22x26 1 1/2 Story in the Nicolet National Forest-Lakewood, Wisconsin

[mgramann]

Unlike most threads here, we weren't starting from scratch when it comes to our cabin.  It was 10 years old when we purchased it in Jan of 2010.  Since that time, we have made numerous changes, including a 3 bedroom addition.  I was introduced to this website partway through my cabin career, so please bear with the fact that I don't have many detailed pictures of the construction.  I have many more projects planned for the future, and will try to do a better job in that regard.  Anyway, here are some pictures/descriptions of what we have done so far!

Here is a picture as it sat late in 2009, from the very short pre-purchase building inspection.

Here is the driveway.  The lot isn't large, only 1.39 Acres, but where we aren't in contact with a street, we contact the Nicolet National Forest.


The only interior door in the cabin is to the bathroom, otherwise, it is fully open.  As you can see, the previous owner is quite a woodworker.  Some things weren't(still aren't) finished, like the kitchen backsplash, but the quality of his work is quite evident.
Kitchen Area

From the Loft


Another of the Loft

More Woodwork


Here are some pictures of the bathroom that building inspector took.  It is very small.  The 15gal water heater is under the removable wood structure next to the very flimsy shower stall, which, to access, you need to squeeze by the toilet.  I should mention, everything was winterized.



Here is the only source of heat, hence the winterization.

Here is another shot of the kitchen.  The well pressure tank and controls are under the kitchen sink.


My next post will be about the exterior of the cabin.

[duncanshannon]

Hi and 

Excited to have some more MN/WI people on the forum! I've just recently purchased a few acres by Spooner (stone lake actually).  Hoping to build in a few years.

whats your experience been with inspectors etc?

Are those pics showing the current snow covering? We've got zero here in the twin cities.

[mgramann]

Hi and 

Excited to have some more MN/WI people on the forum! I've just recently purchased a few acres by Spooner (stone lake actually).  Hoping to build in a few years.

Thanks!  Hopefully we can get more to join!

whats your experience been with inspectors etc?

Are you referring to the home inspector(private firm/optional with the purchase of a home) or the building inspector(works for local government, inspects new homes and additions)?

Are those pics showing the current snow covering? We've got zero here in the twin cities.

Unfortunately not.  These were from December 2009 before we bought the place.  There was nothing last time I was up there.

[mgramann]

I neglected a picture of the skylight!


The outside is a typical house exterior.  Vinyl Siding, Conventional Shingles, Aluminum Soffits.  I must admit I do like the fact that the exterior is fairly maintenance free.  No need to weatherproof the outside every few years.



200 Amp Service, with main breaker outside.  This makes electrical work especially safe, since I can cut ALL power off before it even gets to the breaker box in the house.


It is built on a slab foundation, which has epoxy garage floor coating over it.  Instead of OSB sheathing, R-board and metal braces were used, increasing R-value.  We have a conventional septic and a 66ft drilled well yielding fantastic, albeit hard water.  Across the gravel road from us are 2 small lakes connected by a river.  No gasoline engines allowed keep it very quiet, and great for panfishing. 

We closed the first week of January 2010, already having purchased supplies for the first project...A few days after signing the papers we were racing to beat a snow storm with 2 trailers full of construction materials and the basic needs for a home.  Here is what we started construction on the morning after we arrived.

The ladder really split up the room, and we figured a staircase would be safer.  A great deal of math went into cutting the stringers, as it was a pretty tight squeeze between the window and door.

[Sassy]

Looking forward to seeing what you've done.  Looks like a pretty area!  Nice woodworking by the former owner 

[mgramann]

After the stairs project, we kinda sat back for awhile, and enjoyed the place.
Here is a stove from craigslist.  It is an antique 20" welbilt I snagged for $30.  The enamel is in great shape.  We have no gas service up there, and not enough of a demand to warrant a propane company keeping a tank there, so we just use a grill tank that we keep outside.  The top burners have a pilot light, but we turned that off and just use a lighter whenever we cook.  The oven has a pilot light that stays lit when it is in use, otherwise the knob is in the full-off position as well to save on fuel.  When we first tested the stove, we learned very quickly that propane is much different than natural gas.  The big yellow inefficient flames produced quite a smell (fumes that I suspect would kill a person in the right concentration) so we used the camp stove to cook the rest of the weekend.  Unlike new stoves, the orifices on this one are fully adjustable, so after turning down the fuel level on them we were in business.  This last year we also upgraded to a full size refrigerator.

