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I want to write this as a place marker in November 2024.  I want to remember how I am feeling and see what comes true and what doesn’t by 2028, our projected move-in date to the Ridge Road house.  I am essentially an optimist.  I don’t know how much of this was programmed at birth and how much was instilled in me via my life experiences, but an optimist I am.  I remember just last month agreeing with James Carville (an ornery man who can be foul-mouthed yet speaks the truth, starting as a comedian and becoming someone who could speak out to the media about political truths).  “James Carville: Three Reasons I’m Certain Kamala Harris Will Win” Oct. 23, 2024 NY Times Guest Opinion Essay I saw Kamala’s consistently huge crowds, enthusiastic Americans cheering her on.  She was tireless, moving state to state to talk with everyday Americans.  I saw Trump barely trying to campaign.  I heard her plans for helping people, I read about Trump’s agenda to cut government programs using Elon Musk’s ideas for an efficiency plan.  People had to see the writing on the wall and vote for her right?!  Why wouldn’t they?! Then November 5th arrived.  My 6-year-old granddaughter had asked me, “Grammy, when we wake up in the morning will we know who the president is?”  I told her that it might take a few days of counting since the polls showed that the election would be very close.  Nope.  We knew right away on November 5th, probably before she even went to bed.  What had happened?  Many folks had warned the polls have been wrong before, don’t listen to polls (and believe me I wanted to believe that the polls would be wrong and Harris would win in a landslide).  Trump and his people are calling it a mandate.  Nope again.  After many days of counting, it turns out less than 50% of Americans voted for him, but he is still what we are stuck with.  And as the days progress (it’s been about 2 weeks) it is clear that he will move ahead with his choosing of MAGA supporters into cabinet positions, inexperienced, wealthy, and with one thing on their minds, to make American great again for themselves. Other Trump voters just want a simple, conservative dream- get government out of our lives.  Even though economic experts in this country had said the economy as of November 5, 2024 was doing exceedingly well, the voters who chose Trump said they did so because the economy is bad.  Yes, groceries are expensive and yes, many Americans who are first-time homebuyers are finding it near impossible to buy a house.  But Harris wanted to help with both of those items- stop price gouging and find ways to help first-time homebuyers.  Now we’ll never know if her ideas would have helped. If Elon Musk’s plans to slash the government are enacted, he has said Americans should “brace themselves for hardship.”  He seems to think that the good stuff will eventually happen, but not at first.  Economists have warned that if Trump’s “most beautiful word” Tariffs are put into place- consumers will pay higher prices, it will cause inflation, lead to higher unemployment and lower wages. I am selfish like those wealthy Republicans out there and don’t want our family’s nest egg to be destroyed.  I differ from them on how our economy should be handled.  I don’t want more tax breaks for the rich that only benefit the rich.  I don’t want cuts to programs that help my fellow Americans.  I don’t want the economy to backslide and cause the chunk of money we have now to be erased from the books.  Am I being alarmist?  Time will be the truth-teller.  As much as I am an optimist, I am also an alarmist.  I remember when Covid first hit and ambulances were lining up on streets of NYC, bodies were piling up and morgues were running out of space.  I was an alarmist then, thinking it might cause civil unrest.  It started with toilet paper hoarding, but how bad could it get?  The normal U.S. delivery system was a mess.  I even thought about ways of securing our house, would we need to put in a wooden 2x4 across our French doors to make them impossible to force open?  My questions today are- will we get to move forward with our house project in Vermont?  Will our funding be gone?  Will our current house be worthless since there will be no one who can afford to buy it, virtually erasing our equity?  By 2028 I think there will be bigger things to worry about than just building a house.  But then again, I am an alarmist.    (As I said, this is a place marker for myself.)

I want to make sure Charles Cooley's barn that he built in the 80s is taken care of. I plan on using it for my equines when I move there in 2028. It is smart to take baby steps when moving forward on a big project, so starting with the barn makes sense. Smaller amounts of money, preserving the value of what is there...this is a perfect smaller project for the here and now. Thanks to a friend of a friend who lives in Randolph, Vermont herself, I got a recommendation for a Vermont builder Matthew Greene who will start work on the barn in March/April depending on the weather. Here are his plans: I love this barn. Mostly because my father-in-law built it himself. He thought about what would work on this site. He lived there. He knew the site. He grew up and farmed just down the road. What better designer could one ask for!? I love that the horses are below with direct run-out to a paddock area. I love that the hay loft is above, yet accessible as if on the ground level since it has a road that goes up above and around the barn to the back, straight into the loft! A barn built into a hill. Thank you Charles. Photo of Charles Cooley by photographer Jack Rowell Let me add one more item...paint that rusting metal door red or maybe a new door with a window. This will be the view that horses get again some day. Below Lippitt Morgans Fern Hill Alexandra (my <3 horse Lexa) and her mom Suzanne Royalty (Charles's <3 horse) in that same barn's pasture.

