Log Cabin on a Budget- Ep 10- Walls, Windows & Door-frames

[Music] this video series is not meant to be instructional it is however an invitation to view my journey as I strive to build a log cabin on a budget working with sharp tools felling trees building log cabins etc is inherently dangerous work which is why they should not be attempted without the proper training safety precautions and full knowledge of the associated risks enjoy sincerely the outsider although it seemed winner had passed in a blink we kept ourselves busy during that time scouting this one that's one for sure and that's we're off the path yeah well the one in there the way in there yeah that far one harvesting and retrieving several poplar logs from various parts of the forest we will eventually process the pulper logs into floorboards and roofing planks for the cabin but now that it was spring we were once again able to turn our attention back to the cabin itself [Music] you [Music] [Music] things were looking good the joists had stayed level during the spring thaw which was a great relief to me now that I knew the joists didn't need any adjusting I secured them in place using 10-inch RDoc snails it was an exciting moment to load the first wall log onto the cabin base I decided to mill the first course of logs flat on the inside edge so that I can eventually place the floor flush against them that's pretty good [Music] the recommended height for keeping a cabin off the ground to prevent bugs and rot is at least 18 inches well the low side of my cabin is 21 inches while the high side is 36 inches I figure the extra height will only add to the cabins longevity my goal has been to build something that not only I can enjoy but so that the following generations can enjoy it as well the first logs were easy enough to load by hand since we didn't have to lift them very high however we knew things were going to get increasingly harder as the cabin rose higher with each course some of the wall logs we would eventually need to hoist onto the cabin wait at least 500 pounds apiece I was glad that I could rely on the strength of my tractor to help us with those heavier ones [Music] now she is okay okay okay put it down you're taking blink now I can go a bit more [Music] [Music] while I was gathering some logs I came across a common creature in my neck of the woods at least do you see it yet it's there all right you're looking at a rough - gross as you can see these birds are experts in the art of camouflage their feathers are designed to blend in perfectly with their surroundings the clutch of grouse eggs is just another beautiful reminder that life has returned to the forest Spring has officially arrived and don't worry the mother hen returned to her nest soon afterward a month later the eggs hatched and the chicks emerged safely into the world I know this because I caught glimpses of them afterward rough grouse usually let their young fend for themselves once they leave the nest I find it hard to imagine how something so small and fragile can survive in this environment but yet they do hopefully most of them anyway I was quite glad that nest was near our build site in a forest that is regularly patrolled by coyotes and coywolves the safest place the mother hen and chicks could be was near us [Music] [Music] although I was eager to continue working on the cabin I still needed more logs and now is the time to fail them the cabin would just have to wait a little longer [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the tractor always had some trouble starting for me but it was getting worse the problem was that the rain gear was damaged which made it difficult for the starter gear to engage it as well the electrical system was beginning to fail and needed a thorough going-over I knew the problem needed to be fixed but I hope the tractor would hold on until the end of the summer [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] my tractor was out of commission and it couldn't have broken down at a worse time it could be repaired but repairs take time especially out here while I waited for the parts the tractor sat which meant the cabin did too and just like that the summer the most important time for building began to pass me by [Music] although I was incredibly disheartened by the temporary loss of my tractor I was determined not to give up although I no longer had the tractors help in moving the heavy logs I figured there still had to be a way that I could continue my work without it it was time to rethink things when I constructed a previous log cabin I built the walls up first and cut the windows and doors out afterward I was thinking of doing the same thing with my current cabin the benefit of this method is that I wouldn't have to worry about the placement of the windows and doors and ultimately the cabin layout until the walls were up it also meant that I wouldn't need to worry about the window and door sizing up until the moment I was ready to put them in however this time I decided it was far better to purchase the windows beforehand so that I would know their size and therefore could begin work on making the frames for them this was obviously something that I could do without the tractor another added benefit of putting the frames in first and building logs around them is that I could now work with shorter more manageable sections of logs my dad and I would now be able to muscle most of the logs on our own further liberating us from our dependency upon the tractor although I didn't see it as a positive at the time I believe the tractor breakdown was probably one of the best things that could have happened for the