The spacious, screened in, 3 season porch at Yelton Manor is definitely one of the most enjoyable common rooms at the inn. We serve breakfast there at two round tables that each have 4 comfortable wicker chairs.  The dainty Victorian chandeliers, the ferns, greenery and antique decor add to the sense of summer ease. In the evening we light small votive candles that burn until midnight, as the aroma of moonflower vine, trailing the fence outside, prevails.  Quite the lovely spot!!!

This year we repaired window sills, replaced all the screens, painted the storm windows, painted the floor and more.  We are excited to get it all back together again!!!

   This beautiful porch has a sloped roof that makes it the #1 destination in a thunderstorm. The rain comes down the sides in a furious torrent, the smell is delicious and the mighty thunder and lightning bring all your senses alive!!!

We are delighted to continue to keep it beautiful!!!

Spring isn’t spring at Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast until the compost arrives!!!!  Some women like yellow gold on fingers and wrists, I love the black gold that tops off the perennial border each year!!!  Today we got the first 7 yards, there will be 40 more behind this one.  We fill over 300 pots, then there is 300 X 12 feet of garden to top off. The smell of it is heaven, we love being attached closely with the earth.  Time to put on my sh*t-kickin boots and start in!

Thank you Huntree Nursery for being our steady garden partner for the last 24 years!  Jan and Dave’s son Matt is stepping up bigtime into the business now, he’s the real deal and we love him!!!

COMPOST!!!!!  Aaaaaah, should be a scratch and sniff option here!!!!!

Cindi and Robert test out the big new wing chairs and tufted ottoman delivered for The Biltmore Hotel Suite!

Aaaaaaaaaah, all”s well!

The Biltmore Suite also got a deep new carpet and other updates.  We are delighted with the new look!

All of a sudden, at the 20+ year mark,  it’s *new roof time* at The Manor Guest House.  UGH, pain in the pocketbook!  It’s a pretty fabulous new look though!  The Yelton Manor B&B itself got its new roof two years ago, so now we look pretty darn spiffy all the way around, to say the least.

Early spring and the weather was spectacular, so the new roof project was a GO, and finished in 10 days!  We love our builders and workmen, they take great care of us!

From flawed to flawless, with a paint roller whoosh!

Choosing new updated colors when renovating can be unnerving.

Sometimes I have to remind myself to take a breath when the first wash of new color goes up!

What was once a sky blue wainscot will now be olive green.

This will turn the porch from a easy, breezy summer porch attitude to a deeper, elegant ambiance.

I think we nailed it.

The porch renovation goes forward!

You never know how HUGE a room is until you paint it.  This approx 450 square feet porch has 18 windows, 4 doors with glass too. That’s a lot of trim and fine line painting!

Robert is Caulk Man, bridging the gap that comes between wall and wool, wall and window, wall and trim, etc.  In the case of the old, original ceiling, made of wood slats, tons of caulk there as well. He’s the reason the finished product looks brand spanking new. It took 6 tubes of caulk to satisfy his need for perfection here.

“Hey, Caulk Man, I see what you did here!”

And so it begins.

The last time we renovated the porch we chose a natural, authentic sisal carpet. It created a beautiful transitional look and feel between the plush parlors and the outdoor porch and gardens. We warmed it up with oriental rugs on top, loved it.

Sisal is laid without a pad and is glued to the floor.  So the “rip up” was like wrestling an alligator.

Happy to have that over with, now comes the more creative stuff.

Check in as a guest and the magical perfection of The Manor will surely enchant you. Go with it!

But are you intrigued by the #1 truly hard core physical aspect of innkeeping? It’s not the laundry, cleaning or cooking but those are good guesses. And it’s certainly not PEOPLE, because our guests are the reason and the reward for all the work we do. The real labor is the maintenance of 11,300 square feet of living space, inside and out, the roof, the appliances, plumbing, electrical, the garden, so much more. If you care to watch, we are sharing here.

This is what a guest once laughed and called *Backstage at The Manor*, a glimpse into what goes on “behind the scenes”.  It isn’t always pretty backstage, but it’s always fun.  This is Manor life, “family style”.

The Manor’s wrap around “Inside Porch” is a one of many comfortable guest gathering rooms at the inn. The porch has varied pleasures and amusements, comfortable seating and some dining tables too. It is brimming with beautiful books, games, and sweet treats. The porch looks out to the front perennial flower gardens and opens outward to the large 3-season screened in porch.

Today:  We moved out every single item on the porch. Tomorrow, the carpet rips up. This week: Robert preps, tarps, screens, scrapes, caulks and sands, makes numerous trips to the hardware store.  Next week:  Elaine primes and paints from ceiling to window sills, walls and wainscot. The icing on the cake is when the new carpet goes down in a few weeks.  Then we put it all back together! Champagne is already on ice for that evening!

Truth is, we enjoy it!!