| << . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . >> |
| Author |
Message |
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 1 Jan 2012 01:55pm
Reply
A couple more shots:
Living room area nearly complete
| 
A good angle to see the wood stove and cathedral ceiling in the front of the cabin
|  | |
|
|
neb
Member
|
# Posted: 1 Jan 2012 07:11pm
Reply
Montanan
That is very nice. Looks like the kids are enjoying the simple life also.
|
|
turkeyhunter
Member
|
# Posted: 1 Jan 2012 10:03pm
Reply
my favorite build of 2011 on the forum!!!!!
ya'll's hard work will pay off next week, when you get good news from the bank!!!!! LOOKS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
dstraate
Member
|
# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 05:26pm
Reply
Sounds like you've got a nice mix of work and play going. Here's hoping the snow keeps flying and the projects keep getting finished in 2012
|
|
trollbridge
Member
|
# Posted: 3 Jan 2012 05:30pm
Reply
Glad you had a wonderful weekend at your cabin and I am so glad your bank appraisal went well-whew,huh? Nice pictures too!
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 16 Jan 2012 11:55pm
Reply
We haven't been back to the cabin yet (sniff) but I wanted to share the good news with you all- appraisal came back good- a bit higher than we even needed. Whew! And I got a message from the bank on Friday that we are approved to refinance into the conventional loan. SUCH a relief! So, we'll need to do a bit of paperwork and have a few more weeks I imagine before we close...but then we will no longer have a clock or the bank breathing down our necks. Thank goodness!! Now the work can really be on our own schedule and the way WE want. Thanks for all of your encouragement!!
|
|
oldbuddy
|
# Posted: 19 Jan 2012 10:55am
Reply
Congratulations on all your had work! It obviously paid off. Your cabin will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Without getting too "nosy" I was wondering the approximate locale your at in Montana. I retired in 2002 and we took a 3 week trip out west in July of 2003, and spent about 8-9 days in Montana. We stayed at the Marina Cay Resort in Bigfork for one week and absolutely loved it. Colorado "use to be" my favorite of the lower 48, but Montana and Wyoming took the lead.
My wife and I have been in about 15 National Parks and Glacier is my favorite with Yosemite running a close second. The Going to the Sun Highway opened two weeks before we arrived and we were there in the second week of July! I definitely intend to return before I get too old and "feeble" to make the trip. I'm 61 now, so hopefully, I still have a few good years to do it.
Our room at Bigfork overlooked Flathead Lake and we took the 2 hour boat tour to travel around part of the lake. It was really beautiful.
We're located about 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pa., about 2-3 miles west of the Ohio River. We're about 20 miles north of Wheeling, West Virginia. I was raised in a little town called Brilliant, Ohio, just a short distance from the cabin. The hill that we are on is one of the hills that make up the "Ohio Valley," in this part of the state. People from here that have never been out west, have no idea how big the "mountains" are. I couldn't imagine looking at them every day.......breathtaking! I thought the Teton Range was gorgeous as well, with the Snake River gently winding its way beside them.
Anyway...that's my geography lesson for today. You have a beautiful cabin and hope that your family enjoys many, many fond memories there.
Old Old Buddy
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 19 Jan 2012 04:05pm
Reply
Old Old Buddy~ that is a spectacular area of western Montana. My folks live just south of where you stayed. Montanagirl's cabin is in that area. Glacier National Park is amazing. We visit there every summer and drive the Going to the Sun Road if it's open. We're more in central Montana- south east of Great Falls.
I agree that the mountains out west are spectacular (though I may be biased since I grew up in Colorado.) ;P But there is some amazing scenery in your neck of the woods, too. I love all of the trees in the east.
Thanks for the compliments on the cabin. We hope to enjoy it to the fullest...especially since we can no longer afford to travel anywhere (haha!)
|
|
|
LakeSuperior5
Member
|
# Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:30pm
Reply
Congratulations on the appraisal and bank!
|
|
Skygoddess
Member
|
# Posted: 7 Feb 2012 04:51pm
Reply
Fantastic job.
