Choosing the building

What a whirlwind this week has been. The plan was to slowly figure out the correct building size/specs so we could have the perfect building for our needs. However, then my husband woke up Wednesday and realized that there is so much to do, and with the snow starting to fall in early October, we really need to get on it. So the planning of the floor-plan took on a priority/panicking pace. 

Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash

We decided to go with a portable building from Old Hickory. My mother-in-law wanted to have a little porch and loved the design of the "Playhouse Deluxe" model. It will have three windows that will give a bay window appearance, and she will be able to have a lot of light when she is working in the "kitchen".  She wanted around 400 square foot, which is moving from "tiny house" size to studio house. 

We chose the 14 x 32 utility shed. There is a lofted shed too, but we figured in order to heat it during the winter, having a lower ceiling would be better for us (we live in a very frigid region).  The loft would be a great option for those who could climb stairs, allowing for more storage or a place for a bed, but stairs are not something that we can use, and more storage means more places for bugs to hide, and more cleaning that needs to be done. So utility shed was the winner. 

After much deliberation (and switching the colors a zillion times, we choose the hunter green metal roof, and the chestnut brown siding. Our main house (ha, that makes it sound like quite the estate), is a cabin style so we wanted to mimic that color palette. I am hoping it was a good decision. 

Now we wait. 3-4 weeks until delivery.  

Until then we will be stock piling on building materials. We will be shopping for insulation, flooring and sheetrock this week. Yikes, more of the unknown.  

Big Changes and a Tiny House

So there are big changes in the Northwoods, and bigger changes about to happen. My mother-in-law, who currently lives in Seattle, is moving to our neck of the woods. She is going to convert a portable shed into a tiny house, which will be placed on our property. Our house is just too small so it seemed like a great option to have her closer, yet still have her (and our) privacy.  

I tried to look for information on the entire process, but really had no luck, so I am going to share the process with you and hope that it helps anyone looking to do something similar. I am totally clueless about all things building, so bear with me as I stumble through and I hope you get to learn something too.  

Photo by Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash

Greenhouse is looking great!

Naked Greenhouse :( 

Working Hard

Today is the day the greenhouse film is going up. 

Weather is cooperating, and there is minimal wind. Tomorrow we may have tornados, so today all the hatches must be shored up. 

All Done :) 

I was even able to sit in my chair and help a bit. It will never cease to amaze me, that my husband can accomplish so much. He not only cut the wood, milled the wood, and constructed the green house by himself, but now is putting the film up. We used UV protect 6 mil greenhouse plastic, that has a 4 year warranty.

Turned out great, didn't it :) 

Now off to planting some summer veggies...

It's Here!!

Batten

Today our Batten Tape came in the mail. We have been waiting for this so we can put of the greenhouse film. We are very excited, because once this is finished, we will be able to put the rest of the plants into the greenhouse.

The living room is looking like a forest at this point. We have 250 tomato plants, 60 kale plants, 54 pepper plants, as well as some other random plants all in our living room. It is well past the time that they need to be planted in soil and not just the pots that they are currently in.

6 mil 4 year film

Today/tomorrow will be quite interesting. Last time we used the plastic we just nailed the plastic into the wood frame. This time we will be adding two batten layers. Normally the plastic is laid out and then the batten tape will go over the plastic and staples will be used to go through the batten, though the plastic, and secured into the wood frame. Since our greenhouse is built with wood from our property, it is not as smooth as a normal greenhouse, so we will be putting down a layer of batten, then plastic, then batten. The hope is that this will protect the plastic from rubbing the rough wood.

The whole family is getting in on the act. Even the chickens are supervising the work being done. They are excited about the greenhouse, as it means more plant scraps for them to fight over.

Chickens Supervising the Work

Spring Planting

Baby Squash plant

My Garden with Trellis

 Our garden in coming along nicely. We finished tilling the ground last week, and have planted the potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, cucumbers and carrots.  We have 2 trellises that are for the peas, beans and cucumbers. We have bush beans as well, but I am very excited about the trellis veggies. I am hoping they are so lush that I can hide between the rows. For the first time I used a garden planning program, and I am quite please. It allowed me to put the veggies in the garden, and it told me how many I could plant based on row/plant spacing requirements. It not only made it easier to plan, but also helped me maximize my plants for the space I have. It also gave me ideas on the "right" date to plant. I am not sure that I followed that very closely but it was nice to have all the information at my fingertips.

Garden Signs

I spent Mother's Day getting my signs ready for the garden. I made some last year, but the weather destroyed them, so this year I am going for much more sturdy signs. I think they turned out great.  Now I just need a nice day (today is pouring rain), so I can post them. I look forward to knowing where my plants are. I usually just go off memory, until I can see their leaves and use the leaves to identify the plants. This will be so nice! In addition, it will be easier for my visitors to see where the crops will be.