Farm Progress!
It’s been a month since I updated you about the status of our move to the farm, and if you missed the last post regarding our plan you can check that out here.
It’s been a typical cold and wet spring here in Iowa, which has delayed a few things for our move (including the septic system), but we have made quite a bit of progress. Here are a few photos.
We are definitely ready to live up at the farm full time, and while progress seems slow it really is moving along pretty quickly considering Adam only has one day a week to devote to working on our things.
In the meantime, I continue to gather materials for the critter cottage, which you might remember will be the future home to our dogs and chickens. If you are local and have extra fencing you want to get rid of, let me know!
Well I had better get back to emails, it’s a little too cold to work outside today. Cheers to a warm weather forecast for the rest of the week!
-Rachael
NEW Year, NEW Hours & Services
Oh hey there, 2022!
The new year rolled in, burning hot and fast, whether we were ready or not.
Each year, when we are turning the large wall calendar from December to January, we write down some goals we have for the upcoming year. Some are small, some are unreasonable and unattainable, but regardless we write them down.
One of the goals for 2021 that seemed unattainable was Adam being able to quit his job at the city and build homes full time, which he was able to do.
Another goal that seemed unreasonable was taking a vacation (it had been since Oct 2019, y’all) and somehow we were able to pull that off, too.
As we look ahead to what will almost certainly be an interesting and unpredictable 2022, we have a couple of goals in mind that will hopefully set us up to succeed.
First up, we will no longer be working on Sundays. I know this might not seem like a big, unattainable goal, but for us it’s a huge milestone. Previously, we used the weekends to catch up on whatever hiccup happened during the week that delayed/rescheduled our work. Moving forward, we will still use Saturday for those types of activities, but Sunday will be reserved for our own projects, including building our house and working at our farm.
Second, we will be shifting focus a bit to building new homes, for at least the immediate future. Designing and building homes from a sheet of notebook paper to finished product has always been a passion for Adam. We will still take on the smaller projects, but scheduling will only allow for a limited number of those per year. For more info about home building, connect with us over at APS Homes by clicking here.
Well that is all I have for today! As always, we greatly appreciate your support for our little corner of the internet. For day to day happenings, make sure to follow us on Instagram!
Stay warm and safe out there!
-Rachael
Major Life Update!
It is with extreme excitement that I inform y’all that Adam has closed the chapter on his full time job at a nearby city, and is now able to do what he loves full time - build homes.
We had planned on this happening in the next few years, but everything came together in the last 12-18 months that showed us now was the time. I am a firm believer that opportunities will present themselves when the time is right, and that’s exactly what happened here.
Last year all taught us a number of life lessons, and for our family we realized that the time is now to act on our dreams. Looking back, we should have made this move years ago, but were always worried about one thing or another - and we ended up putting it off until ‘next year’.
Well, there’s no time like the present, and we are all in.
Thank you for your continued support over all these years, we obviously couldn’t be where we are today without such amazing clients, friends, and family.
Stay tuned for A LOT of projects this summer…we have our work cut out for us, and we couldn’t be more excited!
We’ll chat soon,
-Rachael
The Final Porch Photo
It’s been about a week since we visited our home for the last time, picked up the final items, and took one last photo on the front porch.
The last porch pic!
It’s been a bittersweet experience, leaving the first home we built together from the ground up, our child’s first home, our beloved dog Mia’s last home.
We are excited to move on to our acreage and spread out…to watch the summer sunset’s with sweet tea and fireflies…to chase chickens, play in the creek, and enjoy the wildlife. I mean, first we have to build a house out there, but we will get started on that soon.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
We have plenty of exciting projects this summer, and I can’t wait to start sharing them with you. Now that we have a bit more time (and aren’t in the middle of moving) I will be catching up.
We’ll chat soon!
