Cabin Construction Update

As many of you reading this know, our family cabin burned down October 22, 2006. Construction has started and is moving along quite well. If you are interested in seeing some of the progress, go to the construction company's website www.northwindconstruction.net and select "current projects". In that window, select "custom 1100 sq. ft." and you will find a picture gallery of the new cabin being built. You'll know you've found the correct home as the first picture is of the burned out hulk of the original cabin. The site will be updated weekly. If you are interested in seeing the future colors of the cabin, go to the website's home page and select the picture gallery for "garages". There is a small, orangish building that is our new pumphouse in the front yard. The roof on the pumphouse is the same type as will be on the cabin and those are the colors the cabin will be painted.

This new cabin will be very solid with 2X6 framing, a deep and well-insulated foundation, a very expeditious new septic system and extra-beefy roof rafters due to updated code requirements. The building is on the same footprint with the exception of a small outcropping where the sliding glass door used to be. The new woodstove will go in this alcove so it won't take up as much space in the living room. The sliding glass door is now closer to the kitchen area. We are not able to have the larger window in the kitchen due to requirements for engineered support beams that must be placed directly above foundation anchors which divide the width of the walls. A new feature that seems very nice is the addition of three covered porch areas made possible by extending the length of the rafters. A portion of the back deck will be covered and also, a portion of the new front deck (instead of patio). In addition, there is a covered area on the front of the house opposite the front porch (where the boat trailer used to be parked). The new toolshed is on a cement slab with no opportunity for any wires underneath to do anything nefarious.

The hope is that the builders will be able to get the house weather-tight and then be able to work on the inside during the Winter months, further expediting the construction. Originally, we thought only the foundation would get poured before the weather stopped further work until Spring. Things appear to be ahead of schedule and hopefully stay that way.