Big news! : Around the Coffee Table

[Nymphadora]

Ok guys, I did a thing!

Well, I suppose we did a thing, because DH really did most of the back-and-forth and handling things as they came up. We bought our very first house, ever!

We’re both absolutely over-the-moon-excited right now, and we will be moving in a full week earlier than anticipated! The property is everything we could possibly need right now, with a 3-bedroom house, ¾ acre lot, and a HUGE steel barn. The barn was originally designed to be a workshop, and the sellers added three insulated rooms when they got it, so we’re planning for the barn to be our workshop and gardening headquarters for the property. Plus storage. There’s plenty of room for an excellent potting bench and some storage shelves for seed starting, and DH has been planning a grandiose workbench and table for the saws on his side of the barn.

For all the fellow crafters, I’m happy to announce that the 3rd bedroom will become my very own craft room, with a nice big table for pattern-making and cutting. There’s a good-size window to let in plenty of light, and there’s a door to the garage (which is where the washer and dryer are located, along with a big garden sink). We’ll make the laundry space in the garage nice and pretty with time, but it’ll be great having that so close when I’ve got fabrics to be washed. And all of my spinning and fiber supplies will get their very own space in this room! I’m looking for good storage ideas that let me show off my work, because I love just looking at my yarns sometimes.
PSFAngoras, your wool is going to be the first thing spun in our new home!

And last but not least… rabbits! Since we’re moving in a full week earlier than expected, we’re looking at picking up some rabbits mid-October (buying from friends). I absolutely can’t wait, but DH is making me be patient. Who needs a functional home when you could have rabbits?! For now we (ok, mostly me) are planning on raising castor and opal Rex for meat and fur (and love). I’m hoping to set up at least 6 cages to start… after getting a stern talking-to about how much money we’ve just spent to get a house, and all the little projects we’ll have this year, and that we don’t need 500 lbs of meat in a year (if I had 12 cages and considerably more rabbits than the standard trio).

So, my friends, I am finally getting there! We are painting the walls and shampooing carpets first thing this weekend, and moving in furniture next weekend. It’s been a long post, and I apologize, but I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore and had to share!

[alforddm]

I'm so happy for you! Post pics as soon as you get a chance...It's not like you have anything else to do right???

[Nymphadora]

It's not like you have anything else to do right???

Nope, not at all!


I'll be taking before and after pictures as we paint, so I'll put some of that up in this post as we go.

[Preitler]

Who needs a functional home when you could have rabbits?

I bought my house 3 years ago, best decision I ever made, still have bare light bulbs on the ceiling - but hey, I have rabbits

[MaggieJ]

Nymphadora!
I'm so pleased and excited for you!

All this, and BUNNIES too!

[Ozarkansas]

I’m hoping to set up at least 6 cages to start… after getting a stern talking-to about how much money we’ve just spent to get a house, and all the little projects we’ll have this year, and that we don’t need 500 lbs of meat in a year (if I had 12 cages and considerably more rabbits than the standard trio).

Wellllll..... I guess 6 cages will hold your 16 rabbits (if 10 of them are popples)
Oh, and Congratulations on the new house!!

[Nymphadora]

Thank you guys!!!

Yes, the bunnies are the most exciting of all, I think! I've been talking of pretty much nothing else for the past year or two, so I'm sure the family is going to be as happy as I am once they're here.

[Homer]

Glad it all came together for you Nymphadora! Now the real work is about to start. I mean after all. you'll need to build a bunny barn don't you think?

[Nymphadora]

Glad it all came together for you Nymphadora! Now the real work is about to start. I mean after all. you'll need to build a bunny barn don't you think?

For now it’ll be a bunny-shed, or I could take up a portion of that steel barn (so no, I wouldn’t have to build a barn, Homer, the house came with one)!

But given the fact that DH wants to do woodworking and metalworking in that barn… too much noise for the buns, I think. I’m sure I can build a nice long row of double-stacked cages along the shaded side of the house though… just add a roof for weather-protection and the dominion spreads!

[PSFAngoras]

Congrats!