The date is set for test holes for the septic system... Halloween! October 31st! We went up today to check on the site, empty the well pump to winterize it, and enjoy the fall foliage on the drive up.

I have narrowed it down to two great builders...waiting for their estimates which I will get any day now which will help my final decision. Then the real process of building will begin! I would ideally like to do the septic next summer and maybe get the well checked (drill a new one if needed) and another possibility is to start refurbishing the barn right away. Then the following summer start the real build, at least with the garage. I am excited! The Cooley Ridge Road House will reemerge. Phil Godenschwager will be doing some interior elevations soon as well...that will give you a sneak peek and help you imagine the inside of the house. What will you see as you enter that dining room door and look towards the kitchen? What will the mud room look like? When you are in the living room and look over at the stairs and this beautiful front door, will it look familiar? That is my hope.

Today I got to meet with Matthew Greene a builder from Topsham, Vermont. I am very encouraged that he would be an excellent fit with me as someone who is experienced and flexible (willing to do the project in sections, not insisting on going in/doing the whole thing/moving out), and able to suggest easier, better ways of doing things. I learned just from talking with him today. He is also willing to make changes as he works...if as the homeowner, you see something you didn't realize or quite understand as he builds...and you want to change it or adjust it, he is understanding and willing to do that. For example, a window could be moved if the view is better from that new position. I don't forsee doing too much of that since, I was able to be in this house in the past. I saw how the rooms were laid out, I saw how the sun entered the windows at certain times of day, etc. My sister Sharon met with me at the house site and luckily took photos for me since I neglected to take any. We walked through the barn to see what needs to be done there. What I had thought would be my summer project (working on cleaning out the barn) has not happened. Between having all of my equines get sick this summer, requiring extra care and attention, and so much rain creating constant mowing back here in Massachusetts, I didn't manage to work on the barn. Luckily I think Matthew Greene might be willing to help with any repairs or improvements to the barn that are needed. There is a lot to do.

Thank you Phillip Godenschwager for these drawings. The only changes in the front of the house are- A view of the south side covered deck/porch sticking out on the right in the above elevation, and a peek of the screened-in porch set back at the far end of the deck/porch. Also- the chimney is no longer centered. A hard decision for me, but it made more sense to get comfortable with the chimney being off-center since the wood stove will be in the living room, (rather than centered in the house's kitchen or front hallway). The kitchen was always an awkward location for the wood stove and if it was in the hallway, the heat would tend to just flow up the stairs. I am very happy with this rendition. It will have wooden clapboards, painted white, and a gray metal roof. The south side of the house will be the most visible as you come up the driveway. The changes are- The side deck/porch running all along the south side (30' long and 10' deep) with a shallow/flatish room to make it more out of the weather and sun. I wanted to keep it simple, no flourishes, not too many posts, not hiding the south side of the familiar house. The door to enter the dining room here is now centered (and doubled, glass French doors) between the dining room and living room, with a straight shot across into the kitchen. The screened-in porch towards the back of the house is on the far right in this elevation, actually lined up with the big deck/porch. A door to enter the screened-in porch is not visible here but is located off the deck/porch on the far right. You can also enter the porch from inside the house via the dining room. I love that this inside door position is in the exact location that the former door used to be- connecting the Cape Cod house dining room to the Saltbox house fireplace room. The screened-in porch takes the place of the large Saltbox style 'second house' that contained the fireplace room, the garage, and the upstairs 2 bedrooms. The back of the house that showed the side of the Saltbox house to the left (previously jutting out to the left and overlapping the main Cape Cod style house slightly), now has the screened-in porch, also overlapping the Cape Cod house a bit. The entry into the kitchen remains on the back of the house here, along with the same double windows above the sink. The 'Room to Nowhere' on the far right which contained a workshop bench in the past, still has a door (moved slightly to the left with an added window to its right). This door now leads to the mudroom. The mudroom will lead to the kitchen (see floor plans, previous post). A big change to the back of the house is the upstairs dormer over the upstairs bathroom. I wanted to limit the size to only accommodate the necessary head space in the bathroom without changing the whole back of the house. (See East Elevation above.) This is a view of the house from the North side. You can see the upstairs bathroom dormer from this view, but I think it balances the front dormer. Remember, it is actually small and tucked in. Instead of the back of Saltbox house to the left with its one living room window, you see the screened-in porch and a small landing to enter the kitchen door on the back of the house. The two typical-sized windows on this side are in the downstairs bedroom and the smaller, higher windows are in the downstairs bathroom. Upstairs of course a guest room matching the guest room on the south upstairs.

