It’s been a hot minute since I posted.

 I have been busy in a different creative way over the past ten months I’ve built my new studio.

In September of 2023, my wife and I bought a historical home that we have been watching since 2018, and when it came on the market, we grabbed it. We love old houses and the character that they come with. Our new/old home was built in 1866 by Thomas Pollard and was originally a house on a 30-acre tract.

The house is only a part of the overall package we fell in love with. On the back part of the property was an old Smokehouse with a couple of additions added to it over the last 158 years. Besides being the original smokehouse, it was also used for housing livestock, cows and chickens, and then a work shed.

The original structure and inspiration for the new studio.

This was going to be my studio! I initially thought a little bit of hard work would be enough to restore the structure, seal it from the elements, and heat and cool it so I could use it as my studio. I quickly found out the power of carpenter ants. The structure was a complete teardown.

My blueprints for the new studio, planning everything out before starting.

I designed a new building inspired by the original structure, kept the same footprint, and built my new studio from the ground up. I hand-poured the concrete slab with three different levels, and built the walls and roof. Installed a metal roof to match the house and sided it with new siding except for the front. The front of the studio is salvaged wood siding from the original structure, a reclaimed wood door from the 1920s was added, and two old windows were installed. I wired it, insulated it, built the interior walls, and painted it. 

I won’t say it was easy, and yes, I thought I was way in over my head, but I finished it, and I am finally moved in after ten months of hard work!

The completed new studio!