The Cabin Project

     I have spent my last few weekends working with my father to erect a man cave of fabulous proportions.  He bought a large lot of land about 20 miles south of Joplin three years ago.  Two years ago he put in a pond and stocked it with fish.  After spending the last year planning, designing, and purchasing materials for a two story cabin, we have finally started putting the plan into motion.  I do not have much experience with these kinds of things, so this experience has been very educational for me.  The best thing is we have only just begun.  We started off by running the plumbing lines and laying the foundation.  We had some help from some pros who stamped and stained the concrete for us.  The finished slab was absolutely gorgeous.  The interior floor looks like tile and the exterior porches were stamped with a design that looks like rustic wooden boards.  It really is amazing.  After we let the stain completely dry, we started with the framing.  We had to work through some design miscalculations along with some other minor complications, but after two full days of work, we have all four walls completed.  This weekend we will be finishing up the framework by completing the roof, after that we will be installing the windows and doors, and also adding the stone siding to the walls.  We haven't gone into much detail on the interior just yet, but based on what I've seen so far, my dad is planning on taking this thing all the way.  I am very excited about this project because we should have it finished by the end of June.  The pond is only 20 feet from the front porch of the cabin so we can expect to get a lot of fishing done this summer.  This cabin will be a great home away from home for both of us and we will be able to take my kids out there on a regular basis as well.  I'm taking the summer off from classes so I will have even more time to enjoy, what I hope to be a real masterpiece.