned the loss of him for quite some time, but we have no way of knowing where the heck he came from, so he is stuck with us now. He has however decided that maybe 'house cat' status is for him, so he hangs out on the patio now, looking longingly in the sliding glass door. If he ever finds the cat doors on the other side of the house...my guess is that he will move right in. LOL

15 comments:

cdncowgirl said...

That patio looks great, I can just picture all the flower baskets hanging there next summer :)

So the renos will be done? I don't doubt that you'll come up with some other projects, oh wait... you'll be rodeoing!

And Charlie, I'm amped up on cold medicine with nothing better to do. (I've been trying to get 'tired enough' to sleep for 2 hours now) Here's his post:
http://browneyedcowgirls.blogspot.com/2011/01/lost-and-found.html

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

LOL-Thanks Lisa. I really have been meaning to go back through my old posts and label them...that's kind of right up there with filing paperwork. LMAO

Yea, the house will be done...next year I simply must invest the money into getting the pasture tore up and reseeded and the irrigation set up properly. Of course, that means that I will finally be able to put in my full sized arena. ;-)

I won't be getting the barn I said I wanted, but the little barn is fixed and the guys are going to build a nice run in shed with a tack/feed room onto my permanent pens for me yet this year. I told MH I was lucky that last winter was pretty darned decent and I made it through without any real shelter for the horses. This year, I am not taking any chances. Spooks and Beretta will have a portable shelter in their little pasture and that means everyone will have a place to get out of the weather.

Damn...It's starting to feel 'uptown' around here. ;-)

Leah Fry said...

Your place looks great, but serves as a reminder how much work our place needs. We're limited only by the size of our wallets.

How strange that Charlie chooses to hop in cars. My cats (most cats) want to stay as far away from them as possible.

Unknown said...

I hope Charlie manages to stick around and not take another unintended journey!

Love the patio. Amazing what a good carpenter can do.

Mrs. Mom said...

Freakin Awesome, woman. Love that patio. (Still lusting after that kitchen..LOL)

Charlie is too cute!! Sooo... has he met Da Bug yet?

Mikey said...

Looks gorgeous! They did a nice job on your patio, and your shed roof. What WILL you do when it's all done? OH, that's right. You'll take a vacation down this way :)

Shirley said...

Love your patio- you have to promise to put up a photo next summer with all your flowers and vines in all their glory.
My cats always investigate any vehicle that arrives here and foolishly leaves a window open.

Laura said...

Everything looks really good - the patio especially!!! Good, usable outdoor space is worth its weight in gold. Our backyard is small and there is lots of traffic, so we don't use the space as much as I would like. Maybe the next house will be better!

Sounds like you will be busy with your outdoor stuff next year - nice to have the house taken care of first though!

Sherry Sikstrom said...

It looks fabulous! I am so glad I don't have a cat door on my house ! the entire 7 toe advantage creww would move right in!

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Oh dear lord Leah...Getting stuff done is expensive. I saved everywhere I could doing anything and everything I could myself, but it's still been painful to write some of those checks. Ouch! The saving grace has been that we paid so little for this place that even with the costs to bring it back to life...we will still have about 50% equity in it.

MM-They have run into each other outside. Bug is only tough in certain situations...like when there is glass between her and whoever's butt she thinks she is kicking. LOL

Mikey-still planning on coming down in January for an extended stay. Am hoping Moon will be back to 100% so I can hit those 2 big money races, but if not, I guess I will just have to bring greenies down to ride. ;-)

Shirley-You got it. I already anxious for next year. A friend found these really neat pots that make creating that flower-fountain-look really easy.

Anonymous said...

Very nice!

And poor, starving Charlie isn't starving at all any more! Maybe you should be calling him "Chubbo Charlie"? Don't worry, I have several like him. :)

in2paints said...

The house looks lovely! I can't wait to see the vines and the baskets next summer. Charlie is a lucky kitty!

Crystal said...

Wow sure looks good, i had planned to build a patio on our house this summer, but got busy doing other stuff, so maybe next summer. I like charlie, hes cute! Our cat likes to go in vehicles for a nap, but always jumps out when someone opens the door, has never gone for a ride yet.

kestrel said...

Beautiful place!

Cut-N-Jump said...

Isn't it nice when it it all starts coming together and getting done? When it is all finally done, I don't doubt for a minute you won't find some other project to go after and tackle. Knock it out girl!

Love the porch and can't wait to see pics with flowers...