Fantastic News !

Got a letter today telling me that they're finished putting on the siding and the house is as finished as it's going to get by the builders. YAY!!!!! Can't wait' till we can get up and see it. As soon as we do , I'll get pictures posted.

Nothing much but weather to report

Checked online today , and the high up at the lake is 19. brrrrrrrr. I sure do wish I could get up there though. I can only imagine how pretty it is and how fun to Christmas shop up there. Someday :)

Cold up at the Cabin

Nothing much to report today really. I did however take a look at the weather up north and wow it looks chilly. 32 and feels like 24. Brrrrrr . Can't help smiling and imagining how beautiful it is. I wonder if there's any snow and if the lakes have frozen yet. Anybody know ? Love to have a comment and report.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just want to wish anyone reading this blog a Happy Thanksgiving. I can't help but imagine future holidays spent at the Lakehouse. Just the thought has me smiling right now even. Anyhow, be safe out there tomorrow shopping :)

I want to go back !

I just took a look at the weather up in Minnesota. It's in the 20s . Brrrrrrr. Even knowing how cold it is, I still miss it and wish I could get back up there. Guessing it'll be next year before I can again. Hoping to hear soon from Bob the Builder and get an update on the place. I'll post any info as soon as I get any .

Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, gosh the choices

Well, today my brothers inlaws all arrived. My brother lives right by me and so it's really fun. They come down from New York every year for about a week. Anyhow, they already had me over and had me bring pics of the lakehouse to show. Right away they started asking me how we're going to heat and cool it and when will we get the plumbing in ? - I had no answers. lol I do know that the first thing we'll have to do is get the house wired. When we'll get started on that, I have no idea. My parents had thier cabins for years and years without any electricity or indoor plumbing, I hope it doesn't take us that long. haha, oh well. It's still the most beautiful place in the world and we love it just as it is. I would however absolutely love any advice on heating and cooling options. Ideas anyone?

Porch Railings and Steps

I added a picture today to show the porch railings. It was anouther happy surprise to find so much done. Also, one of the last changes I made to the house plan was to move the steps from the side of the porch to the center. I'm so glad that we did that. Isn't it pretty ?! :)

Progress in November

Well I posted a few pictures today. As you can see, all the windows are in now, and the half log siding has been started. I was so happy to see it all comming together. I'll add more pictures tomorrow to show how they've come along with the porch. Big smiles!

Siding started , Windows in

Well I'm home. The trip was fantastic. I was happily surprised to see that the windows I'd ordered were already in. Also they got started on the half log siding. It looks so pretty. I'll be posting pictures on here tomorrow or the next day. Got to see some snow. It was so cold the first night. Stayed in my parents cabin and brrrrrrrrrrr! It was fun though. I'd go back tomorrow if I could.

Snow, Travelling, yay!

Well we're taking off in the morning. Can't wait to see the place again. I hope Bob the builder has put in the extra windows or done something since the last time I was up. It's going to be coldddddddd brrrrrrrrr. I'm still looking forward to it. Anyhow, I'll post more asap.

Moving more furniture for the Cabin

Well today was fun. I went with my brother and nephew and picked up the sofa and chests of drawers. I'm closing in on time to head up north and getting more and more excited. Everyone seems to think we should be taking all the furniture up this trip. I disagree. I think this trip should be just more for fun and to see the place. As cold as it'll be I doubt that doing much work would even be an option. Anyhow, got a lot done today and feelin pretty good about it :)

Furniture, Promises, Coincidence , and Laughs

Well, I'd promised my husband that I'd tell everyone to slow down or stop on finding more furniture for me. I have the garage full and 2 beds in my basement and he's not all that happy about the prospect of moving it all 800 miles. So just as soon as I promised not to do it anymore, My Uncle called me and told me he has a sofa, 2 chests of drawers, and a coffee table for me. It's all free! How could I say no ?! haha Such is life and it's so cool that people want to help. It'll all work out I'm sure and I'll get help getting it all up there. Funny stuff. I still wish I'd get some response about Half Log Siding. The more I've just looked online the more scared I get. There's so many different kinds! HELP!

Knotty Pine interior walls

I'm looking for any advice on installing knotty pine interior walls. I am leaning towards the pine for the livingroom/kitchen and loft. Also I'll need any tips I can get on installing drywall. If anyone has any advice I'd sure like to hear from you. Also need to consider insullation. Cost IS an issue and we're looking to save anyway we can. Ideas Anyone?

Siding Options

Last night we talked about our options on either having Bob the builder do our siding or asking him to only do the ends of the house where there are such high peaks. We know relatively nothing about it , so , if anyone has any comments on how hard or easy it is to put on half log siding I'd appreciate it. My dad brought over two beds yesterday for me to take up to the house. My husband is totally unhappy about the prospect of hauling these beds about 800 miles. I'm doing my best to keep my chin up about it all. I will say there is a deffinate level of stress involved when you're building a house and it's starting to get to me. Hoping for a break soon.

