We had the roof in Maine replaced right after we bought it in October. The extensive squirrel damage in the eaves was fixed and the rot from the leaking roof was attacked. We weren’t able to start the interior clean out till the following late Spring. After a 10 hour drive in pouring rain, we arrived to a cold house with nothing but a table left in the kitchen, and dead bugs on the floor. We swept up the bugs and settled in with misgivings. Our dog didn’t like the place, and for several weeks after, tried to lead us up the driveways of the cottages we’d previously rented. Our inflatable mattress deflated the first night. We had no refrigerator or stove and we kept our cold things on ice in a Styrofoam cooler. The water was iffy at best and the hot water heater would stop working after about 10 minutes. Despite everything, the house didn ‘t feel unwelcoming. We had a bed delivered by a very kind local businessman the next day. We got to work. We began in the kitchen dining room. We removed the roof slate that was on the wall and floor where the wood burner used to be. We made much progress, with some help from our friends. The kitchen dining room was transformed as you can see from the pictures above.
