Double B Ranch - Dec 2019 through May 2020
My goodness, what a crazy and exciting 2020 it's been so far. Since closing on the ranch early November of last year, it has been a whirlwind of activity up there. That, combined with the whole Covid-19 crisis has really made for an eventful - and crazy past few months. For this page, I'm not going to focus on the negative (like if Jacqui or I will still have jobs later this year, or if we can afford this ranch, or if our country will descend into riotous madness). No, instead I'm going to focus on just the ranch, and all the wonderful and happy things that are going on up there.
As you can imagine, it's difficult trying to manage a house renovation and barn construction remotely, so I've spent almost every weekend, holiday and vacation day at the ranch. I've got SO MANY pictures and videos that I've had to split this page into two parts. So without further adieu, let's get started with page 1.
DECEMBER 10, 2019:
We kinda put the cart before the horse, and decided to go ahead and hire someone
to paint the inside of the house white with black doors and windows. I did this
because I pretty much knew I wouldn't get Jacqui up there unless it was 'light
and bright'. However, I made sure not to paint any of the original 100 year
old wood in the breezeway and also didn't want to touch the original bead-board
ceiling. Here's a few pictures that the painter sent....and yeah, these are
not the most exciting pictures, but I wanted to document everything as I know
I'll appreciate it later:
Front bedroom window
Kitchen side door
Back bedroom
Back door
DECEMBER
13 - 18, 2019:
My first trip to the ranch after the painting was done. I also met with the
electrician who was upgrading the service to the house (so I could install HVAC).
While I was there that weekend, I was blown away by how many deer hang around
that old house.
This pic was taken with a trail
cam.
The old house is so cute at sunset
Blue painters tape still on the window
Also, notice the location of the door to the bathroom (then closet) - that door
will be moved later
In the afternoon, I enjoy sitting on the front porch and watching the deer
More deer looking out from the bedroom window
DECEMBER
29 - 31, 2019:
This was the first time that the entire family (Me, Jacqui, Lauren, Austin
and Paris) went to the ranch. Since I had 'guests', we really didn't get much
work done this weekend. Instead, we relaxed, shot some, and just enjoyed being
away from the hustle of the city.
Look - I got the TV installed~!
Notice the brown wall to the left - that's going to be removed
Prancing deer
This is one of the larger oaks on the property. Can you see the tractor seat?
There it is. I think someone used this as a deer blind
Deer at the pump house
Settling in for the evening - how cute.
Also notice brown wall that will be removed
HOWDY!!
It was a chilly December morning.
Oh yeah, Jacqui and I hung curtains
Jacqui LOVES the fish. ....not.
She wanted them gone ASAP
G'morning!
It's almost noon - should we wake up Austin?
He looks good in his mom's coat!
Lauren getting some FaceTime with Clark (who at the time of this writing is
OUT of the picture)
Sunset on the porch with the kids - I doesn't get much better.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #1 - Lauren films the deer from the porch
JANUARY
17 - 20, 2020
My next
trip to the ranch was to meet with the HVAC guy. While I was there, and the
weather was cooperating, I decided to burn my first 'burn pile'. If you don't
know, the Cedar (Juniper) is invasive, and can choke out the natural Oaks. The
previous owner paid to have some of the cedar removed, and they pile it up to
be burned when the conditions are right (wet with low wind). Unfortunately,
it was a little too wet, and I didn't use any paper to start the fire....so
I struggled just to get two lit.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #2 - My failed attempt to start a fire
Anyone want to buy and old tub?
While riding the fenceline, I saw this big Elk on my neighbor's property.
He and I had a 10 minute stare-down
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #3 - The Elk!
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #4 - More of the Elk!
I get a kick outa finding old stuff
THE HVAC GUY IS HERE!
...and here's something you don't see that often in the Hill Country
FEBRUARY
1 - 2, 2020:
This weekend,
Jacqui and I went to the ranch with Austin and his friend Evan. The boys had
a blast, riding around in the Polaris, and getting to shoot the AR's (.556 for
pigs and .308 for deer). It was such a beautiful day - I probably took way more
pictures than I needed.
Evan shows off his marksmanship
Even Jacqui gave it a shot. Ha - get it - gave it a shot - HA.....ok
The boys are laughing because Jacqui couldn't see through the scope - and looked
pretty funny trying
Evan and Austin were much better - hitting small water bottles at about 100
yards
We set up the targets across the creek (can't see 'em in this pic)
It was FUN!!
I guess we were a little hard on the Polaris. The tires had
slow leaks already, so we took care of that!