-Rachael
Preparing Our Home For It's Next Chapter
When we built this home, almost 6 years ago, it was the first APS build from the ground up. Sure we had done additions, renovations, and the like, but never an entire home start to finish. It was a really large project, for such a small crew (Me & Adam), but we learned so much along the way.
We learned to challenge our limits, or perceived limits.
We learned to work together, even after we had worked all day at our ‘regular’ jobs.
We learned the hard truths about timelines, deadlines, and budgets that only experience with home building can bring.
We learned what we would, and would not, do again next time. If there was a next time.
Well, as it turns out, there is a next time.
We love this home and wish we could bring it with us to our acreage that we purchased last year, but sadly that is not possible.
We spent countless hours fussing over every detail of this home…from light switches to water filtration systems. We spent even more time personalizing it, with backsplashes, wainscotting, reclaimed flooring, and much more.
Then came the realization that we needed to move, and with that the need to de-personalize. It took us 6 months to prepare our house for the next owner, and finally I can say that mission has been accomplished.
And while it might no-longer feel quite like ‘home’, this house will always hold a special place in my heart.
On to the next project….moving!!
We’ll chat soon
-Rachael
Below are a few photos of recent projects at our home.
The Joys of Investment Properties - 2020 Edition
Slight sarcasm in the title, if you couldn’t tell.
In all seriousness, investment properties are really not that much of a hassle, but we only have a select few as we manage all of them ourselves. Ordinarily, these properties don’t require any more or less maintenance than a personal home.
But, as we all know 2020 is not an ordinary year.
Last month there was a car accident that happened at an apartment building that we own in a neighboring town, and a car ended up crashing into the building. No one was hurt in the car or inside the apartment, which was obviously the first priority. There was, however, significant damage to the interior of the building.
Structural people immediately checked the building, and it was determined to not be a hazard (tenants could remain in the residence).
The interior damage was to the kitchen of the affected apartment, and as you can see below it was a total loss.
So after some cleanup, the exterior wall and window were replaced and sealed up.
The remainder of the project consisted of replacing appliances, flooring, drywall, paint, cabinets and countertops. It was definitely an unplanned event that required quite a bit of shuffling schedules and etc, but luckily we are (fairly) organized and could make the necessary changes. It was definitely a learning experience, but things happen!
I will leave you with some photos of the new kitchen, which definitely brings a fresh look to the apartment. I hope we can all make it off this rollercoaster ride known as 2020, but until then we just have to press on.
Bonus: no more microwave on the counter!
Cheers to new kitchens!
-Rachael
Celebrating 2 Years!
Whoa! Just typing that title is exciting.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole two years since I started this little corner of the internet, with a whopping team of 1 (myself). Even today, it’s just me, but I might have to hire out some of the tedious work soon. There’s only so many hours in a day!
A lot has happened over here at APS in the last year, probably the most exciting is our farm/land purchase (which is official on Tuesday). We looked for YEARS in order to find something that was perfect, and we finally found it. I am a firm believer that everything works out how it was supposed to, and this is the property we were supposed to end up with. Now if building prices could come down, we could build something on it. Minor details!
We also spent 9 months renovating a c.1900 home which we labeled ‘The Farmhouse Project’, which was overall a really neat experience. If you somehow missed that journey, I will link it here.
Somewhere along the way I obtained my real estate license and started APS Homes LLC which simultaneously feels like yesterday as well as last year. I’m chalking it up to this year being really odd.
And just last week I had a national real estate blog reach out to me about sharing my fall porch design post, as well some tips for DIY decorators.
You can check out their post here.
Overall, I would say it was a pretty productive year. Obviously not everything happened that we had planned for, and some things came about that we didn’t plan for but that’s all part of it. It’s both exciting and stressful to think that there are only a couple months left in 2020, exciting to think we are almost done and stressful to think that maybe this is our new normal and we have to just adapt and conquer. Either way, I have some really epic goals for next year.
Thanks for stopping by our little corner of the internet, posting here is one of my favorite hobbies. Until next time…
-Rachael
It's Finally Happening!
