We've Changed Our Minds | Adding a Loft to Our Self-Built Mountain Home 

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Praying for you all and your beautiful creatures. Melissa, your final words on this episode did something for me. 2 weeks ago (Feb ) was the second anniversary of losing my husband to terminal cancer. What you said really helped my heart 💜 tonight. My wonderful husband and I were together nearly everyday for 20 years. We’d both been in bad marriages and found each other by chance. I was a teacher and gave up teaching to travel with him for his work. He truly was my best friend. He fought tirelessly to defeat this disease and lasted five years. The amazing targeted therapies and immuno therapies they use for advance stage cancers really do give people life. I must admit the last two years have been very difficult. A combination of loneliness and heartache weakens your will and your spirit. I am a person of faith and truly believe that everything good or bad happens in this life for a specific reason and purpose. The Bible tells us that “ALL THINGS(not just the good things) work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. However, I’ve been struggling to make sense of how the last seven years can make sense to me. I’ve had so many “well-meaning” family members say over the last two years, “You need to move on now…. Henry’s gone”. and although I know they mean well, they’ve never lost their spouse. They were never full time caregivers for their spouse. Losing your spouse isn’t about closing one chapter, forgetting what happened and “moving on”. It’s about carrying those memories we shared into the future. Honoring the traditions we treasured and memories and life we built together. Like you and Jeremy, we were a strong team. I found myself gasping at your words tonight. You said, “As we were rapping up a productive day and gearing up to knock out one last project together, we realized something was not right with “Lexin”, it was late in the day and we were losing light, but I had to go. Jeremy continued on alone and I rushed out to be with my horse. ………..by the end of the evening Jeremy’s project was complete and Lexin was back on his feet.” “ Because, as it turns out, teamwork doesn’t mean that you can always be together, sometimes the best teamwork happens when you divide and conquer.” “When you do what needs to be done alone or you simply support the idea that the other person needs to be somewhere else.” “In reality, when we are apart , we are still one”. Those last words were an Epiphany thru this grief journey. Those words are going to help me. Henry and I can’t work together as a team. He had to go and I will continue on alone. Right now, we have to be apart. But the love we have for each other is eternal. I know I will see Henry again someday. I suspect that Henry is thriving in his heavenly home. Walking around cancer free and simply amazed at God’s place for him in heaven. And I will strive to do my best knowing he is proud of me still even though we can’t be together. Please know that God uses your words to help many people. Thank you.

I have to say again, Melissa, that your summaries at the end of each video are outstanding... well written, thoughtful and instructive. Blessings

I am OVER THE MOON for y'all to see that you are going to make use of the loft!! I know your whole family is going to get so much enjoyment out of it 💜💜💜

What an amazing kid Eli is! Edit: Jeremy is the next best thing to Louis Armstrong himself! That little medley was also amazing. Edit #2: Awesome closing speech again Melissa!

I like the idea of using your loft; I can imagine lots of floor cushions and relaxing with a good book. If you put up a clear glass half wall you’ll have minimal obstruction of the view from the main floor. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with this space.

I love the loft idea! I also love Melissa's words at the end of the video! So very true! I look forward to watching your videos and admire the hard work you do for your family and building a gorgeous home! Blessings!

That is s wonderful memory skill that your son has. I was in awe when he was answering you. A skill that will serve him well over his lifetime. Your children have mad skills. It shows how invested you and Jeremy are in your children. My hat off to you both. Lol when Jeremy was singing to you it reminded me of Sachmo. I got a good chuckle out of it. I love watching not only to see how your home is progressing but the laughter that you share with us all.

What you said in the wrap up or conclusion of this video literally had me in tears . I am so moved and hopeful to have this type of family unit one day . Thank you ❤

I love you're talks at the end of each of your videos. However I so dislike that the video is over. You're videos always brighten my day.

I love watching you guys work on sumthing that can be done i just bought 90 acres in upstate ny n im set to build a house with animals i like horses thanks to you n your wife u inspired me to do this im a cross country trucker with my own towing n recovery n trucking company god bless u all .

A water catchment system on the house or the barn would be a nice backup system! At the barn it could be an automatic water system for all your animals that's right there by the barn! Love that you're going to be doing something with the loft! That was too good of a space to not use it! Y'all stay safe!

I am still amazed that the 2 of you have built this beautiful home in such a short time. Just amazing!!!!

