Little Cabin in the Woods

Are you ready for your first look at Mountain Man's cabin?

This month, he's been working on clearing the massive amount of underbrush and weeds that have grown up along the driveway and around the actual house.  He wants to get all that cleared out to make it easier to haul supplies and whatnot back and forth.

I wanted to chronicle this myself, but thankfully unfortunately, Mountain Man started this project without me.  The kind of work this will require is not my favorite or even something I know much about, but I've committed myself to helping him with this.  He's been anxious to get started, but hopefully I'll be there to take some photos myself next time and you'll get to see the inside too.

So without further ado, some before and after shots Mountain Man took of the grounds with his cell phone and emailed to me.

This photo is actually the second gate on the property.  Mountain Man's dad currently owns the several acres that the cabin sits on, and the front of the property has a fair sized barn which houses some of their hogs.  Once you cross this gate, you still have to go a little way to get to the cabin.

I almost can't tell this next photo was taken in the same place!  It looks so much better.  I think this time I could walk it in my flip-flops and capris and not be mauled by briers.  Mountain Man even piggy-backed me over some poison ivy during my first trip out!

Here, a tree fell across the path.  I thought I remembered this being cleared when Mountain Man first showed me the cabin, so this could be something else he had to clear and took a photo of.  See why I wanted to be there?

It's hard to tell, but I believe this is the same area after he cleared out the part of the tree that was in the path and went through it with a bush hog.  It's practically unrecognizable!

And, finally, what we've all been waiting for, the Little Cabin!  It's not much to look at now, but Mountain Man has big plans for it.  

You can almost picture a front yard in this next photo! 

Let me tell you what he wants to do with it.  Mountain Man wants to add on to the left of the building.  A kitchen will be in the front, and it will probably be rather large as we're both avid amateur chefs.  Towards the back of the cabin, sort of behind the kitchen from this point-of-view, will be the dining area (I'm lobbying for French doors, but Mountain Man says they don't seal well).  Then, a little further to the left will be a bathroom and laundry area, and possibly behind that an extra room that could be my sewing room.  The Man knows the way to my heart, I'm telling you.

The existing cabin contains a small-ish living area, a small room right off the entrance that Mountain Man plans to use as an office area, and a loft bedroom.  There's also a back porch that you can't see in these photos, which he wants to connect to the front by creating a wrap-around porch around the addition he's planning.  He's also got some ideas about adding a garden area, a patio area for grilling and whatnot in the back, a carport, a storage shed, and lots of other things.  He's been ruminating on this a long time, and I'm afraid I'm a little late to the party, so I don't know how much influence I'll have over the final results.  

I suppose I shouldn't have said it's not much too look at.  It may be little, but Mountain Man and his dad are some very skilled builders and it's a solid little cabin.  I'm really looking forward to working on it together!

I'll leave you with a close up.  Isn't it quaint?