Solo off grid A-frame, Start to Finish

so you've always wanted to build your very own cabin let's go on in you know could act as a little table me too and this was going to be my very first solo build part of this build my cafe cushions i wanted to start with a place that was simple but yet a place i could make my own just small enough for me and just fill it with all my favorite things i have a record player in here chandelier i wanted a little magical getaway my own little spot in the wilderness to just sit back and enjoy take it all in and it wasn't easy in this video you're going to see what it took start to finish to build this cabin over the course of 23 days while camping in a tent i had to clear a trail to my river site and it was only accessible by atv it's totally off grid on a big piece of wilderness in the upper peninsula of michigan to say it challenged me is an understatement i just don't know what i'm doing really but the harder something is the more i seem to enjoy it these deer flies are driving me insane and it's not so much skill as it's just grit and stubbornness there she is the long-awaited finished project so grab a snack and come work with me eat with me sit around the fire with me [Music] with me and dream about how you could build your own cabin sometimes all you need is the inspiration to put those shoes on and get started cannot wait to sit here and not work and i'm gonna go fishing it's gonna be amazing [Music] this property had old trails cut in it long long long time ago hasn't been used in 20 years but there is no trail to the river and the river is where i want my cabin first off i'm opening up the trail for the truck to get as far as i can then i'll concentrate on the atv trail it became real apparent when i couldn't get any farther it was getting really tight for the truck as far as i can go and it is crazy bad with the horse flies look at this i can finally unload [Music] next it was time to open up a trail with my chainsaw so i could get my atv to the build site [Music] i am six hours in i'm almost to my cabin spot very little left to go but my saw needs attention and so do i i had to change clothes it is getting pretty warm out finished cutting in the trail and we'll be there to start the foundation i've been running chainsaws for over two decades and feel very comfortable working alone i have a wide variety of safety gear with me including a big first aid kit bear spray and an emergency satellite communication device cutting in this trail i was trying to find the path of least resistance but also i had to consider the length of the material i'd be bringing in taking bumps and going around curves with long construction materials was going to be challenging so i had to think ahead after two days of cutting trail when i finally made it to my site it was a moment to be celebrated it's a good feeling you want to see this is going to be where i build this nice shady spot really got a nice overlook here drops right off of the river so once that's cut down a bit be able to see the river really good paint saw i'm using is a steel ms-250 it's my favorite saw because it's light but yet can handle heavy duty cutting if needed let's go build a cabin huh yeah on days it wasn't too hot i loved bringing my dog maisie along del wolf that's a pretty heavy load so that was a good test what it's going to be like oh look at daisy checking out the river that's so nice for the puppy i just really want to see this river while i work that's why i'm here i don't know what it is it gets taller every time i come here gotta go hear that there's nothing that is okay that doesn't suck my previous construction experience has consisted of a role more like a laborer i've helped my husband build many cabins log cabins in alaska and michigan regular stick frame cabins too but i was never put in the position where i had to make any decisions it was always just you know do this do that and i'm a really good worker so that works out it gave me the opportunity to learn how to use tools but again it was under direction this build was all me all my own decisions nobody to answer my questions i was winging it having a little difficulty transporting the 14 and 16 foot material on my atv where's my toad almost step time and it's starting to rain i build this thing so getting material to the site was a constant source of adventure and frustration [Music] i really enjoy being physical so i'd be lying if i said i didn't enjoy it let's get these floor joists in [Applause] so i've done a little redneck engineering here because turns out i was short two boards it's a three hour round trip to go get any lumber to fix this so i would deal with it later i can't tell you how much i looked forward to this every night with all the material i had to handle this three quarter inch plywood was the worst it's just so heavy and awkward not insulating or anything with this project it's just gonna be just gonna be a little summer cabin okay so i've realized i've made a couple of pretty big mistakes i should have just tacked down a couple