Colorado Home

OUR CABIN REVEAL

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Hello again!  If you’re wondering what’s up with me and where I’ve been I’ll tell ya.  I’ve been flat out exhausted, plain and simple.  Moving out of our Texas house really took a lot out of me.  I can’t believe how much stuff we had crammed into that house!  We took some things with us, we sold a lot of things, and we donated many things as well.  It’s really made me realize how much stuff we accumulate as humans and do we really need it all?

I wanted to update the blog sooner but every night we all collapse into bed from exhaustion.  The first week at the cabin was definitely rocky.  We we’re told that the sellers paid for an $800 move out clean… yeah right.  The garage was full of appliances and junk from the 80’s, there was a bunch of old doors, glass, and other construction junk all over the house, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, and to top it all off a dead bird in the shower.

For the first 2 weeks we had no phone or internet and geez was that rough!  The first satellite guy didn’t show up because we didn’t answer our phones to confirm the address.  Duh!  How can we be home for you and answer our phones with no service?  Luckily all is good now and we are in WiFi heaven!

Being a city girl who now has a well water system has been interesting.  I’ve learned we have a cistern that doesn’t automatically fill up with well water.  So the first night showering I was fully shampooed and suds up only to have the water shut off on me… oh that was not fun!

Our view is absolutely gorgeous though and we love the wildlife.  We’ve seen a herd of wild turkeys running around our property and lots of birds including hummingbirds.  We’ve seen lots of big horn sheep near our home as well as elk, just not on our property yet.  Driving into our little nook of cabins we see a warning sign that there is mountain lion and black bear activity in our area… so that has me a little freaked out.  I tried jogging through the area but I had this creepy feeling something was out in the thick trees and weeds watching me so I went home.  We spoke with a local near where we live and he said I should carry a pistol while jogging.  Uh… nope, not happening.  So I went online to Amazon and found a small space stationary bike instead, it folds away when not in use.  Now I can workout without having to worry about something eating me.

So let’s get to it and see the cabin shall we?  It’s a mess right now, some of the photos really embarrass me.  Inside my head, though, I can see the remodeled cabin and it’s beautiful!

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

What really gets to me is just the sheer amount of junk around the property.  There is just so much work to be done, I feel so overwhelmed.  The upstairs door will be taken out and replaced with a window, the front door will be replaced, the sunroom to the right will also be removed.  We plan on painting the cabin a richer chocolate color.  Not feeling the white on a cabin in the Rockies at all!

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Y’all these stairs are really stressing me out!  They’re welded into the damn frame of the cabin.  The whole entire cabin is welded 30 feet into the mountain to be sturdy and fireproof, it’s definitely not going anywhere, but I’m at a loss what to do with these ugly welded entry stairs.  I’m thinking my only option is a durable carpet, one that hides dirt… I just don’t know.

The spiral stairs are really cool and we’re going to work with them.  It bothers me how sloppy the welding work is, though.  Lots of ugly rough spots, we just bought a grinder so hopefully we can smooth everything down.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

The view in our living room and dining area is gorgeous.  We plan on doing a lot of work to this area.  We’re taking out the wood wall and adding glass, a wood stained ceiling, ripping out all the stonework, and adding a new stone gas fireplace.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Everything is off center in this place, look at the fireplace and mantel.  That’s just one example, it’s like they didn’t have a tape measure.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

This is our dining area, I’m planning it out for maximum space efficiency.  The wood cabinet and glass hutch will be removed as well as the window.  Awkward placed windows drive me nuts, so out it goes.  We have no need for a window there any way.  I’ve got some neat plans for this space, if it works out…

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

The kitchen is small and will probably be last to be redone.  I’ve cooked in it a lot, it’s tight but workable.  Surprisingly I was able to cram in almost all our kitchen stuff into the cabinets.  It definitely holds more than it seems.  We no longer have a dishwasher!  We’ll eventually get one but I’ve actually found washing dishes by hand a little bit fun.  I’m sure the novelty will wear off soon though!