After installing the stairs, my wife and I made the loft into our not-very private bedroom.  The previous owner left a bunch of hardwood planks behind, so I used some of them to create a headboard for our bed.  In keeping with the obvious cabin theme, my wife made the quilt.

We also met our neighbors!





Halfway through summer, before a big weekend with friends and family coming to visit, we addressed the bathroom situation.  It was just too awkward to use, and didn't fully take advantage of the small space.
We ended up installing a corner shower stall.  I had to relocate the drain a few inches, which involved me renting a jackhammer to chisel some  of the concrete slab.  Even worse, I had to sweat copper fittings.  I know, I know, no big deal, right.  For me? WRONG.  If I wasn't such a stubborn know it all, I would have watched a video or looked for "how to" instructions.  Not me.  I need to make it up as I go.  What should have been 5 minutes of work, I turned into 4 hours.  I'm not exaggerating.  Every time I found my fitting leaked, I had to drain the entire system, because I happened to be working on the lowest point, right next to the water heater.  To compound the situation, I am not patient, AT ALL.  All of this led to what I believe to be a near perfect storm of verbal pyrotechnics.  Common expletives weren't enough-they needed to be combined with one another and merged into something far grander.  I don't know that I have ever been so ticked off, but at least now I can laugh about the problem caused by my own idiocy.  It wasn't the first time, and definitely wasn't the last.  I really need to be more patient, but I digress.  Ultimately I struggled because I wasn't properly cleaning the fittings.  Somehow, I chased down all of the leaks.  The next week I watched a 5 minute youtube video on the proper way to sweat pipes, and have since learned to love working with copper, even though I still prefer pex.  Here is the new shower.



The bathroom was just too cramped for even a tiny vanity, so we put in a pedestal sink

Here is a storage cabinet I made from some more of the boards left by the homeowner.  It's not great, but it serves its purpose.

Here is a pic looking in through the door-as you can see, it's a pretty tight space.


After that weekend, we took some time off, and did some fishing...

Here is a picture of my family and I.

[Sassy]

I have to laugh at the creative verbal pyrotechnics - because I DO laugh when Glenn starts with his    The bathroom changes look really nice, the headboard on the bed looks great, too!  Nice family 

[eclipse]

The place looks really nice. And you sir have a great way with words!

[Sassy]

Nice neighbors!  Pretty playful critters 

[duncanshannon]

Are you referring to the home inspector(private firm/optional with the purchase of a home) or the building inspector(works for local government, inspects new homes and additions)?

not the 'i'm buying a house' guy.

holy bears... you are a good 4 hours from me it looks like.  i hear there are a ton of bears in the spooner area too.  i'm not used ot them so i deff. fear them.  that and all the fricking ticks in that part of the woods.  holy cow!

[mgramann]

Thanks for all of the kind words!  I plan to post some bigger changes today.

duncanshannon-I'll have to PM you about my experience with the building inspector.

The bears are very tame.  We visited with a neighbor that lives there full time, who goes outside with that family around.  He cuts his grass and talks to them.  Because of this, I was comfortable enough to open our door and watch them from our deck.  The cubs were up a tree far behind her, so that reduced the danger factor.  Still, mom was only about 10yards from the deck.  She was a little weary, but continued to eat.  I'll admit, probably not my brightest moment, but knowing the history of the animals reduced the risk somewhat.  I still purchase hunting preference points, but after this experience, I just don't know if I could do it, unless the bears got too comfortable with me.  I did get to see these cubs again this last summer-much bigger.  I only saw 3 bears total, so I hope the 4th was hiding in the trees.  I am glad they made it through the winter/hunting seasons.

