A Big Renovation: Exterior
The retreat center right before renovation, March 2025.
Taking on a big renovation requires some sense of the end goal. Our family bought this house in the early 90s. It had been used as a home and a rental for the decades in between then and now.
For us, the end goal was to make a space that would enable others outside of our own family to gain access to the majestic beauty and intimacy of this land. The design was to update the older farmhouse to a more modern look, while maintaining some of the farmhouse charm and not forgetting the roots of this structure and the use of the land prior to our family gaining stewardship.
We started with the biggest issue - the roof. Roofers patching older tiles and eventually capping and replacing the top of chimney.
A chimney cap was completed by the sunmer, as shown here. Our friend Tomas built the new decks, including the front entryway.
And the side deck (where we barbecue).
And the back deck!
The new back deck.
Time to get the tractor out…
Creating mounds and adding sand for draining in June.
Installing the new wildflower drift gardens and the lawn in July.
A finishing up with sculpting the lawn to the existing perrenial gardens in front.