Hope you enjoy your new place, I always loved moving. So many new things! You know you have to post pics of the bunnies when they come, too.

[Random Rabbit]

Big Congratulations !!
a Lot of work... but so very worth it !
ENJOY !

[Homer]

But given the fact that DH wants to do woodworking and metalworking in that barn… too much noise for the buns, I think.

Actually you'd be surprised. Mine live in my shop and I do woodworking and I'm always working with metal too. Grind, saw' mill, weld. I just talk to them when I'm starting a machine and they could care less. I have mover's blankets I put snaps in to cover the front of cages with to keep then from going blind when I weld. No problems in the past 15 years going it that way...

[SarniaTricia]

Congrats!!!

Owning is a huge exciting stressful fun event!

Also, I agree with Homer... the shop noises will help make your rabbits bomb proof in the event of a predator or storm.... less likely for your rabbits to freak out and brain themselves or break their backs... strange noises will be "normal" for them.

Also, please send updates ....... So I can live vicariously through you .... I am hoping that 3-4 years we can buy our own homestead and I can stop renting property for my rabbits, get a few dairy goats and chickens....ducks, quail etc...lol

[Nymphadora]

But given the fact that DH wants to do woodworking and metalworking in that barn… too much noise for the buns, I think.

Actually you'd be surprised. Mine live in my shop and I do woodworking and I'm always working with metal too. Grind, saw' mill, weld. I just talk to them when I'm starting a machine and they could care less. I have mover's blankets I put snaps in to cover the front of cages with to keep then from going blind when I weld. No problems in the past 15 years going it that way...

Whaaat? That’s brilliant! Love the mover’s blanket repurposing idea! Maybe I’ll have to revisit putting them in the barn on the gardening side…

Also, please send updates ....... So I can live vicariously through you .... I am hoping that 3-4 years we can buy our own homestead and I can stop renting property for my rabbits, get a few dairy goats and chickens....ducks, quail etc...lol

Of course there will be updates! Haha, I should take a picture of our garage right now… boxes and things piled everywhere! And (somewhat) neatly ordered in regards to what needs to come up to the house with us immediately vs. later on. My poor MIL is not very happy with the “clutter”, but it’s very very temporary we keep assuring her. To be fair, she helped us move a lot of it into the garage, so I don’t think she’s entirely beside herself.


Our plan is definitely to expand on rabbits beyond the typical trio once we can afford a larger herd. And we’re planning on building a small ( 4-6 bird) chicken coop in the back of the property, so I can have fresh eggs (and maybe a meat bird, once in a while). The coop probably won’t be built this year, though. Gotta take care of the little fixes in the house, first.

We keep toying with the idea of one day getting goats (DH doesn’t want any “milking” animals, so I’ve had to assure him that we can keep goats for meat as well). And with my latest fiber and spinning obsession, I’ve considered adding Huaca alpacas to the list of possible future animals. I can only imagine the water waste (or evaporation, splashing, etc.) that ducks would entail, and our California water budget can’t handle that. Not yet, anyway. Quail might be a possibility, but I don’t really foresee us needing them, given the rabbits and chickens should provide a good chunk of our proteins.

I’m sure you’ll be as excited as I am when you finally get your own property! And I’ll be happy to let anyone live vicariously through DH and I while we start on this most excellent adventure! Let me know if there’s any specific projects you wanna see when we get going, I’ll try to add as much as I can for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

[MaggieJ]

Let me know if there’s any specific projects you wanna see when we get going, I’ll try to add as much as I can for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

Oh, that's brilliant!
Nymph to Hubby: "So you see, dear, I just have to have these (insert animal/bird of choice) because all my friends on RT are dying to learn about (insert whatever) and I don't want to let them down."

Why no milking animals? I'd think a triple-purpose breed like Angora goats would be ideal for you. I saw some in France years ago. The goats were amazing. They were grazing on a distant hillside and the farmer whistled and they all came running. Beautiful animals. The people had a nice little shop with hand-crafted angora wool products, oodles of chevre (goat cheese) and so forth. Can't remember if they sold goat meat products as well, but I wouldn't be surprised.