[mgramann]

Just before purchasing the cabin, my wife and I were in a small fender bender.  We had gone for a drive during a heavy snowfall, which is something we have always enjoyed.  We were stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to change, and you guessed it, insert (pow/bang/etc)-whatever you choose.  Apparently, four wheel drive doesn't decrease a cars braking distance.  Crazy-I know.  It wasn't a bad accident by any means.  My jeep received a new bumper and tailgate as a result.  The pickup had a similar degree of damage, but it's front bumper was in contact with one of the tires.  I keep tools in my jeep, and was able to help hammer/twist the bumper away from the tire, despite my initial desire to hammer/twist the other driver.  I did have a chat with the deputy, who assured me the driver would get a monetary reminder that driving at a safe speed during inclement weather is a good idea.  Immediately after the accident we were ok, but on the ride home my wife started getting dizzy, so we went to the ER.  A scan revealed all was well, but both of use required several months of chiropractic care to repair the damage.  I myself had lost 60% strength in one hand as a result of nerve damage!  Regular adjustments restored my strength, and a check from the other drivers insurance company allowed us to construct an addition.

Both of our jobs kept us busy, and we wanted to get the addition dried in before the snows.  Being September, we knew it wasn't something we could accomplish on our own.  We ended up contracting out the "shell" -slab, rough in, windows, siding, and roofing would be performed by the contractor.  My wife and I would do the insulation, electrical, and other interior work.
Here is the floor plan we proposed.  Some of the dimensions changed because of door placement, headers, etc.  Also, replace the words "Dining Room" with "Master Bedroom"-septic tank size technicality...


We spoke with a few builders, and found a really great contractor we have since become friends with.  He's an older fellow, who I suspect is only working for fun.  He is quite the outdoorsman, and owns a rather large chunk of land that is full of Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkeys, land that he allows us to hunt on.  On the same land, he setup a trailer for two previously homeless men who are recovering addicts.  They do worksite cleanup for him.  Despite what some protest as evil these days, financial success as a result of hard work has allowed him to be very charitable with his blessings, including the adoption of several children from Africa.

Back on topic.  Below are some pictures of the shell.  As you can see, we had a metal roof installed over the existing cabin.

A critical eye will notice in the picture below, that the siding width on one wall is not the same size.  The contractor had access to some for the wonderful cost of $0.  The color is identical,  and saved us a great deal of money.  It is on the less obvious sides of the addition.

View from the driveway

One awkward part of the tie in is where the addition roofline ties into the existing overhang.  Siding was used here.  It looks ok, and I understand why the builder did it, but it just looks a little funny to me.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist though-so I am probably being too critical.

I must take a minute to comment on the vehicle in the picture above, in that I am an auto enthusiast.  It is an 1984 M1009 I won at a military auction-basically a Chevy Blazer Diesel.  I won it at an online government surplus auction.  It hauled most of our building supplies up to the cabin, in many cases, without the use of a trailer.  As big as it was, it averaged 18-19mpg.  Here is the real kicker-it could run on WASTE ENGINE OIL, filtered of course.  I only ran a concentration as high as 25%, with "clean" tanks of fuel in between, but others have run 100% for long periods of time, occasionally cleaning the injectors.  This really helped with the cost of fuel.  I have since sold it, in favor of Jetta TDI(48+mpg) Below are are few more pictures for those who might appreciate it.




Knowing the electrical shortfalls of the existing structure, I was sure to "overwire" the addition.  Each bedroom had 2 circuits, the end rooms each got a 20amp should window air conditioners ever be needed.  I was also able to "fish" wire through the loft joists to the bathroom to get a dedicated 20 amp 110v service and 30amp 220 service to the water heater, as right now they were combined and part of the original 4 breaker system.  The 220 circuit allowed me to put a MUCH bigger element in the 15 gallon water heater, 5500 Watts compared to the original 1000, which poses the question, the water heater tank says 1000 watts max, but is that REALLY the case?  Assuming the elements are physically similar in size, the temp/safety circuit is big enough to handle it, and the relief valve is functioning, what is the issue?  In any event, the system has been problem free for over a year, and it is a close to on-demand as a tank water heater can get.  Here are some pictures of the electrical/insulation stage of the build.  I apologize again for the lack of detail compared to other builds here.