I am excited to preserve the basic original floor plan of the Ridge Road house with a few changes. Guests, instead of just entering the dining room door on the south side, will see a covered deck along the entire side (the really old renditions of this house had a porch there). The porch/deck roof will be fairly flat to still let light in during the cooler months when the sun's arc is lower. The dining room entry door instead of being on the far-right-hand corner on that side will be centered off the porch with French doors. From the dining room instead of having a half wall into the kitchen, it will have an island separating it from the kitchen, so hopefully a similar feel. I will maintain the dark lower kitchen cabinet bases (mostly drawers), using oak which the older 1920s kitchens often had. I am hoping this will be reminiscent to the 1960s kitchen Harry created but with oak instead of the plywood cabinets. Above the base cabinets will be a few shelves instead of cupboards to try and preserve an older house look. One tall (but not deep) oak cupboard will hopefully make up for a lack of upper cupboards- sort of a pantry cupboard. This tall floor-to-almost-ceiling cupboard will be near the island against the adjoining living room wall (about where the refrigerator used to be for those 'in the know.') The living room which was always fairly open to the dining room will now be completely open with only the small wall behind the wood stove separating it from the kitchen. The stairwell (oak to match kitchen cabinet bases) will be open and seen from the living room (which used to have a wall separating it from the stairwell hallway). Stairs can be beautiful and this will also make the living room larger and let in more light from the side lights surrounding the front door. I want to keep the shape of the original banister in the house, a squared off post with sloping sides at the top. Remember it? (I will post a photo below.). I want to also reuse the charming glass 'bubble ceiling light fixture' from the original house at the base of the stairs. The downstairs bedroom (our master bedroom) will be in the same place as it was in the original house, on the north/west side, with a similar bathroom off it which can also be used by visitors via the kitchen (same as it always was). It will be a little more spacious than the original bathroom, with double sinks and a wide walk-in shower, oh and a window. One of the best changes will be using the original space in the house that I called 'the room to nowhere' which held a work bench (in the north/east corner of the house). You could not get into the house from that room in the past. It will still have a door on the back of the house so you can enter it from there, but will be a mudroom/laundry which connects now to the kitchen. Ha! what an idea! Another nod to the past will be a doorway that went from the dining room to the saltbox house (which had the fireplace room, garage, and upstairs two bedrooms). Instead of the saltbox house which we don't need and can't afford, we will have a screened-in porch there. It will have windows on 3+ sides- one side facing south, one west, one side east, one side north, and be a 4-season room with its own entry off the southern deck as well. This will give us extra living space, a little more shade than the south/west deck provides, and screens to exclude the mosquitos. We can sit out there at night with comfy armchairs and lamps or have our morning coffee there. The back door to the kitchen from the driveway will still be there but with a small covered deck entryway. You can pull up along the back and enter either the mudroom or the kitchen/dining room off the back of the house. The upstairs will still have the spacious hallway with two bedrooms on either side- to the south and to the north off the hallway. The bathroom will still be straight ahead but will have a very small (about 12') dormer to create head space there. Instead of just a toilet and small sink, it will have a tub/shower, double sink, and of course toilet, and again, an improvement- windows. The beloved 3rd bedroom will not be walled off but will create a space for extra guests to sleep or Danny's work desk while he gazes at the fields and mountain view from the upstairs two windows of the house. I am calling it the sitting nook (thank you Sara Tucker for the inspiration). I wanted to maintain that wonderful upside-down V shaped big dormer off the front of the house and these windows are great for light in the hallway upstairs and a beautiful space to sit. Definitely a room with a view. I will reuse the original upstairs bedroom doors for the same purpose, one closet door, and the door to the secret passageway up here for storage space.

Completed floor plans and elevations almost ready to share. Stay tuned! Sara Tucker recommended Phil Godenschwager for architectural drawings and I have not been disappointed. He has made great suggestions, really discussed the design with me, and done such detailed, exacting work. The second house, the saltbox section that held the garage, fireplace room, and two additional bedrooms would make the house too big for us and unaffordable as well. But I'm excited that the very same door that went from the dining room to the saltbox section will now go to a 4 season screened-in porch. This has been such a fun process, a back and forth with Phil, looking at old photos, researching materials for the new house, meeting with potential builders. Now moving on to getting estimates. Cross your fingers for us that we can afford it.

