So much has been done since our last post!  As of today the house has a foundation, the framing is almost completed for the lower level and the garage next door has been repainted and looks awesome!

Here are some pictures of what has been done in the past 9 days!

The windows and doors for the lower level have been ordered and the kitchen was designed by Julie at Hannapel Home Center and that was ordered today also.  We are also installing a second fireplace in the lower family room and the foundation for that has been prepared.

On Tuesday Laraway Movers will remove the beams and lower the house onto the foundation.  We are so excited to watch this so we'll probably have to be there early! 

We are trying to do some research to find out when the cottage was built and who originally built it.  Today we found some information about when the house was donated to the University of Chicago by Stuart Rice.  Apparently Mr. Rice and his wife, Marion, were married for 42 years. When Mrs. Rice passed away in 1994, Mr. Rice donated the Maple Grove Cottage to the University of Chicago and established the Marion and Stuart Rice Research Endowment.  Here is a link to a story about the cottage and the Rice's: http://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/site/c.mjJXJ7MLIsE/b.4716817/k.9385/Stuart_Rice.htm

Tomorrow the remaining framing will be completed and some of the sheathing will be applied and then the builders will take a much deserved break for the Labor Day Holiday!

Have a great holiday!!

Moving Day

Today was MOVING DAY!!!  What a beautiful day to drive a house down Blue Star Highway! Laraways got the house out on the road and all went well until the corner of Lakeview where they encountered some difficult spots and a bunch of poison ivy!

Here are some pictures of the journey from Maple Grove to 7226 Lakeview Ave. South Haven, MI

Tomorrow the cottage will be lifted up 10 feet and the preparation for new footings and a new lower floor will begin!  We are so excited! 

So the site is almost completely cleared and the house has been moved a few hundred feet.  The path is being cleared and our cottage is going to take her ride down Blue Star Highway on Tuesday!

This site is going to be a BEAUTIFUL PARK!  What an asset for Casco Township and the South Haven area!

I can hardly wait to see the Maple Grove Cottage moving down the road on Tuesday! 

The movers started doing the demo on the foundation.  They said they didn't need a key - they just punched holes in the basement!  Here are the pictures of the blocks going down and the supports being placed underneath the house.

The wheels are placed under the cottage and she is almost ready to go for a ride down Blue Star Highway!

The front porch had to be removed to move the house and so a new, larger porch will be rebuilt when it arrives on the new site.

Maple Grove Cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan

We are moving the Maple Grove cottage from it's site on Lake Michigan to Lakeview Avenue.  First we had to bid on the house, meet with the movers and builders and get approval from Casco Township.  Here is the sweet little house.

The house is being moved from the new site of the Casco Township Nature Preserve Park.  This is going to be an awesome new park for the residents of Casco and it will be great to also preserve this cottage which is a piece of Casco history.

The interior is vintage cottage.  We aren't sure what year it was built but probably in the late 1920's or early 1930's.  There are oak floors and built ins and french doors and a center fireplace.  This is going to be a fun project!