This summer we have a lot of projects planned that are are starting to kick off. At the…um..request(read: demand) of the county Building and Health Department we are replacing our composting toilet with a full septic system and our beloved hand dug well with a proper drilled well. In order to pull this off we are improving our trail so that we can get a well truck (well trucks are huge) and dump trucks in to build the septic mound.
At first I was bitter and angsty about all of this, but now I am looking forward to it. We are working hard to have as minimal and discrete of an impact on our forest and have had to scrimp and save to afford it. However, when it is all said and done, having potable water will be nice (our current well is only 9 feet deep and we filter all of our drinking water) and we love our sauna, but the convenience having a shower in the cabin will be pretty great..
AWL visiting some pigs in Providence, RI
In addition to these big infrastructure projects we are also putting in a full bathroom (to take advantage of our new septic system) as well as carve out a place for our now 19 month old son. Our cabin is only 500 square feet, but with some creative planning, I think I can fit everything into the space while keeping the bright, open airy feeling the space has. Oh, and we are milling up some local cherry wood for our floor, which is the project I am most excited about. We’ve had a painted OSB floor “temporarily” for nearly 3 years. It is hard to keep clean and doesn’t look or feel very finished. Once that cherry floor is installed, it will really bring the room together.
Tomorrow, we will have about 80,000 pounds of mine rock dropped off to help build up our trail, filling in some of the muddier parts. We will use a small tractor with a bucket (thanks to my every helpful father) shuttle it around. It will be nice to have a dry trail to walk in on. Not having to don rubber boots just to hike out to the car will be nice.
Living almost a quarter mile off the road with a toddler in a tiny cabin certainly has its challenges, but it is also rewarding, fascinating, and can be fun. These projects will make life a little bit easier, I will have lots of opportunities to learn new skills and I, for one, embrace it.
