Oh boy, a lot has happened here. We spent the entire month of July and just under a week each of June and August in our Cabin. One week of it in "no making money, just building" mode. I won't say vacation mode, because it wasn't very relaxing. There was truly too much going on for that.
Not only did we loose some tree debris and gain a wood stove to our Cabin, but we also faced the effects of a broken arm and 12 paws. But lets take it step by step.
Trees – Treeguy Hamish to the Rescue
The first really exciting thing is what happened to the trees. Last year, we already had a case where a tree fell into the power line, cutting us off from the grid. To make sure that doesn't happen again, we have a professional cut down all the branches that are too close to the power line.
Hamish
Our treeguy is called Hamish. He is about as tall as I am, brave and super cool. He spends a whole day in various treetops and on different tree trunks to free them from all the dead stuff hanging around. It's all so fascinating and gripping that Rico spends the whole day just watching and marveling.
However, a treeguy not only stops all attempts of a tree to connect to the power lines, but also directly takes care of other tree-relevant activities. On the one hand, he frees trees from dead branches, which leads to considerably more light and visibility. On the other hand, he cuts down entire trees because they are in fact a danger. Danger in the sense that they have enormous potential to fall over. And that's not what you want.
The Alder on the Corner
Directly in the curve of our driveway is a huge alder. It is very very beautiful and just as lifeless. By the way, the alder is a very unpopular tree with treeguys. Apparently, it is really hard to judge the stability of the branches.
Our specimen has four huge branches, of which Hamish estimates that at most one is really still stable enough to reach the tree crown on it. The rest - you can guess from the lack of foliage - is no longer interested in active photosynthesis.
Since Hamish and his colleague Evan love a fun challenge, they take on this giant in one day. Piece by piece, Evan dismantles the tree from top to bottom and leaves the individual parts to gravity. In the end, everything stands and hangs on one single branch. However, this one will be cut from the ground.
Firewood
Hamish and Evan cut the components that are still usable - that is, not yet completely rotten - into even pieces. Firewood. Alder may not be the best firewood, but this is free. And what more could you want.
By the way, compared to the alder, there are a myriad of wood species that are much more suitable as firewood. A good firewood should have high density, low water content and good calorific value. Alder has all this only so mediocre. Good to very good wood species are beech, oak, ash, maple, cherry or birch.
Wood Stove – Eric on the Roof
Speaking of firewood. In order to be able to use it sensibly, you need a stove, of course. And such a stove we have already purchased last year, even before the first wall of the cabin stood.
Vermont Castings Resolute
At the time, we noticed the Resolute from 1979 on Facebook Marketplace. We took a look at the piece, fell in love with it and finally, with the help of the former owner, dragged it onto our property and into our workshop.
If you take a closer look at this amazing piece, you may understand why we immediately fell in love with it. It is an all cast iron stove in black with beautiful decoration on the back and an equally beautiful front. Even today you can buy spare parts for it, including a glass insert for the door.
Stumbling blocks during installation
Our former neighbor and very good friend Bobbie Jo recommended Cadam for the installation of the furnace. And since Bobbie Jo knows her people, we know they're good people. And so it doesn't take long for Eric to first burst into raptures as he sees the 1979 furnace. He says he's never seen a Resolute in such good condition and so well maintained. So we didn't buy any crap, I'd say.
During the first inspection, he then discovers two small hurdles. Firstly, the furnace is missing a heat shield and secondly, the approval for Canada.
Heat Shield
A heat shield is mandatory because the wood stove is made entirely of cast iron and therefore emits heat in all directions. Accordingly, in addition to the prescribed 48-inch clearance all around, a heat shield must also be provided at the bottom. But there are several options for this.
Either Cadam makes a custom shield to fit under the stove and screws it on. Or we add a layer of fireproof Heatprotectionwhateveros under the tiles on which the stove will stand. We decide to use a combination of both. If the stove should eventually give up the ghost, we have already created a safe base for a potential new one.
Certificate
The lack of a certificate for the use of the wood stove in Canada is somewhat more difficult or rather more complex to clarify. The device is certified for usage in the USA, but not explicitly for usage in Canada. Some insurance companies have very strict regulations.
So we clarify in numerous phone calls and with a lot of back and forth what the requirements are for our insurance with regard to the installation of such a furnace. Fortunately, it turns out that the professional and code-compliant installation by a certified installer is sufficient here.
Eric on the Roof
And so it doesn't take much longer until Eric climbs onto our roof, first breaks it open to install a chimney, and then closes it again professionally. And so there is now a stove in our cabin. Cool, wah!
Wall Cladding
Those were two pretty exciting things. But as we all know, all good things come in threes. So it's probably not surprising that things are continuing. And that's with the interior work. And that with the wall cladding. WHAATT?? Already? Yes!
A Broken Arm
The walls of our cabin will be cladded with hemlock. Originally, the wall cladding was supposed to be made of Douglas fir, which is processed in a wood mill about 20 kilometers away from here into handy wooden planks. However, the owner of said wood mill injured or even broke his arm - you don't ask too many questions when someone's arm is in a sling - and had to shut down operations for a while. Damn!
So we set out to find another supplier for wall and floor cladding made of real wood. One thing is certain, we want real wood. No vinyl, no laminate, real wood! And since the aforementioned invalid recommends his former employer to us, we take a look at him.
