Yesterday was a very big day in the project to build a self contained cabin attached to the house. It is called the Coupe because I styled it on the old chicken coops that used to be in the farmyards of every farm around here. Using the sun to warm it and design to cool it. Though I added height. Light and space are a mantra in my designs.
The Coupe is for the Matriarch to retire to when she is ready to be old. She is certainly not ready to retire to the farm yet so until then it will be a guest house and writers retreat.
The Coupe is spelt this way because The Matriarchs son’s collect cars and jeeps and things with wheels (and some things without wheels or even motors) and she has always encouraged them in this deeply American endeavour. So the Coop got changed to the Coupe.
Here is The East Wall from the Point of View of the Lounge window. We are looking East. So this is where the sun rises.
Things moved along fast yesterday.
Now look below at the South Wall. From the SouthWest. Where the builders are standing will be a corridor which will have huge windows. There will be a door that steps down to a patio into a grape covered pergola. I pushed this side out past the existing house so it will catch the light from the setting sun. 
(below) From the South-East. 
The South Wall is very plain, I shall grow espalier apples along here so The Matriarch or the guests will be able to reach out and pick an apple. I am considering a small scale farm stay or bed and breakfast idea. What do you think?
This is the front of the house, seen from the road, so it the most dramatic. Half of this wall is made up of three very tall thin windows, (floor to ceiling) falling in height with the roofline. I call these the Goldilocks Windows. These will catch the very first of the winter sunrise light. 
Below is the North wall (seen from the lounge again) with the spaces made for the big french doors (screen left) which will open onto a lovely cool covered verandah. The verandah will be wrapped in screen to keep out insects and it will have shutters that can be closed in storms. So the french doors can stand open almost all summer. Remember in America the North side is the cool side so this verandah will be well used in the summers. 
Right next to the builder (on his right) is the corridor opening, where he is standing will be the corridor to the main house. The ensuite will come off this corridor.
And now for a couple of updates on farmy animals. So as not to use up too much of your time today we will do more Walkabouts tomorrow.
Here is Big Dog. He spends his days minding the builders. Just to be sure they don’t wander where they should not be. 
Here (from left) are Sheila and Charlotte. My most darling piggies. They are Hereford pigs, a heritage breed with very small numbers worldwide. Charlotte will be bred sometime soon. I just need to toughen up and call the swine herd who understands nothing I say, me being a foreigner and all and i just hate the thought of ‘putting her to the Boar’.
Look at Sheila’s very direct gaze. She has no problems with eye contact. You can see from Charlotte’s size that she has no problem with bucket contact!
They spend most of their time sleeping. The best way to tell them apart are their ears. 
It’s cold out.
Queenie Wineti is our Hereford Heifer (not to be confused with a Hereford Pig). She will be bred along with Daisy in the spring. No bull for these cows. They get a very well mannered vet with a long tube. 
Queenie is short, solid and very quiet unless she is in heat and then she is short and squat and very loud. 
A snap of TonTon and LouLou. Yes, LouLou is a boy. So his name was changed from LuLu to LouLou.
Good morning. Today the Kiwi builder and his mate are working on putting up the rafters so when the winds start up this weekend our Coupe does not blow over.
I shall take Camera House for another walkabout today and see if we can’t get the rest of the animals in order for our update. We will visit the sheep and the chickens in their own coop and the cats and peacocks and guineas and Daisy the milking cow and anything else that crosses our path. That will be for tomorrow. What I should do is make a Cast of Characters Category. The list of things I should do is endless!!
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
82 responses to “The Coupe Rises and a Wee Walkabout (Part One)”
How tall are the ceilings in the coupe? I’m trying to picture where everything goes – the boudoir, the loo…I love the linking walkway (in my head, I call it a glass tunnel, though it probably isn’t) between the coupel and the big house.
