Fall has arrived at Lake Superior as we put up soffit and fascia, pick up lumber, and enjoy the falling leaves. It’s 36 degrees as I write this in the little camper and I’m burning leftover lumber parts in the little wood stove to stay warm. The pre-winter construction race is on.
Photos and captions follow….
This is where we’re building. That’s Lake Superior on top. The blue dot is Huron Bay. The square is my hometown, 45 miles away.
We made a trip to the biggest home improvement store in this area, about 1.5 hours away, to pick up about 60 pieces of lumber for the interior walls and closets. We will make many more trips before the Cabin at Many Moons is secure for winter. (If the load is small enough, I go in my car while Jeff continues work on the house.)
We took down the last tree that stood in front of the house and blocked the water view. I do want to see trees outside each window. Many homeowners here clear the land around their homes entirely – not my style. But Jeff persuaded me that this one had to go. It was sickly.
This is now the unobstructed view of the house from the dock. The fascia (narrow strip at the bottom of the roof line) is in place. It’s time-consuming to install and I’m glad for our helper. Choosing the color for fascia and soffit was hard, as I wanted to complement the shingles and siding, neither of which I had in hand. I chose mocha. It turned out fine, so far. (Siding isn’t on yet!)
And, we have a front porch! We climbed ladders and made marks on the house wrap to figure out the right dimensions for the right look. Two custom windows will be inserted above. The beams match the ones on the patios — actually, covered porches made of concrete. That platform at the door is also concrete, stamped and dyed to look like lumber, just like the patios. Notice the underside of the roof is unfinished here….
…but on the south wall, the soffit is in place. (It protects rafters from the elements and serves an aesthetic purpose, too. So many details in DiY construction!) It’s rather flimsy stuff, like thick aluminum, and costs a lot for something so thin. But it sure looks nice.
Our first window — JeldWen 5500 series, aluminum-clad outside and wood inside. We picked this one up ourselves; the rest will be delivered. (I bought 14 windows and four doors. It’s a lot for a small house.) Some urged me to get a higher-end brand, and I hope I chose right. I picked the window color before settling on the siding color, which is backwards–but custom windows take weeks or months to get, so I had to pick. (Siding could wait.) I was going to go with green but opted for this chestnut bronze. I’m picking colors that will help the house blend into nature, as a cabin should.
After gazing at sample colors in various lighting and locations for several weeks, these are my final choices for siding in the DiamondKote Duoblend, a “smart siding” which is a tough composite. It really is tough – we tested it. I dislike the slight shine, but after looking for months, this is the closest to wood-look I could find. I considered cedar siding but don’t want the maintenance issues. I ordered samples of steel siding but found it dented easily. I considered fiber cement siding, but it needs repainting and is tricky to install. (Have I mentioned we don’t have a builder?) Since I visualize this as a seasonal home and not a permanent one–albeit all-season, including winter!–these issues are important.
Meanwhile, the weather has changed dramatically, from unseasonable heat to a more typical chill and rain. But there are gifts from that, too….like this.
Taking a break from choices, I joined a group hike to Brockway Mountain at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, about 45 minutes from my hometown and almost two hours from my camp. Colors were muted but still beautiful. That’s Lake Superior in the background.
Muted colors are magical, too. Nature doesn’t need to scream to be heard…
Roscoe, the Siberian Husky, is glad for cooler weather. He loves fall and winter!
The chilly rain paused today, so we hiked through fallen leaves to reach….
…this beautiful overlook of Keweenaw Bay, just outside of L’Anse. L’Anse is at the head of the bay and is the closest village to my camp (about 20 minutes away), population about 2,000.
So many complex choices come with rewards. I can hardly wait to see you setting in to your seasonal home. The fall scenery is heavenly. Thank you for the detail.
Thanks for sharing all this. I’ve been through a couple of projects which were church buildings. (Retired Lutheran pastor here.) We were not at all trained to deal with such projects in college or seminary years, so I emphasize with your struggles. It is exhilarating though, in spite of the tensions, right?
For Many Moons 
So many complex choices come with rewards. I can hardly wait to see you setting in to your seasonal home. The fall scenery is heavenly. Thank you for the detail.
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And I am eager to hear about your own grand trip….
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Thanks for sharing all this. I’ve been through a couple of projects which were church buildings. (Retired Lutheran pastor here.) We were not at all trained to deal with such projects in college or seminary years, so I emphasize with your struggles. It is exhilarating though, in spite of the tensions, right?
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Right! Periodically exhilarating and frequently exasperating.😆
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