Inspiration and Research

For a Christmas present to each other, my husband and I commissioned my uncle, David Lackey, to do an oil painting of the sunset picture of our kids Ella and Danny.  He just finished it this week and though I haven't seen it in person yet, I am in love. 

                                                      http://davidelackey.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to find a prominent location in the cabin-to-be for this treasure.  It is sure to grow more special as the years pass and my kids get bigger. And of course, it is made even more special because my Uncle painted it -- and he like my Dad (and I and my cousins and now my kids) share a tapestry of youthful memories of time spent on the lake in countless sunsets like this one over the last 53 years.  The painting has now become the inspiration and anchor of my daydreams about how we might decorate -- wall color, furniture, general theme...but though that's fun to think about, we are a long way off for sure.....

In the interest of helping would-be other DIY-ers with bloated ambition like ours build a house when they have no idea how, here are some things we learned this week:

1. A land survey for a lot only 50 feet wide and 180 feet deep can take 2 days and cost $3,000. I have no point of reference but, that seems like a lot of time and money to find 4 corners of a really small piece of land. Of course, we are getting other quotes.
2. We need a 450 sq foot drainage field for our septic tank.
3. Septic size requirements are based on number of bedrooms for a house plan. We can have a smaller one because our house is technically 2 bedrooms, even though there is a loft, which we intend to have people sleep in.
4. I am sure to know WAY more about what happens to our bodily fluids than I ever wanted to at the end of this project
5. You don't have to have a well and septic in place before you build.... you just have to have a well and septic permit, with clearly defined locations of the well and septic
6. Well and septic permits are good for one year and cost about $200 each in our county.
7. People are awesome! We have only just begun to tell folks about this build and already many have offered assistance including:
1. 2 potential contractors (might be good for the foundation work and ongoing advice)
2. Architecture advice
3. Manual labor (so many have offered to "swing a hammer")
4. Tents and lawn space for volunteer builders
5. General encouragement for the build AND the blog about the build

Progress:
On Saturday we went up to the lake to take stock and begin to clean out Buddy.  Truth be told, there isn't much of value in the old guy, but the aim is to keep anything we might need in the future.  So, the first thing we did was clear out some space in the attic of the shed on the property.  Then we put the futon and a few other pieces of furniture up there, and then we boxed up some mementos and the  kitchen stuff....there's nothing nice, but it would be silly to get rid of it now only to go to Goodwill later and buy it all again. It was chilly, but probably the last real day we could hope to get into the trailer before spring.

Here is the inside of the trailer in mid-packing.  You can see the whole 10-ft width of the Buddy in this shot.  Right under the mirror is where the infamous drunken stranger couch once sat. 

Buddy has 2 small  bedrooms, the back bedroom (with the mold and leek) is an okay size.  Our son and I spent many hot summer nights in that room when he was a few months old while my husband slept on the futon. The 2nd bedroom (with the unexplained septic smell), is about 5ft by 6ft.  Sounds small, but it was actually our daughter's 1st bedroom of her own because when she was born we all shared a bedroom in our tiny apartment in Brooklyn.  Our kids are only 3 and 5 now, but looking at this picture reminds me of their baby-hood.

This pic shows the  kitchen.  Notice the pictures glued to the cabinets.  The lake is about 50 feet out those front windows. 

I'd say it Buddy is 80% ready to be torn down, and, despite the slight nostalgia,  I am in a hurry to do it...to mark the "real" start of this project.  But, Andy (always pragmatic), says we should wait until April and Buddy can live out his last winter months as storage.  Fine, though I admit I have dreams of driving up there with a sledge hammer.

And finally ....because I like to plan things out, here-goes:

• Jan-March = PLANNING
• Clean out Buddy
• Get a land survey
• Determine the "footprint" and location of said footprint.
• Finalize floor plan and questions like "do we put on a garage while we are at it"
• Get quotes for the foundation work (at this point, we think this is one part of the project that we will not do ourselves, but we shall see once we find out how much it costs).
• Start obsessing about 2nd hand kitchen cabinets, doors, fixtures, wood burning stove, lumber, etc. 
• March = Permits
• Well and Septic permits (first)
• Building permits (second)
• April = Tear Down and Land Work
• Tear Down Buddy - first week of April (Andy's spring break)
• Decide if we have to get rid of any trees (note-- there are about 5 HUGE cottonwood trees on the property.  I mean 2-people-can't-wrap-our-arms-around-huge)
• May = Break Ground and Foundation
• June = Put up the shell of the house
• Thinking of having a "barn raising" party
• 4th of July - Goal date to have the cabin "weathered in"
• July-TBD - Interior work
• Some time next spring = New Well and Septic
• Next June = Project Completion
• Next July = Secure new, more reasonable mortgage and spend a week lakeside on my hammock with a cocktail in my hand

So, please feel free to hold us to this schedule.  A plan written down is about 60xs more likely to actually happen than one that isn't.  Which is another reason for this blog...to hold ourselves accountable to our plan, and to make our plan public so it is harder to decide it is okay to fail.


Thanks for reading.  Any advice is welcome.
Sarah