Look at the header!  As you can see, the contractor was not afraid of making things sturdy!(possibly at the cost of r-value)

In this picture you can see how this builder handled the sheathing.  The corners were treated with 1/2 inch osb, with r-board over that.  In between the corners, 1 inch rigid foam(polystyrene) was used.  My guess is this should give us an r-value similar to a structure build with 2x6 studs.

I forgot to mention that the slab itself is insulated, with 3 zones for hydronic heat.  You can see the tubes coming up in the pic below.  More on that later.  Right above the pex is something that most builders neglect-coax/cat5 wiring.  The bedrooms each have 2 cat5/coax connections, all of which converge to the utility closet.  Many times, these very practical connections are an afterthought, and installing them post build many times doesn't lead to a really nice finished installation.


This post is long enough, I'll have to start another.

[Sassy]

Great storytelling!  I'm impressed by your wealth of knowledge    You both look so young 

[mgramann]

After the wiring and insulation was complete, we installed the doors and got to work on the tongue an groove pine and cedar.  We planned on doing some drywall, but the lumberyard chain(Menards) had some fantastic buy one-get one sales.  We left the shelves of 3 different stores empty!  We opted to seal the boards after installation, using an Grayco paint sprayer and Minwax Polycrylic(Water Based)  We put it on a little heavy in the first room and had to chase a few runs, but had it down to a science after that.
This is the Master Bedroom-Top to bottom Cedar, minus the doors








Here is the middle room, which is the smallest.  All pine.




And the end room, also pine.






I just realized I don't have any pictures of my hydronic heat system.  I'm pretty proud as I built the system myself based on knowledge I gleaned online.  My contractor was so impressed he actually wanted me to duplicate it on another project of his!  I'll have to snap some pics and post a detailed explanation in the future.  It is an extremely simple system that I think many on this board could benefit from.  For now, it's in this small closet in bedroom #1, where the coax/network center will be soon.

[mgramann]

After we finished most of the remodel in late winter, we took some time off to enjoy what the wilderness has to offer.  My beagle very much enjoys chasing snowshoe hares, but once things start to thaw, another hobby keeps me occupied.  Making Maple Syrup!

In fall, before the leaves drop, we marked the larger maple trees so they are easily identifiable in spring.  White oak syrup just isn't as appealing.  The best time to tap the trees is just before the temperature is above freezing during the day, and below freezing at night.  This way, when the temperature starts to fluctuate in that above freezing/below freezing range, your buckets are ready to catch the sap.

I start by drilling a hole about 1 inch deep.  As you can see, the hole is already filling with sap.

Next, I hammer in the tap.  Like the previous picture, it doesn't take long for the drips to form.

Next I hang up the buckets and wait.  Big producing trees get more than one bucket.  Also, a bigger trunk does not necessarily mean the tree is a big producer.  I suspect it has more to do with a trees crown size.


Tree quality/temperature will determine how quickly a bucket fills.  I've had the 4 gallon buckets be 1/4 full in a week, and also had them 1/2 full in a day.  Between my 12-15 taps, I usually have MORE than enough for a batch in a weeks time.  If I remember correctly, my batches are usually 20-40 gallons in size, that is, until the stove below is done with it.


My father built this stove over 15 years ago when some family friends introduced us to the hobby.  He has worked with metal his entire life, and made a career of it.  If you have ever walked through the entrance to Tiffany's in New York City, you have seen some of his work.  While some of his projects might be for those in high society, our family was hardly wealthy.  Dad worked hard so Mom could stay home with us kids, and Mom did her part cutting coupons and finding the best deals possible, all while maintaining the household.  They went without so we could live in an area with great schools, and their decisions have shaped my life in more positive ways than I could possibly list here.  How is this relevant?  Well, as long as I can remember, one way my dad saved money was to build things instead of buying them-much like many of you here!  His trademark has always been stainless steel.  He loves working with it.  He invented a pizza cutter using it.  He has a trash burning barrel that won't die.  I would guess the family charcoal grill is over 25 years old as a result of it's rust proof construction!  The maple syrup stove is no different.  Other than the stove pipe stack, it is 100% stainless.  You wouldn't know it though based on the heat discolorations.