Half Log Siding

I was talking with a friend today that mentioned she'd heard of some problems people have with half log siding. Now, this is what we'd planned all along to use. So, if anyone knows any more about it I'd sure like to hear . I love the look of the half logs. It makes the house look like a log house without all the problems of logs. ( or at least that's what I thought ) Anyhow , it's just something I'm thinking about now. Bob the builder doesn't plan to add the siding till spring , so I'd like to learn anything I can about it asap. Still excited about the trip. Won't be long now . Already getting out some warm things to take.

Happy Halloween

Just took a look at the weather forcast for the next 10 days up in Minnesota. Looks like it'll be in the 30s if we're lucky. Being between two lakes, if it says it's 30, it feels like 20. BRRRRRRRR! Guess I'll just have to pack plenty of warm things. We had so many trick or treaters tonight that we actually ran out of candy. I don't think that's ever happened before. Anyhow , still just looking forward to the trip. I'd hoped to get more comments and ideas on here before leaving, it's still not too late! Love to hear from anyone reading the blog. Right now I'm trying to decide on what all to try and take up with me this trip. I'm just going in a van so space is there but limited. Anyhow, Happy Halloween :)

Fishing, Swimming, Riding Motorcycles and Golfcarts

I was just thinking that I really haven't said much about all the things I love to do when up at the Lakes. My parents have two cabins up there that I spent every summer of my life in. So, as you can imagine, tons of my best memories are from summers in those beautiful little cabins. When we were young, we didn't have anything up there like we do now. No electricity, no running water, no bathrooms * an outhouse, so it was truely primitive. It's only been in the last few years that my parents got electricity and bathrooms. Still and all the place really hasn't changed much. Everyone that goes there spends their time swimming and fishing, water skiing, jetskiing, riding every imaginable thing with wheels, telling stories , playing cards, and eating really too good. When I'm there in the summer, I spend a lot of time floating on the lake, swimming, fishing every night. Now that we've built this house, they'll be plenty more than play for us to do when we're there. But , being out in the middle of the woods, right inbetween two lakes, even work is pretty much a pleasure. I'm getting more and more excited about leaving next week. I leave wed night the 7th . It's going to be cold though, brrrrrrr!!!! and hey everybody, Leave Comments! don't be shy!! I really do hope to get ideas from people on here :)

Septic

Let's talk about septic systems. I don't have a lot to say here , except that I have experienced having a tank that has to be pumped out often. My parents cabins sit on such a small piece of land between two lakes that they had no option but to get tanks that had to be pumped. Since having the system installed the price of pumping has gone up every single year. I knew I wouldn't want to deal with that in my house. In fact, just the thought of dealing with a big truck trying to get to the house and the cost and so on , made me cringe. Thank goodness we were able to get a drain field . Up north and being so close to the lakes , there was a question that we'd be able to but, we were lucky. All I can say is that if you are building and there is any way to getting around tanks that have to be pumped out, get around it.

Finding a Builder

Something I really didn't go into was how we found our builder. After reading a few blogs one thing that stuck for me was to ask around. Simple as that sounds, it's probably the best advice anyone could take to heart. If you're just getting started on planning a vacation home or planning to build any home, talk to people. Find out who builds what in the area. Take drives and go out yourself and look at each builders work. Is your time frame an issue? If it is, that's anouther thing you should discuss right away with each builder. For me time just wasn't an issue and as it turned out, everythings gone ahead of projected schedule. But do talk to people, the more the better. Personally I had to find out my options on septic systems, how to get electricity to the sight, and legal setbacks from the lake before anything got started. I did find that just by asking local residents , everyone was happy to talk about both good and bad experiences with builders. So ask! information is your best friend when getting started on a building project. You'll find out quickly that each builder has a reputation that they either stand or fall on.

Blueprints and Plans - more thoughts

Just a few more thoughts on blueprints and plans for anyone just getting started. One thing I noticed right away about Bob the builder was his willingness to use the plan and also to vary from it. From the start he asked if there were any changes we'd want to make and suggested a few. My thoughts on this are that if you find a plan you like, and a competant builder, your builder should also be able to modify your plans to suite you even more specifically. So, don't be afraid to ask questions and if you really trust your builder, ask him for his advice.

