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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 2 Nov 2009 15:15
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I just wanted to write to this forum to thank the webmaster and everyone else who has contributed and helped inspire us to make the dream a reality.
When we were seriously thinking of buying a cottage/cabin, we came to this site often for information and inspiration.
We had lots of conversations about what we wanted, and we did not want a second house to maintain, which is what alot of people understand by the word cottage. We wanted someplace we could fix up to our liking, but for it to remain rustic but charming and functional, without electricity, and self-sufficient.
We came accross a cabin for sale on a one acre lot with a stream running through it that had been for sale privately for over one year. We got a great deal on it and decided to buy it and make it into our retreat. The cabin is 14x24 with a tin roof and a little screened in porch. It was pretty run-down. It seemed like the owners had big plans but gave up several years ago. It's 1.5 hours away from our house. No electricity or plumbing.
We made an offer and they accepted! We have owned it for 4 weeks now, and have already done a ton of work.
We cleared a ton of brush in front of the stream so we can actually see it, we tore down a fake ceiling of styrofoam insulation that was in bad shape. We were terrified of finding dead animals in there but it was not to bad, just some abandoned mouse nests. We thought that the outhouse was unsalvageable but Randy managed to reinforce the bottom and put in a new floor and it looks great, and I dug a new hole. We installed a new floor in the cabin wich has strengthened it tremendously, and took down shoddy electric wiring that the old owners used with a generator because we don't plan to use one. We also took out an older 1890 wood stove (which we are keeping to use elsewhere) and installed a new high efficiency one, and did a general major cleanup. We also installed a plexiglass window in the front door (it had an old board as the glass was broken) and repainted it. Its been a lot of hard work but we love it. My partner grew up partly on an indian reserve in Canada, and while the memories aren't all the best, he is still nostalgic about using an outhouse, and living the rustic outdoor lifestyle. Also, my partner's teenage daughter is starting to like it, its a big deel these days to get teens away from the tv and video games for a whole weekend, but she enjoyed her first weekend there with friends. We were so excited when she said that they were going off "exploring", it was like, wow, they're actually out moving around!
We don't plan to move to the cabin unless society crumbles, but we love the whole being close to nature aspect and come back to the house wishing we could have stayed longer. We can't wait to spend a whole week there sometime in the near future, and go with friends for weekends of cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing and spend long summer days outdoors.
Next we are completing the outhouse, installing pine laths on the insterior walls, and painting the ceiling indoors to reflect the most light possible. Next summer we'll continue some outdoor building projects, and re-side the outside with spruce board and baton.
We have big plans, and if anyone is interested I'll update the progress, in the hopes it will inspire more ideas in others.
Thanks and best of luck to everyone,
Rick (and Randy)
Canada
drive up to cabin in fall
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cabin with smoke out of chimney, just installed new stove
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cabing week 2, more cleaning and assembling furniture
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stream, wide end
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 2 Nov 2009 15:48
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Thanks for sharing your story, RickandRandy!
Keep us posted.
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 3 Nov 2009 16:41
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Hi R&R
What an incredible find!!!! Looks like much of the work has been done for you. I suspect you will have years of enjoyment. Am envious of the stream. Really looking forward to seeing your pix of the changing seasons and your improvements.
bugs.
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 10 Nov 2009 11:16
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Thanks guys!
the structure seems OK enough, no leaks in the roof, and reinforcing the floor made a big difference. the place basically needs maintenance and cleaning. Nothing has to be completely torn-down and done-over.
By way of update, we finished repairing and repositioning the outhouse! we dug a new pit and filled-in the old collapsing one, and reinforced the floor. We basically built a bottomless "box" out of outdoor grade plywood and inserted it into the 3x2.5x5 pit to act as a retaining wall. Also removed an old rusting-away chimney stack and reorganized the kitchen after purchasing a kitchen cart from Ikea, and spent the evening chillaxing and looking at the fire. The place is now officially in condition to receive guests! We also finally met one of our neighbors who lives there nearly year-round, we agreed to watch out for our places due to a recent theft in the area, and caught up on local gossip.