Upon gathering the sap from the trees, we pour it into the stove vat through a colander with a piece of fine mesh cloth in it.  The vat is separate from the stove at this time, as a big fire is already going in the lower part of the stove, and introducing an empty vat to that kind of heat could lead to scorching.  Once the bottom of the vat is covered, we move it over the heat and add the rest of the sap.

It doesn't take long for things to start boiling!

Rachel and Myself


This thing generates alot of heat!


After most of the water is cooked down, maybe a 2:1 water/final product ratio(down from 40:1!) we filter it with the colander and cloth as we pour it into a big igloo thermos.  Usually we wait 1 week for the sediment to settle a bit before we do the final boil inside.  We do this because the syrup is thinner at this time, and sediment falls quicker when it is in this state.  One doesn't need to wait, as we didn't in these pictures, but it takes several weeks longer for the final product to clarify.
The final boil!

The final product!  Again, had we waited, it would not have been nearly as cloudy.  Still, after several weeks, it was crystal clear.


Not surprising, especially in late spring, animals with a sweet tooth may show interest...

No-it wasn't the beagle who tore the buckets, taps included, from the trees.  Here are the tracks from what did.  The pictures were taken from our doorway-no zoom required.



It also didn't like the stove...


What was odd, is the bear waited to do this until we were up there.  Food is definitely associated with people-not a good thing.  This is why I don't feed the birds in summer-I want the bears to stay wild.

Enjoy!

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the syrup tutorial and other stories, mgramann.  Looks like you are multi-talented and not afraid to learn new things.  That is the way I like to do it. 

Study then do it.... or do it then study some more then do it better - whatever the case may be.

I get bored easily and like to learn new stuff. 

[mgramann]

Thanks for the kind words!

Here are some pictures of the surroundings during a heavy snow.  I love this kind of weather!
A nearby creek:




My driveway:


My beast of burden-almost 200k and still kickin...


Some other shots:






View from our window:


Enjoy!

[mgramann]

Spring came quickly, and late in the season we made our first attempt at a garden.  We got a bit of a late start, and didn't get as much production as we would have hoped for, but it was still nice to have some fresh veggies.  Sadly, I can't find any pictures of it.

I do have pictures of some wild strawberries from a patch along the road!


A short walk through the forest brings you to this pond, surrounded by floating bog.  I'm not sure if there is any fish in it, but after drilling some holes in the ice over winter, we discovered it is over 12 feet deep.  It could be much deeper, but that was the longest tree branch we could find!  Here are some pictures of it in the springtime.




Summer was eventful when it came to projects.  We installed a better railing for the loft.
Before

After

Now that I look at the photos, I see our bed is still up there-so we likely did that the summer before.  Oh well...

We built a small storage shed.  Note the floor parts to the right that came with the kit.  After struggling with it, and realizing how flimsy the kit was, we opted for a treated wood base.

In the shed is a 3kw Military Generator I won at another surplus auction.  It is powered by a yanmar diesel engine, making it very efficient.

We also cleared some of the smaller trees and moved the woodshed to give us a bigger yard.



But summer wasn't all work!



We like to entertain up there, and fresh pasta is always a big hit!



But after entertaining, I started another project...

[duncanshannon]

nice photos!  the syrup stuff was great to learn about. you seem to like to cook... gotta love that too!

we are not on a lake, but are a hike away to a state trout pond and a short drive to a boat launch.

do you do this (construction) kind of work for a living?

[mgramann]

nice photos!  the syrup stuff was great to learn about. you seem to like to cook... gotta love that too!

I love cooking-which is why I wonder if an addition to have a full size kitchen might be a good idea.  Pros and Cons...

we are not on a lake, but are a hike away to a state trout pond and a short drive to a boat launch.