Blueprints and how the Floor Plan was decided on

This is backing up a bit but I was talking with a friend who wanted to know where I found the blueprint for the house. It wasn't easy. You'd think with all the access on the interenet that finding a floor plan you could use and enjoy would be easy. I found endless isles of partial plans and places that wanted you to pay for plans . Finally I stumbled upon Menards websight. I knew what I wanted the minute I saw it. Mind you , If you went and looked at the picture of the house on thier sight, it wouldn't look much like my house will when finished. But, the floor plan was just what i wanted and it had the long covered front porch too. The biggest change I made was the exterior. Menards shows thiers with plain siding. I opted for a frame house with Half Log siding. I also more or less spun the floor plan around because we wanted certain views from certain rooms. Anyhow I'm rambling, but, my point I guess was that with patience and persistance , you can find free plans just by looking on the internet. It worked for me :)

Getting ready for the next trip up north

Well, I'm starting to get nervous. My 17 year old son doesn't want to go with us on this trip because of hockey and his girlfriend and friends and school . Gotta love teenagers. Anyhow, I'm not sure what to do about either leaving him at home alone or making him stay with my parents but I'm sure that'll all work itself out. As for the trip, I'm not as sure. The piece of furniture I bought is so big that only a rented truck will do to get it up there. I also have beds to move and so on but I'm afraid to take it all up already when there's still so much work to be done. It's going to be chilly , that's for sure. I'm excited as much as anything just to get up and see it again. I'm going to use this week to try and pack up my van and make sure everything's all set. I'll take plenty of pictures and post new ones when I get back :) Oh, and I bought a tonnnnn of candy for the trick or treaters this week , hope we get bunches!

Free and Cheap are my Two Favorite Words now

Laughing, but it's true. Here it is saturday and what have I done so far today ? I went to an estate sale and bought a huge knotty pine entertainment center for the Lakehouse. It's a really neat piece of furniture and I got it for 40 dollars. Whatta deal . Only thing is , I had to call a friend to bring his truck over to get it for me, and now I'm sitting here hoping there's someone still there at the sale when we go to pick it up. My husband is absolutely thrilled that I'm already buying and storing large pieces of furniture when I dont even have walls up yet < NOT haha!! But hey, when you run across really good deals,,,,, * ok i say this too much . I forgot to mention that my Dad already found 2 bedsets for me . Again it was a deal. It sure is going to be fun figuring out how to get all this stuff up north. I'm loving it, I really am. Oh and hey,, this is a blog - that means i'd love for you to leave comments, smiles

Suggestions Anyone ?

As I said we only had the shell erected. The house is not yet insulated. We dont have any plans yet for heating and cooling. The plumbing is only roughed in . The walls are only framed in. We have no flooring down yet or lighting . We have electricity run up to near the house but the house is not yet wired. And now I could surely use some interesting ideas or suggestions from anyone that has any . :)

First Impressions

The first look was just pure happiness. It was Exactley as I'd hoped. The size was perfect. They'd set it just right on the building spot. I couldn't have been more happy. Going inside for the firsttime, the open kitchen/living room area seemed huged. The tall cieling adds so much to the whole place and I'm so glad we went ahead and got the loft. I did know immediately that I'd made one mistake. Our building plans only called for one window on the wall opposite the loft. It's so hard to imagine everything from drawings and floor plans but as soon as I saw it I couldn't believe none of us hand picked up on it beforehand. It was obvious that wall needed at least three more windows. I didn't even hesitate in having Bob the builder order them. It'll be an extra great surprise if when we get up there in November they are already in . Other than the windows I feel like we did a great job in choosing floor plans and I just love the whole feel of the place.

Breaking Ground - Shell up in Record Time

I took a trip up in April this year (2007) with my Dad and my Brother. Hired a local guy to clear the building spot and build a driveway into it. Made anouther two trips up in July and August and met up with a local builder that a friend had recommended. Signed the papers and by the 2nd week of August they were breaking ground to put in the septic . I'd asked Bob the builder when he thought that the house might be finished and he said his best guess was January. I was fine with that and completely excited as I knew that we were only going to get a shell erected and I'm planning on this being an extended project. Now the funny part. My Dad and Brother took anouther trip up in October to close up the cabins for the year and hoping to see the basement of the house finished and covered. As soon as they got there they were stunned to see that the house was nearly completed already. They phoned me immediately and I could feel thier excitement through the phone lines. i made plans as fast as I could and got up there and the few pictures on the page show what i saw when I got there. I'm planning to take anouther trip up Nov 7 and my husband will get to see the house . I'm expecting a lot of smiles! and, Whatta Dream! :)

How this got started

Well , I'm a lucky girl. My dad bought some very unique property up in Northern Minnesota when he was young and over the years put up a couple cabins that my family has enjoyed ever since. As the family grew , it became clear that we'd outgrow those two little cabins. My Mom and Dad had the foresight to go ahead and lot out the land they owned and give each of my brothers and sisters and myself our own lot. Thanks Mom and Dad! As far as I'm concerned it's not only the most beautiful place in the world, it's Home. I've had many homes in my 43 years and well, those two little cabins, between two lakes, they've always pretty much stayed the same. We've had some minor changes, or major depending on how you look at it, but all in all they feel the same as they did when I was a little girl. Anyhow, Now that the land is ours, I couldnt' wait to get started and build my own little dream house. I wanted my parents to be a part of it and see it and luckily , that's happening :) . It's going to be a work in progress for some while so I'm hoping to get lots of input and ideas from everybody and hope you all enjoy watching it come to be. My Minnesota Lake House.