Cabin Update: Siding Progress + a Curb Find

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Siding on Front of Cabin

I didn’t expect to have a cabin update so soon after telling you that we weren’t going to be able to do much work on the cabin this year, but here we are!

While the girls were at my parents for spring break last week, Aaron and I decided to sneak off to the cabin to work on some roof repairs and put out a fresh batch of tick tubes.

And we had a really productive trip. We managed to knock out both projects, and I even found time to weed my raised beds and clean up the bathhouse/shed.

We felt so good about the progress we’d made, that we ended up making a second trip to work on the siding – a project that we’d been stalled on for the past couple years.

When we bought our cabin four years ago, it had oak board and batten siding on the three finished sides, and the back of the cabin was wide open.

Cabin - Before

To refresh your memory, here’s how the front of the cabin looked.

Back Wall of Kitchen

And here’s how the back of the cabin looked. View more before photos here.

To replace the busted windows and rebuild the left side wall (it was moldy and water damaged), we had to remove a lot of the existing siding. Then, once we built a back wall, it needed to be sided, too.

We were able to reuse a lot of the siding we took down, but we had to buy some replacement boards and battens from a local saw mill, and it was pretty pricey.

Installing Cedar Shakes on Back of Cabin

To save money, we decided to use cedar shakes on the backside of the cabin.

Then, we found an Amish saw mill close to our cabin with great prices, and that got us the rest of the siding we needed to finish the job. We hauled all that lumber back to the cabin two spring breaks ago, and then it just sat there. Because life sped up, and we couldn’t seem to carve out the time to finish.

Until last week, that is.

Last week, we suddenly found ourselves with both the time and the motivation to finish.

Siding on Front of Cabin

It only took us about five hours to finish the siding on the front of the cabin …

Siding in Progress on Side of Cabin

and to get the last four boards nailed up on the side of the cabin.

Now, we just lack the battens on the side of the cabin and a couple rows of cedar shakes on the backside.

The previous owners didn’t nail the battens correctly, so we also have a handful of split battens that we want to replace.

Front of Cabin With Finished Board and Batten Siding

But even with those few remaining tasks, the exterior of the cabin already looks loads better.

Solid Wood Doors

Three Wood Doors

In other cabin-related news … we went on our first curb shopping trip of the season last night, and scored five more doors for my secret cabin project. So, it looks like we may just find ways to work on the cabin this year after all. Life is nothing, if not unpredictable.

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6 Comments

  1. I’m so happy y’all are working on the cabin again. These are my favorite posts! I’m living vicariously…..
    I have an old summer kitchen next to my 119 year old home that will be getting a makeover this summer. I hope to eventually purchase some getaway property and build a cabin. I so appreciate all the great ideas as well as your resourcefulness.

    1. Hey, Leslie. I promise to post an update on the interior of the cabin as soon as I have something new to report 🙂 We’re kind of in a holding pattern until we can afford to wire the cabin and replace the roof. I can’t wait until we’re able to tackle those projects because I’m itching to do all the finishing work. I have some fun things planned that I’m eager to share with you guys.

  2. It’s coming together a little more each time! Loving the progress and I too can’t wait for updated interior photos!

  3. Hi Erin,

    Your cabin posts are also some of my favorites too! I loved seeing the progress you have made. Your commitment and hard work are truly inspiring. It’s a shame we live in a world where people don’t value that or respect others. I’m sorry for the difficulties you have encountered along the way, but I know you will persevere and I will enjoy reading!

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