Category Archives: Construction

It’s Finished

Finished Cabin

I’m not sure a cabin is ever truly finished, but this is as good a time as any to say it is.  It’s also a convenient time, because I recently had a photographer for Sustain Alaska Magazine come and take pictures for an upcoming article of theirs.  The photographer, Dan Meinhardt of Meinhardt Archival Photography, was also kind enough to lend me his photos for my blog. Continue reading

Ceiling Trim

Trimmed Ceiling

Those of you that have been following this blog for a while already know that I left the shipping container roof exposed on the inside and insulated it on the exterior instead.  There were a couple of reasons for this.  First, I wanted to preserve as much vertical space as possible in my cabin.  Second, I actually like the look of the corrugated ceiling.  There was one problem with this design choice however; how to trim a ceiling with corrugations. Continue reading

Kitchen with Temporary Plumbing

Kitchen with temporary plumbing

The kitchen will be a work in progress for a while longer.  The cabinets, countertop, sink, and cooktop are in, but the plumbing probably won’t be installed until spring.  As a temporary measure I’ve modified an old galvanized steel cooler to serve as my kitchen faucet and water supply.  It works fairly well even though it does have a low flow rate.  I can even add water heated on the cooktop or wood stove to it if I need warmer water for dishes.  Continue reading

Finished Exterior

Just a quick post to show off the newly painted siding and stained rafters.  While there are still a few details to take care of, the outside is basically finished.  I really like how everything has turned out, but I’m not quite sure about the color of the siding.  I think it skews a bit yellow even though the pictures don’t show it too well.  My wife, who did most of the painting, says she likes the color, but she should since she picked it out. Continue reading

Sealing the Gaps

Finished gaps between containers

This is a task that has spanned more than a year and a half.  It’s not that it had to, it’s just that there always seemed to be something more pressing to do.  I did finish the interior portion of this in April of 2010 right after I had the interior container walls removed.  That worked OK for the first winter, but I really needed to finish it before this winter to avoid any cold spots on the few metal wall remnants that are just behind the drywall.  There was a small amount of condensation on them last winter, and I’m sure it was due to the cold air reaching deep into the gaps. Continue reading