REMODELING BLOG

We’ve been in our cabin now for two months and there are still a few odds and ends that need attention. We still need to get the drapes installed and that will occur this week. However, we did get some important things started. We had a blower door evaluation and had some leaks in the cabin walls filled with clear caulk. The workers put a fabric door with a blower in our door that opens from the kitchen to the patio. The blower sucks all the air out of the house and air from the outside comes in through the gaps in the walls. With an infrared gun, you can see the leaks I the walls and then caulk is used to seal the leaks. This process helps with energy use. We are looking forward to figuring out the irrigation system in the next couple of week and continuing to refine our cabin home.

Comments (0)     

Donna and I are ready to begin the New Year in our cabin. Over the holiday season we had two of the people who use to live in the cabin over for dinner. We had Mary Gilmore and her husband, Jon Slotta, and Phyllis Zumwinkel come at the same time. Mary Gilmore is the daughter of Pat Gilmore who sold us the house. She grew up in the cabin. Jon also worked on the cabin and helped Pat maintain the cabin when Pat got older. Phyllis was married to Jack Zumwinkel who was the son of Otto and Essie, the builders of the cabin. Jack helped build it. All of them had memories to share. We all had a lot of fun.

Donna continues to refine the interior of the cabin and the pictures on the photos page show she is doing a terrific job. The next big project is the landscape and gardens. We hope to have that done before summer.

Comments (0)     

We finally made the move to the cabin. We have been sleeping, eating and living in our new house for over a week now. Not all the boxes have been unpacked but we are really starting to settle in.  Olivia came home for Thanksgiving and she unpacked her room. Donna is working hard to get the art on the walls and the antiques out of the boxes and on the shelves. We are looking forward to working on the landscape and gardens now.

Comments (0)     

Donna and I are very excited about moving in this week. We will move on Wednesday and that will be our first night in the cabin. During the rest of the week we will get some insulation in the crawl space, keep working on the radiant heat and get the internet-T.V.-phone turned on. We plan to be settled in the cabin by Thanksgiving. Olivia comes home from college on Friday and we look forward a great Thanksgiving together.

Comments (0)     

The cabin continues to move along and perhaps we can get a certificate of occupancy in two to three weeks. The painting in the basement is done and in most of the other rooms. We are working on getting the heating and plumbing running and the landscaping is moving along quickly. The front patio and walkway are done. Painting the logs seems to be slow but it is getting done. The lighting will be installed this week. Maybe the next time I write we will have the certificate of occupancy. We also had some family visitors come from California (see photo page).

Comments (0)     

During the last week in September progress on the cabin was slow. We had some rain which made things muddy and halted the landscaping. The painters and carpenters were elsewhere working on other jobs and about the only thing got done was the railing to the basement; and it was terrific. The first week in October things began to pick up. The carpenters and painters returned and got to work, the landscaping in the front began and once again we could see progress. Oh yea, the tiling in the kitchen was also completed and it looks great. The dining room table made of the old doors in the cabin was also completed.

Comments (0)     

The landscapers worked very hard to finish the patio this week. They also worked on the drainage around the house and began working on hat use to be the front lawn. Inside the house the old wood floors were stripped and polished. We are very happy with how they look. All the tiling is done. This week the painters will start on the interior, the landscaping will continue and the carpenters will start on the closets and book cases.

Comments (0)     

For the last two weeks Donna has been working very hard on the tiling. We ran into problems with the amount of tile needed and had to make trips to the tile store to buy more.  Also, we changed our minds about the tile in the master bathroom and had to exchange one tile for another. Donna continues to be the tiling gofer getting grout and finishing tile when the workers need it. It is a lot of work for her. Now the tile is nearly done and the wood floors can be sanded and finished. Hopefully we are down to the last month of work.  

Comments (0)     

The last few hot weeks of August have been productive at the cabin. Some of the floors have tiled and some have been covered with wood and the kitchen now has counters and countertops. Donna and I left for a few days to take Olivia to Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Co to begin her college education and when we got back the tile installers were busy on the basement floor. For some reason we didn’t have enough tile and we had to quickly get some more. We are very happy about how the kitchen is looking and think it will be a great part of the house. Check out the pictures and see what you think.

Comments (0)     

Over the last two weeks the rooms have really taken shape. The drywall process is going a little slower than we’d hope but with the walls up the rooms are really looking great. Donna and I are very excited about the way the kitchen and dining room look. The family room feels very cozy.  Now, the solar tubes light up the hallways and kitchen.  The drywall should be done this week and then the kitchen cabinets will be installed and our house will really begin to look like the cabin we imagined.

Comments (0)