corners of this plywood and check square because now i'm off i actually do need another floor joist to hit the landing where the other piece of plywood goes so i cannot complete the floor today i'm gonna get all my wood here on my decking material call it a day that's how it is it's how it goes stuff you know you win and you lose and you learn see this one was kind of hairy i've put too much in it it weighed more than the atv that'll flip me over coming down a big hill all right that's it for day five very short day but it's way too hot to work anyway here i am ripping out my mistake and making way for a new floor joist i also wanted to add some more supports to the floor seemed a little spongy to me and this worked out good finally got it square too i've got this thing square i'm ready to nail off the flooring [Applause] spacing in the decking boards i just eyeballed it oh this these are my last two screws and the deck and the floor is done oh it is so so hot i'm ready to be done for the day i'm just dripping in sweat deck is done yes oh it's gotta be i don't know 85 or something stupid it's it's not good for working oh that is cold and wonderful take your breath away holy cow that's cold yeah baby that did it that that was amazing forgot to take out my weasels their toast be a really nice color it's gonna look good in the cabin so [Music] foreign [Applause] raising these a-frame ends it was a definite disadvantage to be alone i really need my hands and i really need this drill oh no my drill's dead ah crap no not good timing [Music] okay i need a hammer i need a board don't fall don't fall no no oh no ah [Music] um oh my goodness dudes ow ow i'm done i'm done for today i need to give up slipping out here for seven hours bought out of water i'm out of steam i'll do this tomorrow [Applause] the cabin i'm building is an a-frame with an expandable wall a designed by deke diedrichson the plans are available for about 30 bucks and a lot of people have built this cabin in their own style i use the term plans loosely it's more like a drawing you gotta figure everything out i just need a taller ladder i need to bring an eight footer out here so [Music] the logistics of the location of my bill i would loosely estimate added probably an extra week onto the progress it's gonna be another hot day hi buddy buddy the absolute coolest thing about this cabin and the reason i chose it is because it has an expanding wall a wall that lifts up and that's what i'm building now okay let's win this cabin was one angle cut after another here i'm putting in the bolt that's going to allow that wall to swing up pretty important part of this build tighten that up when i get a wrench that fits oh she's heavy it's going to be so neat to sit here oh awesome since i wasn't insulating all the wood was going to be exposed i took care of that before it went up i was finally to the stage to start building the end walls again more weird cuts i really had no idea how to make perpendicular two by fours mate together on an angle and this is the best i came up with now i'll be able to put a piece across right there but fits really nicely all right so i just made the opening for the window i just want to see if i like it there i got it a few years ago um just second hand so free window but yeah basically right here i'm gonna go ahead with that this really feels like real progress but got a gap that's weird but you know trim trim covers a lot of misfits with the end wall finally built i could move on to the siding it was tongue and groove pine and it was going to be visible both inside and out to put it up i used a pancake air compressor with a brad nailer when i'm done for the day i go back to base camp and get water for a bath and fresh water for drinking i'm ready to get cleaned up and chill out beauty beauty look at that i'm gonna set up my shower outdoor shower absolutely amazing look at that let's flip this guy oh yes all right i think we're good to go look at that oh dear lord thank you so much for this day my strength to build this cabin this beautiful land this beautiful day another day to be alive thank you for this steak this this amazing life you've given me jesus name amen i'm gonna give you the first bite here you go open up steak and garlic mushrooms that is so good another odd load here bought this door for 10 bucks needs to be painted but yeah 10 bucks can't beat that [Applause] [Music] so there is the finished well i gotta trim the window but that sidewall is done i gotta fix my other box there right there looks good like it [Applause] i'm just going to lay it out here i can figure out my overlap screws i'm using here have a rubber washer that seal so no moisture will leak through i need to trim out my bottom so i can lift up this wall so lots more work to do but it's coming together i'm going to take my jigsaw here on an angle and zip off this top edge so this can lift up without catching the gap in the decking is to allow water to run straight off the roof and onto the ground okay this is the moment of truth so heavy definitely got to