OK, so I am just a regular person who shouldn't HAVE a philosophy on interior design (and those who know me could have a good laugh with our mix of furniture, etc.) but here it is anyway. Simple is best. Straight lines are more appealing to me than curvy. Light in a room is critical. Views from one room to another are important. I love cozy but I require open. I love interesting details but don't like a busy, over-packed room. I appreciate the Craftsman style. The Cooley house was not and should not be Craftsman style, but can contain some elements of it. Surprisingly, I was just reading (after deciding the above) that Farmhouse style often incorporates Craftsman design. For example, I love oak and the grain of oak and we already have a Stickley arm chair and ottoman (leather seat & back, oak arms, etc.) and Stickley coffee table (two small tables pushed together) and a bedroom bureau.  Maybe we will splurge on an oak/Stickley love seat for the living room.  My idea for oak kitchen bases would fit with this. Older kitchens often do not have upper cupboards, that is why I am going with mostly bases and then upper shelves instead of cupboards. Since the stairs will be exposed to the living room, I would love to do those in a similar oak (even though otherwise I am having white woodwork throughout), maybe white risers on the stairs to help integrate it? The newel post at the base of the stairs in the original house was a simple square post with the top angled up on all four sides to a smaller square top (see photo). I’d like to recreate that except out of oak.  I’d love to have the handrail be somehow special (ideas?) and the baluster posts as you move up the stairs be more interesting than the usual without going overboard…so a Craftsman sort of look…maybe two narrow square posts per step? Or a flatter oak board with a small simple cut out like an oval leaf and stem (one per step)? Could the mudroom have an oak bench to repeat the use of oak?  Maybe an oak board that has hooks? It is kind of strange that I like white woodwork and doors/windows, yet I want some oak included in the house.

This is my initial list...possibly boring to read (but exciting to me). It is only preliminary, will take suggestions (especially to recreate the old house). I love the idea of oak kitchen cabinets with the oak grain. Some old 1920s kitchens had those (though I am not sure of the original kitchen in the Ridge Road house when the Day family had it), the 1960s kitchen Harry Cooley put in did have a darker stain wood cabinet. His kitchen also had light countertop. Instead of subway tiles though I am thinking of white shiplap to have an older look instead of shiny new. Here's the idea of oak drawers below, light countertop, shelving above rather than cupboards. Materials list: Ridge Road, Randolph Center, VT, Cape Cod style house with front large upside down V dormer Siding- Hardie plank smooth white Window trim white, 3 ½” wide, flat No shutters Retain molding details on front dormer of house and all along edge Roof- metal standing seam, medium gray Windows- Double hung, aluminum-clad wood outside, wood painted white inside Grill type- two over one, as realistic as possible (not pop-out grill or encased in glass grill) High quality in terms of energy efficiency Woodwork interior, all painted white wood, semi-gloss enamel paint 5 ½” flatboard baseboards with flat edge 3 ½” flatboard trim around interior windows All interior doors, solid wood, painted same white as woodwork 3-panel Shaker doors for all doors Except I have two old doors to use from the original house for the upstairs two bedrooms (do not repaint) I have one old closet door should be used in mudroom (do not repaint) I have one old very small door which should be used to recreate the secret passageway in upstairs hallway (do not repaint) All doorknobs needed- white porcelain All ceilings & walls sheetrock White ceilings Slightly off white (grayish tone) walls All floors wide board pine with square nails (except kitchen, mudroom, bathrooms) Kitchen, mudroom, and both bathrooms- solid sheet vinyl (pattern looks a little like concrete, a tannish/grayish mottled pattern) Armstrong CushionStep  B3252 “Ancient Fury Vinyl Sheet- Spitfire Shot” 12’ wide, low gloss (cannot install kitchen cabinets on top of this) Kitchen bases- medium stain oak (like old 1920s kitchens) with obvious grain pattern Mostly drawers on bases (no cupboards) except one tall ‘pantry’ cabinet Either slab style or full inset (I like the simple plain look of these) Open upper shelving of either same oak wood or white boards, no cupboards up Kitchen cabinet pulls- antique brass or bronze bin pulls Backsplash in kitchen- white shiplap boards Countertop quartz, white or off-white, simple infrequent pattern either lines or flecks Squared off front edges of countertop, slightly rounded corners Island between kitchen and dining room, use same oak kitchen cabinet bases with simple, attractive back (viewed from dining room), drawers on kitchen side, same countertop as kitchen Sink, white single large basin (double wide with no separation), drop down type White appliances in kitchen- refrigerator (bottom pull-out freezer), dishwasher, induction stove top, microwave.  As simply designed appearance as possible but energy efficient. Consumer Reports Best Buy appliances. White washer/dryer in mudroom, energy efficient, Consumer Reports Best Buy appliances. White wooden shelving in mudroom, hooks, bench? cupboards? small closet? Vermont Castings Encore black enamel wood stove in living room Slate (or plain granite) stone base in one piece if possible Possibly naturally found rounded stones creating interesting wall behind stove? Bathrooms- Double sinks white, squared shape, drop down type Quartz countertops same as kitchen Bases- oak, same as kitchen One small closet in each bathroom White tub with shower in both bathrooms Large tiled walls inside shower enclosures, similar to countertop color Mitsubishi mini splits for AC upstairs and downstairs Electric hot water heater But maybe makes more sense to have forced air AC/heat furnace/hot water source? Need advice on this Ceiling fans in living room, and in each bedroom Ceiling light (simple chandelier type) over dining room table Lights drop-down over kitchen island Light over kitchen sink Entryway mudroom light in ceiling Lighting and outlets in screened in porch Lighting above each bathroom sink Lighting outside at each entry door and along the side of house with deck Lighting outside garage with switch in mudroom Ring doorbell cameras at each entry

