A Cottage Addition

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862

Well, that was the case these past two weeks for my husband and son. We had wanted a lean-to for garden tools, and had priced them at home improvement stores and decided it would be less expensive to try and build one. My husband is great with tools, builds wonderful pieces of furniture and always starts those pieces with an idea, then a drawing, and then dimensions.

The lean-to would be his first "construction" project. So, he bought a book that had a design he liked in it. Bought his supplies and started the project.

Building is sort of like sewing...not really, but it's the best analogy I could come up with this morning. Have you ever purchased a pattern, and just loved it and had to make it. You buy your material and notions. You lay out your pattern and start cutting. As you are reading each step and following the instructions, you look at the dress and have this panic attack because they skipped a step and now the collar of your dress is on your sleeve....well, ok, maybe it's not that bad. But, just imagine this scenario with large lumber instead of thread.

My poor builders (Ethan was "helping"), had this problem several times throughout their construction project. They had to rewrite the instructions, take apart already built doors, redo the roof line and of course make several trips to the hardware store.

But, the finished project is beautiful, VERY sturdy, and looks as if it is an addition to our little cottage. (In the photo at right, it still needs a little trim painted...but you get the idea). And it isn't even summer vacation yet.....perhaps I can talk him into building me a crafting/painting shed???