Lostview Farm

Votes: 190
Site: Lostview Farm
Project: Home Addition
Medium: Blog
About: Lostview Farm relates the story of two families becoming one and their journey of discovery, living in community on a farm in rural Wisconsin. Charis and Becca are sisters, who along with their respective husbands, Jay and Chris, share common desires – to live more simply, giving not taking, to become self-sustaining and to get off the grid. With much hard work, personal sacrifice and great determination, they have set out on a path to realize their dreams.

Almost a year to the day after making the decision to move forward with their plan, the foursome purchased a 37 acre farm in Colfax, Wisconsin. The house, a simple two story, needed a little help, but the inspector felt that overall it was in great shape and would last them for many years.

The weekend after closing on their new property, they celebrated with champagne, hot dogs, a little painting and a bit of gutting. Removing paneling, pulling up carpet and ripping off many layers of contact paper in the kitchen cupboards were just the beginning. Becca’s project to-do list was extensive, but progress was being made and items were already being crossed off.

Prioritizing

When four people are involved in a project it can be difficult for everyone to agree on which items have the highest priority. Luckily, these four particular people all agreed that a hot tub should be right near the top of the list.

Before the hot tub, however, the barn and pastures had to be whipped into shape. The horses would be the first to make the farm their permanent home. After the horses came plumbing, drywalling, a bathroom, more painting and a deck.

Additions

The family has expanded. Ellis came first – a son for Becca and Chris. Then Charis and Jay welcomed the arrival of their son, Owain. With the household growing, it’s not surprising to learn that the house itself is expecting an addition soon too.


Negatives & Positives

Rebuilding a home and changing the direction of their lives has brought doubts, fears and anxiety to each one of the four adults at different times throughout this journey. They are working together towards common goals and more often than not it’s been the togetherness and those goals that have allowed each of them to push ahead and move beyond the negatives.

In the three short years since purchasing the farm this communal family has made tremendous strides towards their goals. Each year the harvest from their gardens increases and the possibilities for how to expand and use the farm to become more self-sufficient grow as well.

We wish them even more success as they continue to travel the (sometimes bumpy) road they’ve chosen, and we look forward to reading about all future additions to the house and family.