To be fair, in that year we literally knocked the cabin down and had it rebuilt. We didn’t even have a structure to start the “actual” renovation until July. So, while we’ve owned the property for a year, the house is technically only seven months old.
When you’re living in a construction zone and working during every spare second of free time, it can be hard to recognize your progress. But today, I’m celebrating a major win: the first floor is 90% drywalled, and our bedroom is sitting at a solid 75%. That might not sound like a “reveal” to some, but after where we started? It feels like a miracle.
⛺ The “Indoor Camping” Phase
Flashback to seven months ago: It was miserably hot. We were working 12-hour days and were preparing to sleep in the cabin for the very first time.
- The Excitement: As we headed out, we wrapped an antique bedframe in sheets to deliver it to its new home (it had been stored in our basement for over 10 years). We even bought a brand-new box spring and mattress for a “good night’s sleep.”
- The Heat: It was a brutal, humid weekend. We knew we wouldn’t be able to recover in a stifling cabin, so we bought a portable AC unit thinking it would be versatile. Pro tip: “Portable” is a loose term. It still needs a stable vent through a window and, as we quickly learned, a place to drain.
- The Power: Since we had no electricity yet, we borrowed a neighbor’s generator.
- The Water: We also had no running water. If you want to know how that worked, be sure to read the blog post about our bucket toilet.
We ended up with a power cord snaking through a crack in the sliding glass door and a drainage hose running across the bedroom floor. Since we only had open studs, the cold air just… vanished.
Enter the staple gun. We took those old sheets we’d used as furniture padding and stapled them directly to the studs. We stood there in the dark, sweating, but slightly cooler.
🛏️The Mattress on the Floor
The “restful” finish to our first night was… not quite there. As the sun went down and the stores closed, we tried to put the bed together under candlelight and the glow of Mike’s headlamp. That’s when we realized we didn’t have the slats to hold the mattress. Everything just fell through to the floor.
So, we did what any exhausted DIYer would do: we shoved the bed frame to one side and threw the mattress directly on the cement floor. If you laid at just the right angle, you could feel a faint, lukewarm breeze from the generator-powered AC. It was the best—and worst—sleep of my life.
How It’s Going: The 75% Victory
Fast forward to February 2026. The sheet walls are gone!
We finally have 75% of the drywall up in the bedroom, and I’ve even started painting. And there is drywall on the outter wall of the bedroom so I was able to ceremoniously pull off the sheet wall we slapped up on that hot first night. Tearing down those stapled rags felt like a true victory.
We aren’t at the “Pinterest-perfect” stage yet. There are still sections of studs peeking through and the ceiling still has exposed beams. But standing in a room with actual painted walls—walls that provide privacy and don’t require a staple gun to stay up—feels like the ultimate cabin anniversary gift.
Progress isn’t always a finished room with a styled rug and a vase of flowers. Sometimes, progress is just finally moving the mattress off the floor.
Next week I’ll reveal the current state of the bedroom in Part 2.
If you want a glimpse into our first night in the cabin, view my short video below:
Have you ever had a “vision” for a project that ended up looking more like a campsite? Tell me your DIY stories in the comments!
