Cabin Building

A few days ago, we staked out the ground guides for my new cabin. It's just going to be a tiny little thing, a mere 8' x 8' long. This is the view of the front of it, or what will be the front of it. The posts are gone as of yesterday, and instead there are four 9" holes in the ground. Into those holes will go poles, and then the building will begin in earnest!

I'm really excited to be doing this. I'm looking forward to having private space away from the family. I'm looking forward to having a place that I can go with the kids to have a fun night out. I'm enjoying the idea of going up to do reading and writing. Maybe I'll find myself an old manual typewriter and haul it up there. After all, I learned on a Manual Remmington!

As I'm cleaning up the space in preparation for the building, I'm finding a lot of dryish wood. I have been cutting it up using a bow saw I found in the garage, because my axe is both completely dull and too large for the job. I'm also nick-named "Lightning" around here, because I never strike twice in the same place... In any case, as the pieces are cut to length, I am stacking them on a pallet right next to where my door will eventually be. The interior space will be too tiny to hold more than a few pieces of wood, so I figured a nearby pile would be great. If I put a tarp over it, the wood will be both convenient and dry. Maybe I can devise a "roof" for it of some kind, so I don't have to fumble my way beyond a plastic barrier.

Here you can see my wood cutting set-up. The stump there has been sitting for many years, and has a jagged back edge which lets me keep logs from rolling around. All I do is wedge it up there and put my foot on the log to keep it steady, and saw away. It's not the greatest way to do it, but it does work well enough. I've gotten most of the first level of the pallet cut, completely on my own (which is a bit of a feat considering how out of shape I am, how large and heavy the trees are, and the fact that I've only put in about six hours total). It might not be much, but the area around my "house to be" is much cleaner than it was, and now has the start of a wood pile that will feed my stove in winter to keep me warm and happy.

Here I am, your noble author, in my winter work-out gear. My jeans are too big since I lost 15 pounds, but that's okay because I have on knee high socks, extra shorter socks, long johns, and a tucked in thermal shirt under those jeans. It keeps them from falling down... mostly. In this pic I've ditched my winter jacket. I need the warmth of it for travelling up and down the hill, but once I'm there and working it takes only a few minutes to take it off. I try to leave the hat on unless I'm really sweating, because I know that's where I lose most of my heat. I stay hydrated by making sure my canteen has nice clean water in it, and if I run out the river is just behind me.

It is my hope that the end result will be somewhat like this log cabin. I won't have the two slope roof, though, just a single slope from the back to the front (and the door will be on the side). We'll see... we'll see... Wish me luck!