The loft is a perfect place for reading books! So much natural light.

I love the safety inspector hes adorable and smart

I absolutely love the loft idea! I'm so glad you noticed your horse Melissa and took care of the problem immediately!

Sounds awesome. We have an attic ladder that pulls down, it's so easy and has rails. Then once it is up, it's flush with the ceiling. So glad you are going to that space.

I would use plexiglass. My husband made deck railing many years ago out of it. It looked great. And it won't break like glass.

Your channel is the perfect testament for the good side of the Internet. Lovely family, and this from a somewhat grizzeled 64 year old dude in Texas :) All my best! I kind of don't want you guys to be finished with your build, but having owned a farm for over 40 years, there will always be another project around the corner to keep you busy and the channel thriving with great content.

First of all i Love the loft Idea and and the closet to hide the water heater and I am so happy that the horse is back on his feet and doing better

What a beautiful message, a beautiful baby boy, beautiful animals and scenes. Love it all. Thank you i really enjoy seeing what you guys do. It makes me feel that i am also there.

The house is coming along beautiful and I’m so glad that you were able to get your horse back up on his feet

Yes!!! Good call I was hoping you guys would do that! I used too build custom homes and its a great addition you won't regret it!

Thank you for your balanced, considered and entertaining sharing of your lives, which is truly enjoyable to watch. Your respectful engagement with your followers is really appreciated. You are both great role models, and Jeremy is by FAR the smartest home-builder on YT, simply for how teachable he is.

Had me at the end tearing up! SO GLAD your horse is okay.

I love your family and the content! Y’all make my day! Prayers for lexin I hope all is well!

I love how Koda stayed by Lexin. So much going on in this one. Your family has some awesome talents, between Eli and his dates and Dad with his Louie A. skills, and Mom with her vetting.

Hope the horse fully recovers! I am so glad you decided to make a loft, the view is spectacular and it would have been such a shame to waste it. You are doing a great job😊

You guys are going to love that loft so much! Good job working as a team, and dividing and conquering. Thanks for sharing!

Melissa l’m so happy that Lexon is okay, you did an amazing job with him, and what a fantastic space you’ve created, big fluffy throws and snuggly bean bags is the way to go, l can imagine you all sitting up there relaxing enjoying that breathtaking scenery, and little Eli checking his dads work and safety was adorable and funny at the same time, tfs x Julie 🇬🇧

After this home build is complete you need to go back and transcribed all of these beautiful ending thoughts and put them in book form. Every one is priceless. ❤️

Your lives are like poetry in motion together or apart you seem to know your ways your love for your animals or children and love for your future home are so wonderful to watch thank you.

Bonus room. Weird and wonderful. You will enjoy it for years to come. As for entrance, a small circular staircase would work well. You can add that later after researching sizes. I saw one installed in a tiny home inside a barn like your tiny house that would work perfectly from inside your pantry. Meanwhile, use whatever you come up with and give it some thought.

Glad to see Lexon (sp) back on his feet. The way you two care for each other is wonderful to watch. I think Jeremy might have a future as a Satchmo impersonator. Have you included technology in your build? That closet in the pantry would be a good spot for network equipment. Don’t rely on a wifi router alone. Wire in some Ethernet drops in each room, at least two in the great room. Hard wired computers perform better that way.

I mentioned this several videos ago, suggesting you should put chocks of wood behind your joist hangers where they hang down in the pantry to strengthen them. I figured you would eventually want to use the space. I would still recommend you do this before you clad your walls. Really wouldn't take much for ultimate strength.

I first have to say thank you for sharing your journey and life with us. We started our bathroom upgrade and have been on alternate shifts all week one with our 18-month-old and one working sometimes it is hard, as before our little one came along, we could work the projects together but the progress being made is worth the time apart, I needed your comment from the end more than I ever could have realized. I am also grateful my husband is not the only man who serenades while working through house projects, we hired a babysitter so we could hang sheetrock and my husband has been singing to me all afternoon.

Eli is so darn cute 😍 I can already imagine how cool that loft is going to be.

You last words had me in tears... My husband lives abroad for a job n I am with my four kids struggling to give them the best education... Yes it's true you don't always need to be at the same place but on the same page... Life becomes hard sometimes but the content you make us feel a little better when the things are not going the desired ways... Love from Pakistan 🇵🇰

I really genuinely enjoyed watching this episode. Maybe there’s a spot in the future for a Good Simple Living tv show, or maybe a Hulu deal.

