Front Deck

I tried to get the front deck finished before the snow set in.  Close, but not quite.  Looks good, though. One of my friends found a little surprise nearby, and now he has a nice new trophy on his wall.

Hearth - Final Chapter (almost)

I now have a functioning hearth and wood stove.  Other than some flagstones and capstones to install, this is my hearth and stove.  Glad to have this (mostly) complete.  Having a heat source feels like an important milestone--like I've crossed over from construction project to useable cabin.  It felt similar to when I used the functioning toilet for the first time ;).  I've fired up the stove a couple of times and it heats the cabin very nicely.  With the height of my ceiling, it takes awhile for the first floor to feel the warmth, but a couple of fans to circulate the air should fix that.

  

Nearby Scenery

There are some amazing sites within 45 miles of the cabin. Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, and this little-known canyon (Kolob).  This site is within 15 miles (as the crow flies) of the cabin. Simply amazing. California Condors patrol this area frequently because it is remote and full of sheep.

The Grand Canyon is only a couple hours away. 

Cedar Breaks.

 

Hearth - Part III

Slowly but surely. 

Hearth - Part II

A wood-burning stove will be my cabin's primary heat source.  To have a stove, I need to have a hearth to protect my log walls and provide a visual centerpoint for my Great Room.  Hopefully these pictures show the step-by-step process of my hearth construction.

Need a Hearth to Have Heat - Part I

Finally - Inside Work Begins

A little first floor framing and a lonely toilet.  The wife wouldn't come stay for the July 4th weekend without a working toilet, so I had to make it happen.  I guess that's not so unreasonable.