Attached is a pic of last weekend. To our amazement, the ground was covered with snow! and the moon was out and everything glowed. The elevation there is higher, so I guess that makes a difference in temperature. The snow melted the next day, but wow, was it beautiful while it lasted. Just being there is makes it worth the work, and you are reminded of why you got the place. Not that we mind the work though, we came back home feeling like worked out at the gym, but instead of lifting dead weights we actually have something to show for the effort!
cabin, first snow, nov 6, 2009.
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Beck
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2009 20:01
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Hey Cool.
My wife and I love getting away to my Uncles place. We are also in Canada. (Ontario, Ottawa, his "cottage" is two hours away in Quebec. The landscape is similar to what you have. We also check on this site to see what others have been able to accomplish.
I look forward to seeing your progress.
cheers.
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JRanch
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2009 21:14
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RR,
What are you using for lights in your cabin, they look great?
Thanks,
keith
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 16 Nov 2009 15:20
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Beck: Thanks, we are in the Ottawa area as well! The cabin is in the Gatineau Hills. Great area, and still affordable real-estate out there if you don't absolutely want lakefront. Like in lots of areas, you have to go further out of town to feel like you are truly in the "country". Glad you have a place to escape to! Please feel free to share stories about your uncle's place.
JRanch/Keith: thanks, we just use lots of candles. The main light comes from an outdoor chandelier I got at CdnTire for about 50 bux, and another is from a pedestal candleholder from Wally mart for $15, both use pillar candles that are about 6 inches tall, and they last forever
. We also got several outdoor lanterns that use tealights at an end of season sale at Wally Mart. Tealights are great because they are inexpensive, and last about 4 hours. If the walls, ceiling and floor/carpet are light coloured, it will feel well-lit. I recommend a mix of both types, the pillar candles for their brightness, and the tealights because they are practical and inexpensive. As a bonus they also give off alot of heat on cold nights. Also have lots of various and sundry candleholders that were laying around the house collecting dust that actually get used now.
The camera (Nikon D-40 for you photographer types) was set on nighttime photography for the night snow pic posted earlier, so the window looks a bit brighter than in real-life, but it was still quite bright.
When we start having guests over more often, and they ask if they can bring anything other than food, the answer will be either a bag of firewood, or candles.
R&R
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nosirrah
Member
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# Posted: 17 Nov 2009 22:03
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nice place! keep us informed
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2010 16:46
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I thought I would provide a short update and some pics. We moved some doors around which was a pain because the door frames weren't straight, and we framed a new 3 foot by 8 foot bathroom and have actually started putting up the wall-finish consisting of tonge and groove pine laths (2nd choice, on sale). Also installed a propane stove purchased used. I created an ingenious showering area with an upside-down umbrella, a plastic tub, and shower curtains. You basically bring a pail full of hot water heated on the wood stove and soap up and rinse by transferring the water from the pail to yourself with a sea sponge. The curtains keep water from splashing too much. A solar shower bag will soon be used instead once the interior walls will be finished. The waste water is then just carried and dumped outside. It is surprising how little water you actually need to lather and rinse. We only use all-vegetable base products. White it is tight in there, it is so awesome to have a refreshing shower after a hard-day's work. A cute little portable toilet that actually flushes will go in there to replace late-night winter trips to the outhouse. A composting toilet is being considered for the future (we made sure there is sufficient space). We also got some dressers that help keep things so much more tidy.
All the while we make sure that our weekends there aren't just all-work; we go snowshoeing, sleep in if we feel like it, have wine and cigars and so forth.
Unfortunately the camera lens broke so I dont have pics of the latest improvements, but I'll post those later. It is a bit of a drag to have to haul up the tools and boxes of other supplies and paints every trip, in addition to firewood, food and water, but we have to keep doing this to finish, and it is satisfying to actually see progress. While commitments and family keep us away from the cabin on some weekends, we see the major interior work coming to a end in the near future. Then we can essentially enjoy the interior with family and friends and pick and choose what other projects we want to tackle, and at what pace. The truth is I hope we never run out of projects, I just want to be able to do them at a comfortable pace.
Next steps are finishing slapping on the pine walls and insulating, lots of priming and painting of the kitchen, and all the little things like putting up shelves and hardware for towels and clothes, which is more exciting because it is looking more "done".
Hope you are all making progress in your own projects!
soap and hot water
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My ingenious shower: upside down umbrella to hang shower curtain, and tub.
