Dock

Since the weather was so nice over the weekend and the neighbor kids were up at the lake, we decided to go up there so they could all play together.  While they were playing I took the time to move the approach on the dock so it is centered and the deck is flush with the deck on the dock.  Its been bothering me since we put it together over the summer.

Dock

I have been concerned about leaving the doc in the water over the winter for a while now.  I've heard stories about 2 ton concrete blocks being dragged 20 feet down the lake by moving ice sheets from several different neighbors.  My little 16" augers don't stand a chance!  So with the nice weather this weekend, Terry and I went up and dragged the dock up on the beach.

Chimney

After taking down the old chimney, we had to patch the roof and siding.  In the last picture, the siding had been patched but it had not been painted yet.  The roof patch was purely cosmetic, but we had a piece of the siding from the old outhouse that happened to fit.  It's white rather than silver, but at least a portion of the overhang is not missing any longer.

Down Tree

We decided to purchase a set of security cameras to install at the lake so we can keep an eye on things.  When I got there to start installing them, I found that we had a tree fall across the driveway.  It looks like it was rotting away at the base and it finally just gave way.  Luckily it didn't do any damage and it's not very big, so cutting it up will be quick.

Living Room

Last week I spent some time hanging the missing drywall in the living room.  We are not ready to start taping it yet because there is some work that may need to be done behind the lake side wall still.  But at least it is is closed up and a little more complete for when we come back in the spring.  For now, the power and water are off and everything is locked up for the winter.

Retaining Wall

The retaining wall is finally finished!  I stacked the last course and cut the 1/2 blocks next to the stairs this morning.  While I did that, Kelly got the pile of dirt out of the corner by the girls bedroom.  Then we worked on sloping the hill above the wall together.  We'll move the large pile of dirt and maybe work on extending the stairs next weekend.

Kitchen

We decided to rearrange the kitchen this weekend.  We moved the counter that was on the west wall to the wall facing the lake.  Doing that put the sink in almost the exact location that it will be when we do the full remodel.  That meant we could hook up the water and the drain.  We still don't have enough counter space, but a working sink is huge!

Retaining Wall

We have been very busy at the lake the last couple weeks, but it has just been clean up, so we didn't take any pictures.  This weekend we got the retaining wall outside the street side entry nearly finished.  We have 1 more course to put on the wall and we need to cut a few blocks to finish the edge next to the stairs.  We are very pleased with how it has turned out.

Bedroom

We now have the ceiling fan installed in the bedroom!  But now that we have it, it has cooled down and we don't need it as much...  Oh well, it looks nice and the bedroom is starting to feel a little more finished.

Chimney

In preparation for jacking up the street side of the cabin, we tore down the old chimney today.  By taking it out, we can now dig along the wall and break up the old foundation and pull it out.  We will probably punch holes in the floor of the kitchen and utility room and jack it up from inside.  That will help keep the cabin from moving toward the lake as it goes up.

Bedroom

The texture and paint are done and the bed has been moved in!  The walls are a little darker and a little more brown than we were shooting for, but we like it enough to leave it.  I also got the electrical done except for the ceiling fan since we have not picked one out yet.  But, the 1/2 hots work so we do have light in there.

Dock

Today was another very big day.  I found a guy on Craig's List that was selling his old approach and gangway.  Jeremy helped me pick this one up north of Cusick, drag it down to Twin Lakes and set it up today.  I need to get some decking for the gangway and make a few adjustments, but this thing is in really good shape and it looks like it will work out very well.

Bedroom

I made a quick trip up to the cabin yesterday after work and got the 2 outside corners installed.  Since I used a setting type mud on them, I went ahead and put the first coat to fill the gap on each side as well.  So now, everything is taped and a first coat has been applied to the flats as well as the outside corners.  With any luck we will have it ready for texture and paint early next week.

Bedroom

Over the weekend, Kelly helped me finish hanging the drywall in our bedroom closet.  We also got the flats taped throughout the whole room.  Last night after work I went up and got the inside corners all taped.  The last thing before we start the finish work is the pair of 45 degree outside corners.  I think we will use bullnose to make the inside of the cabin look a little more modern.

Bathroom

It has started to get a little old having only 1 source of running water in the cabin, the bathtub.  We are getting tired of washing dishes, brushing our teeth and filling drinking cups all in the bathtub.  So I decided to take a break on the bedroom and wrap up the bathroom sink.  All that is left now is to float the grout in the back splash and hook up the drain.  It won't be long!

Bedroom

Kelly and the girls came up and helped with the drywall tonight.  We finished the bedroom itself and got the first couple pieces hung in the closet.  The girls were really excited they could help.  They held the partial sheets so they didn't move while mommy cut them and they handed me screws when I needed them.  We make a pretty good team, but don't look for us to go pro.

Bedroom

I got some more drywall hung after work yesterday.  I finished the lake side wall as well as the wall with the window out to the deck.  I started on the outside of the closet wall but I only got 1 sheet hung.  So I still have inside the closet and around the entry door and the closet door to finish.  I only have 2 sheets left, so I won't be able to finish it tonight.

