Covo Hills Farm: 2009

November 8, 2009 On the map

Covo Hills entrance

Carroll County gave Covo Hills a new entrance off of Route 78 which we could connect with a road up to the lodge. This is our last visit of the season. Jeff started drywalling the bedroom, but the major work will be done in spring 2010. The beams abutting the paneling are from the demolished hay barn used to preserve the original character of the farm and supplement the budget, but mostly for character. While we were there, the farmer began harvesting the corn so we could see the process first-hand.

Bedroom

Kitchen/Bar area divided by a mini wall

October 25, 2009 Hello kitchen, goodbye couch

Suddenly there are real paneled walls and recycled, repurposed kitchen cabinets. The orignial thought was to panel all the walls. Paneling would be much quicker than cutting and screwing in drywall, taping, mudding and sanding to perfection, not to mention painting the finished walls all the way up to the highest peak. A good thought but the cost of paneling is much higher that drywall.That's next year's starting project. Dan foamed the lodge so well that the mice are inhabiting the garage. What better place to cozy up in than a nice upholstered couch. What better way to dispose of the couch and the mice than setting a little fire.

Checking the tree pre-fire

Mid-October 2009 Farm Update

Evergreens growing tall

Pumpkins harvested

Garlic planted

Corn ready for harvest

October 19, 2000 Insulation

Bedroom

The framing is complete. The insulation begins, a job which goes much quicker than the others with an electric stapler and a little cutting when needed.
Before starting this, Dan foamed all the floor seams to keep the mice out. Thanks, Dan!

Loft above
Mudroom below

A stoop for the steps

October 3, 2009 Lodge takes shape

View from the loft

Shower base

Bedroom on the left
Kitchen on the right

The interior framing defines the large space and shows what the finished lodge will look like with a great room, bedroom, kitchen area, mud room and loft. The shower base is being installed in case we decide to hook up water someday.

Mud room ahead

Loft floor

September 27, 2009 The gift of a stove

Uncle Palmer and Aunt Rita surprise us with an antique stove they bought at a farm auction in Michigan. Jeff puts everyone to work. We nervously helped him hoist a large piece of framing to a high spot with a lot of effort and no casualties.

First interior wall

First picked for Cooper and Audrey

September 25, 2009 Framing begins

The framing is built on the floor, then nailed to the building boards already in place.

September 13, 2009 We have stairs

Steamy

This blog would not be complete without a shot of what Uncle Palmer's affectionately calls "cowboy coffee", brought to a boil on the previous night's restoked fire. Once we move on top with a gas burner and generator, cowboy coffee will be a sweet early morning memory and something we savored even in the heat of summer.

Jeff finishes up some trim boards on the floor, sweeps up, then builds a stairway from the garage into the lodge.

New spot for morning coffee?

September 5, 2009 Floor and pumpkins

Dan spreading his wings in joy

Another couple boards and the floor will be done, finished, completed, all wrapped up. Jeff and Dan are pretty happy this first week in September to see the work that has been accomplished in the first phase of the Covo Hills lodge. If nothing else were done, sleeping in here would be better than the camper. (One woman's opinion)

Don't stop now boys

Get back to work

Grow pumkins grow until the Halloween deadline.

August 10, 2009 First Sweep

Work on the floor escalated once the cross beams were nailed in place and installation began on the large sheets of plywood. The front door is now accessible from the deck and the windows are at eye level - quite a change from the down and dirty ground floor.