Looks great, man!

Very nice!

I like it a lot. It's about 50 yards from the lake and maybe 75 from a small beach and long dock. Compared to the log castles your brother makes, it's a joke, but I built it on the cheap and it did turn out nice for what we need.

The first night staying, I saw 4 baby coons swimming and took the girls down and they got a look from 2-3' away, and a photo or two.

I figure I've only got a few years before they turn into teens and hate me, so I'm going to try to do right by them until then. Camping is something that I remember from when I was a kid, moreso than about any other weekend activity.

We're lucky....it's about 5 miles from home, very few other people even use the place so it's basically like having it to ourselves, in addition to a few friends that also use it.


I tore the tin off of an old barn, chopped the pine logs with an ax, and got a big ass pile of 12' pine tongue and groove for $.50/board. Those are the highlights. The only thing I really hosed up was the sliding door, can't get the damn thing square. The deck is 2nd hand lumber that looks pretty good once chemical and powerwashed, but I still need to stain/seal it. I'm thinking of adding a tin "cowboy porch" to sit under and drink beer in the rain too. Have a few tinker things to finish, like the door to complete the under-loft storage, but all minor stuff left.

I like the DIY simplicity of it as well as the fact that you used a lot of repurposed materials. That, in itself, is a great aesthetic. Your kids will build some lasting memories there, that's for sure.

Cool! You got any shots from the outside?

Wow, you actually built that? That's damn impressive. You make me feel like a wuss. I wouldn't even know where to start on a project like that.

I've got a shot or two of the outside somewhere.
It's not anything impressive outside, it's just a 12x16 stick built shed basically, wood grain sheeting painted gray with shingles and a 16x16 deck.

I had some help from my brothers and a friend or two, and believe me it's not a bob villa project.

I've since done some additional "child proofing" of the deck and it's 1yr old tight now.

Here is the reason I did it.

It's not the difficult man. I had guidance and help from others with more talent, and those summers working construction in college and the woodshop classes pay off on stuff like this.

The walls are just 8" tongue and groove pine car siding. It's pretty much idiot proof, the trim is just 1x4 or 1x6 pine. I did a pine wood vault over the loft, but the rest is just barn tin on the bottom of the trusses.


If I had it to do over again, I'd have found 12' tin so I wouldn't have all of the splices...that was a pain in the ass. I'd also have more plug-ins with at least 1 up by the loft for phone charger and whatnot.

The cabinet inside was actually something we did for my company that I used as a demo table at trade shows, but it was too perfect to not use for storage. Storage space is at a premium inside a small cabin.

Iowanian has heard that before I am sure~ ;)

Awesome pic!

I'm getting ready to start a hardwood floor with my brother(hickory).

It's not a square room and includes some zigs-zags. I'd appreciate any advice on how to start, resources or tips-tricks so I don't help him F this up.

eHow.com is an excellent resource for home improvements. I found this link for you... http://www.ehow.com/how_5203841_trim...od-floors.html

Hope that helps. :thumb:

Measure twice, cut once

Heh. Find a pro to do it. I don't personally do our hardwood projects - not when a pro can do it in 1/4 of the time, do a better job, and costs me about the same in the long run.

String? You mean line right?