We bought a camp!

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't actually know what to call it- a camp, a cottage, a cabin.... I'm not convinced any of those terms is any more or less accurate than any other.

But, getting past the nomenclature.....

Megan and I have purchased a place about two hours from our regular house, just outside of a place called Annapolis Royal.  It's basically the birthplace of Canada as a nation and is filled with history.  Feel free to look it up, I won't bore you with those details.

The details I will bore you with are these:

-We have about half an acre.
- There is a 20 x 36 foot house on it, which is in very sad shape and needs a lot of work to restore.
- There is a small shed that the previous owner filled with garbage and left so the bears could make an even bigger mess.
- There are only a dozen (or so) cabins on the lake, which is almost a kilometer and a half long, and it is a protected watershed, which means no petroleum powered boats.  We can use electric motors though.
- the place was abandoned about five years ago, and was bought as is.
- We paid about half of what a completed cottage with less privacy, less water frontage (we have three times as much as they do), and less privacy has sold for on the same lake

We spent most of last weekend there trying to clean the place out.  So far we have made two trips to the dump, and there will be many more before we are through.  Many, many more.   

The old fridge from the 50's had been left unplugged and with food in it for quite some time, and the food rotted so badly that it dripped out of the fridge and rotted the floor underneath.  That was my first task, and we were successful with that, although it wasn't easy and it was repugnant.

I still have to pull out a couch, a chair, a stove, a wood stove, an old floor model TV and some other furniture, all of which is going to the dump. 

This week I have a worker coming to level the camp- it's currently on piers and needs to be leveled so I can begin the work on the rest of it.

It's not currently inhabitable because various animals have lived in it over the years and it's probably a little toxic in there, but it's going to be a huge and exciting project.

With a little financial investment and a lot of sweat this place will be worth a lot more than we have paid for it, but we are hoping to have a place to enjoy, not a place to flip.  But, it's nice to know if we had to, if we found ourselves a bit stuck financially, we could liquidate it and come away much better!

Anyways, I'll tell you more about it later. We are spending the next few days in the area to work on it and I'll post some more photos!

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

And one more showing the lake from the air.  These aren't my drone shots, they are from the original listing.

I'll get some better ones for you!

Def

[nate j]

Congratulations!

I’m sure with a bit of work, it will be just awesome!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah it absolutely will.  It's in a great area with lots of history and a really cool general store where you can buy gasoline, meat, your morning coffee, a pack of twizzlers and a twelve gauge at the same time.

The camp itself has over three hundred feet of lake frontage and has some very cool rocks and woods to it.  It doesn't look like much from the air, but when you are walking around in it there's a lot of unused space.

I imagine there will be some very cool knife and tool pics taken here.   

Def

[Vidar]

Congrats!  Handy by a road as well?

If the cabin is in a real sad shape it might be worth considering just clearing everything above the poles. Restoring might end up costing more work and money for less result?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Actually, it is on a main road, so devices like power, water, snow clearing etc are all there.

And yes, I thought much the same thing and I told Megan that we would likely be replacing more than we are keeping .  She wants to retain as much of the original cabin as we can, so that's what we are going to try to do.

Def

[Antti Lammi]

Congratulations for your new camp, it looks awesome place even tho cabin needs bit work but i believe that you get it good as new.

[pfrsantos]

Congrats on the new property! Apparently, MTo isn't just about tool enabling, it's awlso about cabin enabling! Are you going to be following Syph's posts, so you guys end up with twin houses?

 

Is there any kind of propety line/barrier/fence? Doesn't look like it from the pics. How do you (and your neighbours) know where your plot starts/ends?

 

[gustophersmob]

Very nice! 

Looks like my kind of place. And a manageable size, too.

[SteveC]

     congrats Grant. That looks like a very nice spot. How's the fishing ?

Bonus that you are close to a road and have power and water.

[Barry Rowland]

Congratulations Def!  That looks beautiful!! 

[PitCarver]

Wow,
A big congratulatory from the sun belt.

Maybe the "Main Cabin Masters" could make a trip oúp north for you.

[BPRoberts]

Sounds like a great place. It'll be a bunch of leg work now, but definitely worth it by next summer.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Congrats on the new property! Apparently, MTo isn't just about tool enabling, it's awlso about cabin enabling! Are you going to be following Syph's posts, so you guys end up with twin houses?

 

Is there any kind of propety line/barrier/fence? Doesn't look like it from the pics. How do you (and your neighbours) know where your plot starts/ends?

 

There is no fence or anything yet, but you can see a pretty clear line of trees that marks the property line.  I will probably plant more trees between us because I firmly believe that good fences make good neighbors.

Def

[styx]

well congrats

[powernoodle]

It needs a name.  Something like Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.  Or Camp David.   

Maybe Camp Tranquility. 

