When you make the benches for the dining area, build in storage space with lift-up tops. Your wife and daughters will thank you. A home, even a log home, can never have too much storage from a woman's point of view. You may not need it, but I would also consider making the bench tops extra wide and get extra padding (that you can store inside the benches) so that you can use the benches as emergency sleeping space if someone has to stay overnight due to a sudden storm, etc. You can store extra pads and throw pillows inside the benches and/or tack up extra padding on the logs that back the benches when they are being used for dining, working space or reading space, and they will make the extra wide benches comfortable as needed for guests. P.S. Why not add ventilation to the upper loft area? You may what to use that space some day for grandkids, etc. even if you and your wife don't use the space for yourselves. Perhaps you are thinking that family members in the future will build their own cabins on the land, but maybe some of them won't, maybe they'll just want to be guests occasionally.
Yes this is an excellent idea. Any space or furniture piece should be utilized as extra storage space for seasonal clothing, supplies, linens, etc. You never know if he becomes snowbound, so additional space for storing supplies, etc is always a must. Plus we women tend to have extra items that need space to stow makeup, toiletry items, more clothing, etc.
When me and my wife were looking for a house I was the one who was pointing out the importance of storage and my wife kept dismissing it. Now she realizes lol
WOW! From a blank canvas to a garden, biodome, and almost a completed cabin, a lot of work and much to show for it. Thank you Shawn for sharing with us.
Having cold spring water there is ideal. At our Elk camp in the Bob Marshall wilderness, we have a spring that runs right behind the cook tent. The water is probably the best, and cleanest water I've ever drank. Never treated, no hunters have had ailments since it was discovered in 1959. Everything is coming together very nicely. Well done, Shawn!
I 4 x4 the back country in BC, Canada back 50 years, we drew water from creeks, streams lakes rarely boiled it, often just drank straight from the creeks and streams, never got sick! Although I've more recently heard from people getting "beaver fever." Guess we didn't think much about it then.
Awesome! I checked in daily (as always) for this latest video. I’m a DIYer. My husband watches. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Your the best school that I’ve ever attended . Thanks
Shawn This Home Yes Home Is Wonderful. Actually What You have Done is 100% Better Than your First Home. I can not Believe The Progress You have Made, I Haven't Commented As I was Watching your Progress and To See What you Have Achieved is Beyond My comprehension. A Dream Log Home. Made With Your Own Blood Sweat and Tears. Absolutely Beautiful. My Kindest Thoughts to you, Your Beautiful Wife, Daughter's and "Calli" From Australia. you truly are a Wonderful Soul.
Amazing to see how much thought went into every little detail of the layout and built. You sure have a treasure of experience that now can flow into finishing this masterpiece of a cabin.
Soft wood floors will bump and bang up but look awesome that way in your badass cabin. My dad built log homes for many years. The work you've done the past few years is pretty amazing. The floors are gonna be cool.
I recommend a natural oil to seal the flooring, boiled linseed oil or a tung oil. Did tung oil on my white oak flooring in my loft and it holds up great, easy to sand an area and apply more as needed but blends in well.
Has anyone used HOT linseed oil? I've applied it, and it goes down fast if you're not wanting a gloss, but I've never seen it later on. It was just another job. (Fill insulated bucket with hot oil from the truck. Go to where they tell me. Slop oil on the newly laid wood floor as quickly as I can without missing a spot. Go back in and apply a second coat. Report any gaps in the new flooring or loose spots if the job was parquet.)
I watched the My Self Reliance vid first, then this one. I always enjoy hearing you talk about what you have done, and what is planned for the future. Having watched EVERY episode of the previous cabin/property build, and then the same with this property, I must say that it has been a monumental undertaking that would cause many men to quail in the face of the challenge! I could imagine how you were going to finish the inside, but it makes so much more sense to see and hear you describe it. What a wonderful homestead you are making for your family - best wishes in the continuance, and as always, stay safe! PS - I just turned 79, a year younger than your Dad. Grateful for every day of life!