Bedroom

Today, we installed an automatic gable fan and hung the drywall on the ceiling as well as the east and the half of the south wall.  We still have the west and north walls as well as the closet.  But the walls are going much faster than the ceiling.  As hot as it was today, we didn't get done what we wanted.  But the water sure felt nice. :)

Bedroom

We got the insulation in the bedroom walls.  We also rolled out some radiant barrier along the under side of the trusses to allow for an air gap after we do the blow in insulation in the attic.  Since the trusses are not evenly spaced, we couldn't use the ready made ones.  Although this picture does not show it, we also put up a vapor barrier.

Bedroom

Tonight after work I got the electrical for the bedroom roughed in.  I did 1/2 hot outlets, 4 of them and an overhead light in the middle of the room.  I also sprayed foam to fill the cracks in the siding of the south facing wall.  I didn't want to put insulation in there without filling those gaps for fear that water would get in and ruin it.  We will eventually replace the siding, but not this year.

Bedroom

After work yesterday I got the header above the last window in our bedroom finished.  Now we can start on the electrical and insulation.  We are going to do a single globe light in the middle of the room as well as 1/2 hot outlets around the room for lighting.

Bedroom

The framing for our bedroom door and our closet is all done.  I actually got it done over the weekend but I didn't have any good pictures so I took a new one when I was up there yesterday.  I'm still trying to decide where to leave the access to the attic, but as of now I think it will be in our closet.

Bedroom

The headers have been added above the larger two bedroom windows.  I still have to do the window out to the deck, maybe today.  I put a single header over the lake side window so we could replace the three smaller windows with one big one if we want.  I also found that the siding is rotten so it will have to be replaced before we can do insulation.

Retaining Wall

We have a neighbor who had a retaining wall fall over a while back.  He decided to use natural rock to replace it so he's had this block sitting in a pile next to his driveway ever since.  When we moved in, he offered it to us for are really good price.  Today we finally got around to moving 140 blocks at 67 lbs each.  That is a total of 9,380 lbs we dug up and moved!

Dock

I went up to the lake after work tonight and finished anchoring the dock.  I got most of it done yesterday but I wanted some help for the last anchor.  The shore side was pretty easy because I could stand on the ground.  The far side turned out to be a real pain in the butt.  But the dock is straight and does not appear to move much.

This is one of the 4 anchors I made.  I also built a socket and welded it to an old fence post to drive them into the lake bottom.  Then we used 3/8" proof coil chain to hold the dock in place.  I added a 40 lb weight to each chain about 2 feet from where it attaches to the dock to help pull the chain down.  This should allow the dock to move up and down but limit it's side to side movement.

Bathroom

The weather was pretty rough today, so we didn't get to work outside much at all.  I got the particle board for the counter top in the bathroom cut and installed.  I also got the shower valve flipped right side up.  We had discovered that I installed it upside down.  Kelly got most of the scraping done on the front outside wall of the cabin in prep for new paint.

Hot Water Tank

On Friday after work, I went up to the cabin and I got the 9 gallon hot water tank that used to be under the kitchen sink hooked up in what will be the utility room.  This is only temporary, but it will give us enough warm water to take a shower as long as we keep them short.

Dock

Our company uses a program called Power of Vitality to reduce health care costs.  One of the features of the program is Vitality Bucks which can be redeemed for all sorts of things including Amazon gift cards.  We earned enough this year to almost pay for the new ladder on the dock.  Thanks Vitality!

Bedroom

While I was working on installing the electrical fixtures and the vanity in the bathroom, Kelly ripped out the rest of the drywall in what will be the master bedroom.  Everything looks great.  There is 1 spot on the floor that has a little bit of water damage, but I think it is just from a leaky window that was replaced before we bought the cabin.

Bathroom

Here is another shot of the bathroom.  The vanity is set and leveled, all the electrical is complete and the tub spout is attached.

I still need to put a top on the vanity and set the sink, but the plumbing is all there.  We have not picked out the counter top yet, so that is probably next on the list.

We also need the hang all the towel rods, toilet paper holder, mirror and shower doors.  We do have all that stuff, I just need to take the time to put it all up.

The purple thing in the top corner of the picture is the bed sheet that is acting as the door for now.  We'll take care of that soon too.

Bathroom

Today was a huge day!  But, before we get to that I need to catch you up on the events of the last few days.  On Thursday night after work I applied the final coat of drywall mud.  I was quite happy with the results even though it took way too long.  Then on Friday night I did a light sanding and applied the texture.  It went on heavier than I really wanted, but it will be OK.  This morning I had to stop and get the paint on my way up to the cabin, but of course Kelly had not picked a color yet.  So while I was driving to the store she was texting me her favorite colors.  Of course she found a new favorite 5 minutes after the lady at the paint counter had already mixed a gallon for me...  So we stuck with it.  As you can see in the picture, the paint has been applied and the toilet has been installed!  We don't have to use the neighbor's out house any longer!

Bathroom

It does not look much different in the pictures, but the 3rd coat of mud is on most of the walls.  I have to let the second coat dry in a few places before I can finish.  But I should be able to finish the mud work tomorrow then do the final sanding and texture on Friday.  Which means the bathroom will be usable on Saturday.