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 11:27am
Reply
Thanks all. We have officially closed on the loan refi- what a relief! We'll be headed up over President's Day for a long stay (Wed-Mon.) My folks will be joining us too. I can't wait!
|
|
dstraate
Member
|
# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 12:50pm
Reply
Sounds fantastic! How's the snow? Have you guys been skiing as many days as you hoped for?
|
|
Montanagirl
Member
|
# Posted: 9 Feb 2012 01:19pm
Reply
Congrats!!! Enjoy your time with your folks :)
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 10 Feb 2012 01:29pm
Reply
Quoting: dstraate How's the snow? Have you guys been skiing as many days as you hoped for?
Snow is good! It's snowing here now and the snow report for the ski area says they've gotten 4" and it's snowing there too. We've skied each time we've been up there, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. Next year I want to get season passes! :)
|
|
trollbridge
Member
|
# Posted: 10 Feb 2012 11:16pm
Reply
Congrats on the loan refi...what a relief huh?
Sounds as though you have been enjoying your cabin and getting lots of skiing in too. Winter has been lacking in snow here...I am over it now though so spring should just hurry up and come!
|
|
newstageoflife
|
# Posted: 18 Feb 2012 12:54pm
Reply
I love your cabin, may I ask who the basic log cabin builders is? I just bought 26 acres in Idaho, and am in the planning stages. Lucky for me the septic tank is already in, with building permit. I will be off grid, I have a spring fed pond. With a wood cook stove and generator plus a cast iron tub really all I need is help with the cabin. I am capable of doing the finish work, and plan on doing passive solar since the building sight is great for that. Thanks
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 7 Mar 2012 12:14am
Reply
Absolutely! The company is called "Montana Mobile Cabins" and they have a website. They are located in the Three Forks area, so not too terribly far from ID, depending on your location. I cannot say enough positive about the company. Their product is spectacular, the construction was finished right on time, and they were easy to work with. The price also includes a pier block foundation. We found that purchasing the shell and doing the finish work ourselves was an excellent solution for balancing time/money/expertise. Keep me posted on your progress!
|
|
optimistic
Member
|
# Posted: 24 Mar 2012 08:05pm
Reply
wow... it is simply gorgeous! Terrific job!
Some questions for you -
1. roof - where did you get it? how much did it cost? how is it installed?
2. flooring - did you just buy regular pine boards for the floor? did you sand them out at all? how did you finish them?
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Apr 2012 03:36pm
Reply
Sorry to have been MIA!
Optimistic: the builder included the roof panels and purlins (i.e. what you see in the interior photos with the visible hand-hewn 2x6s.) We finished the roof by putting down tar paper, installing horizontal rows of 2x4s (to attach the metal), foam insulation sheets and metal roofing. The metal came in sheets that are 3' wide and 18' long. Our roof required 13 sheets per side, so 26 sheets. We were able to find a company that delivered the roofing to our site, so that was great. If I recall correctly, the roofing materials cost about $1800. The installation was a real bitch.  It was just hubby and I, so he would take one end of a sheet and I'd take the other. We laid a long extension ladder flat along the roof pitch and he'd start climbing first and I'd follow behind. We'd stop when he reached the top and I would hold the sheet even with the roof edge at the bottom until he got a row of fasteners across the top. Then he'd move down and put the rest of the fasteners in and then we'd do it again. It was hot and tiring! But it turned out great!!
As for the floors, yes, they are just regular pine boards (1x6s, I think...though maybe 1x8...crazy that I am already forgetting.) The key is to hand pick each board to ensure there's no warping and to make sure to buy them in short lengths- no longer than 6'. Then we cut them in 1,2,3,4,5,6' lengths and just fit them together like a puzzle. We put 3 nails in the end of each board. We have been sanding and finishing them as we go, after installation. So far, we've just done the kitchen and bathroom areas. We used a hand sander (with battery, before we had power) and then just a clear poly finish. They look great finished, though I'd recommend a light tan stain too, as the clear poly looks too yellow for my personal taste. Oh- and we put foam underlay before we put down the boards. So far, they fit tight and there's no squeaking or shifting. We left 1/2"+ at each wall to allow for expansion.