build it forced me to find a better way for that I'm grateful [Laughter] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] we constructed the doorframes first for safety reasons we decided to install two doors in the cabin one in the front and the other in the back as the summer drew to a close we worked many days in the rain if we had a free day to work on the cabin we didn't want to waste it on account of not wanting to get wet so we worked despite the elements [Music] [Music] [Music] I built all the frames with a slope on the bottom edge to allow rainwater to drain away from the cabin [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] that's pretty good it felt good to have the first door frame installed another milestone achieved [Music] I tried to tilt it down a bit war goes this way watch this okay that's good okay come on okay it's on okay [Music] [Music] [Music] now that the frames had been built we couldn't wait any longer we decided that with or without the tractor we were going to start moving the logs onto the cabin base for now it was going to have to be without powered by Armstrong as my dad would say we muscled the logs as carefully as we could to avoid injury [Applause] okay maybe a bit more [Music] there's pointing so it sticks sometimes [Music] [Music] [Music] good it feels pretty good does well we finally got the tractor fixed and we put it to work right away it was nice having our old 2-ton friend back with us [Music] for the logs that were butted up against the frames we placed a block underneath to keep them relatively level [Music] we then put a nail into the end of each log through the frames we also nailed them down at the corners the summer gave way to autumn and before we knew it even the autumn began to relent even while the remaining colorful leaves still clung to the trees short-lived signs of winter occasionally blanketed the ground if I couldn't have the walls up in time before winter arrived I at least wanted to have all the frames in place by then [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] yep much better [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] as challenging as things have been this summer I'm happy with where we are if our desire was strictly to have a log cabin I would probably be quite disappointed with our progress but my dad and I draw just as much satisfaction from the journey as we will from the end result [Music] to us the cabin is more than the sum of its parts it's the manifestation of our journey our legacy that being said we are more determined than ever to see this cabin through to completion by next winter our plan is to have the walls completed and at the very least the roof structure in place [Music] for John we shall well here we are another episode complete I am happy where we are although I would have liked to have been a little further along in the process but going off of all of the setbacks that we head this summer especially with the tractor breaking down I think this is the best we could have done especially considering that we can only work on this log cabin on Saturdays so it's not like we're out here 40 hours a week 60 hours a week we are out here one day a week at the most and so I think we've made very good progress also considering that it does take some time to travel into this location and out of this location so part of the day is actually just spent traveling to and from the cabin site but what is really exciting to see is that we can now stand within the cabin walls or or at least the beginnings of them we can look around and we can see though the windows and the doors where they are going to be and it really gives substance to the cabin and so now we can begin to imagine what the rooms are going to be like the floor plan is beginning to take shape and so that is really great to see if there's one thing I want you to understand from watching us work it's that building this log cabin is truly a labor of love for us we're not in it to do it quickly we're in it to do it properly we're in it for the journey and so it is as much a labor of love as it is a love of labour and I think that's what it comes down to if you want to build your own log cabin you have to love to get in there and do the work I know I speak for both my dad and myself when I say that we love every step of the journey as far as building this cabin is concerned from going out and selecting the proper trees harvesting them to milling them on the sawmill to hauling the rocks in with the tractor shaping the notches with our chain saws just we love every single aspect of it and so I know there's a lot of people out there that they really would love a log cabin of their own but they really don't want to do the work that just doesn't interest them which is fine but if you learn anything from this series it's that if you want to build your own log cabin it is a lot cheaper than it is to pay someone to build it for you but you're gonna have to be willing to do the work and I think the only way that you can survive a project like this is to love doing the work not just to see the work as a means to an end but truly to see the work as the journey anyway that's it for now I appreciate all of you following along with us and watching our journey we really do appreciate it so thank you so much

Channel: The Outsider

Views: 2,062,821

Rating: 4.810483 out of 5

Keywords: outsidefun1, The Outsider, logging, log cabin, cabin, dick proenneke, alone in the wilderness, homesteading, off grid, tiny home, camping, bug out, survival location, winter

Id: ED-KoneHmv8

Length: 60min 57sec (3657 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 10 2018