To make my life easier, this time I’m insulating the floor while I can get to it from the top. I also blocked at 47″ meaning the rockwool batts fit right in with no cutting whatsoever. I still spent some time crawling under to sheathe the flooring and that very much sucked, but at least the next step (insulating) which used to suck horribly, went like a breeze.
I popped in a couple of walls next, more coming soon.
We started picking to eat a few, then we brought a bowl or 2, and now we need to make sure to empty the bushes before their fruits go to waste. Which leaves us with tons of extra berries. I think this will be the first year where we get to gorge ourselves, give to friends, and have enough for canning a year’s worth. In the past we’d go get bulk quantities at pick your own orchards for the canning.
There’s so much more coming we’re bracing ourselves. Robin does raid the berries but he’s more independent and rarely gathers with us these days.
Driven by necessity, I finalized the plan for construction 2022. I struggled pretty hard on this one, because I tried to figure out many ways to gain half a floor, and I had to think hard about snow management. Ultimately I ended up keeping it to just 1 floor because I do NOT want to mess with the existing tin roof. In Vermont currently contractors are impossible to get, let alone roofers who are notoriously difficult to begin with (and rightfully so). So it was always the plan that I’ll be doing the tin myself, and because of that, I really cannot mess with the existing roof. So this addition has an independent roof line which does not at all integrate with the existing one.
There were a couple of challenges to solve but in the end, it’s a pretty straightforward build. Nicole is getting a whole 12’x16′ all to herself to accommodate all the projects she’s spearheading on the homestead.