I love what you are doing to your home, it is going to be one Awesome Place when you are finished! Hope to come and see it one day in person, to me that would be awesome.... Planning to someday build a home in Bonners Ferry!

I always assumed that the loft would be a usable area... so I'm glad to see you're making it happen. But I've got an alternative idea to the hatch and ladder. In the area between the kitchen island and the living room, centered between the master bedroom and the kid's side, you could put a floor to ceiling post with a spiral staircase wrapped around it. Then the top of the stairs connects to a bridge that goes over the kitchen to the loft. It would need handrails of course, but the underside could have lights and other decorative items hanging from it. I think it would be safer than the hatch and ladder and a unique focal point in the center of the house

I am so glad that you caught Lexon’s colic in time and got him feeling better fast. Your house is coming together beautifully!🐴🏡

Jeremy, you did a wonderful rendition of 8:25 “it’s a wonderful world”.Great idea by someone for using the loft! Space not wasted at all. I love it!

Excellent choice guys…! You all are investing so much of your time and money and effort in building a one-of-a-kind beautiful home, that has such a gorgeous view of those majestic mountains. It would be an absolute shame if you didn’t add that loft, where you can settle back, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor… This will be one of those additions to your home where you will be saying to each other, “We’re glad we added it…” Folks go on vacation for a week out of a year to enjoy a view like you have every day, right in your back yard… You made the right choice guys and all of us are glad you did… It will be well worth it…!!! As for as stairs to the loft… would there be room for one of those small spiral stairs?? Just a thought guys… Nice work…! And - @18:43... LOL LOL pinch pinch… Way too Funny Melissa… I caught that... LOL - And Glad Lexon is ok too… : ) There are many of us living a part of our lives vicariously through you guys and you are making us so happy and thankful that you are sharing what you all are doing, making us thankful there are folks like you who do what you do… Thank You…!!!

I am very delighted to see you guys utilizing the loft space above the pantry. I'm certain that space will be very popular and see lot's of use! I'm glad you got Lexon back on his feet and caught the colic early! Many years ago I had horses, and one of them was notorious for having severe colic. An old veterinarian taught me how to "tube" and administer mineral oil to clear the colic. Working a small tube down a horses esophagus while holding one end your mouth to assure you have hit the stomach, and not the lungs is no fun, and leaves a nasty taste in your mouth when the tube reaches the stomach! But that knowledge saved me thousands of dollars over time and proved to be an invaluable skill. GEEZ, the things we'll do for our animals!

Yay!! You listened to us! You described it exactly as I imagined! Floooofy rug, bean bags, small book shelf and a lamp! I love what you said at the end. I'm glad you and Jeremy have that. 💙

The loft is “spot on”. Going to check out Thrive also. Loving the videos. Great to see horses are ok now.

Love the beautiful photography, little Eli remembering dates, your new loft, new gutters, and a beautiful ending. Hope you, Jeremy, will keep your beard short. It really looks good.

I am so happy y'all decided to utilize the loft. What a great space it will be for generations!! Hope your horse feels better fast. Great job Eli keeping mom and dad on their toes with inspections. And way to go on the dates on different movies. Right on.. God Grace, God Bless~

Eli is so adorable, you two are one of the most fun and adorable couple. 💕Your family are so cute, and you work so well together, that we can see it when you two look at each, so your children will definitely have a great foundation to grow up in, so great job.

Congratulations on making that tough decision about the loft, it’ll be a nice place to read, relax and enjoy that beautiful view! Another fantastic episode that I thoroughly enjoyed. I have really taken a liking to your closing monologue that really reminds this old man to slow down and appreciate what ya have! You guys are such incredible people! ❤️🤙🏼

Great idea by someone for using the loft! Space not wasted at all. I can definitely picture in my mind Christmas garlands on the railings of the loft and lovely bean bags to lounge on to read and look at the lovely view from the window up there. I am glad Lexis is better and that you were so quick to look after Lexis, Melissa. Well done. Have a lovely day.

I love the loft ⭐😁 I'm really glad you decided to go with it. Coming in from the pantry is genius you can have some control with who goes up and when. I also love the design aspect, what an awesome feature to have. I think your safety officer is a bit harsh 🤣. I hope your beautiful boy is ok and over the colic 🐎.

