I lost my first brood of chickens to a possum. He took ten but spared one…Clara. To raise these little creatures from day one and have them all disappear in one night was truly heartbreaking. We got one egg only.

When I moved to Austin and decided to build my own chicken coop, it was because I wasn’t going to let that ever happen to me again. I was going to build a fortress. No possum, no raccoon, no fox was ever going to get my chickens again.

You see, once you fall in love with a chicken, you can never go back.

My daughter, Izzy, and Jo Jo

Cleopatra

After much contemplation and lots of reading on chicken coop mechanics (it’s amazing how much there is to learn!), I decided the best way to do this was to use an existing shed in my backyard. It has a poured concrete foundation. One of the main ways predators can get to your chickens is by digging their way in. I decided to...

I am excited to share the progress on my latest project in the works. This conundrum of a kitchen needed a serious overhaul.

Putting in a gorgeous backsplash using handmade Saltillo Tile from Mexico has been such a pleasure. I’ve never worked with cement tile before (it’s very thick and intense to cut) and the process involved more labor/processes in term of sealants and making sure nothing gets on them when you are putting them up.

I mapped it out to see how much cutting I needed to do before starting. It’s also good to inspect each tile and make sure there are no blemishes or cracks.

Grouted and 2 coats of sealant…I am thrilled with how it has turned out!!

I started two projects in the last few weeks and wanted to share the before photos as we make good progress.

Here is a dated 80’s Texas kitchen down-and-dirty re-do.

We started here.

The goal on this project is to take the existing footprint and see if can make it work better (if we changed the layout it would involve ripping up and changing tile – which isn’t possible on this micro budget). Also the plan is to change the entire look and feel by painting/changing door hardware, generally lightening everything up where we can. Oh and popcorn ceiling to come out in one week!

Here is some of the progress and more to come…

The whole kitchen re-do is designed around this fantastic 48" range.

When I started on this journey to central Texas, I had gone on a long road trip to look at a 1968 Airstream Flying Cloud in San Angelo, Texas (I put Jane, her Mom, and the kids in the car from Houston for 8 hrs each way – in the span of 24 hrs).

Airstreams are another passion of mine.

I’ve owned 3 of them, and each time I begin the restoration process, someone comes along and offers me an outrageous sum of money for it, and snatches it right out from under me! Bessie was our toughest to part with - 30 feet long - she sat in front of our house in Kensington, California for many months as I planned what I was going to do. My youngest was very attached, and to this day, he calls every Airstream we pass Bessie.

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Bessie, a 1970’s Airstream Sovereign (before she was sold to a make-up artist in San Francisco).

Here’s what I always imagined she would look like when I finished:

But...

With the exterior of the house almost done, it was time to go inside and create a kids space that would allow me to go out there and work and the kiddos have a place to relax and play.

So. Let’s review. This is where we started off:

And now:

Couldn’t be more proud!

For my little creative forces, I wanted to give them a clean, comfortable, individualized bedroom for each – in the size of a twin bed!

Here are a couple of images that really struck me:

This one most, because I was hoping to use light wood out there with the white shiplap.

Started with shiplap using 16ft exterior boards:

Old-fashioned push-button light switches.

And then the cabinetry:

Add 8" wide plank pine floors:

Drawers just went in!

I have been ready to move inside since I started this cabin last year. It’s my favorite part! Details, details, details…

But before I talk about the inside and where I hope to go with it. I wanted to tell you how I came up with the crazy idea of using industrial red metal siding on the exterior. We will be using reclaimed barn lumber on the front porch area and the peaks. Old barn wood comes at an exorbitant cost which is why you aren’t seeing it up there yet! I have sourced it (only 1 hr from the cabin) and will be picking it up in the next few weeks.

The red is what I was after in terms of tying everything together on the exterior. I want it to have an industrial clean feel but also elements of an old farmhouse whenever possible. I was at a kids museum that just opened in Austin with my little ones and I had been searching far and wide for a cost effective/long lasting solution...

Here is the drawing I created to build from, inspired by a cabin we had seen in Oregon a few years back. The house is built on a skid foundation. Essentially it could be moved if we wanted to put it someplace else.

We went from this…

To this…

And this…

And then…

And finally, this:

Song of the Day: Lament by Balmorhea

https://itun.es/i6BQ8Lk iTunes

It took many months of sitting on camping chairs (and drinking lots of Shiner beer), putting up stakes, moving them to another location, three more feet to the right, and finally back for more beers at sunset…before we finally landed THE spot where the cabin would sit.

The Spot

The View

Song of the Day: Parler D'amour by Ute Lemper & Art Mengo
https://itun.es/i6BQ93b iTunes

When we had a road to drive in on, it was time to set up boundaries between our property and our neighbors. 36-acres has borders that take about one hour to hike completely. Fencing is a big deal in Texas.

I set my mind on cutting my own cedars (on our land) to use for the fence material along our front gate and launched into the 3-month project of installing an 800 foot fence that ran along one side of the property. What a job! It was worth it though…I did a lot of the cedar clearing (i wanted to pick each pole!) but thankfully I had help digging holes.

Today’s Song: Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
https://itun.es/i6By86P iTunes