Crossing Items Off The List

We are returning from 9 days of work on the cabin, crossing items off our list. First item: finish painting: which required renting the Nifty Fifty for the week.

Ready to get to work

We had beautiful, albeit very hot weather for the first few days. We both did some painting, and I also cleared the backyard of branches and logs to make room for Nifty for the back and side.

Before
After
Back of house
Side of house
One small corner we couldn’t reach
Another unreachable area

As is the way of life in the woods, we needed to drive an hour each way to Menards for supplies and a new ladder to finish our painting.

20 foot ladder with stabilizer to hook on the roof
NOW we’re finally finished painting!

We had to fill in the window well next to the crawl space door with gravel, so we ordered some gravel to be delivered. Yours truly got in a great cross-fit workout hauling and shoveling.

Gym in the Woods
One of MANY loads
Finished product!

Given that this was my birthday, we got to clean up and head out to Tracey’s for dinner. Amazing as always!! Highly recommend if you are in Munising.

After dinner stroll on the boardwalk

The next day, we installed the vent pipe. But first, J had to install a new faucet in the RV.

Because we didn’t have anything else to do today…
View from inside
Drilling through roof
Securing the boot and cap
Cross that off the list!

We had some other items on the list. Install an air circulation vent in the crawl space. Attached metal wire and plumbing protectors throughout the whole house.

Check!
400+ metal plates… check!!

While we still had the lift, we trimmed a few trees that were dying.

Timber!

J worked on installing the pex water lines for the whole house. We had already tested the drains and let them sit for a few hours with water, and no issues! He had to get all the lines in at once as the water needed to be turned off, which affected the RV. 8 hours later, no leaks!!

Dry after water pressure test
Kitchen sink
Upstairs shower (notice the coat: it got much colder as the week went on)
Crawl space view
Added a second outdoor spigot

We had a few more items on the infamous list. Seal the front porch and install posts for future roofs for the mini-splits.

Signed, sealed and delivered!
Hey there Mr. Post-man…

Last, but certainly not least, finished installing the smoke alarms.

Check!
Supervisor on site

We have one more trip up to hopefully schedule inspections and seal things up for the winter. Leaves were already starting to turn, so it will be interesting to see if the autumn colors are peaking when we return. It was a very productive, and exhausting trip checking things off the list! Hooha! J+M

Until we meet again…

Making Progress

As we drive back to the cabin to get more work done, I ponder about how much progress we have made this year. There have been 2 trips to the cabin since the beginning of July, and a family vacation to the East Coast. The summer of 2023 has been busy.

On the first trip, we tackled the plumbing.

Pieces and parts

Over at least 3 full days we planned, cut, glued the drains and plumbing for the cabin.

Upstairs bathroom
Crawl space

We finished hooking up the mini-split, and ran some gas lines for the water heater and future appliances.

After long days of work, we got a chance to relax and watch the Munising fireworks, always such an excellent display!

Happy Independence Day!!🇺🇸

For the next trip, J went alone and was joined by Mr. M and son to help with building a front porch. In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, there were no front porches because the government didn’t want people congregating and talking to each other, as front porches encourage. We definitely wanted a front porch.

Many hands make quick work!
Where’s the lemonade?
Fascia installed

Before our amazing helpers returned home, they had a chance to explore some of the area’s waterfalls.

As the sun sets, the time at the cabin came to a close. We are so blessed to have amazing friends to help through so many parts of this build. Hooha!! J+M

Until next time…