Lois Lumber
Lois Lumber is a wood mill a little further away from us. To be honest, it's closer to the ferry than to Lund, but what the heck. In the end, they deliver the stuff. While the customer experience at Lois Lumber isn't amazing, the product is. We decide to go with hemlock for the walls and maple for the floor. We specify the necessary dimensions, the customer advisor calculates the required quantity, and in no time at all the order is placed. And the wood arrives after only four days.
The First Plank
As we did with the thermal insulation and vapor barrier, we'll start with the wall paneling in the kitchen. Fortunately, Lois Lumber's wood comes in a variety of lengths. The bulk of the planks are 16 feet, but there are some with only 8 or 6 feet. Fortunately, because this way we get by with relatively little waste.
The first plank is tacked to the wall on July 2 at about 7 o'clock in the evening. With the help of a spirit level, laser and pneumatic tacker thingy, it doesn't take long until the wall is finished up to the underside of the window.
Chewbacca at the dentist
The most time-consuming part of laying the wall and ceiling paneling are the cutouts for sockets, light switches or other boxes such as lights or smoke detectors. First, we draw them professionally and then saw them out of the wood with Rico's new favorite tool.
The installation process itself is not as complicated as you might think. It is only time-consuming. The individual wooden planks are tongue and groove and are simply - hahaha - inserted into each other. Then the plank is fixed at the top with nails from the nail gun.
And so every day it all comes together a little bit more. Kitchen, living area, bedrooms and lofts, as well as the entire ceiling must be covered with the wooden planks. And then sanded and painted.
Whitewashed Walls
The wood will not remain in its natural color, but undergoes a small procedure. After a lot of back and forth and some test boards, we finally decided to wish the walls and ceilings white.
To do this, we take one part white paint and mix it with ten parts water. It sounds like a lot at first, but it ends up being exactly the look we want. You can't tell right away that it's painted. The whitewashed wood just looks like a light wood. But in direct comparison with an unpainted section, it's more than noticeable.
The Final Product
At the beginning of August we leave the cabin again and drive back to Vancouver. Visitors are coming! By the time we leave, however, we actually manage to board up all the walls on the first floor, both lofts, and the ceilings except for three or four planks. Slowly one can really move in here.
Here are a few more impressions from the construction phase
Paw Patrol
And why stop at three exciting things when so much more is possible? In this context, by the way, the most frequently asked question is answered. The question about the bears.
The fact is, we live in Bear Country. It is very unlikely that there is no bear around here. But so far we have not seen one. We have only seen the remains. For example, right in front of the alder tree that was felled on the same day. No, there is no connection!
Paw Patrole
However, security was provided during our long stay. Two task forces of the Powell River Bark Brigade (PoRiBab) were kindly made available to us by Sabine for the period. And they were constant on duty.
Pawtective Peanut
The senior officer is particularly good at monitoring squirrels, birds and people who eat things. Especially with the latter, she uses a very shrewd observation technique. You hardly notice that you are being watched.
K-9 Cop Pumpkin
She is still relatively new on the job, which is evident from her clumsy but very approachable manner. Silent observation is not her thing. Direct physical contact and looks to melt away are her secret weapons.
On Duty
While it may seem that the Tail Trooper Task Force officials live up to the reputation of their human counterparts - sleeping all day - they are also a reliable alarm system.
For example, invisible, but also really existing intruders are examined with impressive interest. For example, our treeguy Hamish or furnace installer Eric.
In this process, the higher-ranking growler officer usually takes the lead and sets the tone. Cop Pumpkin then usually follows. However, there was one incident where it was reversed.
Alarm
We soon noticed that Peanut's hair on the stands up every now and then because a leaf moves the wrong way in the wind. But when the hairs on the back of the little junior policewoman's neck stand up, then attention is called for. So we grab them and bring them into the cabin.
However, it was Pumpkin that discovered the black bear first. Or rather she had smelled it. But, both take nothing in their mixture of indignation, enthusiasm and play instinct, as the bear - I assume it is a she-bear, because it was probably also always a she-bear in recent years - just 60 meters away from the cabin stomps up the mountain, completely ignores us and climbs the mountain further.
From this evening on, there will be short sleuthing missions of this kind every other evening, with outrageous snorting, ecstatic growling and, in places, alarming barking. Another sighting remains absent, but we feel safe.
After six weeks we are now heading back to Vancouver. And quite honestly, we both can't wait to get back here. Somehow you can get used to this lifestyle at the end of Highway 101.
Cabin Playlist
Music is Emotion. Music holds Memory. This is the soundtrack for the build of our Cabin at the Upper Sunshine Coast.
So finden wir jederzeit zurück zu den Momenten voller Herausforderung, Freude und Zufriedenheit.
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Cabin-Blog-Zeitleiste
All our posts about RITICOLO Cabin have been organized in this fancy looking timeline. Pretty cool, eh! Have fun looking around and leave a comment if you enjoy what you are reading.
Vapor barrier - cabin interior
Thermal Insulation and What it Takes to Get There
Roof – The big Finale
Roofing for Dummies
Roofing - shingles or metal roof?
Cabin - New Year Progress
Cabin Timeline
Roofing – Part Two
Roofing - Part One
Gable Walls and LVL
Lofts
Header Beam – Ein dicker Balken, der alles zusammenhält Zum Bau der Außenwände hatten wir…
Things we learned so far
Framing the Cabin
Basecamp
From concrete piers to the finished subfloor
It's amazing what you can accomplish in a few weekends. During the construction of our
Demolition, Homework and some Problems
Progress - Getting Rid of Stuff
First Steps in Lund
On the February long weekend (Family Day), we pack up our MINI and head to our
Lund - The Property