It’s been over two years in the making…
…and after looking at countless properties and writing offers and being super frustrated, we finally found a piece of property for our forever homestead.
Y’all, it’s FINALLY HAPPENING!
Finally a place to raise our child in the great outdoors.
A place to raise chickens and have a huge garden.
A place to store all of our trailers and construction equipment indoors and out of the Iowa elements.
We will have to build a new home, and it will sit roughly where this shed is pictured in the photo below…
I can’t wait to sit here in the evening and watch the sunset over the crops from my back deck! Maybe this time next year we can make that happen.
There are a few other buildings on the property, one is a huge morton building which will store all of our trailers and equipment. We also will have a couple grain bin’s, and Adam already has a plan to turn one of them into an outdoor kitchen (?)
It doesn’t get much more ‘Iowa’ than an acreage with grain bins and a view of row crops!
So what’s next for us?
For now we aren’t going anywhere. We need to sell our house and build a new one on this property, which we don’t close on until October. Since there isn’t much work that can be completed during the winter months in Iowa, we will most likely be focusing this fall on cleaning out any dead trees or bushes, and pouring a concrete floor for the large building. I hate to make any plans for the rest of 2020 (since this year is so bizarre), but those are tentative goals.
There’s so much to do between now and moving to the farm, but at least where we are ending up is no longer a question. Of course we will document the whole journey!
I’m off to make 400 to-do lists, and enjoy what we have left of this hot summer Sunday. Thank you so much for supporting our small Iowa businesses, we really appreciate you!
See you soon!
Rachael
Getting BOLD, with Paint!
Recently I was asked about my ‘bold’ paint colors in my home, and how I choose them. Determining colors for a room has never been a time consuming process for me (I am the person in the greeting card aisle that goes with the second or third one that I pick up), but I know this is not always the case for everyone. I have friends who have been wanting to paint their home for nearly a decade but cannot agree on a color or finish.
Today I am sharing my tips on how I make my (bold) paint choices, and maybe they will provide some inspiration to you as well!
The photo that prompted the bold paint color discussion! Photo credit to Corridor Home Photos
First, choose a high quality paint!
I like the paint and primer combination paints, especially if my project contains existing paint. These styles are a little bit more per gallon, but always have full coverage and eliminate the primer step. Personally, I like the Ovation, HGTV, and Valspar brands at Lowes, but this is just my preference.
Now, It’s time for the color!
I follow a few simple rules…
Never try to match: If there is existing permanent decor (such as cabinets, flooring, trim, etc), never try to match it. I always go with a complimentary color instead.
Work with what you have: Have a difficult color already on the wall? Don’t want to rent an extension ladder to re-do that vaulted ceiling? Pick something that compliments instead (see step 1). My first home came with a single wall that was deep chocolate brown, which was absolutely not my style. Instead of trying to cover that up, I added teal to a neighboring wall to brighten the space (throwback picture below…)
Don’t sweat it: Paint is the most cost effective way to transform your home, and it can always be changed! If you are unsure which color to pick, go with your heart and change it later if you end up not liking it.
My VERY FIRST home, photo from most recent listing. This home has been sold several times since I lived there, and none of the owners have changed a thing! Not even the curtains!
Now, I fully understand that some people prefer neutrals and there is nothing wrong with that! In fact, I really like neutral paint and decor, but it’s just not something I would choose for my own home. In my opinion, all white or neutral colors make for an interesting design challenge so the room does not come across as sterile or cold.
As much as I enjoy a good challenge I also need the decor at my home to be practical. I hate dusting, so arranging 800 pieces of furniture and decor to fill a neutral space is just not realistic. Adding a bold paint color helps decorate the room a bit. Again, just my personal preference!
Here are a few more BOLD paint choices from my current home:
BOLD slate color for the fireplace bump out. Photo credit: Corridor Home Photos
Barn red in the laundry room, and slate blue in the powder room!