Build sequence · 2025–2027
Building our home in northern woods
When we first bought the land about five years ago, we had a lot of different ideas. We knew that we liked camping, we’d grown up with that in our lives. We knew that we liked the woods and we had a lot of ideas from our own life experiences and plenty of YouTube.
We knew that we wanted a place to be able to call home in the middle of the forest, but we didn’t know when we would build this nor did we know what it would look like.
After years of prep work, we’re hitting the ground running. We’re building our cabin and we’re getting it ready to live in full time. This page is going to talk about what we’re building and how we got here.
Timeline
2025
Ideation
The cabin really started over the years. I've got a doc with a lot of inspiration shots in it. But learnings dictated simplicity, and those ideas culminated throughout 2025 into a plan to build.
January–May 2026
Planning and Permits
We took idea into a building plan. Working with the local Home Hardware we had engineered plans drawn up and submitted to the municipality for approval.
May 2026
Clearing Trees
We cleared out trees that blocked the build and any that would lean towards the house when finished, ensuring a safe spot to begin building.
June–August 2026
Foundation
Footings meet the Canadian Shield. It took a lot longer to dig out, clean up, and pour concrete than we anticipated. But now? We've got a foundation worthy of a skyscraper.
August–October 2026
Framing
Floors and walls rise one section at a time while windows and doors seal it up. We're hoping to get this weather in ASAP before winter starts to settle in.
October 2026–March 2027
Winter Break
We're going to take a break after winterizing the build. This will give us time to work on other endeavours when the depths of the Canadian winter takes hold. We'll start back up when the grass peaks out and the winds start to warm.
2027
Interior Finishes
Lastly, we'll slowly plug away at the kitchen, bathroom, flooring, trim, electrical, plumbing, and insulation.
Our vision
- This is a tentative plan we’ve been working on over the years. Much of it is already in place, some is in progress. The gardening areas, fruit trees, and cellar are yet to come.
- The cabin sits off the main driveway, where desire paths have been carved into our roads.
- We have two big pines that aren’t in our way. We’ve decided to keep them, and will monitor their health to ensure they don’t pose any risk to our buildings.
- The implements attach to our tractor and RTV. They include a bush hog for clearing brush, a box blade for flattening, plows, and snow blowers.
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