Very nice!  We are fortunate to have many lakes nearby-some with some pretty nice beaches.  The 2 lakes across the road from us aren't good swimming lakes, but the fishing is pretty good.  The smaller of the lakes has a public launch, but because it is a non-gas lake, not too many people use it.  The larger lake used to have a common access for all the people on "our" side of the road, but taxes weren't paid with it, so a neighbor paid up the overdue taxes and now owns the property.  Fortunately for us, they are kind enough to let us use the path-which reminds me-I need to thank them with a case of beer-the true universal currency!

do you do this (construction) kind of work for a living?

Have you ever seen office space?  Um yeeeaahhh, I'm in bank software...  however, the genetic "how does it work" curiosity made me into a jack of all trades-I know just enough to be dangerous...  That, and I always wanted to be a mountain man.  My wife is a bit of a prodigy, in that she graduated with a Bachelors in Computer Science at age 19.  Homeschooling really put her on the right track.  She used to work for a company that competed with mine, but about a year ago switched to working for a retail store in the service delivery area.

[duncanshannon]

Nice.  I can relate to the 'how does it work' thing... I'm an IT architect and have no real clue what I'm doing with construction.  Am dreaming of building a cabin (so far, purchased land) in a few years. Working on home renovations and a future shed or to to 'train' for the big event (cabin).

I think we'd get along... i love to cook (esp. eat) too!

[mgramann]

One easy project was to add some recessed lighting to the kitchen/dining area.  The two 4 inch can lights weren't cutting it.


One of our first projects was to install a staircase, but we never quite finished it.  You will notice it finally has a proper railing.  Since space is tight, we struggle with how we should use the space underneath.  Here is what we came up with:

There was just enough room to fit a Haier apartment size washer and dryer under the staircase.  We purchased the washer shortly after purchasing the cabin, as it happened to be on clearance.  Our laundry the first year was dried with the summer breezes and a drying rack next to the woodstove.  Using the washer was a bit of an annoyance in that we had to move it over to the kitchen sink whenever we wanted to use it, but this solved that problem.  The fact that the matching dryer fit made it even better.  To run water to the "closet" we simply tapped into the line that feeds the toilet, which was fully exposed as you can see in the bathroom pictures.  We put a tee in the line, drilled a hole in the bathroom wall, and ran a pipe over the back door, into the closet.  Being a cabin, the exposed copper doesn't look out of place at all!  Upon entering the closet, the line becomes pex and runs to the washing machine.  The drain for the machine is a pvc pipe through the outside wall where it drains onto some stones.  I attempted a leech field, but I didn't make it nearly big enough-so I'll deal with that later.  In any event, I feel better that all that water isn't being handled by the septic system.  The dryer vents also vents out of the wall, through a "flappy" vent.  It would be an unnecessary stress on it.  Since kitchen space was limited, the rest of the under-stairs area was made into a deep pantry.
Here is the final product:


Now, what to put in that pantry....

Edit:I had to add a picture of how we transported the material to build the closet.  Gotta love the Jetta!

[mgramann]

Nice.  I can relate to the 'how does it work' thing... I'm an IT architect and have no real clue what I'm doing with construction.  Am dreaming of building a cabin (so far, purchased land) in a few years. Working on home renovations and a future shed or to to 'train' for the big event (cabin).

I think we'd get along... i love to cook (esp. eat) too!

I think you are at the right site then-so much to learn here!  I'm still amazed by the wealth of knowledge.  What is your land like?

Cooking is great-and so is eating.  I need to do more of the former, and less of the latter.

[duncanshannon]

I think you are at the right site then-so much to learn here!  I'm still amazed by the wealth of knowledge.  What is your land like?

9 acres at the end of a private road. one or two 'wet spots'. Largely hard wood, a bit of a ridge in on the front 1/3 that will be the building spot.   Its just off of hw 70 near stone lake.

I need to do more of the former, and less of the latter.

You and me both!

[mgramann]

9 acres at the end of a private road. one or two 'wet spots'. Largely hard wood, a bit of a ridge in on the front 1/3 that will be the building spot.   Its just off of hw 70 near stone lake.

Very cool!  I'm jealous of the amount of space!  Sometimes I worry my 1.39 isn't going to cut it.  Do you plan to go with off grid power?  I wish I had...