according to anna

Fireplace Before & After

We saved a bunch of money by spray painting the existing fireplace grate. We used a high heat black spray paint and replaced the hardware.
Goodbye brass!

Patio Estimate #2

Estimate #2:
This estimate was done by a friend of a friend who is in the business back home.
I like that his plan seems to make more sense for the space, not putting pavers down where we know the space won’t be needed.

Rather than going straight forward from the house, the patio would arch towards the wall on each side of the breakfast nook. This would give us space for both a table, grill, and firepit without filling in the entire area with pavers. Like the previous estimate, the area left would be filled in with landscaping. We’d have to choose our plants carefully since we are limited on sunlight on that side of the house. Unlike the last estimate though, all the plants are included in this estimate…and the plants continue down the side of the house. All in all, it appears that we would be getting more of a complete area for the same amount of money as compared to the first estimate.

Sorry, the image didn’t scan well…

Patio Estimate #1

Estimate #1:
Our first estimate was done by a local company. We met with the owner and we really like him. He seems to know what he’s doing and he has a lot of experience.
His initial plan makes the patio the entire width of the house. From the corner of the house, the patio extends straight towards the retaining wall. Since the retaining wall is longer and curved, two triangular planters would be built (one on each side) to complete the space. His plan also includes a firepit for Matt and 2 big patio paver steps from the back door.

What is the cost of this little endeavor? His initial plan would cost about $18,000 ($20 a square foot + extras)! This is more than we want to spend, so with a few adjustments, we can get it into the right range. I think we’d have to cut down the patio size to not be the entire width of the house. By coming in 2 or 3 feet on each side, we can save a lot of money!

One other thing to note is that his estimate does not include any plants for the planter areas, so that would be an added cost.

New Tables!

Recently, we bought this coffee table (and matching end tables) for our living room.

Similar to the ones I feel in love with at Crate & Barrel, these have the same lines only with rustic reclaimed wood instead of travertine. And they came with an additional plus…they were much cheaper than the Crate & Barrel tables! I love that we really can’t hurt them…they are already beat up and have a lot of character. And I like the juxtaposition of this rough light-colored wood next to our dark contemporary finish of our entertainment center.

Yep, I’m still alive

It has been over a month since I posted last…I know you all were wondering if I’m alive…Have no fear, I am still alive and well, just been pretty busy.

Our calendars have been filled with bachelorette parties, family visits, and manual labor.
Last weekend was declared a “work weekend” on the farm. We (parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, cousins, etc) started work at 6am to lay conduit and feed electrical wires to the house, pump house, machine shed, and barn. It was a big job in 100 degree weather. We had to take a break during the hottest part of the afternoon. Unfortunately, resting in the farmhouse didn’t provide an escape from the heat since it isn’t air conditioned. Still, I love the history in the old farm buildings. I love that the outside of the smokehouse still bears my great grandfather’s initials scribbled in red paint, from the day he built it. I often wonder what he or my grandfather would think of all the work that has been put into a farm with no farmer…The land that they grew up on, the land that provided their livelihood, and the land that housed the one-room schoolhouse where my grandfather went to school, just a couple fields away.

It always amazes me how old time farmers had to literally do it all…They had to be carpenters, architects, environmentalists, construction workers…oh, and farmers. Can you imagine going to work one day at your current occupation, and constructing a building instead? “Hey Anna, once you are done with that piece of code, why don’t you spend the afternoon building a barn over there. Sound good?”

Outside of playing farmer for the weekend, work has been on my mind a lot. The overtime hasn’t been as bad lately, but I’ve been thinking a lot about office politics, my career, and my current work/life balance. To avoid going into too much detail (and a really long story), I’ll just say that I’ve started a new role. I won’t have time for any more development, as I now have several direct reports and will take on more of a leadership role. I’m cautiously excited…It will definitely be a new challenge, and I anticipate it taking quite a while for me to feel comfortable in it. Wish me luck.