So glad you are using that beautiful loft space. Nevaeh could totally play and sing up there, it would sound amazing in the rest of the house!! And of course a great place for a nap. So glad Lexan is doing well, colic is such a scary thing. Love watching your family grow.

Love the loft idea. Mabey add a few floor outlets for garland, lamps or charging devices.

You need to make a retractable ladder that you can retract and hang on the wall. I did one for my hatch. It worked out perfectly and is completely out of the way when not in use, yet is pulled out and extended in seconds when needed.

Looks awesome!!! The glass rail will look really good. Ship Ladder with galvanized pipe hand rail. It is cool how a ship ladder has alternate steps.

Another great idea! The loft is perfect for reading a good book while taking in that beautiful view! Glad Lexon is on his feet again!

I so hope Lex is okay now. Having owned horses for years I know well...colic! And might I add, your other animals are all adorable. ❤

Loft Suggestion: Bring the outside in. When you look outside, you see the square beams and wood soffit. Working left to right, start with soffit planks to form a triangle on the corner. Keep them tight or gap them. Do this until you reach the height of the railing. Now add your glass to span half way. Anchor a 4x4 square post in the middle to break up the glass, and give support to the railing. The 4x4 may need to extend through the floor and anchor into the support beam. Leaving a gap between the 4x4 and glass, as well as possibly the soffit end pieces can provide the flexibility to center the 4x4. Now just mirror that to the other side. Easier to get two rectangular pieces of glass. Your loft becomes an extension of the outdoors into your home.

Love that you decided to do the loft your going to enjoy it more than you know. Glad Lexin is doing better. You two are a great team.

I love your channel, love the way your family interacts with one another, the love and care given to your animals, and your wisdom shared at the end of every wonderful video 🌟❤️💫

That’s really scary about Lexan! So glad u were able to get him back on his feet (hooves) and feeling better. GREAT JOB on the loft!

Melissa, you are such a kind spirited person. You have a great team mate in Jeremy. The loft will be a quiet space when needed.

GOD i love you two!!! I love your comments at the end. Team work is bringing what you have into the relationship to make things work and keep rolling. I raised my son with a man that brought his best home to him and I always tried to bring my best everyday too. I was choked up by your words. I get it, we did it too but many years ago. I remember those days fondly. Thank you for those triggered memories! Bless you both and your family!!! I can’t wait for the next videos you post. It is like an installment of my favorite program! BFN! 🌷🌸💕🌷

Yay on the loft!! I am so happy that you changed your minds on the loft area, it would have been such an area of lost view and unused space that I am sure will hold so much joy and memories!

So sorry about Lexan! Glad he is doing well. Love to your family, love the build, and love the loft. I can imagine the kids sleeping up there on Christmas Eve, trying to stay awake to see Santa, the sleigh, and all the reindeer. ❤️

You had me in tears with my heart aching for you to make better use of the area when you were looking out during your narration. It just said this area belongs to Melissa. Capture all the beauty that surrounds you. Watch the cloud shadows dance along the mountains, across the fields, as the children play, as the horses run. Inspirational.

You guys make a great team together and I’m so glad that you noticed something was wrong with your horse so quickly and administered the medication needed to get him well again. I’m glad your horse Lexon is ok!

I love the idea of the Loft and the Glass safety fence I and others recommended. If you ask the builder to frame it in stainless steel, it will add value and contribute to its safety further. I hope to see the horse back to its shy and healthy self in the next segment.

I’m glad you’re using the loft area a glass half wall would look great without blocking the view and a spiral staircase would also look great without using up a lot of space

I’m so glad u decided to utilise the loft space & use glass for a barrier…it’s exactly what I envisaged when u 1st mentioned it a few weeks ago…it will be a great space for the kids 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I’m glad you noticed what was going on with the horses. Colic in babies and animals sucks. At least you got him feeling better.

You could consider a spiral staircase to access the loft hatch, they take up minimal space and they are safe.

I'm so glad Lexin is okay!! ❤️❤️

I agree with your last comments. I like seeing how you both work together really well, but both carry on working separately when you have to. I was a bit taken aback when I saw your horse had colic but your devotion to it came through. Keep up the good work, both of you.

I would bet that Melissa does most if not all of the editing on these videos. What a wonderful epilog at the end! Thanks, and keep up the good work.

The love you have for each other is so refreshing, you both work together so well. I would love to see a complication of your disagreements. That would be a hilarious video. Love and best wishes as you continue on this massive build you are rocking it.