FEBRUARY
7 - 8, 2020:
So I returned the following weekend to replace
all four tires on the Polaris. I also built some shutters for the house. I used
old fence pickets, and did a mild white wash.
My brother and I went for some Tex-Mex
Check out the new (old looking) shutters
I think they came out pretty nice!
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #5 - Lots of deer from the front porch
It really helps to brighten up the dark porch and helps define the windows
FEBRUARY
15 - 16, 2020:
This was a relaxing family weekend with my
mom, Bill and Ilonka
We enjoy some drinks and sit around the fire at Bill's Dry Creek Ranch
It's all fun and games, until you try and get up from those chairs - careful
Nana!
A beautiful shot of the sunset at Bill's ranch
FEBRUARY
21 - 22, 2020:
For this
ranch visit, Jacqui and I brought Paris. She loves to chase the deer and rabbits.
She hasn't caught any, and I doubt she'd know what to do if she did, but she
just loves it.
Paris relaxing on the porch
Keeping guard at the fence...
...and getting cozy by the fire. She has a hard life.
What do you see?
Oh, it's Jacqui~!
Check out this old oak - would look beautiful if someone pruned it.
Paris is wiped out from a hard day at the ranch
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
This marks
the beginning of the bathroom remodel, and removing the walls. I must say, we
spent way more than estimated because we kept saying "we might as well
do it now". Originally, we hadn't planned on removing the walls right away,
but we had the right crew on site, and they gave a very good estimate - so we
went for it. The change is dramatic, as it completely opens the entire breezeway,
living room and kitchen into one big space. All of the pictures from this
date were taken by the contractors and sent to me via text.
From the living room, looking towards the front door at the breezeway wall.
The dark brown boards are 100 years old (and were saved), but I was surprised
that the entire framing behind the walls was from the 2007 remodel.
This is the wall between the living room and kitchen
From the kitchen looking at the breezeway, then back bedroom
From the breezeway near the front door looking at the wall soon to be removed.
This wall is original 100 year old wood, and we saved it to wrap the beams (more
on that later)
The new pad for the hot water heater
Again, from the breezeway near the front door - only the framing remains.
The framing
has been removed...
...and temporary supports are now holding up the house.
The breezeway is no more....just open space now
From the kitchen looking towards the bedrooms
It was crazy seeing this for the first time - getting these pictures from the
contractors was exciting!
Installing the beams
These beams are now carrying the weight that the walls used to
Now you can see how they used some of the 100 year old wood salvaged form the
breezeway wall to 'wrap' the beams.
They did a great job, and you can hardly see any seams at all.
Rain at the ranch!
...so the guys moved everything inside. Great - but what a mess it made!
Yeah, it's a bit messy
Wrapping the last of the beams
Almost done....
FEBRUARY
26 - MARCH 4, 2020:
I was so
excited to get up to the ranch and see all of the work shown above. It's one
thing to see some pics, but another to be there in person. I also wanted to
meet with the electrician to talk about the lighting and ceiling fans, and had
a few items for the plumber as well.
Where they
removed the walls - it was interesting to see that the original floors were
underneath the new wood floors.
It looks like they laid down some plywood over the original before installing
the new.
...and you can see some paint on the old original floors.
The bathroom remodel was pretty extensive.
We had to move two doors, and they ended up completely re-framing the main bathroom,
while converting a closet into a half-bath
We also had to move this window up to make room for the hot water heater outside.
This old wallpaper was found in the kitchen, hidden behind the 2007 walls.
The electrician is up in the attic, cutting holes for the recessed lights. That's
his tape measure.
They had to work around the rafters, and the new HVAC system
It was a group effort.
Turkey!
Wires for lights going in...
It's going to be BRIGHT!
WooHoo - the closet now has a toilet in it!
....I guess it's officially a 2nd bathroom now.
Some work around the hot water heater area
Here's a pile of scrap pulled from under the house.
Both the electrician and plumber commented on how shoddy the previous work was
From the master bedroom, you can see how they moved the door to open directly
into the master bath.
The newly framed master bath with 'fur-down' over the shower.
Looking at the shower hardware
I found a neat place to relax and enjoy a beverage - you should watch the vid
below cause this pic doesn't do it justice.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #6 - Relaxin' at the top of the cliff near the big tree
Just a bit messy here....
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO #7 - A walk-through of the house and a huge mess!!
...and very messy there.
Can you believe I slept in there
with it like that?
CLICK HERE TO SEE PAGE 2 - PICTURES AND VIDEO FROM MARCH 27 THROUGH MAY 16.
