Building a Small Cabin Update

Building a small cabin shouldn't take long.  However, when you live about a five hour drive away (or longer if you have small children that need longer stops for diaper changes and bottle feedings), things can take a bit longer than expected.

Last week, we made a four-day trip up to Maine to work on our little cabin.  After being left without work for almost a year, everything was exactly as it was left.  Some birds had made a nest, and a bit of a mess on the second floor, and there was a field of dead lady bugs on the first floor.  Considering that the second floor was not fully enclosed last fall, and there are still a few gaps that needed sealing in the outer walls, this was no problem at all compared to what we could have found.

The first day was spent travelling, trimming down the overgrowth, and setting up camp.  We had one snake in the camper this time, which is a massive improvement from the 10-15 that had taken up residence that last time our camper had been left for the winter.  There was also a hornet nest and a yellow jacket nest discovered in various vents, and both were destroyed by my very brave, beekeeper husband!

The second day, friends arrived to help.  The men got right into mowing the tall grass for a larger camp, and then set to work on the cabin. The doors framed and hung, and the remaining windows were installed.  We also set up a screen house for the little ones to play in, keep the bugs out, and provide some shade.

Speaking of bugs, the infamous Maine black flies were there in numbers to greet us.  The mosquitoes were also present in unusually large numbers due to the massive amounts of rain and flooding this past spring.  Not wanting to use DEET with small children, we used an essential oil based insect repellent from Burt's Bees.  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, I'd give is a 9 for it's effect on the black flies, and about a 7 for it's effect on the mosquitoes.  The blood suckers kept buzzing us, but didn't land to bite, making them more of an annoyance than a real problem.

On the third day, the second floor exterior was finished.  We had originally planned to put up the roofing shingles as well.  With the temperature topping 90 degrees and humid, the idea of working on black roofing paper with black, asphalt shingles wasn't very appealing to anyone.  So, it was time for some play.  Most everyone took rides on the dirt bike and ATV.  Work hard, play harder!

The last day was bright, sunny, and we hated to leave.  But, we should be able to actually sleep in the cabin during our next trip up to our developing homestead.

Live better, a little every day.

We're Back!

Greetings everyone! 

Our technical issues are over as we have switched back to cable broadband for our internet access.  Translation: no more intermittant internet access that lasts for 2-3 minutes and dissappears for 30 minutes requiring a complete rebooting of all equipment in order to get back online for another 2-3 minutes.  Nothing but a nice, steady fast signal.

A lot has gone on at the Ellis Urban Homestead this winter.  We've had to make a number of adjustments to accomodate the pregnancy and prepare for our daughter's birth (who is due to arrive in the next month or so).  We also have made arrangments expand our beeyard and the kind of honeybees we'll be raising.  Of course, I've taken advantage of being off my feet to make progress on some knitted projects.  When I have been up and moving, I've spent an abnormal amount of time experimenting and searching for the perfect brownie recipe, much to the delight of the chocolate lovers in the home.

The pregnancy slowed down our progress building our cabin last autumn.  We had planned on getting the exterior done before the winter, finish the interior during the winter, and establish our orchards, nut trees, and berry bushes in the spring.  However, I just couldn't make the car ride with the morning sickness I had. 

The cabin sat partially finished over the winter months, as Eddie would have had to make the trip alone.  It just seemed too risky to work on a remote construction site in several feet a snow with no other adult around in case of an emergency.  Progress will be stunted again from our original timetable this spring.  We can't be positive of exactly when our baby girl will be born, but she is due in late March.  And, of course, we wouldn't travel with her immediately.  Though, Eddie should be able to make a couple of weekeend trips with a willing friend/family member who has the weekend off to make up some of the construction time.

On the bright side, we are expecting a beautiful baby girl, and it has been a lot of fun getting prepped for her arrival.  We have rearranged the entire apartment, making a lot more room for everyone.  The next few weeks will be spent on some last minute preps, like freezing meals ahead of time, packing the bag for the hospital, making sure our bills and taxes are all handled prior to the delivery, etc. 

Before this post gets too long, I'm going to sign off.  Check back tomorrow for an update on ou honeybee operation.

Live better, a little every day.

Progress Update #4, Cabin Building

Back in August, my husband and his two older boys went up to Maine to work on our little cabin. I was too sick with morning sickness to go with them, but I did have my youngest stepson to help me keep little Karl entertained.

The Ellis men were able to get the roof rafters and roof sheeting installed. Three of the four windows went in. While there was no time for interior work or to put shingles on the roof, the roof has been temporarily waterproofed by stretching and securing a blue tarp over the roof sheeting. As you can see, there is a very steep pitch to the roof. The cabin kind of reminds me of an IHOP restaurant with their steep, blue metal roofs! They boarded up the cabin and came home.

We're not sure if we're going to be able to make another trip this late in the season. Next on our list for building the cabin is to get the insulation and interior walls in, and shingles on the roof. If this has to wait until next spring, then we'll be dividing our time between cabin building and planting fruit trees.

Live better, a little every day.

Progress Update #3a, Cabin Pics

The Cabin Site


Cabin Construction Begins


Gotta level the posts.


And... it's level!


Installing a Vapor Barrier


Installing Insulation


Installing the Subfloor


The Walls Go Up


The Outer Walls Go Up

Cutting the Front Door

Front Door and Windows

The Second Floor Begins

Progress Update #3, Building the Cabin

We're back, and what a week it has been! In spite of some minor setbacks, common to most building projects (and some not so common), we made incredible progress building our cabin.

