Tag Archives: cabin

replacing a window in the cabin

08 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by in cabin living, DIY, eco-living, restore

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

IMG_8156

On September 20, 2015, we installed a new window in one of the bedrooms of the cabin. The old window was put in by the previous owners and it wasn’t a very good one. The panes didn’t fit together properly and it let in a lot of cold air in the winter.

IMG_8144

Pictured above is the old window. Brian sourced a new window on Kijiji (he is amazing at finding things on that site) and bought it. It was brand new and beautiful in its wooden frame. We stored it until Brian was ready to install it. As it was larger than the old window Brian and his dad, Dale, cut a larger hole in the cedar logs. (Dale is outside standing in the loader bucket of his backhoe.)

IMG_8153IMG_8152

Once the hole was measured and cut, Dale and Brian brought the window over in the backhoe and installed it. They were quick and efficient as they had installed windows many times before. Chayton stayed in the room the entire time despite the cold and performed the important task of handing tools to daddy and grandpa. He was very interested in the whole process.

IMG_8150

IMG_8156IMG_8158

The backhoe made the job a lot easier as it provided a platform to stand on and did all of the heavy lifting.

This new window has really added to the quality of our lives: it is more attractive both inside and out, it is larger so we can now view the chicken coop from up there, and the bedroom is a lot warmer now in winter.

IMG_9150

This project was a small step (among many) that we have been taking over the years toward maintaining the cabin and making it more energy efficient.

IMG_8499

and finally… the reading deck

16 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in cabin living, restore

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


The final piece of the whole deck restoration puzzle is the reading deck. This space is located just outside of the dining room windows/door and it is a favorite spot to sit in the cool of the early mornings with a steaming mug of tea, facing east to watch the rising sun.  In spring and fall, you can also see the glistening blue lake through the trees.  As this part of the deck gets full sun from morning to mid-afternoon, it is the perfect spot to curl up with a good book (one of my favorite activities) during the cooler months. It is also a covered deck so Lucy and I sit out here during storms to enjoy the thunder and rain.

Here is a ‘before’ shot from inside of the cabin, taken last winter.

And here is the staining in progress. What a difference the darker stain makes, adding a crisp contrast to the rest of the cabin.
I also scrubbed and sealed the deck floor and stained all of the window frames with the same dark stain.

The fun part was setting up the reading space. I did not buy anything new here but do plan on adding more pots of flowers for next year. This is a great time to buy pots as they are usually on sale this time of year.

Here is another ‘after’ shot of the reading deck taken from inside the cabin.

I also stained the entire front stairs. Here is a peek at the ‘before’ shot:

And ‘after’, looking so much cleaner and well-cared for.

Here is a ‘before’ shot of the entire front of the cabin: before staining the rails, stairs and window frames; before scrubbing and sealing the deck floor; before building the trellis on the patio (left) and covering up the open space with more trellis; before fixing the railing at the Zen deck and rearranging the stones near the patio. It doesn’t look too bad but the deck rails and stairs were very faded and didn’t stand out very much.
Here are a few shots of how the cabin looks today. I am so pleased at how much better it looks!

My second summer has passed spent lovingly and patiently restoring the cabin. I thought this project would take a week at the most but with the spontaneous additions, repairs and rainy weather it ended up taking the entire summer! I am so grateful to B for his help and expertise!

Next year, I plan on sealing the concrete with a warm color, adding many more pots of flowers and planting a few more trees and shrubs in the front yard. I would also like to paint the green door and metal window frame a deep cranberry red.

Until then, this deck looks a whole lot better now. Not only does it adds some curb appeal and makes the cabin looked well-cared for, but the deck is now better protected from the weather. I look forward to many more projects and spending the days ahead here at cabinorganic!

the joys and challenges of log cabin interior design

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in cabin living

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Ask anyone who lives, or has lived in, a log cabin and they will all tell you you the same thing… ‘It is very dark inside.’ Especially during our Alberta winters when we get precious little daylight. Unless you are lucky enough to have entire walls of windows, the wooden interior seems to absorb all of the light, leaving any interior designer with the same challenge: how can we bring more light in here?

The same is true for Lucy and I here at cabinorganic. We live in a pan-abode cedar cabin. This means that the entire cabin is made from cedar that has been milled into 3″x6″ double tongue and groove timbers. (Note: other homes may be made from 4″x6″ timbers.)  All of the walls and ceilings (except for the semi-finished basement) is cedar. Even the flooring in the living room is wood and comes from timber that was, in another life, a grain elevator in Oyan, Alberta (an agricultural center near the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan) and now has been remilled and repurposed into flooring.