figure this out here we go okay that is on and good nice not to be dying of heat [Music] [Applause] yes looks good we got the uh the studs and the door in did you guys see who's with me it's daisy girl she had emergency surgery careful three weeks ago for pyometra which is like an infected uterus so she had to have emergency surgery that saved her life probably and this is her first trip and it's nice and cool weather and we're out adventuring together she's she's back to being herself and i'm just so happy so wonderful to have her here she's been my bear dog and my guard my buddy she's helping [Applause] so before i put the siding on i forgot i've got some copper flashing that i'm gonna put here i'm worried about backsplash coming in from the deck going back in on the floor got it nailed in and then when i get my floor in i'm going to put a piece there but i have to put my inside flooring in first but i'm just going to set the board in here and see how it does once i get the tongue and groove on here it'll cover cover the edge and you'll be good to go i have a lot of bears on the trail cam leading to this cabin so you never know what she's barking at [Music] [Music] i do it like that because i've got to hold the guard open on the skill saw and it takes two hands i also need to hold the board in place without the guard open the skill saw binds up on those angle cuts you need to be a little bit flexy [Applause] this piece so glad to be done there you go little buddy seal the deal i can finally move on to roofing now it wiggles a little still but when i put the dimensional material on everything will will get rigid oh no i gotta flip it over somehow this is so precarious ouch okay okay i did it that's gonna be the hardest one oh no that's my painted side oh oh there's no good way to do that is there dang it [Music] okay nope oh yeah oh yes steak and mushrooms and potatoes and sour cream salt and pepper oh my goodness i'm a happy girl oh thank you cows for tasting so good here you go baby here's yours good girl sleepy baby i got my little buddy heater going goodnight daisy hi baby who got my sock hi oh no i don't want your butt all right get out of the way morning here's my sock give me this beautiful day to put a roof on a cabin that feels so good it's a good girl job maze it's gonna look so nice now we're good to go are you snoring we gotta go get the rest of the roof metal that's gonna be fun isn't it no it's not i'm going to lose the layer this is a super long load you know i can't let it get buggered up at all this is going to let me go out and get it to site [Laughter] these beans are completely just a nightmare of a load all right here we go i'm gonna lose this load here on this next bump [Music] i knew this was gonna be bad this load is gonna be bad three more good news is i didn't build a giant place with more roof panels let's see if i can get that atv now had to stop a few times but uh it made it i didn't have to carry it when the work is done it'll be awesome [Applause] that side is done i think i might take a break and do a little painting oh oh no my pencil just went through the cracks of the deck oh you're kidding me ugh oh man oh it's just out of reach ow ow ow i don't even see it oh no stick what did i do with it [Laughter] this piece of roofing is orange on the outside because i painted it to go on the inside but i put it in and didn't like it i'd paint the inside yellow to match the rest later this is the strip of rubber roofing that's going to span the gap between the hard edge roof and the expanding wall that goes up this side of the roof was an absolute debacle and if you want to learn why you're going to have to watch a future video where i explained what happened this sucker's down i'm not getting up on the roof anymore here is that uh rubber roofing that spans the gap between the movable wall and the solid wall so you can see how that's going to do right now look at that let me see where that once you open it up it's all flexi and in here it's good to go covers that gap nicely this is 12 inch pine boards and i already finished it at home so it's like ready to ready to go i just cut this one to size it's gonna be gorgeous [Applause] that is coming together [Applause] kind of feel like i'm building my coffin [Applause] ah here comes the rain i'm literally just gonna eyeball this okay here it is lid all right i've got a bed and a couch and it's raining shutting me down i'm gonna throw this door back on even though i'm not ready to it was a second coat of paint for that door and about the third time i'd hung it i was getting to be a pro by that point perfect look at what's in your bowl all right so what i'm doing here is adding some flashing on the bottom of the door so in case there's any splash back it won't uh go back up into my floor thought it would show a little bit more than it does so i got copper but the front will be copper and it'll look good there wasn't enough space to nail up that front so i had to wedge it the best i could to get it flat wedging it don't have any nails in the front