Bathroom

Over the weekend I managed to get the taping all done and the second coat about half done.  It's a really good thing I don't tape and mud for a living or I would starve.  It will turn out fine, but it is taking me forever to get it done.  With any luck we can texture and paint this weekend.

Bathroom

Yesterday Kelly helped my snap and hang the sheet rock in the bathroom.  She got to a point where she was cutting it faster than I could hang it.  We got the inside walls of the bathroom completely done.  We will do the outside walls when we finish the framing for the bedroom.  Now comes the fun part. :(   I hate mud and tape.

Drains and Vents

Tonight after work I wrapped up the drains and vents for the bathroom.  We will start the sheet rock on Saturday and I hope to come pretty close to having it done before the end of the weekend.  I really want to start framing and wiring our bedroom as well so we have somewhere to sleep when we go up there.  But having a usable bathroom is a huge step in the right direction.

Drain Stack

We finally took a day to have a little fun at the cabin.  We did get some work done, but we spent some time on the boat too.  I got the main drain line done from the tank to the roof top and Kelly got the scrap pile in our bedroom loaded in the trailer.  I'm going to spend some time after work this week wrapping up the drains and starting on the sheet rock.

Drain Stack

Yesterday I rented a core drill and cut a hole in the foundation wall to run the drain line out of the house and into the collection tank.  I also ran the vertical section of the drain stack inside the house all the way from the crawl space through the roof.  Tomorrow I will connect the 2 sections together and start on the 1-1/2" drain pipes inside the house.

Water Supply

I now have the main water line run under the house to what will be the utility room.  The hot and cold water manifolds are both installed and the lines for the bathroom are hooked up.  The other 6 lines are simply capped off for now.  The tankless water heater will mount on the wall right above the manifolds.  Tomorrow I start the drain lines.

Bathroom

The electrical and plumbing supplies are roughed in.  I have the electrical all the way back to the panel but the water lines are only through the floor.  I'm still working on the manifolds in the utility room.  Once they are done, I will connect them to the main and finish supplies.  I should get that done early tomorrow, then I can start on the drains.

Bathroom

Today I got the insulation in the walls behind the bath tub.  I did both the exterior wall and the wall that separates the bathroom from the girls room.  Since there is no closet to buffer the noise, I figured the insulation might help.  I got the tub set and the walls framed too.  Tomorrow I plan to start the electrical and plumbing as well some framing in our bedroom.

Running Water

I wound up working on the plumbing yesterday.  I dug under the foundation and ran the water main under the house.  I got the main shut-off valve installed and a hose bib hooked up as well.  So we don't have water inside yet, but at least we don't have to use a ball valve on the end of a 3/4" polly pipe to fill our water cups any more.

Bathroom

Here is a before and after of the demolition work we did on the cabin today.  Yes, I made Kelly tear down sheet-rock and rip up old carpeting on Mother's Day.  She had fun doing it though.  She did most of the tear down while I hauled the materials up to the trailer.  It was dirty nasty work, but we are 1 step closer to having a bathroom.

There were 2 layers of carpet and part of the floor had a layer of linoleum under that.  The ceiling had a layer of cork as well as sheet-rock and the walls had sheet-rock behind the paneling.  It was quite a job to get it all out.  I'll work on the rest of the ceiling tomorrow.  With any luck will will also start framing the new walls and get the tub set.

Dock

Colton knocked out the dock this weekend and delivered it a week ahead of schedule!  This is a beefy dock too!  I don't even have the anchors done yet, so we had to just tie it to the tree for now.  I'll get the anchors done this week and hopefully we can get the dock in place next weekend.

Retaining Wall

We got quite a bit more work done on the retaining wall this weekend.  Half of the old wall has been pulled out, the dirt and roots have been dug out and we got 10-12 more blocks stacked.  We are setting the new wall back about a foot from where the old one sat.  That will give us more room to walk around the old bathroom.

Dock

We pulled the dock off the beach yesterday to have it towed off for repair...  It is a little worse than we thought.  A new frame will have to be built with all new floats.  We can reuse the composite decking, the cleats and the bumper strips though.  If all goes well we should have it back next weekend.  We should have the boat ready to go in the water by then as well!

Retaining Wall

Right outside what will be the girls bedroom the hill was sloping down right to the cabin.  A while back we had this section dug out.  Today we finally started working on the retaining wall that will hold the hillside away from the cabin.  The circular lid in next to the wall is the old dry-well which will be used to collect rain water from the gutters so it does not flow under the cabin.

Gas Line

The gas line was installed this morning!  The trench still needs back-filled, but I have put the call in to the excavator to get it done.  I also need to get the lines run under the house and hooked up to the meter before we can have the service turned on.

Utilities

Over the weekend, I was able to get the slash pile and the remnants of the outhouse loaded into the trailer.  Then Gary came up and dug the trench for the gas, water and cable lines.  The cable and water have been installed and the gas goes in tomorrow.  With any luck the trench will be back filled Thursday or Friday and the previous owners can get their stuff out this weekend.