2012 Update

In September, our boy Bennett arrived. He has really changed the cabin project. It's hard to bring him up there, yet it's hard to leave Marie home alone with him, so time to work on the cabin is more scarce. On the other hand, it's way better to have a baby at the cabin than camping or traveling on a plane.

 Last Fall I made it up for a couple of hunting weekends. The second weekend of duck season, Jon and I hunted ducks in the morning and grouse in the afternoon. A lot of the ducks had already left, but we still managed to have some success, and Jon bagged his first grouse, as well. Jon and I went up again for deer opener, and Jon pushed a nice doe to me the second day.



 When early Spring came, I was back in construction mode, and I first focused on finishing the drywall. That was slow work that I thought would never end. With the drywall in good shape and painted, Jim and Julie came up in April to help put in the bathroom vanity and another kitchen cabinet. Next, we did the floor. At this point, we're working on trim and other finishing work like windows, closets, and loft railing. I also built a set of barriers to keep Bennett away from the fireplace.

Remaining work includes bringing in power from the street, putting in the utilities (water pump, tank, and heater), and putting the paneling on the ceiling and adding the insulation. However, it's very useable at this point, and I'm looking forward to another great Fall at the cabin.  

Since June, I've spent as many weekends up at the cabin as I can. Through the first part of July, I worked on getting the electrical rough in done. I had to do a lot of studying to figure out how to do the wiring up to code. After a couple of weekends, the rough in was done, but we were right in the midst of Minnesota's government shut down, so I couldn't get it inspected. Finally, the government got their act together, and the inspector came by. After a just a few minutes and a few questions, the inspection resulted in a pass with no corrections.

At that point, I was able to go ahead and put in the insulation and sheet rock. One weekend, Jim came up and helped get the countertop and sink in.

For the past two weekends, I've been doing the insulation and sheet rock - just Luke and me. It's tough work especially with the heat. At this point, nearly all the sheet rock is hung (but not taped). That really makes things feel more finished.

I'll only have one more weekend this summer to work on the cabin before I'll need to stick around home to wait for the arrival of our boy. It's been a big year!

Cabinets, Holding Tank, and Tiling

On Memorial Day weekend, the whole family went up to the cabin. The highlight of the trip was installing the oak cabinets that Jim had built over the Winter and Spring. They are really top-notch - better than the cabinets we have at home!

Mike brought up some materials to rough-in the water supply. We needed to get that in behind the cabinets, but we won't be able to hook them up until we get power, a pump, and a pressure tank next year sometime.

We also took the Crownline out on Pokegama. We found a perch hotspot, and all of us were able to catch a few. There were more than enough for a fish fry - nothing's better than some nice big perch.

A few weeks later we went back to be there for the holding tank installation. It was bittersweet to see the heavy equipment tear up the ground around the cabin to make room for the truck to bring the tank in. As the crew showed up, one of them said, "So, we're going to make things a little less green for you today." That really was the case. At least the extra room will make it easier to drive around.

The holding tank will be the most costly thing that we'll pay to have done rather than do ourselves. We will still have to pay for the electrical hookup, but after that it'll be all us!

We also finished up the slate work for the hearth and backsplash for the stove. This was our first experience with tiling, and it turned out pretty nice for a couple of novices.

A Huge Difference on the Outside

Mike and Jim came up to the cabin to help with the siding. Mike and I worked up on the plank while Jim cut the pieces and passed them up to us.

We got a good portion of the siding up on Friday, but Saturday started with rain. We changed plans and decided to put in the waste/vent plumbing to stay out of the rain. That kept us out of the rain for the most part, and now we're ready for the holding tank installation that should happen in a

few weeks.

Sunday we woke to snow. Snow! In May! In spite of the snow, we tackled the siding up on dormer, and we got most of it done before Mike and Jim had to leave.

The following weekend I went up alone and finished up some details - a little more siding and a lot of staining. I also installed a toilet, so we'll be completely ready to go once Larry gets the tank in. I never thought a toilet would look so good.

The lake was showing some signs of spring. There were several pairs of ringneck ducks and a few mallards and wood ducks. A pair of swans showed up and made a lot of noise. And a single loon called for a good part of one morning.

With the siding and stain on, I think the cabin looks great!

With Marie working so hard on her dissertation, I've had some time to get an early start on the cabin this year. Even before it was warm enough to work outside, I was in our garage at home and at Jim's place cutting and finishing wood pieces to build the stairs . The first weekend that seemed warm enough, I hauled those pieces up to the cabin. I guess I still have to learn that the weather up there really is a little different than down in the Cities. I was surprised to find way too much snow compared to what I had at home. With some help from a kind neighbor, I was able to get the trailer close enough to then carry all the pieces in.

The stairs went up just like I had planned. The loft space feels much more useful now!

A couple weekends later I went up again and did a little more work on the loft and on the soffits. I'd never really noticed soffits much - it seems like one of the details of a house that I just take for granted.

That weekend I also put up the trail camera. I changed its location from last year, and it seems to really be better now. In just five days I captured deer on five different occasions.

On my third weekend up there this year, I had the siding delivered. We decided to use log siding. Even though it will be a lot more work than vinyl siding over time, we think it will give the cabin a warmer, more rustic feel. By this point, the snow was pretty much gone, and the weather was very comfortable (but more rainy than I would like). Over the weekend I sanded each of the 130 siding pieces and put stain on the backs of about two thirds of them. It was very tedious, and I'm glad to have it behind me. However, I did get to put up the siding under the patio during a rainy Sunday when I couldn't continue doing the staining. After all the prep work on the siding, the process of putting it up seems to go very fast, and is very rewarding. In three weeks, we'll have a "crew" up there, and the rest of it should go up. It should look close to finished (from the outside) a month from now!

I was able to get up to the cabin a few times this Fall. These trips were more about fun than work on the cabin. On the opening weekend of duck hunting season, Chris and I tried our luck with ducks and grouse. We saw ducks and some beautiful sunrises, but the ringbills proved to be too fast for us. Grouse hunting was more successful, and Chris managed to bag his first grouse ever.

The following weekend Dad came out to visit. He bought us a few windows, and we were able to install them. We also fished a nearby lake. Of course, as usual, he outfished me. His 23" walleye was a real beauty.

A few weeks later it was deer season. I was lucky enough to be able to take a doe on the first morning. It is a game-changing experience to take a deer on my own property because I realize I can now manage the property to enhance those hunting opportunities.

Finishing Up (for this year . . . kind of)

I went back up this weekend to finish up most of what I wanted to get done this year. The west gable needed sheathing, and that went pretty fast. I then put up Tyvek on that gable and on the dormer. That pretty much did it! Now I expect the cabin to be able to make it through the winter.

There were a lot of little things that still needed to get done. I got the deadbolt in and I moved some gravel along the patio to take care of settling/erosion issues. I also braced the patio roof. After that, I cleaned up all the mess I've left over the summer.

There's still a ton of work left, but it's at a point where I don't have to worry about it anymore. Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy it some this Fall!