When it comes to choosing interior colors for our new home, I have little trouble knowing exactly what I want.
Choosing a roof color, however, is trickier! I definitely know that we want a white house. But when it comes to the roof, I am lost. I have been obsessing over shingle samples for several weeks now. Up close, they all look very similar. And pictures are not accurate representations of what the shingles look like in person. Basically, I have narrowed it down to off-black, dark gray, and light gray. Here are some example inspiration pictures of what I like in each color. Continue reading Choosing a Roof Color→
Many of you have left comments and suggestions regarding the planning of our homestead in the country. However, one of the points of Wholesteading is that you can be somewhat self -sufficient even in the suburbs. Currently we do not have the big white farmhouse or the acres and acres of land to work with. But what we do have works for us now and allows us some degree of Wholesteading, even in the suburbs. For those of you who are curious about what our homestead looks like in suburbia, here are a few shots that capture both the outside and inside of our little “farm” and “farmhouse”. Continue reading Our Homestead in Suburbia→
It really is daunting to design a home from scratch. There are so many possibilities, and beginning with a blank slate can be intimidating.
But beginning with a blank slate can also be PERFECT IN EVERY WAY! Because you can design a home exactly how YOU want it!
After searching far and wide for the perfect house plan, we discovered that there just wasn’t something out there that met all of our needs and our aesthetic desires. Many houses came close, but there was always something not quite right about the design (usually on the inside). So, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work combining elements of many homes we loved. Continue reading Farmhouse Inspiration→
Last month my husband and I had the opportunity to attend a product demonstration at the Sub-Zero and Wolf Showroom in Atlanta. We were expecting to see the products. We were expecting to taste food samples. What we actually experienced FAR exceeded these expectations. We enjoyed a fun-filled evening of wine, fine dining, and a top-notch cooking demonstration with Wolf’s talented and personable chef, George. Continue reading Visit to Sub-Zero and Wolf Showroom→
When we purchased our lot we were provided with the plat information, elevation information, and other survey type information so I wasn’t sure if we would need a surveyor for our construction project. After reviewing the requirements specified by the Homeowner’s Association it was clear we were going to need some help to produce the required documentation. Beyond needing to submit the floor plans, exterior elevations, and examples of the materials we will be using, we also have to submit documentation related to the survey of the land, including: Continue reading We selected a surveyor: TerraMark Land Surveying→
The process of choosing a builder for a custom home project can be a harrowing experience. For us, this was not the case. Two years ago when we were just beginning to seriously think about building a custom home we found the builder we were looking for. We had not even chosen a lot yet when we first reached out to Terence Lewis of Portico Custom Homes.Continue reading We Have Chosen a Builder! (Portico Custom Homes)→
I was hanging out in the back yard with our youngest daughter (Harvest) yesterday and decided I would go check on the blueberries since I knew it wouldn’t be long until they were ripe and ready to eat. I was so excited to see the branches weighed down to the ground with dark, plump blueberries! I ran inside and grabbed some bowls and worked for a long time with Bethany to harvest as many of the ripe blueberries as we could before sunset. I would say Harvest helped us except she would eat all of her berries every time she reached about 20 in her bowl. Continue reading Blueberry Harvest!→
My mom (Oma) and Grandpa Jeff recently visited from Ohio and joined our family on a field trip to Gibbs Gardens. Gibb’s Gardens is located north of Atlanta at 1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground, GA 30107 which is a very short drive from our house. I was expecting it to be nice but I was completely surprised by how awesome it was! It’s like a miniature Callaway Gardens, only without the Butterfly Garden, Biking, etc. I actually thought Gibb’s Gardens was better designed, more concentrated, and overall a more breathtaking experience. My whole family was constantly making “oohs and aahs” as we ventured through the gardens. The tickets were a little pricey for our family of 7 but considering the amount of fun we had it felt well worth it by the time we left. Below are some pictures from the gardens and you can also find out more information by visiting Gibbs Gardens website. One last thing, right before we left we grabbed lunch from the little snack shop near the entrance and ate our sandwiches and desserts near the stream you first walk by after you enter into the gardens. The food was delicious and the setting was so relaxing…a perfect end to a perfect day! Hope you have a chance to check it out for yourself soon! We highly recommend it as a homeschooling field trip, a family day out, a romantic date, or for a quiet place to break away from the traffic and stress of Atlanta. Continue reading Gibbs Gardens – A World-Class Garden in North Georgia→
When Bethany was student teaching, I believe it was around 1997, we took her class to a local farm and enjoyed a tour that included a visit to a bee hive. That was the first time I witnessed in person the simplicity and rewards of bee keeping. I knew right then that someday I would have a bee colony of my own and that I would learn the ins and outs of bee keeping. We are still several years away from realizing our goal of bee keeping and enjoying raw honey created in our backyard so for now we will have to settle for locally grown honey from Bread Beckers in Woodstock, GA. This post is really just a placeholder for that dream. Check back here in the future for a detailed explanation of everything it takes to get a bee colony started and pics of the whole process.
If you’ve been exploring our blog you’ve probably figured out by now that much of what this blog will be about is on hold until we begin construction on our new home. We intend to get the house built first but then shortly after that we hope to add a greenhouse that allows us to extend the growing season but will also serve as a year round growing facility for aquaponics (tilapia and various vegetables including tomatoes, squash, zucchini, romaine lettuce and strawberries). For those not familiar with greenhouse aquaponics, it’s much like hydroponics but uses fish to maintain the health and nutrients of the water instead of chemical additives. Continue reading Greenhouse Aquaponics→
