People have been asking why I have not posted for quite some time.  I have pretty lame excuses other than just being plain busy with other projects and with the month of December devoted to Christmas.  But, I decided I had better post while my memory still serves me...ha.

Well, we finally did it!  We passed our final inspection!!!!!  Steve and I worked our butts off this last summer and early fall to meet the deadline on the building permit.  And, we did it with only two days to spare.  Our second building permit ran out on October 26th.  Inspections in our area are only on Wednesdays, so on October 24th, we had our final inspection and the inspector signed off!  Steve and I were ecstatic!  The inspector closed the door and we were jumping up and down and hugging each other...we held back the screams of joy so as not to startle the inspector...ha!  There are no more deadlines to meet, no more inspections to worry about...the cabin is ours. 

We still have a few things left to do, but we can do them as time permits.  These things include: putting trim around the doors and windows on the inside, putting a back splash in the kitchen and the bathroom, painting the ceiling and those walls with sheetrock, and a few smaller things.  But again, no more deadlines!  We will have all of these things done by summer I am sure.

We can not thank our friends enough for the help they have given us during this building process.  It was always nice when people showed up and were wanting to help us with various projects.  We will now be happy to share the final result with all of them.

Steve and I went up on the 20th of December to drop some things off.  It was my first time since we passed the inspection.  It had snowed about 8 inches and then had rained some, making the snow extremely heavy.  Normally we take down the gazebo out by the firepit, but this year we left it up thinking we would use it into October.  The last times we were up there, it was raining and we never spent time out by the firepit.  We should have taken the top off the gazebo then.  So, when we arrived on the 20th, we looked out to see the heavy snow had crumpled the gazebo.  We went out and proceeded to take the top off, but the bars that once held the canvas were broken.  We have talked about making a permanent gazebo, so now we definitely will have to do so.

The cabin was a nice 53 degrees inside.  We have set the heaters at a very low setting just to keep the cabin warm enough so the pipes do not freeze.  Oh, that is another thing we have to finish this year...installing a propane fireplace.  It is all plumbed, but with all the other expenses, we decided to wait on the fireplace.  One thing I do not think I have mentioned is that we have been paying cash for everything we have been doing, so the cabin is paid for...we owe nothing.  That is a great way to build if you can afford it.

I will try to keep up on this blog on a more timely basis in the future.

The flooring in my bedroom.

 

After the flooring, we installed the Ikea cabinets.

 

Steve attaching the cabinets to the wall and 

making sure they are level.

This is the wall that divides the kitchen from the
dining/living room.The cooktop is just behind the wall.
 

 

The other side of the wall before the cooktop was installed.

Steve and I stopped by a roadside stand on the way home from

the cabin one day.  The guy was selling these antler chandeliers. 

 I had looked at them earlier and had told Steve about them.  

When we stopped, the guy had not been getting a lot of business

and told us that all of the chandeliers were half-priced.  

That was all we needed to hear.  The other thing hanging down

is the fan over the cooktop.

One of the final things we had to do before the inspection was put

a porch outside each door. Our friends, Mike U. and Robert

Wisdom helped us get started on the front porch.  It is amazing

how such a simple looking project can take quite some time to finish.

Of course, you need refreshments when working so hard.

Robert was actually waiting for something to be cut
before he could proceed.

This is an example of what looks simple and ends up 

taking four of us all day to build.

Our friend, Bob Gove, came up to help us on the side porch.

The granite counter tops look great.  

The piece that fits this corner is a solid piece...

the installers did a great job.

The cooktop was installed after the countertops were in place.

 

A view of the side porch.
 

 

The finished front porch.  Eventually, the front and the
side porches will be connected with a nice sized deck.

While I was doing other projects around the cabin, Steve did
this one man job of installing the shower.  The porcelain tiles are
beautiful and Steve did an amazing job.  This picture still shows
some of the residue from the grout...all cleaned up it is beautiful
...great job Steve!

Oh the happiness!  Steve displaying the signed
off final inspection!