[AzteCypher]

Congrats!  That's awesome!  Can't wait to see progress pics!

[WhichDawg]

It needs a name.  Something like Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.  Or Camp David.   

Maybe Camp Tranquility.

I was thinking “Camp Defender” 

[pfrsantos]

C'mon, guys! It's clearly Multitoolorgland.

 

[powernoodle]

I'm not sure if he wants "gland" in the name.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

    congrats Grant. That looks like a very nice spot. How's the fishing ?

Bonus that you are close to a road and have power and water.

I haven't tried it yet, but judging by the size of the leech we spotted in the water last week there must be some good sized fish in it.

Wow,
A big congratulatory from the sun belt.

Maybe the "Main Cabin Masters" could make a trip oúp north for you.

Megan and I have mentioned that quite frequently- we would have lots of room for Chase and the gang to pahk their cahs while they do the work!   

I'm off this week and we are staying at Megan's friends' place which is about an hour away from ours.  That is still pretty far from the cabin, but it's a lot closer than Halifax is. 

My first order of business yesterday was to cut dwn a long branch that was hanging over the driveway, threatening my fancy new trucklet and making it difficult for me to get the trailer near the shed.  It was important that I get the trailer as near the shed as possible because....

Megan bought a set of glass sliding doors on Marketplace for a song, but that was in Halifax.  Yesterday's goal was to get them all the way to the cabin intact, and to do so I had to build a frame on my trailer to hold it.  We ended up making it, but then there was the challenge of getting the heavy, fragile and awkward doors and frame off the trailer safely.  I figured it was just my luck to go to all that effort and come that far, only to break it when taking it off the trailer.

Fortunately the universe was with me this time and we managed to get it off and put aside without incident.

We also cleaned out the shed (mostly) where the previous owner had been storing garbage.  about ten contractor sized garbage bags and a box spring full of nut shells later we decided it was getting too hot to keep the paper hazmat suits on and we had to leave that off, at least for a while.  Oh yeah, and we also discovered there is power going to the shed, which was an unexpected bonus.  ur first hint that there was power was when we noticed an ancient clock radio that was plugged in and flashing the wrong time.  Minutes later I verified that the power was active when I backed into an exposed, live wire.   

The next step was to cut down a few trees that had grown up since the last time this place was occupied.  That was at least six years ago.  Needless to say, some were quite sizeable already, and I was amazed at how improved the view off the deck was without them.

But, we were under a heat warning and the day was well over thirty degrees so we packed it in and came back to Megan's friends' place.  I was covered in garbage juice, squirrel nuts, wood chips, blood, sweat and Lord knows what else, so I literally walked into the shower, fully dressed. 

Today's only goal was to get the wood stove out.  As the stove isn't certified (and the glass in the door is broken) it needed to come out and perhaps eventually be replaced by a new one.  It ended up putting up much less of a fight than I was expecting, so I got ambitious and also took out the giant old floor model TV.  Between those two things and the bags of garbage we had filled yesterday my trailer was pretty full and so we called it an early day again today- which was also over thirty degrees.

Before we left though, we pulled off an access panel that leads up t the attic and found the roof is actually better constructed than we thought (planks, versus the plywood or chip board we had expected to see) and in much better condition than we expected.  In fact, the roof was in perfect condition- there is a lot of moss growing on the shingles outside and so we had expected very bad things.

So far it's been a positive trip- we managed to achieve all of the big goals for this trip (so far) with only one big job left.  Add to that the roof that is in great condition and we are pretty successful.

We are headed back home on Thursday morning, so tomorrow will be our last day to do more work on this trip, and I have saved the biggest job for the end.

I have someone coming on Thursday to jack up the cabin until it is level (no point in repairing walls, flooring, windows, doors etc until the place is plumb) and to do that I have to remove the deck.

As the deck is something like 19 feet by ten feet, that's going to be a significant job.

But it's the only thing left on the To Do list for this trip.  I may try and take some more furniture out before starting that, as the deck is the only way in and out of the house, but removing the deck is going to be my priority.

It's proving to be a heck of a lot of work, but so far mostly it is hauling stuff to the dump!

I'll have some pics soon, I promise.  I haven't taken many, but I do have a few.

Def

[ThundahBeagle]

Congratulations on the camp, Def!

Sweat equity wins every time!  Places overlooked by some can be made into a little slice of heaven and who wouldn't like a cabin in a lake.  That's my dream.  Any place that's near a general store where I can get coffee, twizzlers, and shotgun shells ...this must be the place!

Couldn't tell if it's a log cabin but if it is, I have a good amount of advice.

Get some friends over for a work party with pizza and beer and its amazing what can happen

[Grant Lamontagne]

Unfortunately it is not a log cabin, it has board and baton siding, much of which has to be replaced.

