Take 2! Cabin Video

My apologies Blog Cabin Fans! This video uploading isn't easy! I decided to take a quick video so that you can take a virtual tour of the place, but for some reason my first attampt was a bust and my second attempt is only allowing me to upload half my video :( Boooooooo! Well...at least half of it is working...maybe one day I can figure out how to upload the full file and it will give us all something to look forward to :) Please excuse the following in the video: 1. The large pile of tools that we have accumulated in our "soon to be" kitchen area - it is still a construction zone after all :) , 2. the lack of bathroom wall that is still on the list of "things to build" - the curtain works ok for now, but a wall with a door is coming soon to a theater near you :),3. the camera shake - as soon as I started filming the "low battery" icon began flashing red so I kinda' rushed through it a bit. Oh Yeah...also take notice of our new shower stall complete with hot water and our new spiral stairs! The stair treads are temporary, but we are planning on making them oak! Enjoy and I will cross my fingers that you don't get too motion sick ;)

Another Footing Down!

Yesterday, despite the weather, we were able to start and finish the footing for the entire right side of the Blog Cabin! Here is a refresher course just in case anyone forgot… it has been a while since we did foundation work: “The bottom part of a foundation is called a footing (or footer). The footing is generally wider than the foundation wall and is located about 12 inches below the frost line (the average depth at which soil freezes year after year). The footing distributes the house’s weight to prevent settling or movement.” For New England, the frost line is 4 feet down from ground level and the footing needs to extend 4 inches past the cinder block on either side. So, without going into detail, P and I had to dig one, giant a$$ ditch in the ground ;) We have been working on the one giant a$$ ditch for a couple of weekends now and it was completed this past Saturday! Hooray for us! 8 O’clock Sunday morning, P and I woke up ready to work! Our Wayne met us with coffee and shovel in hand. The three of us were all geared up to start mixing cement and all of a sudden,…it started to pour. We were like "WHAT??? - it hasn't rained in like a year and it has to start now???" :( We waited inside the Blog Cabin for a while, played a couple of games of checkers - I won of course ;)ate some snacks and then, when we realized the rain was not going to stop, we all agreed to suck it up, get soaked and git er’ done! We braved the weather, shoveled the gravel, mixed the cement, carried it over to the giant a$$ ditch 5 gallon bucket by bucket, dealt with the mud, soaked our clothes completely through and in 2.5 hours and about 40 buckets later we had completed the footing! YEAH! Now we can start stackin’ the cinder block! Once we complete that side only two more sides to go and the entire foundation will be complete! Hip Hip Hooray!

Here are some more pictures!



-J

Help Us Pick Out Our Siding!

This past weekend we began wrapping the outside of the Blog Cabin with Tyvek. “Tyvek” or house wrap is a material that is made out of polyethylene fibers, it is very thin, strong and it creates a water barrier. Once we wrap the entire Blog Cabin in it, we can then choose our siding and shutters to finish the outside of the Blog Cabin! P and I are having some trouble agreeing on what kind of siding we want and what color. We know we want a country cottage look and we want low maintenance so an imitation or vinyl siding is necessary. We have to choose a style such as barn board, cedar shingles, clapboard etc. Once we chose the style, we have to choose a color, a trim color, a shutter color and a color for our front door. Any suggestions Blog Cabin fans?

Here are some examples...