Almost there!

It has been crazy/busy the past few weeks, so out cabin visits were infrequent “pit-stops” to drop off items that our contractor needed.  And secretly, I think the contractor was glad not to have us messing around with things, while in the middle of his many projects. 

The progress is truly amazing!  Joe was able to stop by and take a few pictures last weekend.  We are planning to head up this weekend and start to get things in order!  We are at the point of just having a few smaller projects that can be done post “move-in.”

The before/after transformation is almost unbelievable – and while there were some bumps-in-the-road (what remodel doesn’t have unexpected issues?) we are thrilled with the way it has turned out!  The contractor has done a wonderful job, and took time on the little things, which we so appreciated.  (He was aware of the family-history story, and wanted to get it right for us.)

We will get some pictures, once things are all settled, and in a more final state, but wanted to share these initial images.  Very cool!

I am not sure what my favorite part is – so many things are warming my heart:

• The floor refinish was a complete “WOW!”  That is the original flooring that my great-grandfather installed!  It is beautiful! (Thank you, MOM!)
• I love the farmhouse sink, and the way it turned out with the cabinets.
• I also love the subway tile!
• The light in the dining room:  I can just imagine hanging out, playing games, or talking with friends and family under its glow.

Before and After!

Sunny Day at the Cabin!

It was such a pretty day in the Northwest!  Finally some sunshine and a beautiful view of Mt. Hood on the way up to the cabin.  We had Samuel's soccer game in Hillsboro at 9am, and then we headed up to the mountain...

The kitchen cabinets are going in, bathroom tile is done, and the flooring is almost done!  Well, not the living room re-finish, but that will be later (HUGE thank-you to my mom, who gifted us that part of the remodel, as it was the last missing piece to getting “Frank” looking up to snuff.)  It is amazing to see the transformation of this special place.  We still have 2-3 weeks of not being able to “stay the night” but we can see the end.  And the great thing is?  No more icky smells and odd odors.  We walked in today, and it smelled fresh!

We delivered a few things for the contractor today, but mostly just wanted to get up there and see the changes with our own eyes!  The sun was shining bright, and it was the first day the kiddos just got to play outside and enjoy it.  They stayed out the whole time, ran around, dug for worms, played ninja, and burned some energy!  Joe removed the ugly trellis (we have a plan to restore the cool screens of yesteryear) and cleaned some gutters out. 

Because there wasn’t a lot of “work” to do, we all took a walk to the Brightwood store and let the kiddos pick out a treat.  It was such a nice day, and the walk was a fun adventure.  We even had a gang of motorcycles pass by, wave and honk (Rachel loved it!) 

I was reminded today of the wonderful sound of the river, refreshing breeze, and awesome mountain smells.  I can’t wait to be able to stay overnight!

2017

1948:  Note the original screened-in porch (our goal to restore!)

Kitchen Cabinets

Activity has been happenin' up at the White Cabin!

All sorts of activity has been happenin' up at the White Cabin the past couple of weeks!  There has been a lot of "root cause" findings and fixings, which is really good.  We want this remodel to be done right:  fixed, stable, clean, and good for the long-haul!

We went up last weekend, but at this point, we are in the "professional skills required" stage.  We fed the squirrels, dropped off some tile, and set a mouse trap (or maybe it should be a squirrel trap?!  Definitely need to get this one solved!)

Our contractor (Matt) has been able to spend a lot of time taking care of THE LIST (and it is long...)  

• He got the flooring done in the River Room and in the bedroom!  (We have to wait to complete it until the bath/kitchen cabinets are in.)  But it's looking great - clean, easy maintenance, etc.  We had to change the plans, given some cracking in the floor (tile wouldn't be a good long-term solution) but we found a cool alternative.
• Changed out some PVC pipes in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Tore the plywood off the north side of the river room. He said it had a ton of bugs and rot in a spacer near the ground that was nailed to the sill plate. No termites, just carpenter ants and other stuff. Applied some non toxic bug killer. Replaced what was bad, including some insulation and tar paper. He was able to flash the bottom to prevent future issues. No sign of mold or rodents in the wall.  So we found the root- cause of the water stains in the River Room, which made me very happy (SOLVED!)
• Got the CLEAN, new bathtub installed!
• Removed the "odd" vents in the wall (intended to pull the heat from the living room wood stove through, to the bedroom.)
• The most exciting (for me) was to see the subway tile go up in the bathroom!  We had dropped it off last weekend, and he sent a picture last night.  Very happy in my heart.

