Our Tiny Colorado Cabin

All about the process of building a little cabin on wheels

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Each time we wanted to make a little progress on the house we moved items aside and installed tongue and groove where we could. We found just enough time to complete 3 lower walls by the end of the winter before we made another trek back to the Front Range. 

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April’s new location. Still winter.

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On the move in April

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Winter living in a construction zone was a little like camping. We used a 6 gallon jug of water for cooking and dishes, worktables for counter tops, a paco pad for our mattress, wood stove for heat, folding table and chairs, a two burner camping stove, and lots of hooks for hanging.

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We settled in for winter.

photo credit @stephvillavicencio

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Batten down the hatches we’re ready to roll! Prepared for winter just in time, we started our journey with blue skis. 5 hours later, we pulled into our new location with significant snow accumulating.

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Hunting season arrived. We continued to work on the insulation, and began to prime the tongue and groove pine for the interior siding.

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The second try at hanging the doors went well. They looked great sanded, finished, and with new bronze hardware!

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We finally finished the roof! And Oshi was growing up so fast!

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Our first attempt to hang and frame the doors. Pete’s mom, Paula, also came and helped us put up the last pieces of siding underneath the cantilever. It was so fun to pick and choose the perfect boards. We were lucky enough to have some neighborhood visitors early one morning too!

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Electrical and insulation were next. 

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A big old douglas fir fell on the ranch last winter. Thanks to a portable sawmill, it will now have a new life as our dutch doors.

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And then there were two. Kenosha came home with us from South Dakota.

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We were closing in on finishing the roof as summer came to an end, but we were all a little tired of sheet metal, butyl tape, screws, and rivets. 

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Next it was a new chimney and a new puppy! We welcomed Gwenie, Katie’s parents’ new pup, to the family in the beginning of August.

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Whiskyjack, wormy chestnut, and heart pine. All previous projects, now incorporated together into our little space.

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Long lost updates! It is spring and it’s still snowing, but over the next few days we’ll post our final pictures before our move in December. We have lived in our little abode for over 4 months now and although it is still a bit of a construction zone we love it. Here, we’ve finished our last bit of exterior siding with old floorboards and are getting ready to frame doors.