FRIDAY
Upon arrival, we found the camper was free of wasps, which had been our plague last year. However, the bed had been taken over by garder snakes. They made a home under the camper's water tank, which was stored under the bed. To get them out, it meant cutting out the water tank. However, we now have a water tank for future installation in the cabin. Eddie pulled a total of seven snakes out of the bed, patched the holes, and duct-taped over the patches and the entire under-bed storage area. Lots of duct tape- no more snakes.

Our second setback was with our initial attempt to pick up the lumber. Apparently, there is a spending limit on my debit card, and with the purchase of gas for the trip, and a stop at Cabela's for a solar shower, the total purchase price for the lumber was over my daily spending limit. This set us back a day building, but we cleaned up around the camper, cutting down all the tall grasses around and under it. We also put down some black plastic sheets underneath before returning home to prevent regrowth. Hopefully, this will cut down on invading critters.

SATURDAY
Our friend, Jimmy, arrived during the night and slept in his truck. He brought up a bunch of power tools, ladders, etc. After some much needed coffee, we all headed out to the lumber yard. Between Jimmy's truck and our utility trailer, we were able to take everything in one trip. We spent the better part of the morning clearing the tall grass from the most level area, setting up the generator, and unloading tools and lumber. Construction got underway about noon, and by the end of the day, the floor was laid and insulated, and four posts were up.

SUNDAY
The floor needed some levelling, and we set up the solar shower shelter. We needed some materials, but since the local place was closed, we had a long drive to the nearest Home Depot. However, we stopped at a sporting goods store and picked up a water filter/purifier to safely use the water we have on site. Jimmy had to leave as he had work in the morning, but we were joined by a new friend, Leif. How lucky are we to have met an architect who lives only a few miles away? Progress picked up quickly under a professional's guidance, and the south and west walls were framed and raised.

MONDAY
It was just us on Monday, with Eddie and his oldest son doing most of the work. Jimmy had left his power tools and ladders, which was a huge help. The remaining walls were framed and raised, and the outer walls on two sides went up.

TUESDAY
The rest of the outer walls went up and openings for windows and doors were cut. Our new friend dropped by again to help us out with the second floor and roof. There was a slight mistake made with the window framing, that would be easily corrected the next day. We also ended up choosing to go with longer boards for the roof to give us more headroom in the second floor. By day's end, we had the floor for the second floor mostly done. My camera battery ran out of charge today.

WEDNESDAY
It rained on and off all day. Work did get done, even through most of the rain. We exchanged the lumber for the higher roof, the window frames were adjusted, and the rest of the floor for the second floor was installed. We decided to stay an additional day.

THURSDAY
Rain was predicted for the later half of the day. We took advantage of the morning to get a few more cuts done (for the roofing boards), clean up around the building site, and to pack up.

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As soon as my camera is charged, I will post pictures. Even though it ran out of charge before we left, it doesn't look much different than the last few pictures I took. We still have the roof to put up, and the interior to finish, but it's starting to look like a cabin. We're also planning on putting in a wrap-around porch on the east and south sides.

Another couple weeks' worth of work, and the cabin will be complete. Now, back to raising funds for the next trip!

Progress Update #2

In a few days, we will be taking a week-long trip to put up a small cabin on our property in Maine. We will be joined by friends and family to build our "base of operations". I can't explain how much having this little home and sharing the building of it with loved ones means to us.

Eddie has finished assembly on the utility trailer, necessary for us to transport some of the building materials that we got through Craig's List and Freecycle. We will also use it to transport the lumber from the mill, avoiding a delivery charge. The expense of the trailer is about what we saved by getting the materials (doors, windows, etc.) through these sources. Though it didn't lower the cost of the overall project, it's like getting the utility trailer for free. Later today, he will pick up a generator and rechargeable tool set from a relative, and start packing up the trailer.

Due to both weather and my work schedule, I am way behind on my plantings, and every has got to get in the ground before we leave. June was nothing but rain! Everyone's gardens are way behind because of the lack of sun. Thankfully, the weather has broken. I have transplants that are more than overdue to get in the ground. We mulched really well with lawn clippings, so at least there isn't any weeding to do.

The meal plan for the trip is done, and so now the cooking begins. While I do have a functioning kitchen in our camper, making food ahead will save on prep time, clean up, the amount of garbage we have to dispose of during the trip, propane usage, gas driving from our land to the grocery store repeatedly, and money.

I'm baking banana and pumpkin breads for breakfast. I will bake at night, so I won't heat up the apartment during the day. Lunch choices are will be egg salad, black bean soup (good hot or cold), or tuna salad. For supper, I'm cooking up large batches of chili, American chop suey, chourico and peppers, and chicken salad. All are cost-effective and will pack easily for the trip. (I will post and link my recipes throughout the day, in between clients.)

There's so much to do, so I best get off this computer!

Live better, a little every day.

Progress Update

The sun made a long over-due appearance today, and we got eight more pepper plants in the garden. Our tomato plants look strong and have gained in height. Still no signs of flowers yet, but we did get a late start. The green bean plants look healthy and are showing blooms. One cucumber plant is going strong, but is in severe need of company!

Eddie spent the better part of the day with the bees. In a week, we should see another 100+ pounds of honey. This comes just in time to replenish our honey supplies, and certainly gives us enough left over to experiment with making creamed honey.

While I spent the day playing out with our son (something I don't nearly get to do often enough), Eddie spent the rest of his evening assembling a utility trailer, making good progress. The trailer will help bring equipment and materials up to the homestead site.

We contacted a lumber mill that is local to our homestead site and priced out lumber for the cabin. We were pleasantly surprised to find the lumber will cost less than had been estimated. This difference offsets the amount spent on the utility trailer. We are still on track to keep this project on or under budget.

Live better, a little every day.