The ceilings will be 16 foot at the highest point.. there will be a lot of glass in the South wall of the corridor and a small bathroom on the north side, .. it will be an interesting space that bit.. c
Lovely, lovely! I’ve been with you on the farmy in spirit for about a year now and am very well caught up, but it so nice to have a refresher. You know, in E, one of our farmer neighbours keeps Oxford Sandy and Blacks. Excellent pigs. Great sense of humour and docile as well. (one day when I have that small holding of my own…)
I have heard about those pigs.. quite bright.. not all pigs are bright thankfully.. c
I love these photos of the Coupe and the animals! What an amazing design the little house is. Will it have a fireplace? Favorite pics today: Sheila and Charlotte (Sheila seems to be smiling; are you two sharing a private joke?) and Ton Ton and Lou Lou: a standoff? Sizing each other up? I wonder what they’re thinking.
The floor will be heated, another fireplace would be too hard on the firewood resources, there is very little wood out here really. And I don’t want any risk of fire with unstable people floating about in there.. don’t tell Nanny i said that though.. c
Don’t worry, I won’t tell. What a fabulous writing retreat that would be. I’ve considered building something very small in our back yard, but it’s still a pipe dream.
We woke up to snow this morning!
Snow. Lucky! Our region is experiencing the lowest snow fall since 1980 evidently. I was here in 1976 when they had the highest. Fickle weather. We are not short of cold though. c
I always love and look forward to the walkabouts! I’m excited to watch the progress of the Coupe, can’t wait to watch it turn into a beautiful retreat. 🙂
It has begun at a good time of year, there will not be much else happening in the landscape for a while! c
I love to watch buildings being constructed – artistic and practical.
Sounds like a perfect retreat – lots of good planning there.
(and good Big Dog!)
Big Dog is every vigilant. He likes everyone to be in their proper places! c
It´s going to be amazing and I´ll be in the queue for the B&B! Love Big Dog´s coat – my Little Luna is short haired and is suffering now in England so I think I need to get her something to wear that doesn´t make her look like she belongs to Paris Hilton – something more like Big Dog´s outfit 🙂
maybe something in a tartan!! c
I can’t imagine staying there without having access to your wonderful cooking! You’ll have to figure out a compromise.
Well if you did stay here there would a wild time in the kitchen! I am sure of that! c
The list goes on and on, doesn’t it! Every morning I make a list, then I remake the list into something doable…even retired the list is huge.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Then I lose the list. Then I start again. I Love lists!! c
It looks like your builder is doing a good job with Big Dog’s instruction 😉
Where most when in the throes of construction would talk about footings and the R factor insulation, you my beauty, talk about the morning and evening light. About space in all directions. About the intangibles that will make this house so special. There is a great deal of Frank Lloyd Wright in you. His prairie houses reflected all this. Bravo. V.
What is R factor insulation!? Ah well .. Thank you darling, I have always been a lover of Frank Lloyd Wrights houses, especially his windows.. c
If my children ever decide to build anything this charming, I won’t wait to be old! I’ll move right in. I love it. Your attention to creating views and opening to the sunrise and sunsets makes it so inviting. Don’t advertise your guest house too broadly…we’ll come knocking! 🙂 oxo
Wonderful construction project! And I enjoyed meeting your animals. 😀
more to come tomorrow.. then all the introductions will be up to date.. c
I love the pigs, I have considered adding Hereford Hogs to our farm. I definitely want to add a heritage breed for the breeders. At this time we only have a feeder pig. The coupe is going to be wonderful- I would stay there as a farm stay so I could see how you operate your farm.
This is the part of a project I really love because the progress is so obvious from day to day. I can hardly wait to see it finished. It’s cold here too and now they are predicting snow, I hope it won’t be too bad, we have friends flying in from Illinois tomorrow morning.
well no snow to hold them up on this end.. just a bit of wind tomorrow! c
great post-one question re small house – great idea for bed and breakfast, but do you have seasons where one smells odiferous fumes such as fertilizer, like being on the freeway and going through Bakersfield or after? I love your animals – i hope the bull isn’t too mean.
planting time and harvesting time are the dustiest and smelliest times to live here but we are a long way from freeway smells that is for sure and it is Oh so quiet.