Construction Project Update @ Arbor House, by Gail Ledesma



New Roof Line and Paint Scheme

Recently many people have asked, "What's happening at the Arbor House?" Last year Ron and I were deciding what to do with our old Restaurant building. This is the building at the Arbor House that started out as a horse stables, but never stabled horses. In 2003 we partially remodeled the stables to house our very rustic restaurant. The restaurant was not a profitable venture for us, so we closed it several years ago. Since that time, the building has been empty and crying for either a new use, or demolition to make room for better landscaping. Last Fall, we decided to remodel the building again.



A Kitchen in the Making

The newly remodeled building contains three distinct areas: 

1.  A new living space for Ron and me, complete with living room/bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, Inn office, and utility room. All these are contained in the former dining room, and main hallway in the building. We enclosed the space between the old restaurant dining room and outside restrooms (tore out the old restrooms), and it now contains the kitchen and bathroom for our living space. It's a mess right now, but it is taking shape nicely as the drywall, lighting, and water are all in place. We leveled the floor in the former restaurant dining room and added a large walk-in closet and covered porch for our entrance on the southeast side of the building.

2.  In addition to our living space, when we enclosed the space that houses our kitchen and bath, we added another large (20 x 12 ft) Inn room, The "Garden Room", and ensuite bathroom, with private entrance on the east side of the building will be completed by April 2, 2012. The interior of the room has "carsiding" on 3 walls, and drywall on the 4th and in the bathroom. We will be varnishing the carsiding today, and I have already painted the newly added bathroom. This room will have a king-sized bed, with large ornate headboard, and colors that are earthy and natural. I'm excited to see the room when it is finished. It will have the same level of elegance as do our other Inn rooms. When it is completed I will post pictures on this website.

3.  We have another space in the newly remodeled area (the former commercial kitchen) that will remain unfinished as we contemplate whether or not to add another Inn room, or make this into a dining room to serve breakfast again for our guests. We will make that decision in the next year or so.

You may be asking yourself, "What is happening with the main house over there?"  Our former residence will be available as a Guest Cottage for large groups or families that are traveling together. With 4 sleeping areas  and 2 newly remodeled bathrooms, the house will accommodate up to 8 guests in one party. There is a full kitchen, dining room, and living room that are completely furnished with linens, cooking and eating utensils, and other amenities that will be detailed on the http://www.jamesport.net/ website. There is a storm shelter in the basement of the main house that all guests will have access to if needed.



New Front Door to Our Living Room

Look for our announcement this Summer of our "Open House" celebrating completion of our new project, as well as our 10th Anniversary of doing business in Jamesport. Everyone will be able to tour our Inn Rooms, Guest Cottage, and our "new" home at that time.

Until next time . . . Gail Ledesma