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trail to the outhouse. Weather was luckily mild
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the sun was out our last morning.
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dk1393
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2010 19:46
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Cabin sounds like it is coming along nice. I can't wait till spring when I do the tounge and groove in our cabin. You can't beat sitting at the cabin with a glass of wine and a good cigar.
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beck
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2010 20:31
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Hey there,
It has been some time since I have been back on the site. Gatineau is super close to all three bridges to Quebec. Nice score lads. We have to drive 2 hours from the bridge to just past Nortre Dam De Leau. (sp) The outhouse in the winter is an issue for one of us (he he) wonder who that could be, hello wonderful wife if you are reading this..... I will be heading up with some friends to "check on the roof" in Feb. My uncle has been at it for some time and has plumbing/electric ect in the summer. I have to admit after a long day of working up there a shower is nice. Even if it is a temp sort of one. Any reno plans in the spring. Love the pics by the way. I look forward to seeing your progress. My plans include turning a 10 by 20 shed with no walls originally designed to keep snow and rain off of a boat into a guest house.
cheers guys.
B
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2010 10:26
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beck
Hey Beck, thanks! Ya, the outhouse in winter can be pretty inconvenient, but I think you need to make it part of the whole experience. You can always get a portable toilet that only the females use but they are responsible for emptying it at the outhouse, that's what we did for Randy's mom and daughter, and let me tell you that they appreciated it so much they didn't mind having to empty it.
Let me know when you start a thread on the guest-house project in this forum so we can follow along. 10 x 20 would make an *awesome* guest cabin.
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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2010 10:57
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dk1393
Yo DK, with regard to installing the pine boards, we are using one of those fancy staplers that also shoots finishing nails and we think it's a big time saver, in case this helps. I'll be checking your thread.
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2010 11:10
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Hi Rick and Randy:
You guys are doing a wonderful job and it sounds like you are really enjoying your purchase. You have snow!!!! We barely have 5 inches on the ground at our place. Could be heading for a major drought if we don't get a dump soon. But I digress....
Reason I am writing is that you could try a Styrofoam toilet seat to increase the pleasure of the winter outhouse experience. They are supposed to be immediately warm when you sit on them at almost any temp. Have not tried one myself but have heard other outdoorsy types rave about them. We are looking into getting one for our outhouse.
Anyways... Thanks for your posts. Really enjoy hearing about your progress. And please keep the pix coming.
bugs
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dk1393
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2010 12:59
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Hi RickandRandy,
I plan to use the compressor and nail gun also. I figure to start in May. We may still have snow in April. I can't wait.
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2010 15:01
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Hey Bugs, thanks your encouragement and tips. Let us know if you come accross one of these fabled toilet seats!
RR
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2010 08:00
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Hi R and R
I have been checking out the world of toilet seats. And there is a world out there that I am not sure I want to delve in to too deeply!!!!
Styrofoam is supposedly the best for warmth on cold days followed by wood. I read some people have tried making toilet seats out of those stadium bleacher seat cushions. Of course the issue is sanitation. The "shag" covered toilet seat is not recommended by the "experts".
It looks like wood seats are more readily available than the sealed styrofoam ones. I have tried the wooden ones and they are much better than the ordinary run of the mill contoured plastic ones that most people have.
bugs
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beck
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2010 21:09
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Hey Guys,
I was at Home Depot and Rona this weekend. Pine flooring and wall siding was on sale. Rona (Hunt Club rd.) Home Depot Barrhaven.
cheers.
We are heading up to the cottage at the end of the month. If you can go with no power and running water. Surely I can make it with no running water. At least we have an outhouse. Bugs's set up is hard core compared to our place.
Beck
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 1 Mar 2010 11:47
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Thanks for the tips. The Pine laths are going on great, and we almost have one full wall done (one of the long ones). We also insulated and vapor-barriered. They are really easy to saw, and it is not a nightmare to get the tonge and groove to match. I was gonna do a whitewash finish on it but now I'm considering just putting a clearcoat of latex based varnish because it looks so good already. Still not sure. I'm leaning towards a translucent white, because it would reflect more candle light. Suggestions welcomed; photos to come.
