This past week, it’s been about the nerves and arteries … electrical wires, plumbing pipes … all that behind-the-walls jumble that makes a house come alive. And still the autumn colors continued!
My heart and eyes are both full. Previous doubt about this DiY process faded as my brother arrived from Montana, in the midst of color season, to help with electrical and plumbing. He’s an expert in this area so I’m not surprised he was efficient, but wow! He’s six years older than me, so past 70 now, but you wouldn’t know it. (My other brother, also in his 70s, just bicycled from NYC to SC. Runs in the family, maybe?) My brother and his wife stayed in their small RV on-site. While the guys worked in a kind of frenzy, my sister-in-law and I tasted the last of this late-and-long autumn season.
Five days of furious activity and now they’re gone. It feels a little lonely. The leaves have mostly fallen. Snow is in the forecast. But we are so much more ready for it than before! The latest on the creation of the Cabin (House!) at Many Moons in photos and captions below…
The guys discuss the electrical plan. Lighting is important to me, so I declared my “wants”…lots of ambient lighting and outlets in key locations…and trusted them to figure out what works.
Our cathedral ceiling adds to the lighting challenge. I’ve always loved sconces and will use some of those, possibly combined with track lights and one chandelier. I’ve been using battery-powered sconces for years. How nice to plan the electricity into the walls!
The electrical control panel is a mystery to me, even though electricity is our family business. My Dad wired buildings all over my hometown, and both brothers fell into the same. (My bicycling brother is an electrical engineer who still takes jobs all over the country.) This brother laid at least 800 feet of wire to all the rooms and porches. Jeff placed at least 60 boxes for outlets or switches. Who knew a small house would need so many? (In “the old days,” they made do with far fewer.)
Meanwhile, Jeff and I made another shopping trek for electrical and plumbing supplies, including this pipe that will carry water (and sewage) in and out. We spent three hours at the home improvement store, both indoors and out, going through a complex list. (A contractor or builder would take care of this stuff. If we had one. )
We picked up 75 feet of entrance cable, which carries power from the outdoor electrical box into the house. It’s huge…four cables inside, bound together. (The guys stripped that gray cover off to make it easier to work the cables through the conduit. Conduit is the tube that carries and protects electrical cables. Jeff buried the conduit last year, preparing for this moment.) Here, the workers cut our required length from the roll with a saw.
Once your truck is loaded up with supplies from the outdoor yard, it’s checked against your receipts before you’re allowed to exit. (I’m learning the process of buying construction stuff!)
Meanwhile, I had to find the right shower and tub, and quickly, while support was on-hand. It wasn’t easy to find the right shower to fit in our tiny 2nd bathroom. (As always, smaller usually costs more. Odd, that!) I didn’t care to include a shower up there, but Jeff thought it necessary, so I gave in. I may thank him someday.
And then, this! A one-piece tub/shower combo, made locally from a single sheet of acrylic, with an integrated top and interior light. I had different preferences than Jeff here too, but again let him “win.” Besides, I grew weary from researching options and prices, especially on deadline. The company made it quickly, for which I’m grateful. It looks huge there on the ground…
…and even more so when laying down in the bathroom. It takes up the entire room! (You’re looking at the bottom of the tub here. See the drain hole on the left?)
Taking a break on the construction-cluttered front porch to visit with a local cousin…
…and Jeff was soon back at it, closing up the holes of the porch roof in preparation for insulation sometime next month. (We hope to have a wood-burning stove inside soon, to give heat for winter work. No heating system will work if the gaps aren’t closed!)
It will look unfinished like this for months more, but I still appreciate the glow of the reflected sunset in the east-facing patio door.
My sister-in-law and I took several hikes, often with Roscoe, to enjoy the bed of fallen leaves.
Jeff’s grandson Jaxtyn, just three, was game for a woods hike, too. A future “rugged man!”
We visited Big Erick’s Bridge, which spans the Huron River….
…and where leaves decorated the wooden stairway.
We visited Lake Superior’s Point Abbaye, which links Huron Bay to Keweenaw Bay…
…where she caught me checking my phone while taking a break on the rocks.
These rutted gravel roads can be tricky to navigate, but what gifts when you do!
In the midst of fall colors, this unexpected spot of green….
… and just a few miles from my camp, the Silver River Falls…
…and heading back to Huron Bay, the road down to the watertont…!
“Home base” is gorgeous, too, even as the temperatures dip. We had a few glorious sunrises…
…and this amazing moon-rise, as the little waterfront maple reflects the nearby bonfire.
Today, the colors are faded and grayness has set it. I write this blog from that camouflage-painted camper trailer, which functioned as a hunting shack until it was moved here. It has a small wood stove inside, which I light almost daily. I hope to take out that rowboat a few more times before it’s pulled in for the winter.
Wow. What a gorgeous place you’re gonna have. Great photos too. I had a technological perfect storm; phone, computer, modem all rolled craps. Up and running now
Mary, great progress! This a big hurdle to cross on the way to completion. I am envious of your spectacular fall colors. We’re about peak here but nothing like your colors.
Miss knowing you are local. When do you return to Virginia?
Thanks for the comment! I know you can understand this process better than most. I planned to return in a few weeks, but it all depends on inspection schedule and insulation….
Wonderful post, Mary, and drop dead gorgeous photos. You have a good eye. Think about collecting your favorites and publishing them. Put me in line for a signed copy. 😁
Is this Julie in Chassell? We just had snow in the air here also. We may be a force but we do have our down days! Colds are slowing us right now, for one thing….sneeze, blow, honk…chicken soup helps!
Awesome…and a little terrifying – how are you doing all of this??!! Gorgeous photos of your land – helps me get why you’re doing all of this. BTW, what do you have to do about the tub taking up the whole room? Love, blessings,
For Many Moons 
Wow. What a gorgeous place you’re gonna have. Great photos too. I had a technological perfect storm; phone, computer, modem all rolled craps. Up and running now
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Bummer! Hate when that happens! Seems like I haven’t seen you in ages. You know what occupies me. Feel free to drop by anytime!
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Mary, great progress! This a big hurdle to cross on the way to completion. I am envious of your spectacular fall colors. We’re about peak here but nothing like your colors.
Miss knowing you are local. When do you return to Virginia?
Love Molly💕
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Thanks for the comment! I know you can understand this process better than most. I planned to return in a few weeks, but it all depends on inspection schedule and insulation….
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Wonderful post, Mary, and drop dead gorgeous photos. You have a good eye. Think about collecting your favorites and publishing them. Put me in line for a signed copy. 😁
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Wonderful
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Beautiful pictures. Great progress on the house. You guys are a force. Snow today but the sun is trying now.
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Is this Julie in Chassell? We just had snow in the air here also. We may be a force but we do have our down days! Colds are slowing us right now, for one thing….sneeze, blow, honk…chicken soup helps!
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Awesome…and a little terrifying – how are you doing all of this??!! Gorgeous photos of your land – helps me get why you’re doing all of this. BTW, what do you have to do about the tub taking up the whole room? Love, blessings,
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