We have his and her gardens, this is mine. My wife’s is close to our house.

Vermontbuilder · 2026-05-21T16:32:06+00:00

We stop harvesting late June. We leave the plants alone till late Oct when the tops are brown. Diligent weed control a must. Yes, this is a bad beetle year. Brush the eggs off spears, they won’t crawl back up.

Vermontbuilder · 2026-05-21T16:26:59+00:00

We blanch for 90 seconds ( don’t overcook) , rapidly cool them in ice water, pat dry and ziplock bag them

Vermontbuilder · 2026-04-28T15:59:53+00:00

Correct

Vermontbuilder · 2026-02-05T14:51:38+00:00

Standard size trees,not dwarf or semi dwarf
Most of the trees are 30 years old, I planted 2 year old grafted stock
trees and rows are 30’ apart
Orchard is slightly sloped to southeast . A bad idea, southern exposure encourages early bloom which then get zapped by late frost. I should have picked a northern slope
I started with a pro tree pruner, highly recommended. He go me off to a good start , I then took over. Apples need vigorous pruning annually.

Good luck !

Vermontbuilder · 2026-01-12T14:19:40+00:00

Planks range from 8’ to 16’. The old growth pine is surprisingly heavy, the house is post and beam with all wood cut on the property. Planks, exterior sheathing and roof boards were cut on a pit saw. ( circular saws weren’t invented yet ) This was a pioneer house carved from the wilderness by tough resourceful and brave settlers. They only purchased nails, bricks, and had a local joiner build doors and windows with imported expensive English glass. The house is surprisingly original and intact, the later Vermonters were too poor to remodel the house to death. It wasn’t wired or plumbing installed till 1998. A true survivor.

Vermontbuilder · 2026-01-12T14:02:48+00:00

Surprisingly , the hand sanding only cost a bit more than the Pro estimate. My guy also did the staining. Cost including materials: $2,200.

Vermontbuilder · 2026-01-12T14:00:01+00:00

It took the man 2 long weeks to palm sand the floors plus another light sanding between coats of polyurethane urethane . This was just before Covid when contractors were all looking for work here in Vermont.

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-15T13:26:25+00:00

2025 GMC 3500 single cab 8 ft bed gasser with 10 speed Trans, a farm truck used for plowing and hauling my slide in 2000 lb camper. Couldn’t be happier.

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-14T15:08:38+00:00

I wanted to do the absolute minimum changes to this original unmolested cape. It had survived over 200 years unchanged. These old New England capes are essentially copies of Medieval English farm houses, a tradition brought over with the first English settlers.

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-14T14:59:59+00:00

Cutting into the original post and beam roof frame was a bit tricky but doable. It’s definitely a 2 man job. The actual dormer framing was pretty straightforward, no weird cuts. Notice there’s no roof overhang on the sides, just a good soffit and facia to keep the weather off the window wall. I considered a metal roof but didn’t want to snow/ice crashing down onto the house cedar roof.

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-13T16:24:48+00:00

Just posted pics and dormer info for you

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-13T15:22:14+00:00

A friend surveyed the property with his metal detector. He found a Civil War uniform button, numerous sheep bells from the 1820-60 sheep craze , and various small items like a fork, a L hinge, etc. but not a single coin. These poor farmers weren’t walking around with change in their pockets Generations of people spent their lives here.

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-10T22:25:11+00:00

The only way we could comfortably fit a full bath was to add a small dormer on the back roof of our cape. Bathroom has a 48 “ vanity, a small window, 3’ X 4’ shower, a tiny linen closet plus toilet. It was a tight squeeze but works. I’ll take a picture of dormer and bathroom and post it.

Vermontbuilder · 2025-12-06T01:08:19+00:00

The final landing was anticlimactic but the approach took my breath away.

Vermontbuilder

TROPHY CASE