As we do every year, we grabbed a video camera and walked the property to show what’s been finished outside — and to point out the long list of projects that are still waiting (which, at our new house, is most of it). You can watch last year’s tour here, and the 2011 version here. When I say “we took a video camera,” I really mean that John did the filming, since I’ve been banned from holding recording devices after repeatedly Blair Witch-ing our clips (yes, it’s a verb when I do it).

Enough chatter. Let’s take a walk around the property together:

I hope the short video answers many of your “what’s happening outside?” questions and gives you a clearer sense of the layout. We’ve sketched out a number of outdoor plans — none of them are finalized, but we’ve listed ideas and priorities here. We’ll research, plan, and refine each project as we move forward and as time allows.

As part of our tradition, we also include an informal, not-to-scale lot sketch for the new house:

One of the quirks of this property is how it sits on the cul-de-sac corner — we jokingly describe the lot like a baseball diamond because of its orientation. It’s also amusing that all three houses we’ve lived in have been nearly the same lot size — essentially “almost an acre” each — yet they’ve felt very different. Our first lot was long and narrow, which made the house feel one way, while our second was more square and gave a different impression from the street.

The contrast between how a house feels from the curb versus what’s actually inside surprised us again with this place. Our previous house and this one are almost identical in square footage — they differ by only about sixty square feet — but the new house looks larger from the street. Instead of a low-lying home tucked into the woods, this house presents a visible second floor at the front, which makes it feel taller and more prominent compared to our old home where an addition was tucked out of sight in back.

Another full-circle moment for us was returning to a two-car garage. Our first house had one, our previous home had a carport, and now this house has a double garage again. It’s convenient for everyday life — John’s workshop connects right off the garage, so he can step directly into his workspace instead of walking around to a separate exterior entrance, which was the setup at our second house.

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Psst — we’re trying a small new feature at the end of Friday posts: four forum highlights with projects, conversations, or questions that might interest you. If you want a few quick browsing options before getting back to work, these are a fun way to jump in.