Where to begin??????

So many have asked, "how do you know where to start when it comes to renovating a castle that has been unfinished for 25 years?" Well, hopefully you have an Awesome Architect who knows alot about everything and can't stop thinking about it!

Andy began the process the day he saw the article in the paper, he started dreaming and imagining what a castle in the Adirondacks should look like. The next week, after he visited the castle, he started also to think what Ed was trying to do. Andy said he could tell where Ed was going by the work he had already done. It is really important to us to honor all the time and effort Ed & his family have put into this place, while also trying to make it our own. This is the sketch that has stuck since the beginning (the grey one is the very first & the tan one with the flag is the most recent version) :

This is a sketch of the North Elevation:
Andy spends ever moment he is not working or spending time with the family on the castle. If he is not sketching, he is searching the internet for inspiration and ideas, or he is ordering new tools and equipment that we need to do the work , or he is scouring through antiques stores, in between meetings, for a great piece that belongs in a castle (I can't even get into my garage at this point because there are apparently alot of lonely castle pieces in local antique stores that need a home). When I look over and he finally seems to be resting, he'll open his eyes and say, "I figured out how to do this and that" This past week he has been spending alot of time up in his workshop. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I am working with some of the old concrete framework we found at the castle to build a model that will help us understand and finish the stairs (there is lots more to come on that topic!) Here are some of the inspirations he got from the internet for doors and other aspects of a castle:

What would the inside of the castle look like you ask? well here is what Andy is thinking:

This first is a sketch for a secret room, every castle has to have one of those, but I can't tell you where it is!

This is the entrance into the Great room. Since we can't do a draw bridge on the outside, we are bringing it in!

and once inside the great room, here is what you'll see. Of course this is just a small rendering of what will be truely great!

If only he could stop at conceptualizing rooms, he is even working on the fixtures and furnishings.

This first sketch is the queens vanity:

I thought this was a sketch of the Queen's crown, it seems big enough for my head, but Andy said it is a chandalier! yes, it is recycled XanderBlue glass. some see broken glass, we see a mosaic light fixture

Andy may not sleep, but I need to. Stay tune, next post will be about our last work weekend at the castle and what a castle "to do" list looks like.