End of year 2010

It's been a strange fall this year. September came in with temps way below normal while October has been fabulous with temps in the 70s and 80s. I have made 3 trips up to the lake since my last post.

My Dad joined me for a weekend run up over Sept. 18th and 19th. It was a chilly weekend, but the insulation in the cabin keep us plenty warm with just a couple of space heaters. We took a load of laminate flooring with us in anticipation of getting the "great room" floored yet this fall. I was also able to complete the remainder of my electrical work in prep for the final electrical inspection. We also took the boat out and got things ready for winter.

Friday, Sept. 24th I went back up again with my good friend Pete. Pete had volunteered to help me install the flooring because he had installed several floors in the past. The flooring went down great. It took a while getting started due to the "non-squareness" of the room, but once we got the first few rows down, it was smooth sailing. It looks better than I imagined it would.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

We were not able to finish the entire floor as you can see below because I still have a cabinet to get to complete the base cabinets in the kitchen. I also discovered a little water leaking in around the front door, so I want to make sure it's fixed before covering that area with flooring.

From 2010 Work

After we finished with the flooring we moved in the refrigerator from the garage. We also moved in our kitchen table, some chairs, and dishes too. No more eating in the garage from here on out. As soon as spring rolls around, we can finish up the cabinets and counter top.

I went up again on Sunday, Oct. 10. The electrical inspector came out the next morning and did the final inspection. It's nice to have all of the electrical work completed. I closed up the cabin for the season. Usually this makes me a little sad, but it's been a productive year, and frankly I am ready for a break.

Next year I would like to finish up the kitchen first thing in the spring. A functional kitchen will be huge. My only other real goal for next year is to get a new roof on the place. Who knows, maybe next year we'll spend more time enjoying the place, than working on the place.

Starting to look like a kitchen

Once again, it's taken me way to long to get this post out. It seems like every night has been full lately. I finally found a little time during this Vikings/Saints game.

It's been about a week and a half since we got back from our last big family trip up for the year. We were up for a long weekend from Aug 27-30. Of course, this week school started, so time up from here on out will be very limited. I still have several things I would like to finish up this year, but only time will tell.

We hauled up all the kitchen cabinets we had been storing in our garage for the last two years. It's very nice to get those out of there. Of course, I just bought a stove and microwave off of craig's list so now those are sitting in our garage. Maybe I can still get those taken up there yet this year.

During our time up, we managed to get 2 coats of primer on the walls and ceiling in the "great room".

After painting it looked like this:

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

We also started hanging the wall cabinets and placing the base cabinets. I also got all the outlets, switches, and lights hooked up.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

Like I said earlier, I have several more things I would like to complete yet this year. We are really hoping to have a fully functioning kitchen before next summer. If we can make a few more weekend trips up this year and then hit it hard next spring, I think our goal will be met.

Ready for paint

Sorry it took so long for me to update the blog. It's been a very busy summer. Anyway, we have been up to the lake a couple of times since my last post. We've had a couple of pines come down this summer, so we ended up devoting a decent amount of time to cutting up the trees. Fortunately the trees did not hit anything when they fell.

The majority of our effort inside has been the mudding, taping, and sanding in the "great room". The room is now ready for painting.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

We also started sheet-rocking one of the bedrooms.

From 2010 Work

Both the boys tried water skiing for the first time. Zachary got up the first time and was a natural.

From 2010 Work

Next time we head up, we are taking paint and kitchen cabinets. It will be very nice to get those cabinets out of our garage. They've been there two years now.

It's taking shape

Got back last night from our annual week long trip over the 4th. It was a great week. Warm weather and tons of sun. We did a lot of playing in the lake. The boys are really having fun tubing this year. We also took a day trip over to the Park Rapids area to visit some friends on Long Lake.

