Our Lifestyle Blog as We Create a Homestead in Northern Ontario
Whelp, this year now that the cabin framing has been completed, I decided that even if they are scratched and dirty, I’ll put the acrylic storm windows back up and see how well they work. I put some of the thin film on the patio door, and it bulged in like a balloon right away! … Read more
As you know, last year we tried purchasing a quonset shelter for Donna to park her car in during the winter months. It worked really well in the sense of making the morning start to her workday much easier – no more sweeping off loads of snow and scraping windows. As you also know, I … Read more
I’ve been sitting on these pictures for a little while – just wanted to show the snow accumulation in front of the woodshed. Be careful! That’s a sharp edge! So pouty. Bonus Hacienda picture. That’s the resting side.
Everyone seems to agree that we’ve received an above average amount of snow here this winter. A couple of days ago it finally warmed up above freezing and things started to melt. This caused the snow to slide off the front porch of the cabin in dramatic fashion – as well as completely around the … Read more
The extended periods of -30 degree weather played havoc here at the homestead. The most egregious issue was around the chimney. Inside my little attic chimney room, the air must have been extremely cold, and when moisture infiltrated from the cabin itself, it froze within the rock wool insulation. Once temperatures warmed up to a … Read more
We returned from a Christmas break to find the cabin a rather chilly -9. It took two days before we got it back up above 20 (although we did return to the city to spend the night with Mummu and Grandpa). Thankfully J! from next door kept our driveway clear while we were gone, and … Read more
I woke up early this morning, it felt later than it really was, but I decided it was a good time to start the woodstove.
Last week we got treated to a cold, wet blow of snowy rain on our north and east sides here at the cabin. On the north side of the cabin is where we store firewood briefly before it comes into the cabin (so we don’t have to go all the way to the woodshed every … Read more
As you may have read, I have changed up how I seal the crawlspace vents. Now it was time to take the final step and cut and fit some foam to them. At least I didn’t need to put on the full kit it takes to go under the cabin. From this for under the … Read more
Since we first built the cabin, I have made it a biannual tradition to suit up, crawl under the floor and either open or close the vents in each corner. I curse, struggle, swear (quietly) and then return to the land of humans spent and crusty. Finally this year I decided to try to change … Read more