We had no plans of going up there this weekend (Easter!) but have decided that we might make a "quick trip" up after our Easter egg hunting tomorrow.  We are anxious to check out the progress.  And my mom is here with us, so it will be good to have her join in the adventure too.

And you want to know what is really cool?!  My mom dug-up some GREAT photos from the past!  These are not easy to find, so I am THRILLED that we have these (and I am planning some nice artwork accordingly!)   The White Cabin has definitely changed over time.  I wish we had some drawings/sketches, or more pictures with various angles, but regardless, we are starting to piece the history together.  

I am so excited to see this project taking shape.  It is going to be a perfect retreat...

1947

1948 (River Room - with the windows.)  I really like this picture...

1949

Dad, taking a picture (at the cabin.)  Again - this picture is really cool.
That's MY dad. :-)

My Aunt Carol and Dad.
LOVE this one!

The White Cabin Garden!  Before the Brown Cabin was built.
I understand Frank had quite a garden going (looks that way!)

1951 - Brown Cabin...  getting started!  Aunt Carol and Dad.

Grandpa Fred (Dad's father) - This was my dad's go-cart that he left at the cabin.

Grandma Doris

Dad - at Camp ArrahWanna

Brown Cabin - being built!

Dad, with his go-cart (at cabin)

The Family Sign Goes Back Up!

Another solid work weekend at the cabin…  we made some decent progress on - and most importantly, we got our family sign back up today – YAY!  That felt good!

Our contractor (Matt) has been making great progress during the week as well!  He has been addressing Ruby’s mold/dry rot (siding), as well as one side of the cabin that had it too.  He has gotten things cleaned up in the kitchen (under the sink, removing cabinets, etc.) and has been prepping the floors.  We don’t have a bathroom right now, which is somewhat challenging – but the kiddos are learning the art of finding a good tree!  J

We have had to change plans around, based on that crack in the kitchen – we can’t use tile flooring as there it too much risk for it to crack in the future.  Matt also thinks he has come up with a plan to shore up cabin (kitchen/bathroom corner) and stop it from sinking – which means a HUGE difference in price (vs. having to have another company do something that costs much more than it’s probably worth.) 

We painted today (bedroom and entry), and Joe also worked a lot on power-washing the patio areas.  Rachel also fed the squirrels - and we watched one of them "go-to-town" on the peanuts today (it was fun to see "who" was eating them!) 

It wasn’t raining today (finally!) so the kiddos were able to play outside quite a lot, which was fun.  We walked to the river ledge together – the river is so high right now!

We are so excited to see the planning and hard work finally starting to come together.  It will probably be another 6-weeks or so before it starts looking better, but getting closer!

It was a good day!

Going to the cabin - the kiddos are always ready to make this journey!

Leaving peanuts for the squirrels (this has turned into Rachel's job!)

Yay!  Kitchen is getting fixed - no more gross, wet, moldy "ick."

Siding replaced on "Frank."  (No it won't stay blue.)  SMILE...

"Closet painting" - a safe place for Rachel to paint.  :-)  But she actually did a great job.

The patio - getting clean!  This is such a great spot - the view is right out at the Salmon River. 
I cannot wait to spend warm, summer evenings out here!

The FAMILY sign returns!

This was my one goal for the day!  My heart is happy...

Massive, cool trees...  I remember when this one was alive - such an awesome tree.

Using yard sticks to...  (?)  Who knows...

River

Snack/Show - break time!

Painting the entryway