Love the loft idea. One thought, is the glass in the windows safety glass? Love the look of the round downspouts.

Wow! Yes! Melissa 😎🙌👏😊❤🙏 absolutely! You do what is important! You two are the reflection of each other! The loft is going to be a cozy place to sit and look out at the beauty of nature. Much love to you all 🤗❤🙏

I adore your family values! I’ve been watching your house build from the beginning and not only have I learned a lot regarding construction but also about how remembering to make quality time for loved ones is so important. 🤟🏼

The loft will be awesome!! Love seeing the beautiful scenery & animals as you work keep up the good work & take care!!

I am so excited about the loft. The video when it was snowing was so beautiful when Jeremy was looking out the window. Will make it a lot easier to clean the windows also.

Safety is what it’s all about. Looks like cutie Eli is somewhat fearful of heights. That’s okay to be cautious. You have the best views of all the home builders I follow. You are one lucky and beautiful family.

Your teamwork reminds me so much of how my husband and I built our home together - we also had different strengths but at the end of the day, we held hands tightly. He also had a name for his special hammer - he called it Mr Persuader - It was a five pound lump hammer with a shortened handle. The pinchy bot clip made me giggle, just the kind of games we used to play. Watching you not only inspires so many, it brings back happy memories of my own from before he passed away.

The volume on this video was louder than your other video's. It's cool that you guys are doing this modification.

Please adopt me and my teenage son!! I can't stand all that beautiful land and free from the crazy city life 😭😂❤️ and I absolutely love that awesome kid Eli!! He's life!! 😂😂

Don't use glass for your loft railing. Use clear Lexan plastic because it's shatterproof, much lighter than glass, will cost less, and just as clear as glass. :)

The loft is a great idea. The kids will really enjoy that area. The house is so beautiful!

Melissa, you take such good care of your horses 🐎 ♥so happy Lexin is doing better and Jeremy did a great job building the closet in the pantry! 😊👍💕💕💕

You may want to insulate,real well , that utility closet,so it doesn't affect the food stores with heat from the HVAC,or the water heater..Great episode! Thanks for sharing 👍!

My sister and All her kids have added a Lego Loft to each home they own. Kids and adults LOVE it and use it all the time. Legos stay put and self contained.

Sky lights would have been nice in the middle of home for extra light

I love the new idea of the loft. The views up there alone are going to be spectacular. Little Eli is so cute, you can see that he’s a smart little boy, go Eli !! I’m so sorry Lexon got sick, my heart went into my mouth hearing it. Thank goodness he’s ok and got a wonderful owner like yourself that stayed with him till he was better. The house is beautiful 🤩 so very beautiful 🤩 with those amazing views too of the mountains 🏔 God bless you in your every effort to bring a family home to life. This is a beautiful journey. I am so enjoying watching it. Thank you for sharing with us all. Take care to all of you including those precious animals. 💕🙏♥️🐴

So glad Lexon is recovered great team work sending our love

Wow! As usual I was excited to see your latest video and continue watching you build your forever home. Then at the end a turn of events when your beautiful horse was sick. My heart stopped. Then Melissa gave her amazing monolog about dividing and conquer. Thank you guys for sharing your journey. My thoughts and prayers for you and your family!

Eli is the funniest kid ever. Somersaults in a T. rex costume. If he went to a regular school he’d be teacher’s favorite and probably class President.

Great job little man Elie . And I love this channel I am so eager to see what comes next. I have said for over a year now that the loft would make a beautiful book Nik, or library study hall , and put up some bean bags to sit in. Or Maybe a espresso machine or mother Melissa, maybe a private Wine bar and poetry study for mommy time. I love the awesome uplifting encourage massages at the end of each videos and mama need her quite time getaways.🤪🥂 yes I agree that some very strong beveled glass wall with the same then black top frame thet you used around your windows Would look like the same clean modern proper view you want.... I am so happy you were able to save lexcy scary for a whail... Thank God for your videos. I am HOOKED.. your friend from Wyoming USA. O bring back the happy dance at the end of each videos so good

You guys have done such an awesome job on everything you have tackled so far and all of it shows your pride. Can't wait to see the finished house and watch all of you get to finally move in. Keep up the great work and stay safe.

I’m glad you’re doing the loft, that’s awesome, now you can also run a zip line across there. Woooooo!!! 🙌🏼