You did an awesome job on this cabin. Have you considered making wooden panels to place over your windows and that glass by the door?...on the outside that can be locked down? I've seen where bears have broken a glass, come in and ransacked places. Just something that's fits over the glass for days you might ride into town or just be away...or while sleeping at night.
Shawn, I was watching a video the other day about Amish barn raising. They mentioned that when building the post & beam framework the timbers they use are still slightly green. One reason was that when pinning the joints together, the pins they use are completely dried & as the beams continue to dry & shrink they tighten even tighter around the already dried pins. Guess you learn something new every day. Have a great day 😊.
To help find where a spring emerges in a pond or stream, look for watercress. It requires a lot of nutrients which is why it is often found near underwater springs. Property looking amazing man!
I wonder if that's what he was showing a close up of when he and Calli walked into the woods and there was a little creek/spring area? A close up of a plant with his hand in the foreground...if I remember to go back and look for it, I'll time stamp it here.
Looks great, Shawn! We love it. Use that sawdust and those wood chips directly on your garden. Use the "Back to Eden" system in an area and see if it increases your yields. Keep up the good work, man!
Adrenaline is mountaining day by day to see when it's going to be completed but the process and experiances going through will be much appreciated and remembered forever. Thank you Shawn for inspiring me always
Shawn, I enjoy both your channels and appreciate you sharing your life experiences and wisdom. You mentioned in this video about how difficult it is to pound the pipe through the sand for your well. Just as an idea (which you probably thought of), what if you put a pointed metal tip on the pipe the same diameter of the pipe. Don't affix or screw this metal point but fit it so that it will stay on while you drive the pipe deeper without damaging the it. Once you reach the depth you need, put a smaller diameter pipe inside and drive the fitted metal point deeper; thus unplugging the well pipe. I am not sure if this makes sense, but thought I would throw out this idea. Take care.
Thanks for the cabin tour.. it is nice to see how it will be arranged. Glad there are lots of windows. You really improved on the last cabin. More convenience and space usage. 🌻💖🌻
Thanks for sharing your home details Shawn. Just putting in my 2¢ worth, I'd opt for keeping the log wall opposite your stove vs. a stone wall. You certainly deserve to be able to sit & look at the fruits of your labor in shaping & installing that wall, as well as all the rest of your home.
I absolutely LOVE the thought put into everything. My husband could never do any of this. Heck he couldn't screw in a light bulb without me telling him he had to turn it to screw it in! He does a lot of other things well, just nothing involving real physical labor.
What a huge accomplishment, your land is turning into a little town, well done! The cabin is gonna be spectacular when it’s finished. The cellar or basement is a feat in itself that’s not visible. Love your skills and determination! ✌🏼❤️🙏🏼
Good to hear about your plans, especially harvesting rain water and solar. I'd consider wind power and a good sized battery bank, maybe a Tesla unit. My only concern would be ice buildup on the blades, but I don't know enough. Maybe this isn't an issue. Just amazing how quickly it's all coming together. 👍
Félicitations Monsieur James. Vous avez fait de vos mains une cabane magnifique, cela a été fascinant de suivre l'évolution de vos travaux durant toute cette année, et ce qui est le plus remarquable c'est votre très grande dextérité pour toute cette réalisation totalement manuelle ! J'ai hâte de voir la suite : aménagements intérieurs et annexes autour. Bien cordialement. Christophe [FRANCE - Corsica Island]
If you put castors on the bottom of the island, you can push it out of the way or position it farther from the planned Space for an extra work surface near the table or elsewhere. Very handy.
To accentuate the breezeway being your main entrance, you could put railings around the south porch that has the seven foot overhang and have a nice patio set out there, and have a gate blocking the stairs entering the patio.
I like your breezeway plan. My Grandpa built his house in the 30's and although he put in a formal front door and porch like you it was almost never used. The "kitchen" door was put in just like you at 3' below the main floor level with a landing, up to the kitchen down to the cellar. Being farmers tracking in stuff was a problem. He had a shower and wash area in the cellar so he could clean up before going into the main house.
