Window trim. Lighting. Floor sealant. Shelves. While we await installation of siding and arrival of kitchen cabinets, there's plenty of "fine work" to do. Even though we're 1,000 miles apart right now, Jeff and I continue to partner on everything. I'm shopping/buying and he's installing. The big leaps (laying foundation, erecting trusses, etc.) are more … Continue reading DIY Home-Building: The Fine Work
Every choice has consequences -- often several levels of them -- and the challenge is to imagine those consequences in advance. This certainly applies to house-building. Less than a year ago, we began building The Cabin at Many Moons. Many choices later, it continues to come alive. The nerves (electrical system) and vital fluids (plumbing) … Continue reading Third-Level Effects
During DIY, mistakes will happen. Things will spill, break and not fit where they should. This post is about those. (For more uplifting views of spring snowfall and dogs, scroll on down.) When Jeff and I were doing The Great Loop, I tried to post occasionally about the challenges of living on a small boat … Continue reading DIY Oopsies
Warm and cozy, just as I hoped. It took two guys about five days to get it up. It's a lot of wood. The addition of the ceiling helps the Cabin at Many Moons finally look like a cabin. The wood installation isn't done yet, but I couldn't resist showing some pictures now. For those … Continue reading Ceiling’s Up!
When doing a DIY building project, there's the big stuff and the small stuff. The big stuff is rather fun. It's the small stuff, like finding the right screws, that can drive you nuts. So I've given up, for now, on finding the tiny screws to attach the new knobs to my vanity. The knobs … Continue reading Screw It
It's a phenomenon I haven't felt since retiring, this driving need to stay on task. Set daily priorities, accomplish them, evaluate, adjust. Next? When we set out on this ambitious DIY building process, Jeff promised to give it a year. Is that even possible, I wondered, without a contractor? When I know nothing about building … Continue reading On Task
Average annual snowfall here on Huron Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is about 100". This year? I can't find the total-to-date, but it can't be more than 20. When it does show up, it's not much and doesn't last. Snowmobiles are grounded. Skiis and snowshoes sit unused. The ice on the bay comes and goes. … Continue reading A Strange Winter
And now, the installation of interior doors as our DIY progresses to create the Cabin at Many Moons...another milestone in the process of turning a house into a home. We've had reliable heat for months. We have a flush toilet and shower, and a washer and dryer. And now, a door on the bathroom. Yes … Continue reading In-Doors & Outdoors
Sometimes the moon jumps into your eyeballs -- especially when it's full -- and reminds you to Just Stop. Look. Breathe. Notice. Make sure you're living and not just existing. When you're doing DIY construction, it can become a long grind from one task to the next. Each morning, the same questions: What's the top … Continue reading Full Moon, Full Schedule
The things we take for granted in "civilized" life! Winter has finally returned to Michigan's far-north. Snow is falling steadily as I write this, now measuring five inches with more to come and temps falling to 10 degrees. But the real headline here is something indoors at Camp Many Moons...something most of you take for … Continue reading Winter & Washing
For Many Moons 