The end (temporarily) of the cabin

So obviously we failed to finish updating about the cabin adventure. We got a little busy working on the cabin, preparing for Haiti, traveling to Hawaii, and celebrating the holidays with family and friends. However, since we are now back in Haiti and need to start writing about our Haiti adventure on our blog I feel obligated to do some sort of cabin wrap-up first.

We were not able to get the cedar siding put up, do any interior finishing, or get electricity and plumbing installed. So, we were not able to rent out the cabin. However, Jimmy did manage with the help of a very kind friend the 2 days after Christmas to get all the windows and doors installed and the place more or less "dried in". This means it should be able to sit as is and stay in good condition. Although we can't rent it out in this condition, there is a woman who lives at Jimmy's parent's RV Park who is very excited to use the building as a "house of prayer" while we are gone.

 I was hoping Jimmy could write a wrap up post on the whole project since it was really his project, but since I ditched him this year to stay at home with our 2 daughters, he is currently VERY busy with school :o) My take is that we learned a lot, Jimmy for the most part (minus working in the freezing cold wind and rain) enjoyed the work, and we are glad we made an attempt at building a cabin even though we weren't able to finish it yet. We look forward to finishing it one day - maybe this summer? - we shall see. As we say in Haiti - "si Bondye vle".

Here are the final cabin photos before we left for Haiti.

Roofing - Paper, Cedar Trim, Shingles

Gable Ends

Decking and Dormers

Once the rafters were up, we were in a little bit of a race against the rain to get the roof on. You don't want your well built house to get all wet and end up with warped, moldy, rotten wood.
You may not have notice, but the roof to our cabin is very high and steep. This can make roofing a little tricky. So, we were thankful to have some help in this difficult stage. The night before Jimmy was supposed to start the decking (the wood that goes on top of the rafters and under the shingles) we got a phone message from our friends, the Moores, asking if they could come out to the next morning to help us build. When we got their message Jimmy heartily proclaimed "Thank you God!" and then quickly called them back to say "Yes, please come help!". Jimmy and Matt completed the "easy" side of the roof. That is, the side without windows in it.

 Notice the wooden blocks nailed on top of the decking. Those are to prevent the ladders from sliding and my husband from falling to his death. Speaking of which, I need to brag a little. My husband claims that he is afraid of heights. And I believe him, because although I was thrilled to go cliff jumping on our honeymoon, the only thing that finally made him very shakily jump into the water was his pride and the 7 year old little girl that went before him. And unlike me, he sure didn't want to do it again. HOWEVER, as we have been working on this house, you wouldn't suspect his fear because he has been climbing all over things in all kinds of crazy positions with heavy materials and equipment way up high without letting it slow him down a bit. When we were putting up the rafters (in a strong wind) I was definitely nervous and shaking and he was acting like it was nothing. Just goes to show what a little bit of determination can do for you.

So, a few days after the Moore's help, Jimmy's brother Ben came back and helped him finish up the dormers (windows sticking out of the roof) and the decking on that side.

Some people might say that a construction place is no place for little children. We would reply that it is a great place for them to begin learning custodial skills :o) Abigail is our ever diligent cleaner.

Rafters and a Second Floor

Jimmy is a visual guy. He always has pictures in his head. (This is a little strange to me because I am more of an audio person who always has songs -never pictures- in their head, which of course is strange to him.) Anyways, Jimmy has been dreaming of this cabin with a picture of it in his brain for many years. The picture in his brain has always been of a cabin with a barn style roof and loft. The original plan was to have a loft covering the back end of the cabin with everything else open. However, being the practical dream spoiler that I am, when I saw how large the "loft" was going to be and how much empty space it left over the rest of the cabin I wondered aloud how difficult it would be to just build a second floor and turn lots of pretty, but wasted space into something useable. My wondering quickly turned into the end of Jimmy's dream of a cool loft and the pretty picture in his head. (It is really tough to be a dreamer with a practical wife.) In order to construct the second floor we added crossbeams to the other half of the cabin before putting on all of the rafters. It was really fun to watch the cabin develop through this stage. It was especially fun to look out at the great view of the sky and lake through the open rafters on the second floor.

Interior Walls, Exterior Plywood, Crossbeams

A few weekends ago we were really thankful to have some good friends, the Beckers, come and visit for the weekend. Keith helped Jimmy get a lot done in just 2 days. First the 2 interior walls went up, then they enclosed the cabin by putting plywood on the exterior walls, then they put on half of the cross beams for the loft/second floor.

Keith cutting plywood for the exterior walls.

A mock rafter, flooring, and walls

The first week of November was a little rainy and cold. Jimmy took the opportunity to work inside his Dad's shop and prep for his rafters. He was very proud of his first rafter raised on the ground floor, no matter that his wife made fun of him for putting up a rafter he was just going to take down. He had to see what it looked like.

Jimmy's brother Ben came to town to help him work on the cabin for a day. We were very thankful for his help. It took them back to the days of old when all 3 Burton brothers worked construction together. Ben helped Jimmy construct the rafters and put the floor down on top of the foundation.

Had to break in the new floor with a little bit of dancing. Abigail loved this.

Jimmy's wife helped him frame and put up the exterior walls. Here they go....

1 wall

2 walls

3 walls

 4 walls

We had to do something with the girls while Mommy and Daddy were both working...