Thank you for the walk through and set up, it’s going to be an amazing home and very comfortable. Many have learned from you on many subjects and building skills. I’m looking forward to seeing the root cellar as well. I would be very proud and honored to live in such a beautiful home and live off the land.
I am so happy things worked out for you and you were able to build and bigger and better cabin. One you and your wife can life in forever. Can't wait to see it when you are done.
The work you do as one man is just amazing Shawn! I'd have liked to see the surrounding trees to which you winched those heavy logs into place. Also please just walk around with the camera showing the layout of the property and commentating. That would help. Thanks!
Shawn, have you ever thought of installing a radiant barrier up on your ceiling rafters. I can attest having it done to my attic that my house stays cooler and my electric bills almost 30% less this past summer which was a hot one in Texas. The temperature in my attic was in the mid 80's F versus 100 degrees F.
Thank you for the inspiration I haven’t built a log cabin but we are becoming self reliant. I had a mad moment and we have bought our selfs a 70ft narrow boat which I am renovating at the minute. The cost of living will be a lot less than a house and we can can move and change the views every day if we want to. We too are going to be composting toilets and a log burner stove . We should be moving on board in around 6 weeks again many thanks for the inspiration to go do this and keep up the good work and I love watching your videos
Congrats on your narrow boat purchase! Do y'all have a RUclips channel? If you have or make one in the future, let us know! I would def subscribe. I love watching videos of narrow boats in England. Good luck to you.
Alison have you considered showing your journey. Renovation of a boat to home. Should be interesting. Anyway good luck with the work and hope it all works out for you.
It’s humbling to see you build your last cabin from start to finish and everything else that was on the old property, to what you’re doing on this property with this new cabin. You can see the changes clearly of what worked what didn’t work, to what you liked and didn’t like. Trial and error is part of everyday life. Being im from Texas and watching the way of life in a colder climate versus our hot climate is amazing to see what this world we live in brings to everyone every where. You’re an amazing guy Shawn, you have a great family and Cali just makes it all that much better. Best of luck with the rest of the work, you never disappoint!
I'd invest in soapstone for the flooring, side (by the desk), & back wall of the woodstove, just to be able to have it absorb and then re-radiate heat overnight so you don't have to wake up & reignite a fire in the stove in the middle of the night. Soapstone can absorb quite a lot of heat, and radiates it back low & slow over time.
I would use the sawdust in the garden to improve the soil and also sift the finer sawdust and use it in the outhouse to help compost the waste. Also, you can put it around your fruit trees to help them stay warmer in the winter. Sawdust is a great resource.
Bet that neighbor of yours is stomping up n down like a child right now in seeing that this one is better, bigger, nicer n more thought thru w details!! You go, Shawn!!!
Thanks for this video as it was getting harder to envision the cabin as you went along but I like your plans. Can’t wait to see the basement. That’s going to be so helpful to you all. I also like that you are screening in the kitchen this time. I can’t imagine with all the back flies you all get up there. Would you ever put in a yurt for your guests? Or maybe a canvas tent or hammock post’s in a circle on a platform. That would be so cool.
What a layout !!! Snug , neat side areas, yet spacious, spiritual center core. With a loft and a basement, decks and platforms why you've covered all the areas of life
Incredible progress this year on the cabin and the property. Love the tall ceilings, those gables beg for some triangular windows but maybe that will mess up your heating and cooling plans. Just incredible work I can't wait to see what you do with the place.
Admire your patients and skill that you have tenaciously put into action, your hard work is really coming into fruition. Well done, it has been and I’m sure will continue be an ongoinging project that many people start enthusiastically, but rarely sees the finish line, not so in your case and to have done this in relatively short succession now all but completing a second entire project build is something most people will rarely achieve. Thank you for sharing your skill and expertise with this community, you really are one of a kind. You should be extremely proud of all your have achieved. Your posts on both channels are delightful and we look forward to enjoyable viewing that you so openly share. A very big thanks and Congratulations - from Queensland, Australia. We are so envious when we watch in our summer that most days reaches temps into the mid 30’s c. and you have fresh snow.
