Summer is here!

Went up to see how things were going on the cabin and despite a gloomy weather forecast, I held out hope that it wouldn't be too bad. Torrential rains over a 4 day period ended up washing out many roads. As I passed cleanup crews clearing deep mud from town roads I wondered what the creek would look like. I was relieved to find that despite overflowing onto many lawns and low lying areas, my camp was well above it. I should have taken a walk down onto the lowlands of lots 5 and 6 to see, but it was wet, muddy and I had other things to take care of, namely gather photos of the project.

Here I am grabbing some photos with my back to the "quiet" section of creek behind the guest cabin. The water moved swiftly and deeply and had cleared many fallen trees and debris. 

Here's the view from the bank of the creek looking up to the cabin. There will be a l10 x 40ft covered porch facing outwards.

Next is the front elevation. The doorway will feature a 4 x 6 ft covered porch. A nice place to take off the boots on my way in.

Above you can see the front elevation from the northeast. The doorway will feature a 4 x 6 ft covered porch. A nice place to take off the boots on my way in. 

Below is a view from the common area looking in towards where the partition walls will make up the bedrooms and bath. Note that John, the builder, hid the wiring in a notch atop the log joists. Nice job!

Below is looking into the living area. A sofa and chairs will be on the left, dining table on the right. In the center, I'm standing where the wood stove will be. The stove pipe will go straight up to the top of the cathedral ceiling.

A view from the living area into the rest of the house. Partition walls will make up two bedrooms and a bath below, and will remain an open loft above. I love the look of the hand peeled logs and tongue in groove between them. It's hard to imagine those were once the trees that stood on this very spot.

Finally, here's the creek that lies just 100ft from the cabin. Nice to hear the sounds of nature.

Some minor changes...

Before heading up to the camp next weekend, I thought I'd put to writing a few of the more minor changes I've made this last week. First, the porch will now be a full 10 feet deep. Most porches are 6ft and the builder is fond of 8ft porches. I agree. But between the cabin and creek is the porch, which if I'm correct will be where we spend a great deal of time, 10ft depth allows for a more relaxed arrangement of furniture and more walking space. I plan on the outdoorsy all weather wicker or wood furniture with soft cushions. The kind you see that looks at home in a sunroom. 

Second change is that the siding will no longer be horizontal live edge. Too rustic. Not that it doesn't have a certain rugged charm. It's just that after passing some older homes, I noticed the siding had turned from a nice tan to a silver and black, and had developed a beat up old wood shed appearance. That's a bit too much for me. I'm going with rough cut board and batten, which I will stain a tannish brown.

Lastly, owing to the charm of the smaller guest cabin's wide openness, I've decided to cut some trees around the camp project to allow for a 40 ft margin of lawn around my cabin. This will let in the sun, minimize that deep dark woods feel, and allow a better view of the creek.

A doctor in the boondocks? A "boon doc" of course!

Camp Underway!

Fields of wild daisies at the guest cabin

Another rainy weekend... But that couldn't dampen my spirits. Despite the soggy days, Dad and I spent a great weekend up at the camp. It was raining half the time, sometimes heavily, but our attention was less on being outdoors and more on making some initial improvements to the guest cabin. We turned a scary loft ladder into a decent set of stairs and put a railing up top to make a sleeping space. Nobody wanted to be up there with the scary edge and the height. Now, maybe it's ready to actually be used for a sleeping space.

A nearly vertical home-built ladder became a more gently angled loft stairs. Gone are the 2x4 rungs, replaced by 8 inch flat treads to stand on. We later added a hand rail. Up top, a railing was mounted in place. Ready to put bunks in!

Everyone needs an Amish good luck barn star, a Northeast tradition.

My neighbor and builder on his preferred mode of transportation.

A ice/watershield, much better than tar.

When we woke up the next morning, the weather hadn't improved. Despite the mud, we decided to try to get up into the main camp to see how the cabin was progressing. We saw my builder at the sawmill and he joined us for the ride in. A nice surprise to see that not only had the foundation been completed, but the deck, and start of framing as well. Seeing the cabin in my head was the start of this project. Working the design on  paper with everyone's ideas and advice was next. But seeing it come alive was a real treat. It was better than I expected and after walking the deck, I felt it was turning out better than expected.

View from the creek. Soil gently graded for runoff and ready for seeding.
A 10ft x 40ft porch will be attached and supported by piers.
Sliding glass doors by kitchen area on right and master bedroom on left.

The framing makes the front elevations come to life!

The fringe benefit of a permanent wood foundation (PWF) is
that I got a basement for water, plumbing, and storage. Note
the trusses and similarity to a roof truss.

Memorial Day

Again with the showers! I wasn't the only one who was thinking how this spring has been cold and wet. The locals were griping about the late snow melt and non-stop rains that followed. My builder was frustrated at constant delays in starting my project due to the rain and mud. Even so, he was able to dig out a 4ft pit where my basement would be. As no cement trucks can make through the dirt roads, over the hills, or that deep into the woods, a full concrete foundation is not an option. The two foundation choices were cement piers, and permanent wood foundation.

After some arm twisting by my builder, John, and some browsing on the web, I became a believer in the permanent wood foundation (PWF). Cement piers are prone to frost-heave and have an average lifespan up north of just 30 years. The wood foundations, when done properly, are guaranteed to last much longer while giving me a full usable basement at a cost of just 20% more than the piers. John noted that all the building inspectors he spoke with give the PWF high marks. He was convinced a pier foundation would be a mistake. "The cabin should be warmer too, without the icy wind blowing under the floor joists", he added. Ok, sold.

Here's the pit that will house a 20 x 40ft treated wood foundation. 4 feet deep, 2 feet above ground, making for a 6 ft basement ceiling. The cabin will feature crushed gravel for a basement floor, but may be finished at any time. Drainage channels will run the length of the foundation walls, with a slight grade downwards towards the creek.

The hand peeled logs below were notched and tied together at 45degrees with lag bolts making them into roof trusses. Also below are the joists that will span the cabin with no interior load bearing walls. The use of so many logs makes this cabin a unique combination of post and beams, logs, and conventional stick framing. John calls it his own unique combo. As a log/post hybrid, I call it cool.

Horizontal brace bolted to a 12:12 pitch rafter

Hand peeled joists that will support the loft and be visible from downstairs

Meanwhile, I spent the weekend at my cabin on the 3 acres adjacent to the new camp. This will end up as a guest cabin, staging area during construction, place to keep snowmobiles and/or ATV's, and allow winter  access. It's not finished and lacks utilities, but it makes a pretty fancy tent!

16 x 24 Guest Cabin

Wide and open. Such a contrast to my new camp across the creek.

Bunkhouse  Style

I prefer this to an outhouse

The trout are waiting

Will the deer eat my tomatoes?

There may be no electric or water, but the sign I put up made it feel like home.

Planted kiwi, rasberry, onions, potatoes, apple and pear trees.