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| | After the Designer Showhouse in 2000, we followed up with other
planned projects on the farm.
| The New Barn
The "old" new barn was simply too small and was stacked floor
to nearly roof with furniture, boxes, and records dating back to the the
'20s. All of my grandfather's files, books, and everything from my
grandparents huge house down town, was stored in the Barn and several
other out buildings.
Rather than simply extend the existing barn, I designed one that was
about six feet taller, enabling a large storage loft above, and two
"shed" rooms on either side.
Lester Buildings sent the kit in January 2003, just before a series of
major snow storms. It would be many months before the ground was dry
enough to start construction.
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| During this period we had been negotiating with our County
Executive (Janet Owens) to sell the development rights to the farm to Anne
Arundel County. This agreement established that the farm would never
be subdivided and developed. Ever.
We got a tax break, and decent annual payment from a bond they raised
for the deal, which helped to fund this project and other maintenance now
going on. A win-win deal, in our view.
By fall of 2003, the barn exterior was complete, and finish out of the
interior was on track. Finally. The shot below right is
of the "old" new barn, which finally is in business as
originally planned: the tractor work shop.
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| The "shed" part of the barn nearest the house
became my dream workshop (the furniture hospital). I finally got my
dream workshop! (above).
Meanwhile, the other "shed", on the far side of the view to
the right, was finished out as my "studio" and second
office. Sue calls it, appropriately, my "cave". I'm
sitting in it as I type this. It overlooks what was an orchard when
I grew up, and on nearly the exact spot where my friends and I built a
"secret" room in the shed of the original barn back in the mid
'60s. Access to the room involved a hidden, counterweighted door
that swung up. We added heat, electricity, and furnishings, but once
built, we lost interest in it. 15 years later my father and Don
Cunningham found it by accident. He actually was amused when he
called me about it. "We found it".
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| As we moved into late 2004 we began working the landscape,
clearing brush and thinning trees. We had an especially pleasant and
warm fall, and it was very pretty.
Meanwhile, some projects got underway. Above is a late Victorian
mirror that when the dark chocolate finish was washed away revealed a
wonderful burl veneer (the finish was 100% shellac, so denatured alcohol
was the remover). Hope to finish this soon.
Upper right you can see in the new center barn shelves in the corner:
the Pleasant Plains Home Depot. Finally a place to put things so
they can be found. Plumbing, electrical, fasteners, you name it.
To the right, the current state of the workshop. Nicely messy,
but not too bad. Compressed air for tools, and plenty of room.
And, the whole barn is linked by phone and wireless broadband Internet
access! Too cool for school!
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