The Cabin - our biggest DIY project

Craig and I have owned our cabin since 1997. When we bought it it was partially finished. The sheet rocking was done, and the bathroom was done too. But there was no kitchen. And the cabin sat on posts, the underside exposed, which allowed little critters to get inside.
Over the years we've made quite a few changes and additions. It didn't always look like this.

First we finished the kitchen. (As you can see by the dishes in the drainer and the towel on the fridge, these rooms were not staged.)

We built a storage shed and a picnic house. We added decks to the cabin.

And then in 2004 we decided to put a basement under the cabin, and add a tuck under garage with a family room above it. (I'd had enough of the critters!) We had all the exterior work done by "professionals" and also hired an electrician and plumber.

But after they were done we decided to finish the interior ourselves. It's been a slow process, partly because we're trying to pay as we go, and because we don't have a lot of time to work on it. We don't want to spend every weekend working.

So last fall we hired a carpenter to finish our stairs.

Today I sit planning what our next project might be here at the cabin.

Craig and I do really enjoy working on it together. Read a little about that here.

It's funny, because when I am walking around the cabin, I see it as it's going to look when it's finished - not as it really is. Here's our partially finished family room. I see pine covered walls and ceiling, and carpeting on the floor.

Here's our partially finished bathroom. I see pine molding around the ceiling, walls that are painted, a beautiful mirror hanging above the vanity.

Sometimes I am impatient. I want to really see it finished, not just dream about it.

However, I have decided to enjoy the cabin now, to enjoy the process of finishing it. My husband says, "enjoy the train ride - not just getting to the station."

Thank you, God, for this cabin: this place of peace and beauty and dreams becoming reality.