Hope that helps.
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Apr 2012 04:18pm
Reply
Hello All! Life has been very busy, and cabin work has been on the back burner so I've been out of touch. We have still been enjoying the place though. In fact, we went up Thurs-Sun over the Easter holiday. My folks joined us, as well. We were able to ski on the last day of the ski season, so that was great. Kids are getting to be very good little skiers.
The cabin is great except that we have been without running water ever since the middle of February. Grrrr! We managed to work out the initial freezing problem we were having but made the mistake of not letting a faucet drip while we were up there with the water system turned on and we had a cold snap overnight and the water froze in the pipes somewhere. Ugh. So, until the ground thaws, we have a dry cabin. And it could be a while, as we got 10" of new snow while we were there last weekend. The good news is that, with daytime temps climbing, the spring is flowing enough to make it pretty easy to fill up our 5 gallon water buckets. We have to lug them up a steep hill but it's a lot more efficient than melting snow on the stove, which is what we had to do until this trip.
The school year is winding down for me (semester ends on the 27th) but hubby doesn't get done until June 1. But once we're on summer break, we'll be getting back to serious work up there. We recently decided to have a big party up at the cabin in August for my birthday (it's the big 4-0...gulp!) So, that's our new deadline for the projects we want to get finished. They include:
-finish sanding and poly the floor
-install the rest of the lighting (overhead bathroom light and pendants over the bar)
-build wall in loft to create a separate bedroom and an open loft area (and install wiring for ceiling fan/light with switch)
-dig ditches and install culverts for spring runoff and to make road/parking accessible for campers
-move topsoil from the piles left by our "dirt man" and spread around cabin to encourage vegetation growth in the dirt and boulder field that was left in the wake of construction
-clear and stack downed timber, remove beetle-killed trees, and choose strategic trees for beetle protection packets
Of course, I have a lot of decor items I want to address too- like patio furniture, a fire pit, rugs, etc.
Oh- and here's another issue we're having to deal with: we have a challenge to our water rights from the state and from Fish, Wildlife, Parks. It's apparently a statewide initiative that started in the 1980s, but they are supposed to evaluate every water rights claim in the state by 2014 and our number came up. Sigh... So, we saw an attorney who is going to apply for a "domestic use water right" since our current one is tied to mining (our property is a former mining claim.) Hopefully that will allow us to retain our water rights without having to demonstrate that we are using it for mining. Wish us luck- it better work, given what we're having to fork out in attorney fees.
|
|
neb
Member
|
# Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:00pm
Reply
Yep water rights are a big deal and hope it works out. You might have to stop teaching and start digging for gold!!!
|
|
trollbridge
Member
|
# Posted: 15 Apr 2012 09:54pm
Reply
Hey Montanan....I missed your updated post but have been wondering what you've been up to. Wow...that stinks that you've been "dry" since Feb. Hopefully you will get that figured out asap!!! It is good you've been able to enjoy your cabin in the meantime....also your water rights.....YIKES! Sounds scary having to involve an attorney---cha ching, cha ching!!! Brings back our nightmare with the DNR and FEMA!!!! Blahhh!
Boy...your long list of jobs to accomplish this summer is almost as long as ours!!! The big four O....you are just a baby!!! Fear not!!! A party will be fun though and nothing like setting a deadline to get ya to kick it up a notch! HA! I can't believe your semester finishes up at the end of this month???? Is that right??? Very nice!!! You'll have lots of time on your hands to work on your cabin decor (someone has to do it right!) and spend your hard earned $$$$ doing it 
Enjoy!!!
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 17 Apr 2012 01:01pm
Reply
Quoting: neb You might have to stop teaching and start digging for gold!!!