Well done Mr. James, well done! I just came upon your channels two weeks ago and I've been consumed with them, telling everyone about them. Then my first thought when I saw this video this morning was my heart started rapidly pumping because I thought, what's left for him to build now! But then you shared your future wonderful, thought provoking plans with us, and shoot, we have many, many more videos to look forward to escaping with you. Be safe out there especially with the Farmers Almanac forecast of Canada expecting 14 winter storms this winter. Take care.
I yearn to be standing beside you as you explain your vision for your property. I want to feel the roughness of the cabin logs as a blind person would "see" someone's face. And to smell the aroma of the wood. As I listen to your words and see the cabin dried in, my heart can almost sense the immense value such a home would have been to our settlers. I so appreciate that your sharing allows a glimpse into a simpler, age-old, close to nature lifestyle. It just feels...right. Thank you.
Fantastic!! Totally mind boggling all the thought and planning you have put into this and the other projects. Really great accomplishment. One of the advantages of NOT having government assistance. This one is really looking amazing. Just seeing the massiveness of those logs and how they are all linked together is a dream. VERY inspirational. Great work Mr James.. Thank you for doing all the EXTRA work it takes to present this all to us out here enjoying your accomplishments. It probably doubles your workload/
Thank you so much for explaining the design plans - sounds amazing! Could you do a walk around (exterior view) of the cabin to show where the outdoor kitchen will go, the bath house, the additions from the outside, shelter for snow mobiles, and now the tool shed? The reasoning behind the interior design, based on where the sun shines, is well thought out and makes total sense... well done, would definitely do the L shape dining bench/table, and stone backdrop for the wood stove... it is so exciting to see the progress!
Thank you Shawn for this walk through! You do exception craftsmanship without equal! The quantity and quality of your projects stir pride and endurance! Its not by chance or luck you enjoy over 332 thousand subscribers JUST ON THIS Channel! It is due to your vision and planned plan and following your methodical quality work! Congratulations of the Highest Order🕊🦅🦅🐻🕊
Thanks for the cabin tour Shawn. I think it'd be cool to put a screened in gazebo by that small waterfall you talked about. It'd make a great place to sleep in the heat of the summer. The waterfall would lull me to sleep. Anyway, Looking forward for the future projects you talked about.
Oh wow! What a grand idea....here in the Deep South of the US, my great-grandmothers home had a huge 3- season porch (half wall with operable windows in the top half) with a queen sized bed that we kids fought over to sleep out there. There was zero insulation so wintertime was tough but it was so cool in the sling and fall with the windows open and the screens kept the mosquitos away. Ahh--good memories. Thanks George.
It's a wise man who agrees with his wife. Well doneSir :P the build is coming along fantastically - I love hearing the amount of thought you've put into almost every aspect of the build! :)
Shawn your new cabin is so beautiful .I love watching your progress with your build .Very relaxing and very interesting and informative .Thankyou for Sharing .I can't wait for your next one .
We also built our benches into beds, thick foam backs that made a level bed with the seat, a d they were storage bins also. We made a gate leg bed extension , which laid flat against the box until it was needed for the bed to be made. A tip for the table: we copied an rv set up… two metal rings on the floor, with cylinder legs that mount the table top. And husband built it onto slides also, so table top could be pushed away on the track so easy in and out when sitting on the boot bench.
I watched another homesteader and they scorched the bottom of poles going in the ground, they said makes them stronger. Amazing. You do such great work.
I'm impressed with your work on the cabin to get a log structure square is a difficult task even in the construction process of milled purchase lumber. Square level plumb ,if that is accomplished within a quarter inch in today's building process your lucky, because of settling. I mostly do remodeling and up dating kitchen and bathrooms, flooring electrical plumbing etc.
Many of us tend to think of people as either strong physical types or very intellectual brainy types, but you are a complete combination of strong, intelligent, and every other good quality a man can be apparently! It's so nice to watch as you build your life while you build your homestead! I'm certainly glad you also liked technology enough to film it all and share with us.