part of it it's just bent so yeah that turned out good i'm gonna leave it just like that for my bed i just bought a three inch memory foam topper for a twin bed and i'm just cutting it to size with my knife [Applause] for the shelf i was using live edge ash that my brother-in-law had cut on my husband's sawmill hi baby good morning give me kisses thank you [Music] we'll put a couple screws just to keep it secure that's uh that's the shelf here i am engineering a sort of lift system to get this swing wall up with a pulley so it'd be a lot easier to deal with gets to be about this time of night macy's like mom we gotta go it's getting late it's about six o'clock we've been here all day she's like hey it's time to go back to base camp and get a fire relax i know let me just let me just get this one in and then we'll go with this lift system that i hope works out okay that's a wrap i gotta get the dog out of here get some food get some ciao look at these colors oh it's just amazing taking a load back with me today feels pretty good there's a good girl fire and food you're home i'm so clean and happy yay i do believe this will be the last load that has to go down to the cabin everything else tools and everything will be coming out this is it daisy [Music] i really had no idea how to put these posts together other than using log screws and lag bolts this end is going to be for my swing hi what are you doing goober hey she's probably thinking like it's time to go mom we're not leaving yet i'm putting the fire like this bohemia back's already screaming for mercy hope i brought enough rocks it's a little low over here so i'm just going to mulch it up just to bring the level up and then i'll cover it with pea gravel [Applause] oh that looked nice [Applause] it'll do it [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] that's pretty cool spot to use that so this thing is pretty much done i still have to do a couple little things to the awning to get it to work but uh holy cow it's looking so good so here is the inside completely finished check it out there's the bed i have a little writing desk door got a chandelier that's so cool got a lot of my favorite artists from alaska stuff that i've bought from them and yeah just makes me happy so the bed turned out good and look at this i have a record player in here yes i have a couple of little um portable batteries under here that'll power my lights and will be charged by solar but here is my kitchen setup just really super basic keep it really really really simple that is definitely what i wanted i've got i've got some lights up here so at night light this place up with solar battery power and it'd be good to go all kinds of little touches in here stuff that i like rocks from lake superior books i love this bell on the door this rock i found in lake superior it had a hole in it and i stuck a couple of feathers i think this riding desk is going to be great floor really shines in here oh yeah i played a record the other day it was so cool got water i've got plans to put in a well so we'll get to that too just fun little things the lid of the bed lifts up so i can store a ton of stuff including an extra cot if i have a friend in here i can get sleep two people i think you've seen it with this down close door [Music] when i have the door open it just kind of slides over here against the wall lots and lots of light just is really it's just really nice and cozy so that's that's the finished cabin guys it's done next stop is camping in it all right so this place is done but i would be lying if i said i wasn't really bummed out about this swinging door that i worked so hard on and it still doesn't work as i'd hoped it's just not tall enough i did not make this tall enough i don't know what else to do about this does make it much easier to uh open it open it up and then once that once i get it this high that's when i come in here with my two posts raise it up but you know i didn't want these posts in my view and now i've got four now i've got four bummed about the engineering disaster that that was all me it's all me it's just not tall enough and even with the goofy goat rope situation i have and that looks terrible too um it's not enough so i don't know i i make i've got to come up with something else oh no i'm done i need a break and i want to show you this look at this i'm loading up the atv in the trailer i'm taking stuff out today it's amazing what a feeling so this is the first time i'm gonna sit in this hammock not just to try it out but because everything's done oh we did it baby we built the cabin it's not perfect but it's pretty great we did it all ourselves good girl you were a good helper [Music] guys thanks for watching hope you enjoyed this video see you in the next one for my first overnight squirrel in the woods she gone oh don't forget to get outside and get happy

Channel: Girl in the Woods

Views: 3,903,973

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Id: ax9dXlFLd1o

Length: 46min 27sec (2787 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 26 2021