Haha- yes, we thought of that.  But it's all silver up there, not gold.
trollbridge~ totally agree that the party will be a good motivator to get the work done. And yes, trying to think of 40 as "the new 30." Hehe. Yes, our semester finishes up next week! Tomorrow is the last day of regular classes and then final exams are next week. I plan to spend May working on our house/yard in town and then turn to the cabin when the rest of the family starts summer vacation.
It seems that my plans might be derailed some however, because I blew out my knee on Saturday.  My 10-year-old and I were competing in an "adventure race" that was 2 miles of skiing, 6 miles of mountain biking and 2.5 miles of running. Unfortunately, I crashed during the ski and royally messed up my knee. I see the orthopedist this afternoon but I probably tore my MCL.  I'll update when I know more about the prognosis for recovery.
In better news, my son did great in the race and finished in less than an hour! And he has been such an attentive and responsible young man, helping his invalid mom.
|
|
trollbridge
Member
|
# Posted: 17 Apr 2012 01:16pm
Reply
Ouch,sorry to hear that! That can be a long and slow recovery-my son did that playing football-also tore his PCL. I hope you get good news from the orthopedist and in the mean time I guess everyone will just have to wait on you...I have a feeling it is going to become quite obvious what all mom takes care of around there!!!
|
|
dstraate
Member
|
# Posted: 18 Apr 2012 10:47am
Reply
Yikes! That's a huge bummer. Wishing you a speedy recovery! Hopefully you're all better for when the in-between season finishes. At least you have a nice cozy place to curl up with a book.
My mom got me on to The Hunger Games, and it was a great read (I'm ashamed to admit) You should give it a try. Hope you feel better!
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 18 Apr 2012 03:13pm
Reply
Sigh...not good news from the orthopedist. I tore my ACL and have to have surgery at the end of the month. I start PT next week. 3 months til I can run again, but we're aiming to have me walking by the time I go to visit my sister in DC at the end of May. Wish me luck!
Thanks for the nice thoughts.
dstraate~ I DEVOURED the entire Hunger Games trilogy while at the cabin last summer! I loved them!!  For now, I have plenty of term papers and final exams to grade. Haha.
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 12 May 2012 06:20pm
Reply
It's been a while...no new cabin news, but I did have my knee surgery on May 4. Turns out that, in addition to the torn ACL, I also tore my meniscus and partially tore my MCL. In other words, I did a real number on myself. The recovery is coming along, though. I'm down to one crutch and working really hard in physical therapy (3x/week plus at home.) My goal is to walk normally by the end of the month and to start running again in mid July (I am/was a regular runner- 4x/week.) My orthopedist swears I'll be ready to go by next ski season. Fingers crossed.
Hubby is taking our 10 year old and his best friend up to the cabin next weekend (it is how my son has chosen to celebrate his 11th birthday...I couldn't be more thrilled.) We're unsure whether the road will be driveable yet (the ski area got another 14" last week) and since I can't walk up right now, I'll be at home with the other children. *Sniff*
Hubby plans to work mainly on ditching/culverting and hopes that he can get the water running again. Fingers crossed!
|
|
Montanan
Member
|
# Posted: 22 May 2012 06:47pm
Reply
Cabin news: hubby and oldest son were up there last weekend and the snow has melted, the runoff is over, the road is driveable and the pipes have thawed. Hallelujah!
There's some kind of problem with the pressure gauge on the pump for the water system, so it's not turning off when it should. We'll have to fix that next time we go (early June) but at least we again have running water. Woohoo!
|
|
trollbridge
Member
|
# Posted: 24 May 2012 03:17pm
Reply
You won't be going up for the long weekend? Bummer!
Hope you get your tank figured out-I'm sure you will! Bet you can't wait for schools to end for the summer!!!! Yippee!
|
|
leonk
Member
|
# Posted: 14 Jun 2012 09:54am
Reply
Montanan,
Your cabin is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for posting and sharing.
Wish you luck with the knee recovery!
I tore calf muscle just a few days ago, but looks like won't need surgery (knock on wood).
|
|
| << . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . >> |
