It all starts with the foundation. 

​This is true for anything we create.  A stable and solid foundation allows fantastic things to grow and flourish.  And that's exactly where this projects gets underway - laying a foundation:  footings, stem walls, and slab.

But to be honest, it sure feels like this is a surprisingly large footing for such a small addition.  It's a massive amount of effort, concrete and investment for only about 152 square feet (the kitchen addition). 

We're hoping this is so well built that it'll last another 100 years easy.

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The beginning of every castle is the foundation upon which it is built.  And, in fact, castles used to be build essentially by hand, so this story fits right in (even though our abode is a tiny cottage).

The first few weeks have been focused on digging, moving earth, and discovering.
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BARELY enough space between the current house exterior and the 7 foot setback to the property line on the north.

​And on the east side of that is a large deck, that we built when we first bought the cottage, and it's going to stay.  The deck goes right up to the setback line.

On the west side of the addition is a gorgeous fence and trellis that we built many years ago, and it's now covered with mature Halls Honeysuckle.  The scent of those blossoms will be wafting into our new kitchen soon(ish)!

​So, there you have it.  There is no choice but to hand dig the foundation (and also for the Whiskey Porch extension going up out front - more on that in a separate post).  

And here's the story of how a 2-day excavation became a four week slog...

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After working long and hard on the concept, design, plans, drawings and such with an architect, who would've thought that finding the contractor to execute the plan would take even longer and be even more overwhelming? 

As exciting as it is to focus on the end goal, we wanted to take a minute to share and appreciate where we are starting from on this huge renovation project.

The contractor is ready to roll, and so are we.  We've removed all the small trees that lived along the north side of the property where the tiny addition is going for the new kitchen, and even moved two huge raised planters from the space to another part of the garden - to get out of the way.

Here's a short video to give you a feel for what we are starting with and an idea of where we are going.  

And, if you missed it you might want to catch our Intro Video here.

Finding a Contractor in the Wild West.  Who would have guessed that this is almost as a big a project as the actual construction?  

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And if you are dreaming about a downsize to a smaller home or renovating your current home or garden, we are here to provide the support you need to make it happen.  Learn more about our resources and services, and feel free to get in touch with me just to chat about your ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!  Contentment and possiblity,
~Miriam
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It's become really clear to me the last couple months, as I put content together here for the website, that photos (although they DO say a thousand words) do not always give a true feeling of a place.  

As much as I don't particularly like being filmed, I've decided that it's time to get over that and just let the camera roll!!  Plus, sharing the limelight with my trusty side-kick Ibis the yellow lab adds flavor and a touch of humor that keeps it fun.  She's a natural!!

​So, to get things started, we put together an impromptu little video to introduce Juniper Hill Cottage and the original whiskey porch.

Have a look -- Hope you like it!
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Cheers and contentment,

​~Miriam

We all know, of course, that renovations of old homes never go exactly as planned.  Surprises pop up daily.  Challenges seem insurmountable weekly.  The weeks turn into more months than you ever imagined possible.  Somehow, there is just mud and dust everywhere!!!!  And it turns out all this is truly unavoidable, no matter how carefully you've planned.
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After acquiring this amazing historic bungalow in 2010, the first challenge was coming up with a manageable game plan.

​Sometimes it's just so hard to wait for your long-term vision to begin to take form.  And we knew we were going to be here on weekends and taking our time with the first chapter of our life in this historic cottage. 

​So, we decided that in order to enjoy our time here for the next 8 or 9 years (until we could be here full-time and properly renovate), we would only tackle a list of must-do projects.  

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I am excited to launch The Whiskey Porch brand and website in the next few days! 

One thing we are going to be doing is documenting and sharing our own process of downsizing and renovating our historic bungalow here in Prescott at Juniper Hill Cottage.

We just broke ground on the reno(vation) project this week (although it's been over 2 years in the planning ~ more about that in another post) which is truly coincidental with the launch of this brand.  But really they go hand-in-hand because it's through our own journey that we've come to learn that we really can reduce the size and complexity of our lifestyle.  And love everything about it! 

​How ironic and fitting is it that the launch of both projects should coincide like this?  
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