I talked with another builder!  Recommended by my niece Emily Howe who has seen his work in Tunbridge for her husband John’s family (and he uses my nephew for excavation- Matt Loftus).  His name is RJ Hoyt (Rodney) from Chelsea.  I was excited to finally get to talk with him; we had done a bit of phone tag.  I will go up and meet with him this month, see his work and show him the site. He is available for 2026 so that will work for us.  We are not in a hurry (especially Danny) but I tell folks we may move in about 3 years. I am happy to get more estimates.  You can’t build a house with just one estimate, right?  This will be Estimate Number Two. RJ was easy to talk to and sounds like a nice guy. Emily says he is the best and I trust her opinion.  He does the whole job, septic, foundation, and finishing. I sent him my rough floor plans and elevations, along with a photo of each side of the old house to let him know what we want to recreate.  He sent me photos of an almost identical Cape Cod house he built last year!  The only big difference is the dormer on the front.  Anyway, his work looks great and the house he built was beautiful.  I am happy for any forward movement on creating the Vermont Cooley house.

Today I got to meet Joseph Bertrand from Central Vermont Building & Design, LLC.  Thank you to Phil Godenschwager for suggesting Joe. Our meeting was at the house site in Randolph Center on Ridge Road.  We were welcomed with kisses from Mazey Cooley. It was wonderful just standing with this view, but standing with a builder, someone who can help deliver a dream was great! I think Joe Bertrand and the Cooleys are well-matched.  He believes in quality and not rushing a job.  He is willing and able to make lots of suggestions with all of his experience, but respects what the owner wants as well.  He has been building in the Randolph area for over 30 years.  Beautiful work. He believes in simplicity when possible and that is my goal as well.  It was a pleasure meeting him.  I am convinced he would recreate the Cooley house and we would have a wonderful (modernized in only the best ways) little white Cape on the hill again. Though I don't think we are ready to start this year, the house could be started in the fall season with the foundation, get the shell up, then work on the interior over a winter.  It could be finished by the next spring/summer for move in! I would like to do some preliminary work before that process.  Take trees down (unfortunately two of the Maples close to the house do not look great) and have a source of wood for a wood stove, then install the new septic system which Joe said the state of Vermont almost always requires a mounded system (but the site to the north of house would allow for that since it naturally is somewhat bowl-shaped), put up the garage (which would provide storage and a work space for the builders), and look at the water/well situation.  So maybe the house could be a Fall 2025-Summer 2026 project. He can start with some basic estimates, but more exact estimates would come after drawings from Phil of the floor plan plus elevations.  Then decisions on heating, cooling, flooring, kitchen, walls, ceilings, trim, windows, siding, roofing, etc.  That would then provide us with a clear quote/contract. What I need is more estimates from other builders so I know we are making the right choice.  The problem…they are all busy and don’t get back to me.  One from Chelsea, Vermont did call me back once and I had forgotten to turn my phone sound back on (after being silenced for the night) so I missed his call.  I will keep trying. Joe said we could save the fieldstone in the foundation to use for stone walls! Notice all the chervil growing in that northern part of the lot (the septic system location).