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2010 00:54
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hey so we are almost done with the kitchen area, we took down a cupboard that I was going to repaint but as soon as we took it down the cabin felt alot larger, so we kept it off and are using simple open shelving. You will notice thre is also a new wall and door, this is our washroom/changeroom. The pine laths look awesome, and they have been whitewashed to brighten them up a bit which also takes away that orangy tint wood can get. We got the stove used for $100, it is connected outdoors to a bbq size propane tank. The kitchen cart is from Ikea, so are the shelf brackets. It is absolutely awesome to be organized now. The challenge with open shelves is that there is no room for junk, everything has to be useful and look nice, but it really works. All the food is kept in re-used glass jars. I used alot of cleaned out spaghetti sauce jars.
old kitchen
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kitchen during
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kitchen after
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kitchen after other angle
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larry
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2010 21:49
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looks to me like you have been shopping at ikea!
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cabinbasics
Member
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# Posted: 9 Mar 2010 06:12
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Nice going R&R! That siding does make a huge difference! What choo gonna do about the cieling - looks like half is white, the other is unfinished. Was the unfinished part an addition to the cabin? Or was it jut not finished?
Looking good!
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 9 Mar 2010 10:30
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Hey Larry: You know it! Ikea actually has lots of inexpensive furniture that is made of solid pine, so I find it's really suitable for the cabin.
Thanks Cabinbasics! the ceiling is just not completely painted yet, I (Rick) am half done so far. It is actually very time consuming and difficult because you're constantly going up and down a ladder and balancing paint cans and brushes. It's amazing though how there is more light with just half the ceiling done. Also the roof rafters are not that beautiful pine wood I have seen in other cabins, so there is nothing lost in painting them.
We learned that our town dump is closing down at the end of March, so I am slightly panicked about getting things there while we have the chance. In fact the whole town is freaking out. The former owners left us lots of junk at the back, we salvaged whatever we could and already took stuff to the dump before the snow hit, but there was still lots left, like big old windows that have been touching the ground so long that they are rotting, a sofa, a toilet, and even a satellite dish!
So our next priority is freeing stuff from the snow and ice and hauling it to the dump while we still can, so I think that's gonna eat up a whole weekend, but it will be great to get the rest of all the junk out. It's been unseasonably warm lately, more like April weather, we are hoping most of the snow will be gone by the 19th. Wish us luck!
I love reading about your progress on your own projects, keep it coming!
R&R
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larry
Member
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# Posted: 9 Mar 2010 21:10
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hey R&R, look at my pics if you wanna see the best Ikea has to offer. lol. all furnised for less than $1200. USD
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 9 Mar 2010 23:13
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Hey Larry, yes, your table and kitchen cart in particular look familiar :-) everything looks awesome and very comfy and great price too, wow great score! I was also looking for used furniture online for the cabin, but its unbelievable how much people think their junk is worth. Three cheers for Ikea!
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:51
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Hey everyone,
Just to show that there are still deals to be had out there, I came accross on ad on kijiji.ca for a little cabin with electricity and a well on a 1/4 acre lot for $11900. Should you want to look it up, go to Kijiji.ca, set city to Ottawa/Gatineau, and enter Camp Price Reduced in the search window.
Rick & Randy
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2010 23:21
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Just another update, we got the junk out! the photos are what was left after we did 3 suv"s load's to the dump which included an old toilet and a sofa left outdoors!... We found someone with a pickup truck to help with the rest because most of it won"t fit in the SUV. I guess the old owners kept bringing stuff to the cabin thinking it would be useful. Most of it looked like it was there for over 10 years, and it just kept geting piled up in the back. It is such a relief to know that its all gone. We were admiring the junk-free back our lot. JUNK BE GONE!
the frame on that window just came apart when we lifted it up. Lots of old rotting wood too. Gone!
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Old vinyl siding that was covered with pine needles, found it while stepping on it. Gone!
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ericdj
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2010 13:17
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I found a complete electric stove on my place the same way you found the siding....how it got THAT deep I'll never know
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RickandRandy
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2010 14:23
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Freaky Eric! were you able to get it all out?
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larry
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2010 20:36
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i had a '67 motor home that started to look like that... it must be a generation thing. my father always had something that i though was junk and he said,"we can use that at the camper". well we never did and i thought my name was Lemont Sanford.
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