My husband knew what he wanted the house to look like on the outside, and I knew how I wanted it laid out on the inside. Working together on this house certainly relieved the aforementioned tension. We found a rhythm in this common goal and it was fun to build this together. Unlike the Big Empty Flat in Aluksne, building this house had a strong sense of permanence to it. We were making a commitment the development of our new little “suburb” outside of Riga called Jaunmaurpe, a commitment to our children with regard to school, and also a long-term commitment to the country which, up until that point for us long term was considered six months.
So in the time from about March to November we built the house. Per my preferences, it was very symmetrical and efficient. It was built like a barn with a hipped roof. A large, open living area was at the center which looked up to a balcony/loft which held three bedrooms and a bathroom. On the first floor on one side of the living room was a family room and spare bedroom, and on the other end the kitchen and another bathroom. In the very center of the living room was a big wood burning stove which was ducted throughout the house. The plan was to use this as the main source of heat. I insisted on huge windows and the changing light bouncing off of all the clear birch woodwork was fascinating. It was incredibly spacious and cozy all at once. At about four times the size of V-77, there was room for the kids to run, and plenty of room for the huge Thanksgiving dinner we ended up hosting.
When it was finally finished (somehow it felt like an eternity to us), we scavenged for moving boxes, lined up the nanny to pretty much live with us for a few days, and we moved. I think I had the whole place set up in two days. It was November, cold, and messy I remember. And I remember lying in bed one of those first nights thankful for how lucky we were to have such a beautiful place not really believing that it was real.
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