We’re so close on this project completion I can taste it, and man oh man with the whirlwind of highs and lows this cabin build has experienced I cannot wait to be able to hand this over to my client and have him enjoy the peace and tranquility of the mountains for the rest of the summer.
Building the dream of a cabin refuge in the middle of nowhere started over 1.5 years ago. Actually, scratch that, it started two years ago with the idea of renovating the existing cabin on the lot.
And once we got pricing back on the revamp and renovations needed to bring that cabin into the 21st century, we quickly realized it wasn’t worth the cost and started on the new vision.
A Scandinavian modular cabin just up the way from the original footprint. My client found the modular cabin system that fit his dream vision and engaged Back Country Hut Company, and so the design process began.
I’ll share my thoughts on modular building systems and working with Back Country Hut in a post later on, but for now, I will say, the earlier you engage your support teams like Interior Design and Mechanical the better. It will save you a lot of heartaches and last-minute coordination later down the road.
Like all projects we started with design and layout and finessing all the final details. The design package was wrapped up and ready for construction in February 2021, and in April construction started on the structural slab. Construction kicked off in full force and by July we were fully framed with all electrical, plumbing and mechanical requirements run in the walls despite the hiccups we encountered with the modular system components, availability of trades and willingness to travel to the site
And then we hit some rough patches…. Supply chain issues on products set us back. Hard. With delays on tile, wood wall cladding, plumbing, and lighting fixtures, and delays in the manufacturing of critical pieces like our cabinets and stair treads, and railings, the project hit a bit of a stalemate. We continued to trudge along and complete items as products became available and by October had cabinets installed 🙌🙌
Man Covid sucked something fierce on this project. Everyone knows that the construction industry got hit hard with Covid shutdowns in warehouses that we are still trying to recoup from, but this project truly felt it. It was a daily occurrence that I received an email that a product was now delayed, or out of stock. It was frustrating beyond belief! I often felt like I was scrambling trying to find something that would work and fit in the space that was available NOW, not tomorrow, but now. Sometimes I succeeded. Most of the time, not.
By end of October, the weather took a turn, and being up on the mountain you could feel it. Snow was coming. With a logging access road as the only way on and off the mountain, we had no choice but to shut her down and wait it out. It was devastating because all that was left to complete was the countertops and installing the plumbing fixtures that were just waiting there to go in……
With the weird spring the Okanagan experienced this year, the project kicked back up later than anticipated and didn’t’ go into full force until May. Slowly but surely things started to happen.
Our long-awaited doors were installed (don’t get me started on this one. I have never in my life had doors take over a year to arrive once ordered)
Countertops went it 🤗
The Interior railing was fixed and the oak tread to the exterior deck installed
Exterior cable railing installed
Dekton raised exterior deck floor was laid. And man that’s a beaut.
Interior fans were installed.
Appliances were dropped on-site and the panel cabinetry doors installed
And yet we are still facing challenges. Coordination of trades to site has been an ongoing struggle and one of the reasons why despite countertops being complete, and the bathrooms ready to go since October last year, I still don’t’ have plumbing fixtures installed 😑
It’s all coming together and the final list is slowly being chipped away. As soon as those freaking plumbing fixtures are installed and cabinetry deficiencies fixed we can get the space thoroughly cleaned and then the magic begins.
I’m currently aiming for the end of July to the beginning of August for when I get to go in and set up all the furniture, and bedrooms and make the space livable. I’ll be sure to share those final images and my styling process when that next phase of the journey begins.