We did manage to accomplish some things during this time as well. I am happy to say that the entire "great room" is now sheet rocked as well as the closet and most of the hallway.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

More photos at:

2010 Work

I am beginning to feel the kitchen is within reach. I think the next trip we will try to get the sheet rock in the hallway finished and then get the taping and mudding complete.

Finally, an update in 2010

It's been a very busy spring/summer so far. Between work and kids activities, I seem to have very little time to plan the cabin goals for the year. We have managed to get up to the cabin three times so far this year. It survived the winter well.

So far we have not done much "work" during our trips. I installed a wall heater in the bathroom. We had to install a new water heater because the old one I installed last year gave out. Another unexpected expense. Cheryl has been busy finishing up the insulation in the walls and installing the vapor barrier. I had to replace the burners in the grill and install new decking on the front steps. I attempted to install our satellite dish system, but was not 100% successful. I have a few more kinks to work out.

The July 4th weekend is upon us now. We are planning our annual week at the cabin, starting on July 1. We are hoping to finish the sheetrock in the main living space (kitchen/family room) and possibly the hallway if we have time. Once we get the kitchen area done we can finally bring up the cabinets that have been taking up space in my garage for the last two years.

One thing I have noticed is that I am losing my motivation to work the entire time we are up there. I guess having running water, a shower, and a toilet have made me a little lazy. Hopefully I can get over that soon, as there is still lots to do. I will update you with our progress after we return.

End of summer

Labor day weekend usually marks the end of the family trips to the lake. School starts on Tuesday and after that it gets much more difficult to take long weekend trips. This weekend was perfect. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were beautiful. Blue sky all day, highs around 80. We could have used a lot more of this weather all summer.

Oddly enough, very little work was done inside the cabin this time. With the beautiful weather we decided it was time to do some much needed "yard work". It had been several years since we had trimmed the trees and cut back the thick brush that grows down the hill. I did manage to finish the remainder of the insulation in the ceiling. Wow, does that make a difference. The cabin actually stays warm inside now during the cool evenings.

On Saturday Cheryl's parents came up and spent the night. It was their first trip up for the year and they enjoyed the great weather. They enjoyed fishing with the kids, a boat ride, and singing around the campfire.

From 2009 cabin

From 2009 cabin

From 2009 cabin

From 2009 cabin

We made a last minute change of plans on Sunday and decided to come home late Sunday instead of Monday. Zachary has been fighting a cold the last few days and we decided an extra night in his normal bed might help. Don't want to be sick for that first day of school.

We probably won't be back up for about a month (Mitchell has football every Saturday). Then it will be just to take the boat out and close everything up tight. It's been a good summer for progress. We got the plumbing installed, insulated the entire place, completed the bathroom, and made decent progress in the kitchen area. I think the top priority for next year will be getting the roof replaced. It's in sad shape and I'm dreading leaks in the near future. I'm leaning towards a metal roof for longevity and ease of install.

The end of summer is always bitter sweet. It's nice to take a break from construction during the off season. At the same time you wish you were able to enjoy more time up there. This has been our third summer of construction. It's great to see the place take shape. I'm excited to see what it will look like next year at this time.

Drywall in the kitchen

Sorry it took me so long to get this update posted. It's been a busy week. Anyway, we returned home from a long weekend last Tuesday. Our time was spent finishing the insulation, putting up the vapor barrier, and hanging sheet rock in the kitchen area. We got to try out our new sheet rock lift. Let me tell you, it was a lifesaver. Without that, I have no idea how we would have put up the 70 pound, 4' by 8' sheets of drywall on the ceiling. Hanging the sheet rock went slower then I hoped for. Considering the spacing of the roof trusses is not exactly 24" on center, I guess I can't complain. It could have been worse. Using the lift definitely takes more time, but in our case it's our only option.

That's all for now. Enjoy the pics.

Vapor barrier on the kitchen wall

From 2009 cabin

The first sheet is up!

From 2009 cabin

From 2009 cabin

The "L" of the kitchen

From 2009 cabin

From 2009 cabin