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

The wrap around deck needs a lot of work but has gorgeous views!  My current project is sanding the railing down, and repainting it a deep dark brown. Brian will be replacing some of the sub floor and adding a wood deck to the floor.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Recently we’ve had a lot of rain and it’s been so peaceful and relaxing.  Watching the rain fall high from the sky is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced.  We open the patio doors, the air is cool, no humidity, and it smells like fresh rain and pine trees.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

We have a long steep driveway that winds around down to a creek below.  I love how loud the creek is, when we open the windows we can hear it.  You can’t tell in the photos how steep our driveway is, I definitely find it intimidating and have yet to drive up or down it, so far Brian does it for me.  I’ve also fallen down it and ended up with bruised bloody knees.  Another fun learning moment… don’t wear flip flops while walking down to the creek.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

These photos are from the lower level, it’s pretty gross.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

The office ceiling tiles in the bathroom are a great touch don’t you think?  There is also a paper towel holder over the sink!!!!  I’m at a loss for words… lets move on.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

This sad little room is going to be the master bedroom!  Yep, if you’re wondering, those off center windows are driving us crazy.  Once you notice it you can’t unsee it.  We’re on the fence if we should move the window over or just get over it… we have so much to do we should probably just get over it.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

I’ve ordered a pretty, upholstered bed from Pottery Barn, it has storage drawers which I desperately need.  The bed will be here in a few weeks so this room needs to come up to my standards fast.  It will be small but cute and efficient.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

So far we’ve ripped out the carpet, demolished the closet…its size and door frames need to be heavily tweaked, and Brian has cut a hole in the wall that leads to the living room closet.  So we will have his and hers closet space.  Our closets will need massive Container Store Elfa help!

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

At the end of the hallway past our future bedroom is our janky sunroom…. thanks to my lil sis for getting me hooked on the word janky!  Not only is it a fun word to use, it also perfectly describes our cabin.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our plans are to rip out the sunroom and build an outdoor pergola.  Eventually we’ll attach a multi level deck and possibly add a hot tub for the bears and mountain lions to enjoy.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

And the laundry room.  What the hell is going on with that stupid light that’s literally touching the cabinet?  This is what happens when stupid people design spaces… was that mean??  Sorry… like a lot of things in this cabin I just can’t comprehend this!

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

No worries the laundry room backs up to the bathroom so we’re moving the laundry room elsewhere, knocking the wall out, and building a nice big master bathroom.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Promise me you’ll never have a wooden toilet seat in your house ok?

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

The upstairs loft space is really quirky but cute.  I’ve had a lot of fun planning how I want it to look.  It’s basically going to be a sleeping and lounging area.  The ceiling is low in spots and it gives it a whimsical almost treehouse vibe.  I plan on putting a bed across the window with a privacy curtain.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Maybe I’ve seen too many scary movies but these tiny doors freak me out a bit.  We need the attic space for sure, but they’ll need to be moved and redone to look less like serial killer doors.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

I’ve measured this side nook and a twin bed will fit.  I think it would be cute, maybe I’ll add a sconce lamp and a curtain for privacy.  It would be a cute nook for a kid or brave adult staying with us.  It will have a cute camp vibe.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

This cheap paneling is coming down!  The wood ceiling in the front the living room will extend into the loft and we will redo the walls.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

Our Colorado cabin before tour.

So that’s our ugly cabin tour!  To summarize yes I’m extremely overwhelmed LOL.  I’m trying to get in a blogging rhythm again but it’s hard.  It’s pure chaos, I’m tired, and everything is dirty and unorganized… so it’s zapping all my creative and mental energy.  I’m excited to share our cabin progress, though, and I need major progress to happen soon or I just might lose it.  Now I’m off for a day of sanding and scraping followed with a large glass of wine and a shower in our tiny creepy bathroom.

Laura

Join the Conversation

Leave a Comment