2 Teachers still learning & chasing their dream
When we first started peeling back the layers of our property a little over a year ago, we knew we were working on a piece of Clear Lake’s past. But as we tore out the paneling on the ceiling, and discovered hundreds of signatures written on the original wood sheathing, there was an immediate desire… Continue reading Our Cabin Sold For $1,350
One year of demo dust, sweat, and endless decisions. As we look at our new home standing here today, we are reflecting on the biggest lessons learned in cabin demo and build projects like this one. It’s easy to think a brand-new house means problem-free. Many assume that because it's new, there are zero mistakes,… Continue reading Lessons Learned in Cabin Demo and Build: Our 1-Year Demo-versary (Part 3)
I was scrolling back through my camera roll to see exactly where we were at this time last year. It turns out, Memorial Day weekend was the official kickoff to our hands-on DIY journey—and the moment I genuinely thought our marriage might not survive this renovation! Lol. (Spoiler alert: it did!) Before To save money,… Continue reading The Day I Knew Our Marriage Wouldn’t Survive the Cabin Renovation
Last week, we celebrated our one-year demolition anniversary by sharing our before and after floor plans — and all the reasons we made such dramatic changes to a cabin that was, in theory, just supposed to be a fixer upper. (If you missed Part 1, start there — it sets the scene for everything that… Continue reading Demo-versary Part 2: What We Salvaged Before the Wrecking Ball (And the Permit Chaos)
I was planning to talk about siding today - or to share the final bathroom update, but honestly? Mike & I are in the 'messy almost finished phase' of the bathroom reno. There are many final details such as not-so-great drywall that needs more mudding and sanding, details of custom built-ins, and bathroom “jewelry”. Instead… Continue reading The Bathroom Messy Middle: 3 Small Wins While the Mud Dries
If you were here last week, you know about the Valentine's Day drywall disaster, the bleeped-out video, and the infamous "Mike Maneuver." I would love to tell you that today we are officially out of the dust and fully into the "Pretty Phase," but let's be real. The drywall isn't completely sealed, the board and… Continue reading The ultimate DIY pivot: Why we ditched the wallpaper – twice(and a sneak peek of the pink paint!) 🌸
We thought we were crossing the finish line. It was right before Christmas. The cabin finally had heat and hot water. We were staying in it as we renovated (a messy choice, but the only way we could keep working). The bathroom was functional, and we were just working on the drywall and trim to… Continue reading The Nightmare Before Christmas: Why We Tore Out Our Brand New Shower
The Bucket Toilet That Saved the Day(s) We all love the glamour shots of power tools. The shiny red Milwaukee drills, the chop saws, the nail guns. Those are the tools that build the house. But what about the "tools" that keep you running while you build it? When we started this renovation, we weren't… Continue reading The Unsung Hero of Our DIY: The Bucket Toilet
Demolition is easy. Preservation is hard. We didn’t buy this former camp cabin with the intention of erasing its history. Once we decided we needed to knock down the house, it would have been faster to let everything go with the demo, but we felt a responsibility to the cabin—and to the earth. We removed… Continue reading The Soul of the Cabin (And why we didn’t paint the wall)
“We don’t lock the house,” the realtor said, “but if you get there before me, wait until I let you in.” That should have been our first sign to keep driving past that blue eyesore. Even after we toured the house and were taking a second look outside, a truck slowed down on the road.… Continue reading The 7 Red Flags We Ignored (And Why We’d Do It Again)