While we have done a lot over the summer with those pesky punch list items, there still is plenty to wrap up on the cabin. Some great progress has been made along the way. So, what are the latest updates?

Landscaping

Landscaping and grading has been done throughout the driveway and yard. New driveway gravel has been laid down, french drains installed, and everything graded to keep water away from the cabin. We also took the opportunity to add a gate to the driveway and narrow the driveway quite a bit too. Since we aren’t running a bait shop, we don’t need the wide parking spaces anymore. Turned out very well and we even have fresh grass growing in some areas. Also am close to the fire pit being completed in the backyard, using Duck Creek bricks from the original masonry chimney that we removed to create our hallway.

Fire pit created with Duck Creek bricks from the original masonry chimney

We also had Healy’s America’s Best Tree Service out for round #2 of tree trimming and cutting. They do a great job. There were a few dead pines that needed to be removed as a fall in the wrong direction would have been a bad thing.

Final landscaping and grading completed in the back yard area.

Over the July 4th holiday when we were all up, we did find that our porch ceiling had a few bat friends. So, the ceiling was torn out, the bats found a new home (on their own) and we were able to seal things up. We also took the opportunity to re-insulate the porch ceiling, add a nice green metal ceiling to the porch and stain and seal the previously unfinished logs in the porch as well.

Stained and sealed logs in porch.

The garage doors got new coats of dark green paint that matched up with the Andersen window green color. The previous paint let too much of the white door finish bleed through and were too teal, so we needed to get the right finish on them before winter.

Fresh “Andersen Green” paint for the garage doors

One of the coolest things we did was to find the original craftsman who created our carved door. Jeff Ayers who happens to live in Land O Lakes created the door about 20 years ago. That door has been removed and given back to Jeff for a complete refinish for another 20 years of life. Hope to have the “after” pictures soon!

Carved door before its refinish

And last for now, we installed our new ice dam prevention system from EdgeMelt Systems in Nashotah, WI. This system is a combination of aluminum plates, valley plates, and heating cables to allow us to keep our gutters, valleys, and the bottom edge of the roof clear and open, even with the snow we get in the northwoods. Our electrician is getting the final wiring completed soon. Then, that system will automatically kick in when temps are between 20-35 degrees and there is snow on the roof. Below that, and there isn’t a danger for things melting/re-freezing and above that, things naturally are melting.

EdgeMelt System installed. You can see the shine of the plates along the bottom edge of the roof and in the valley as well.

Still plenty of touch up items to do in the weeks and months to come so we can enjoy the winter in the Northwoods. As I always say, “we are close”, but of course, that is probably always going to be the case.