As you can see from the photos, I addressed the problem of the dark interior in three ways: First, I used large mirrors throughout the cabin to reflect incoming light back into the room. I choose a mirror with a heavy dark frame for contrast so that it would clearly stand out. Here in the living room, the mirror is directly under one of three skylights.

Second, I used a series of bright lamps around the seating area to create pools of ambient lighting or to further brighten the room when the ceiling lights are on. (To be honest, I rarely use the ceiling lights.)

Third, I used bright vibrant color in the painting as well as the drapery and accessories to inject life into the room and reflect light. (Note: I painted the painting myself. It is a copy of Daphne Odjig’s ‘Denizens of the Forest’.) You could also decorate with light airy colors (white, cream, etc.) to reflect light but I love color and love to be surrounded by vibrant dramatic color schemes. I installed black drapery hardware for contrast and hung bright red drapes. These create an almost theatrical background to the black baby grand piano. A high quality silk palm plant (barely enough light for real plants in here) in the corner adds life and a touch of cheerful green.

Note the stone fireplace. All of the stones including the large mantle and base pieces (and so many more stones outside on the property) were gathered by the gentleman who built this cabin. (I am meeting him for the first time next Thursday! I am so excited!) I have an art project in mind for the mantle that I hope to work on this winter. I’ll let you know when it is done. The fireplace is extremely well-built and throws a lot of heat. If you look closely you will see botanical fossils in some of the key stones:

The cushions also add a fun splash of color to the dark leather sofa and compliments the cozy knitted throw that I wrap around me when reading in the evenings.

Here is the ceiling fan that my dad and sister installed while they were visiting a few weeks ago. The previous outdated fan was brass with the same color wood as the ceiling. The new darker ceiling fan is fresh and classy, and it really stands out from the ceiling instead of blending into it:

Around the cabin you will find stones, feathers, bits of driftwood, fossils, pine cones and other natural items collected from my many travels and walks in nature.

Here’s a ‘before’ shot, before the mirror was hung. You can see one of the skylights:

The joys of living in a pan-abode cedar cabin far outweigh the challenges. Even just that earthy smell of cedar whenever I come home after being away all day wraps around me and reminds me that I am home.  Yes, it still feels dark in the living room at times, but it is a ‘cozy, curl-up-in-front-of-the-fire’ kind of darkness. If all else fails, I simply light a bunch of candles and immediately the cabin living room feels warm, welcoming and inviting…

Stay tuned for more interior design posts here at cabinorganic! I have many projects on the go and as the weather cools down I will be spending more time indoors working on interior renovations and projects.

After the Storm: Sending You Some Sunshine

26 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by in cabin living

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Did anyone else (in central Alberta) enjoy last night’s storm? The thunder started around 10 pm with a low rumbling and was still quite a distance away. By midnight, the storm had completely engulfed us, wrapping the cabin in a continuous clashing of thunder, flashes of lightening and heavy sheets of rain beating down on the tin roof. I tried so hard to stay awake and enjoy it. I have always loved storms, the more dramatic the better. As a child, I used to try and record thunder with my little tape recorder at my bedroom window. I would also try to be outside somewhere (safe) to better hear the thunder and feel the wind and sudden temperature changes. I still do this. The best times are when I am gardening outside and am able to watch (and feel) the storm approach from a distance. I never go in unless it starts pouring or hailing or the lightening is close. Then will I go in, but only to grab a quilt and a steaming mug of tea and then I am back outside, this time on the front deck porch where I can just sit and be with the storm. I am glad that Lucy is comfortable with storms. She joins me outside, sprawls out near my chair and falls into a deep sleep.

I met a woman recently and she became an instant friend. All she had to say to me was, ‘When a storm blows in around here, that’s when you go to the edge of the lake and open up your arms and let the power of the storm sweep over you…” I loved her immediately.

What is it about storms that some people (like myself) love? For me, I think it is the shake up. The sudden chaos of whirling, tearing wind, ear piercing claps of thunder, dangerous legs of lightening seeking a tall place to discharge electrical energy.

The storm came up out of the southwest like a fiend, stalking its prey on legs of lightening.

I like the thrill of not being in control but still feeling relatively safe. Of having a front row seat to a spectacular natural event. And then there is the peace afterward, when everything is drenched and thoroughly cleansed and quiet again.

The storm has passed and it was a good one. The rain and the grey still lingers though. So, I thought that while my bread rises I might brighten up your day with a collection of pictures taken within the last few weeks that have the color of sunshine in them. Enjoy and I will be back later with a slice of home-baked whole wheat bread for you.