Things are happening over here at the Hermits’ Rest! It’s our turn to have some construction projects completed. The first one is a beautiful screened porch that Lee had really wanted for a long time. Our recent mosquito invasion has convinced me it’s a good idea, too!
The porch is an extension of the “outdoor room” that was part of the original floor plan of our house. It was open on one side, with doors leading out from the family room and my office and windows on the outside wall. There is even an outdoor fireplace! Sounds great, right?
It turned out that there were a couple of problems. First, the opening caught the north wind, which blew dog hair, leaves, June bugs, and other debris inside to be trapped in a vortex of ugliness. Also, wasps and Barn Swallows loved the sheltered areas for nesting. They like them a LOT. This nest on the back door wasn’t there last week.
We will have to leave the door open until this set of babies fledges, so no mosquito-free joy for a few weeks.
George and his crew did a great job on the porch. It looks like it’s always been part of the house!
I was happy to see they finished the inside with Hardie plank, like the outside and they put foam insulation in cracks where the walls meet the stone. It’s like we added another living area!
We have some furniture to get and we will put a large fan in the ceiling. That will help where the rock wall is. Lee plans to bring in his spare anti-gravity chair, because he dreams of sleeping outdoors. I want a desk or table to work from home at, one that isn’t too big.
But first, we want to put a floor in there, which will be easier to sweep than the concrete. We happen to have a pallet of the travertine flooring we used in the downstairs of the house. It’s a challenge to install but looks great.
An interesting development right now is that the black willow seeds are flying around and getting on the screen. Luckily we can get them off and this season only lasts a while.
Enjoy some construction photos.
But that’s not all, folks! Another project Lee wanted to embark on was capturing water from our roofs. He and Chris decided to collect water from our garage first. The start for that project is to build a concrete pad behind the garage apartment where Lee’s brother lives. They will move the air conditioner onto the pad, and put a big old water tank on the other side between the door and window (I think; it’s not my project).
From what I can tell, they will have leftover concrete, so they decided to make another concrete pad for me to put my birding station on. They want to make me a bird blind, but I think that will be later. Lee says he’s getting a special seat to put there. We will see!
Oh. And I accepted the job offer. Goddess protect me.
The Hermits' Rest 