I’ve been painting in the corner of what was a coach house for twenty years, in summer it’s fine, in winter bloody cold even with the fire on.
I’ve had a notion to build a new studio for a while. The shed my brother and I built recently would serve well as a template.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/maybe-january-isnt-the-best-time-to-start-building-a-new-shed
So while this window of good weather seems good for the next four days, I’ve made a start. The site is south facing but exposed to the wind from the west, so I don’t think I will build it with a verandah. It does however get great evening light and sunsets as the sun sets over the hill. So I may well glaze the west facing elevation too. I’m going to put a wood burning stove inside and have a log lined entrance on the north side. I want to plant some new trees around it to make the most of autumn colours. Nearby I’m going to build a chicken run too. We’ve had hens in the past, but a fox got them all. That is about as much planning as I have in mind.
It was a frosty morning, the ground was hard. I fired up the Fergie and cleared the site. I had largely used it for burning brash and dumping chain sawdust. No snow drops or daffodils were squashed in the process, but I did fell a couple of trees that looked precarious from the plantation we planted thirty years ago. With them thinned, those left should thrive a little better.
I’ve been totally inspired by Dick Proenneke’s Alaskan Zen cabin building.
The site that needs clearing of sawdust and ash and a couple of trees
Just about to make a start leveling the site.
Back from the timber merchants
I’m using this Kentucky cabin as a starting point.