The Roofline & The View With the framing finished and the roof sheathed in plywood, our house finally feels like a structure. Next up was the metal roofing! We chose a crisp, classic black metal roof, and I honestly can’t wait to see the contrast against the exterior. It’s going to give the house such a sharp, modern-meets-traditional feel. But the real game-changer? The windows and doors. We opted for white, grid-less windows—not just for the clean, look, but because they give us an completely unobstructed view of the land. Plus, we discovered another surprise: these windows open to the inside, which is going to make cleaning day so much…
-
-
The Transformation There is a specific kind of magic that happens on a building site. One day, you’re staring at a flat slab of concrete, and the next, your home is literally rising out of the ground! Once our concrete foundation finally finished its curing process, the real excitement began. The trucks rolled in with mountains of lumber, and for the first time, we could actually visualize the footprint of our future home. We weren’t just looking at site plans anymore—we were watching our dream take shape. The Truss Milestone Part of the unique beauty of building with The Barndo Co. is the inclusion of their signature steel trusses. Shortly…
-
Even though we’ve made the intentional decision to scale back our garden this year, there is just something in my soul that keeps looking for ways to add just a little more. You know how it is—once a gardener, always a gardener! We’ve been busy making a few purposeful additions to our backyard patch, focusing on perennials that will give us a sweet bounty for years to come. Expanding Our Vines First up, we decided to add to our grape collection. We’ve planted three different varieties of seedless grapes, and I am already dreaming of the harvests to come. There’s something so timeless about a grapevine climbing along a trellis;…
-
Even in our 399-square-foot tiny house, the kitchen is where I truly feel alive. Space has never stopped me from cooking for our family or for others in need. This week, I decided to tackle a little “meal prepping” for Larry. Since he had to head into the office for three days, I wanted to make sure he had a hearty, homemade start to his day instead of relying on drive-throughs that always leave him feeling less than great. The Secret to Simple Mornings These breakfast sandwiches are a game-changer. They’re fully customizable—I used a mix of buns, English muffins, and bagels—but you can use whatever your family prefers, even…
-
We’ve moved past the initial clearing and tree work, and things are really starting to look like a construction site now! After we got the land cleared and the house location marked out with stakes, it was time for the heavy machinery to move in. One thing I’ve been so glad for is that The Barndo Company manages the entire process from start to finish. When the day came for grading, we were honestly surprised to see just one man arrive with his dozer. It was fascinating to watch—in just a few hours, he had the sod scraped away and the ground level, prepping everything for the fill dirt. The…
-
For years, we’ve been tucked away in our tiny home, dreaming and planning for the day we’d finally break ground on a more permanent space right here on our land. We’ve poured over house plans, saving bits and pieces of designs that caught our eye, knowing all the while we wanted to build something that truly felt like “us.” We knew from the start that building isn’t something we could tackle on our own. After a search for builders who specialize in barndominiums—and who actually cover our area—we found The Barndo Company. That connection kicked off our journey in late summer 2025. If there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s…
-
We’ve talked about the dream, but let’s be real—building a house isn’t all glossy Pinterest photos and choosing paint colors. It’s a lot of grit, sweat, and hard work to get from a plot of land to a finished home. Before we could even think about laying a foundation, we had to clear the way. Clearing the Path Our property has a beautiful wood line of tall pine trees, but they presented a bit of a challenge for our site layout. We realized that with where the house was situated, the garage would be far too close to those pines. They had to come down. Usually, professional tree removal is…
-
There is something so life-giving about getting in the kitchen to cook for the people I love. Earlier this week, I decided to whip up a big batch of spaghetti. I knew my daughter, who works grueling 12-hour shifts in the ER, would love a home-cooked meal waiting for her, so I decided to double the effort. Since I manage a gluten allergy, I decided to make this entire meal gluten-free so we could all enjoy the same dish together! My Gluten-Free Pasta Pick If you are gluten-free, you know the struggle of finding a pasta that doesn’t turn to mush. My absolute favorite find is the Jovial brand. It’s…
-
Living in our tiny home for the past five years has been a blessing for my husband, Larry, and me. However, as our five adult children have married and started families of their own, we quickly outgrew our space. This led us to build our dream home—a transition that also allows us to move my aging parents into our tiny home where we can help care for them. Because cooking, baking, canning, and preserving are vital to our family, we knew our new kitchen had to be highly functional. We worked with our architect to design a separate scullery specifically to accommodate large-batch cooking and canning. This room is a…