Here are a few photos showing the doors I brought from the city, my chainsaw and the house/deck/view after clearing away a few trees.

More will have to go, but it's a start.  Also, I really hate cutting down beautiful trees just because they had the audacity to grow in the wrong place.

Also, for those wondering, this is a Worx Powershare Pole Saw with a 14" bar.  I figure any jobs that need a bigger chainsaw are probably jobs I should leave to a professional.

And it takes the same batteries as my lawn mower, whipper snappers, leaf blower etc.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Unfortunately it is not a log cabin, it has board and baton siding, much of which has to be replaced.

Here are a few photos showing the doors I brought from the city, my chainsaw and the house/deck/view after clearing away a few trees.

More will have to go, but it's a start.  Also, I really hate cutting down beautiful trees just because they had the audacity to grow in the wrong place.

Also, for those wondering, this is a Worx Powershare Pole Saw with a 14" bar.  I figure any jobs that need a bigger chainsaw are probably jobs I should leave to a professional.

And it takes the same batteries as my lawn mower, whipper snappers, leaf blower etc.

Def

Forgot to attach the pics.....   

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here are a few more photos- including a couple of shots of me being victorious after getting the old wood stove out.

Also, a couple of shots in the attic.  I am seriously thinking about opening up the attic to the main part of the house, and keep the ceiling only over the bedrooms and bathroom.

I think it will greatly open the place up and feel much bigger, even though at 720 sq ft it isn't really small.

But, opening up the ceiling will also allow me to (eventually) put in a skylight, which is a feature I love in a house.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Another 290 kgs (almost 650 pounds) taken to the dump again today.  But, most of that was deck boards.

I did manage to get the stove out, although by the time it came out there was already a couch, microwave and chair on the trailer so there was snow room for the stove.  Next time all three stoves are going.

Megan also tested the lake for blue green algae, which is very common up here, but thankfully does not appear to have infected this lake, at least not yet.  That's good news, as blue green algae will kill a dog as small as Dasher in no time.

Still, we accomplished all we had intended to on this trip (and more) and so I think we can head home tomorrow with some pride that we've accomplished what we set out to do

Def

[Vidar]

That attic doesn't look too bad at all.  Over here we would throw 30-60 cm of insulation on the attic floor and stay all cozy in winter - a skylight would probably amount to witchery.

[Grant Lamontagne]

We would do the same here, except this is what we call a "three season camp" in which we don't use it in the winter.  Mostly that's because there is no insulation and we have to shut off and empty the plumbing in the winter or else have real problems in the spring

Def

[Vidar]

Makes sense.

Talking of spring problems we got this unique problem last year: The river spring flow destroyed the concrete dam around the water intake, tore off the intake filter, and proceeded to fill the entire volume with sand and mud. Which thereafter got pumped in to fill up every last corner of the intake plumbing and distribution in the building... A year later and still haven't gotten it all out.  Hopefully you have a more peaceful water intake!

Any plans for the outdoor area?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Mostly just cleaning out many of the fir trees that have sprung up.  One of my caveats for buying a cottage was that I wanted it low maintenance.  I work long hours in the summer (usually 10-12 hours a day, Monday to Friday) and I didn't want to have to knock myself out to mow the lawn here in Halifax just so I could drive two hours to the cottage and spend all weekend mowing the lawn there too.

But, our tiny dog insists on doing his business in the grass, and only the grass.  He won't do his business on dirt or gravel. so we will have to have some grass.  I am thinking a very limited area, that can be mowed in just a few minutes if necessary, and leaving most of the rest of the property a bit wild.  I may make some trails through it, and I may widen some areas for additional parking and the like, but overall I'd like to keep it largely as it is.

We have some open space, more than enough to play frisbee with the dog, we have space for friends to stop by with a camper (if they like), we have a nice view of the water.  All in all, it's quite well set up as is, I'll just be doing a bit of maintenance and detail work to clean it up a bit and that's it.

I'm also planning to "clean up" around the shed in such a way that it goes from looking like a 6x10 (ish) shed to looking like a 10x20 shed.  You know how they say that trimming the bushes around something makes it look bigger, right?   

The contractor to jack up and level the cottage was out today and he was surprised to see how clean and intact the framework under the floor was.  A couple of the exposed sills will need replacing, as will some of the wall supports, but nothing we didn't suspect already.  The only surprise is that we will need to get it done ASAP so he can finish doing his part, which means hiring a carpenter. 

We were able to find one that is available to do the work next week, while Megan and I had intended to do it ourselves, and plug away at it over the course of the summer.

While the amount of rot is more than we hoped for, it's less than we feared, and getting the carpenter in will eat up some of our budget, but will also accelerate our timeline, leaving us free to keep moving down the list of things that need doing.  So it's bad, but not really that bad.   

Def