Winter Prep

This week on the farm…

Yesterday we headed over to Thystle Byre Farm and did some winter prep as well as passed on new skills to the youngest member of our family. 

This wood was is so wet that it was literally shooting out little squirts of water when they tried to split it with the maul. It will hang out in the back pasture for the next couple of years as the seasons age it and dry it out. Then we will haul it in and use it for heat!

Heat has been the name of the game this month, specifically trying to keep the outside out and the inside in as the weather changes and the temps drop.

A little history about the Brick House…

The Brick House is said to have been built in 1856, however based on previous land records and building reports of the time, it’s likely her construction started around 1851-1853. She stands on the edge of the Wabash Valley like a grand old dame, a testament of seasons gone past, but like all old houses, we knew there were going to be some things that need attention and suspected that keeping heat in would be at the top of the list.

In the early 1850’s the main source of heat for all homes came in the form of coal or wood. Thus, the Brick House was built with 4 large, elaborate fireplaces; three of which are spread throughout the first floor.

Two of these fireplaces have since been refurbished with alternative heating sources (one has a wood stove in the firebox, one has a gas unit connected to the old chimney), and two of the chimneys have been capped. I think often, especially on the cold, drafty days of winter about what this grand old lady would have looked like and felt like with those generously-sized fireboxes blazing full force. I also wonder, often, if back then, as a new brick home, all tightly and freshly built, if she held heat. I’m tempted to say no…very tempted.

The reason being, wood heat in fireplaces is one of the least efficient ways we have to heat a space. In fact, approximately 85% of the heat generated by a traditional wood fireplace is lost up the chimney. This doesn’t even take into account yet all of the original, single-pane, wood windows and doors that would have been tasked with keeping the 15% worth of remaining heat inside. Yikes!

I’m confident in saying, especially after talking to other previous inhabitants, that staying warm in the winter is not a unique challenge to the Frost family’s experience with the Brick House. However, we accept that which we refuse to acknowledge and change and this is something that has been at the top of my list to change!

So, this month I have gone through a ridiculous amount of expanding insulation foam, caulk, and paint. I have successfully caulked each of the downstairs windows, all of which were replaced at some point between now and 1856 with nice, double-paned, energy-efficient windows. They don’t set as snuggly in their brick and limestone window casings as one would hope, so each one was shored up, sealed, and then refreshed with a coat of white paint. So far, even though the temps have been in the 40’s overnight outside, the house has maintained in the mid-60’s inside, even without the furnace running.

This gives me hope that maybe…possibly…January won’t feel so drafty…maybe.

This week I will finish painting the porch, we went back to all-white as Mr. Frost was not a fan of the idea of bringing out the details with darker accent colors. Then, once the porch is officially done, the goal is to finish painting the downstairs windows and then heading upstairs armed with my caulk gun, insulation, and paint.

It’s fun to see this old brick lady come back to life as I pour time and attention into the parts that have needed a little bit of love.

Paint here…insulation there, a touch of this…a tad of that…it all goes into creating a truly loved home that will stand for many more seasons to come.

In Other Farm News…

Staying warm has been on everyone’s minds in more ways than one,  which means the renewable textile side of Red Brick Ranch has picked up via quilt orders.

Currently under the needle…