Weekend progress at Highlands

This last weekend, Hubby and I decided we would go ahead and purchase the beadboard for the barn's restoration.  {"The Barn" is the name we've given to the tiny apartment-like room under the metal building at Highlands, so named because its painted red.}

We got a late start on the morning, so we didn't make it to Home Depot until after lunch.  Burnet has one family-owned hardware store, so if you need something more, you have to travel to Marble Falls or Lampasas.

I think we bought something like 8 sheets of the stuff, plus various widths of trim.  It was a process just to purchase and load it - that should have been my first clue that we were in for a hard weekend.  But this project is a big one and we need to get moving on it  so we can finish well ahead of winter.  Hubby has already done so much to the space - completely re-working the electrical and plumbing, installing lights, a TV, water filtration system, storage... 

When we are done, all of the walls of the barn apartment will be white with white trim above and below, the floors will be a light grey, there will be a sleeper sofa against one wall, and the A/C will vent out through the building itself so that we can free up the window.  One half of the apartment will be sleeping and relaxing (bedroom), the other will be eating and storage (kitchen).  There are screens on the doors and windows, plus a ceiling fan,  so cool breezes can be enjoyed in fair weather.  The view from our barn apartment is lovely and there is space for Mabel {the T@B trailer} out back.  And eventually, we will be able to live here on site as our new house is constructed, if only for a month or two.  And afterwards it can be guest quarters or Hubby's home office.

The shower and potty are in the pumphouse just a short walk down the road - it will have to do for now!  Anyway, as usual I do not have loads of photos of the process this weekend - it was very very hot out and there was a LOT to do, meaning we spent most of the time actually working.  Summers at Highlands are brutal with 100 degree temps.  We took lots of breaks to stand under the outdoor shower to cool off and drank gallons of iced tea and water.

But a fire was built and enjoyed at sunset on Saturday.  

Two full days of building and nailing and lifting took its toll on us - we are not spring chicks any more.  We left the place picked up and clean, but breaking camp seemed to take us forever!  We ate take-out cheeseburgers for dinner on Sunday and called the weekend done at 10 p.m. - late, even for us.

Every now and then a weekend really wears me out and gets me off on the wrong foot for Monday - this was such a weekend.  Though we have loads of work to continue at Highlands, I have a list of things I want to do at Camp Rustown and my peeps will be here for dinner on Saturday, so I am staying put at home this coming weekend.  In a couple of weeks, we'll be back at Highlands and I will have more photos to share of the process.

Gina