Cabin Fever # 3

    Once again I found myself helping out at the cabin located in Okoboji Bible camp.    Cabin Fever # 1 was written about how we completely gutted the inside of the cabin.   Cabin Fever # 2 was written about how we tore off the front of the cabin and rebuilt it back up with two new windows that will over look the lake. 

 This was my third trip to Okoboji and the plan this time was to redo the back of the cabin.    As the picture to the left shows, there was one small window and one door on the back.   To the far left was a small addition that was added on at one time to include a bathroom.   This additions was 3 foot by 4 foot and included a stool, a shower, and a sink.  (Definitely built for one person at a time.)  As you can see from the picture, the cabin sits on cement blocks.   It has for some time.    Some other crew that showed up in between one of our trips had spent time leveling the floor of the cabin by adding shims on top of the blocks to equal all the joist. 

   The picture to the right shows where we had removed all the siding off the back side with the exception of the siding that was on the addition which was slightly newer and would match the siding that we planned to add.   It seems that the original cabin simply had a 2x4 on the top and one across the middle.   The siding was nailed at the top, in the middle, and to the joist on the bottom.   (One has to wonder how it held together all these years.)   What we were doing in this picture was putting in studs every 16 inches and also running an additional horizontal stud 1/4th the way up and 1/4 of the way down.   Structurally it should now be very sound.  (Watch now.   The first westerly wind and that cabin will fall down.)  

 Towards the end of the day, we had the back side of the cabin closed.    This view gives you a better take on the bathroom addition.    The new bathroom plan will take up a little more floor space. I think the plan calls for a 4' by 6' space.   There is an enclosed shower that will be installed against the outside wall.   In order to do that, the roof on the addition needs to be raised 6 inches.  We had made the cuts on the inside so that could be done once the shower had arrived and was ready to install. 

The door for the back had not arrived yet, so we had to nail a plywood sheet over the hole for the day.  The picture to the right is taken inside and at the end of the day.  It is the time where plans for the north side are discussed.   Something about removing some of those windows and installing an entry door.    There was a huge refrigerator in the cabin that was loaded up and hauled to storage.    I was not involved the lifting of that project.   (Somebody has to drive the pickup.)     

    I do appreciate being asked to help on this project, although it sounds like there is a church somewhere that plans to come in and do the wiring, plumbing, and inside work (now that all the tough stuff is done) so I am not sure if there will be a "Cabin Fever # 4" some day.