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- August: Cut the deal on the property, agreed on purchase price, with owner financing,
$5000.00 down, Land Contract, no interest, payment for 2 years and a balloon.
- October: Closed on house, started digging for 10'x12' addition to house bathroom,
hot water heater, pump and pressure tank, as well as add storage.
- waited and waited for contractor to pour footing. We finally did it ourselves
using split face masonry blocks, this pushed us into November
- November: Funds are low and work is taking up too much time. We got
the use of a pellet stove from True North Heating, and Mike Wiebe helped install it in living room. For
additional heat I cut a deal for propane by trading out hwy location for a sign in exchange for free
propane. That deal saved over a $1000.00 in LP for the space heator. Started installing floor joist for addition, after
completing plumbing. Now working around deer hunting season.
- December: YEAH got bath done and have moved in full time.
Although the cabin is a little cold, and you can’t light a match on a windy day, we are in. Now will start
some interior work as it warms up. We are starting to rethink tearing down the structure as the ambiance of it is growing
on us
- January: We tore out the wall between old bath and small
bedroom, making a larger bedroom, while maintaining a 1/2 bath. What a good thing, starting to like the old cabin more
and more. We made the decision this month to save the old place, attempting to build/remodel as cheaply as possible,
and to see how much salvaged stuff we can use. ALSO MADE THE COMMITTMENT ALL "MADE IN USA"
- February: Started tearing out some interior walls to see about adding beams to
support area to open up cabin, found the roof in the front of cabin must have been a three season porch, and rafters
are vaulted, this is great as we will add insulation and now vault the living room roof.
- March; Have torn out the wall between living room and kitchen, trying
to save as much of the old ship lapped lumber as possible. Dick Mitchell has promised 2 - 3x6 Douglas fir beams needed to
act as a header. Removed the several layers of wood, asphalt and tarpaper between kitchen and dining room, now down to
studs, it appears that this started out as a two room shack, and was added onto twice. After removing a dividing wall
in what was originally a bedroom, and divided, sometime in the 60's to add a bath, we created a mini master bedroom, to use
for two years until the youngest girls are in the apartment above the garage,( which has not been built yet), now to remove
one of the doors going into this room, and add one of the salvaged 5 panel doors.
- April; Spent first weekend at Duluth home show, making contacts, this
seems like it will be worth the effort. Ripped out paneling to expose the wall between living room and dining room, it appears
that it too was an exterior wall, so the original cabin was one room, then the living room was added as a porch, then the
kitchen, the bedroom, and the porch was turned into the living room. Found the old doorway on to the porch. It is amazing
that the 4x4 header from the dining room to living room is in place. Started moving the insulation up to the rafters
in the living room, but "dang" can't find the staple gun. If you have kids you know how challenging it can be to find
tools sometimes.
- May; Wow still cold out, snowed first part of this month, but
have started working putside, cleaning up the yard, we decided to turn the storage building by the lake into a "bunkhouse",
so took all the stuff out and put in a window, Of course one thing led to another an we had to replace a lot of rotted
material, and reinforce areas, but so far have gotten in a new floor, added wall studs, and wired, will put in insulation
this week, and try to finish out before a bunch of kids show up for mothers day. Got an old tiller in the deal on the
house as well as a lawn mower, Got the tiller started and tilled the garden, How lucky was that? The mower is
hatched. Of course with kids come "critters" so far we have evolved from a one cat house, to a cat, dog, toad, two mice, and
a baby duck, as if there was not enough to do! have the majority of the demolition done in the house, now need
to get the materials to reconstruct. Got windows from Ben Ryder and started installing them, first one in corner of living
room, doubled the size of the window there, then in dinning room as well doubleing glass, then the BIG addition of glass in
living room, went from 8 feet of windows to 12 feet, had Debby, Meghan, and Lydia help, they had a good sense of humor about
this.
- Lots of fish being caught in between work little kids are have a blast, this weekend,
23rd they where swimming
- June; Lots of work going on this month, working on house and
new Coffee Shop. Meghan went to Nationals for FBLA in Atlanta, took 5th place, GOOD FOR HER! Installed more windows,
starting working on transforming a storage building by the lake into additional sleeping quarters(see Boat House page).
We are opening a new coffee shop in Iron River, and are remodling a spot for that, using the same concept of salvage and barter,
it seems to be working ok, but as with the house goes slow based on material. Completed the steps down to the lake, Debby
is getting her rock garden revamped, and it is looking good. Fishing and swimming in between work when we can. The number
of critters keep increasing, had a man give me 5 chicks, they all died, so we then got a Rooster (John Wayne) and 2 hens,
(Marueen O'Hara, and Kathrine Hepburn) Kathrine got eaten by somthine so we added 3 more, (Kathrine2, Angie Dickensin, Ann
Margrett) only getting an egg a day, I told John Wayne his fun will end if we fry the hens so he better get them
to lay eggs. He lets the kids carry him around like a little puppy. Also added a goose and anouther duck.
ARE WE NUTS OR WHAT?????
- July; Garden is comming along, got leaf lettuce, but radishes
did not form heads, Debby helped me out n weeded it, THANKS A BUNCH. have spent most of our free time this month working
on coffee shop, it almost ready to open, today is July 14th, hope to be open this weekend. We started a farmers market
on Thursdays for it and that seems to be going well. Hope to start on garage next week, but need a lot of 2x6's for that project.
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