Cabin Renovation

The old paint color was very dark.

This was our first time up to the cabin this year.  The first trip up for the year is always a lot of work.  The place has to be cleaned and dusted.  The yard must be cleared of sticks and raked before it can be mowed.  Yes, mowed!  Although only the earliest leaves are coming out on the trees, the grass needed mowing.  Otherwise, it would be really high by the next trip up.  So we did all that, and worked on renovations also.

Primer coat.

We are full steam ahead on renovating the bedroom.  On this trip we were up for five full days and two partial days.  The first and last days were not productive in that we were mainly packing and driving either to get there or go back home.  So, in five full days we managed to remove the old flooring and under layment, wash the walls in preparation for painting, install the furring strips and shim them in preparation for installing the wood slat ceiling, and paint a primer coat on the walls.  We also cleared out some of the stuff in the attic. We made two trips to the dump with all the old materials.  Is it any wonder that we are tired?

Old flooring beneath the underlayment.

Although it feels as if we worked non-stop, we still managed to grill out one night.  My husband made some great bread that we baked on the grill.  It is a curious effect that it seems as if we did not get very far on renovations even though we managed to get a considerable amount of work done in the amount of time we had.  When I compare it to the amount of work we have yet to do it seems as if we only made a dent.  When I actually look with hindsight at what we accomplished I realize that we actually accomplished a lot of work this trip.

When we stripped out the old linoleum and under layment, we  found the floor in the old wooden floor in the bedroom was in relatively good shape.  (At least as compared to the flooring in the kitchen and along the outside dining room wall.  See the cabin renovation posts from last year about the rotted out floor boards and joists.)    We had to fight the temptation to consider refinishing the old wood floor.   However, we have the laminate already, so we are sticking with the plan.  At least the flooring will be consistent throughout the house this way.  Besides, we are familiar with how dust and dirt can collect in the gaps between the floor boards.  The cabin will stay cleaner longer using the laminate flooring.

Since we returned last week, I have been doing laundry and getting the house back in order.  When we return from the cabin, we launder everything we take with us.  At this time of year you have to pack for both warm and cold weather.  We had temperatures in the low forties and in the upper seventies.  Although it is easier to make estimates on the weather with all the modern weather technology, the weather can turn on a dime, and you need to be prepared for anything.  There was a mountain of laundry to do. 

I have also been playing catch up on everything that needs to be done around here:  shopping for groceries, appointments, returning phone calls, everything that I did not get done before I left, and so on.   I am finally going to have a chance to get back into my studio.  Maybe?  I just looked at my calendar for the week and realized that I have appointments and activities scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  They won't take all day, but it will take some large chunks out of them.  So maybe I will be getting something done in the studio, but it won't be as much as I would have liked. 

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I will have some new photos of the lamb project on Thursday.  Check back then to see that I am finally getting back to work on my crafts.