Day 11

All cinched up with walls and tar paper.

Day 10

After finishing the first floor walls, the second floor walls went up twice as fast due to the shorter walls, less windows, and experience.

Tools

Building this cabin required many expensive tools, but craigslist made it possible.  Every tool used in this project was bought second hand or harbor freight (might as well be second hand) and saved me some serious $.  There were many more tools used, but these were the essential time savers.  It just goes to show that it is possible to get the job done with a tight budget if you take the time to find good deals.

Day 9

We started the day by cutting nogins to space the 2nd floor  joists evenly and add strength to the floor.  Figuring out how to cut the stair stringer had us scratching our heads, until a brief youtube video enlightened us.  All I have to say is that a carpenter's square is an essential tool.  We cut the stringer out of 2x12 lumber, and made the steps out of 2x10's.  It was an amazing feeling to walk up to the second floor.  At this point we sheathed the floor with 3/4" plywood and called it a day.  It's actually starting to look like something.

Day 8

As usual, it was more time consuming to get the 2x10x16 2nd floor joists into place and nailed than previously thought.  Luckily this transpired in a straightforward manner.  There was no shifty business.  Rain was forecasted again so we went ahead and put tar paper on, and tarped the exposed joists to prevent water infiltration and mold growth. 

Day 7

Rain has plagued our progress throughout, but gave way to sun for a productive day.  We experimented with sheathing the wall on the floor by just nailing the plywood to the top of the wall, raising it, and nailing it when level with the floor.  The other method was using a carpenter's square to ensure 90 degree angles at each wall corner, and nailing the plywood fully while still on the floor.  This was the preferred technique.  Getting up on the ladder to nail the walls was a mighty pain in the derriere.

Day 6

After butting heads on how to assemble the stud walls and screwing up, we had to take apart the first wall and start from scratch.  Lesson learned.  After that it was onward and upward.  We weren't quite sure how we were going to hold the walls up, but a couple 2x4's cut at 45 degrees nailed into the floor and a wall stud held the walls up just fine.

Day 5

Sub-floor

Day 4

Floor Frame Finished

I will remember fondly how hard we worked nailing the initial square together, and the joy of seeing our work materialize.  Then I will remember attempting to lay the first joist.  AND....it doesn't fit.  Max and I looked at each other in an epic WTF moment.  It turns out that 2x8x16 is not 2x8x16 at all.  It is 1.5"x7.25"x16' 1.75" or something close...  So we took apart our square and realized that every board would have to be measured and cut to size.  This tedious fact was met with frustration and dismay, but like driving by a pig farm, you just have to endure the smell until you get used to the stink.

Day 3

Floor Frame

We worked into the night.  It was recklessly apparent that our ambitions were greater than our human capabilities.  The time it takes to move lumber, install shims to make it level with the ground, hold it in place and nail it together is longer than perceived.  At this point we realize it is important to set zealous goals , but that things are remarkably easier said than done.

We used 2x8x16 pressure treated lumber for the floor frame.

Day 2

Foundation

It was apparent that this project needed the help of another, my brother Max.  In exchange for a free flight to beautiful North Carolina, a priceless life experience, and a wash of delicious foods and beers he agreed to help out.  Since the biggest thing I personally ever built was the small metal shed in the picture, it would be quite an undertaking to do this cabin alone.  His being there not only made things enjoyable, but vastly more efficient.  Also equally we could be a pain in each other's ass at times, but reconciliation was quick at hand.  Brotherly love, some say, is the sweetest kind. 

For the foundation we used half reclaimed cement blocks from a demolition site, and half from good old Lowe's.  The 4x4 treated runners were implemented to strengthen the floor.  This also gives us the option to move the building if ever we decide.

                                                                      

Day 1

Digging

Although this doesn't look like much, it was back breaking and took a full day's work.  The soil is hard clay and is laden with rocks.  The biggest rock that we came across was about 350 lbs and it was a bitch and a half to wrestle out of there.  Kimberly, my wife, also assisted in a couple loads of clay.   Tools used: sweat, determination, shovel, pick axe.  And so the project begins.