East Texas Homestead Update (Mid 2015)

Can you believe that this year is just about half way over? Me either! It this post, I’m going to give an overview of what’s been happening on the homestead. In some ways it feels like very little has happened in 2015 but when I start placing it all on paper, I realize how much we have accomplished toward moving out to our future homestead!

Items accomplished in 2015 on the homestead

• Complete redesign of the master bathroom, dining room, and utility room.
  • Took down old walls
  • Put walls up in new locations
  • New subfloor and plumbing in master bath / utility room
• Built a 12 x 4 foot raised bed for comfrey propagation and leaf production.
• Replaced back window with a sliding door. 
  • While we were there we replaced the siding on the back of the house.
• Got some amazing deals on siding and molding (I’m talking 98% off good).
• Replaced window over the kitchen sink
• Removed the old furnace vent and patched the hole in the ceiling.
• Replaced the front door with a really cool, hand carved, wood door. 
• Replaced wall, subfloor and door between master room and closet.
• Built a pantry
• Had a 800 foot water well drilled
• Got a meter pool up and connected to the grid.
• Dug over 1,300 feet of trench for water and electrical
• Got a new day job
• Installed the air conditioning and heating units
• Started rewiring the house.
• Started scraping the popcorn texture off the ceiling.
• Lots and lots of little things that are too small to make the list, but add up over time.

After typing out this list, it’s really cool to look back and see the progress that has been made. The truth is, this journey has been long and hard. It has taken a huge toll on our family. Even so, we know why we are doing this. We are looking forward to the day, in the near future, where we can step out our front door and look around at everything we can see, and know that we own it free and clear. My wife will no longer be working a full time job just to pay for our mortgage. She will be home raising our boys wild and free!

East Texas Homestead photos from the first half of 2015