Dear Shawn, ...I'm speachless!!! I've been viewing you Self Reliance Channel sind the first House an when your Dog was little ;-). So I've been looking out for how you are doin' on your new Cabin. HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE RESPECT how you do this all by yourself. You have achived so much of Spirit into all you've been building since years, an your Spirit leaves a mark in this World, that shows what a Man can do in a frew Years, ...noch mentioning what a Man can do in his whole Life. This new Generation is nothing compared to you - not in their Spirit and not in their mental Level, neither in anything that could get a bit of near what you are as a human Soul on this World. You are showing what living and what WILL in life is all about, and what itcan move, if someone (like you) brings up the strength, effort, WILL and Love and about what is important to someone on this World. God bless you, Shawn and thank you for letting us all be a whitness to what a Man can achive and what the Word Spirit really means. Yours, MARIO, Frankfurt/Main [...called Mainhattan ;-) ] / Germany. T,ake care, Man.
For the first time, I am starting to get a sense of what the whole place would be looking like. On the greywater system(s), it seems you could put up a good septic system to constantly feed the greenhouse.
The place is really amazing I loved the old place especially the pond you made I wonder how it filled in. Anyway. I've been watching your channel for awhile and the cabin feels like home to me as well.
Shawn tell your dad happy birthday! I turned 51 this year July 30 my day turned 79 this year August 7. We are so close in many ways. I wish I had your energy !
This is great, the way that you have thought out the utilization of the cabin to everyday life and incorporated how things are layered out while using entrances, window's even outside elements for entry in different seasons. Food source is the greatly important one and having that all prepared-on sight and stored within the cabin is great too. Good planning is critical to final application of any home. It's going to be awesome once you get it all prepared. Then you can be there to enjoy it, perhaps write a book- on showing other's how to do the same thing!! Have a great weekend and week upcoming!! Thank you for sharing.
Incredible Shawn. Been watching you for years, since midway through the first cabin. You've truly outdone yourself with this one. I'll join you one day in the lifestyle, also a metal worker myself. Give Cali a treat for me, she's such a good pup.
Hi Shawn...could you please use the CC especially for videos like this where you are explaining so much. You usually do but I guess forgot to turn it on. You are so amazing!
Hi Shawn. My husband and watch weekly and are blown away by all that you’ve done. I was wondering if you considered putting the small indoor bath off of the bedroom or mud room in order to have more breathing room and more comfort in the main area? Also anyone using the restroom would feel more comfortable not being in the same space with others. Your wife might like having the sitting/hangout space for kids/grandkids in the winter. Just a woman’s perspective really great job 👏🏻👏🏻
Really really enjoyed that Shawn and have been hoping you would do this type video for us, well I figured at some point you would. Buy it really helped tk see uour vision of everything in detail and what all is still to come. Love that your able to get it dried in soon and will have the whole winter to do lots of indoor work and completing your separate areas in the cabin. I have a feeling you will be installing the indoor shower in the bathroom since your wife still enjoys the creature comforts that I'm sure she's probably enjoying now. Can't say I blame her I'm alittle to spoiled to be giving up the easy life at 62. Always wondered how far the workshop is from the new cabin.still don't no exactly buy uou said pointed off in one direction and said it's quite aways off that way so better idea of where it's at according to the cabin. Maybe some day you can give us an Arial view with the drone showing where the woodshop is and the cabin in the same drone shot. Or maybe it's to far to see both at the same time. Anyways nice to see how far you've come and all the hard work you put into all the milling and building. It's quite the lengthy process and stacking logs is as well so it's seemed like you weren't getting anywhere for the longest time and now it's like wow the roof is on and windows going in doors soon and the floor.its a whole new ballgame now and really gives a whole different feeling of completion not far off. Yet there's other buildings to be built and outdoor kitchen and sauna and laundry and the dream just build and builds. It's already an amazing property and we can now see it's going to be alot more amazing when you get more of the property built. Thanks so much for sharing your past present and exciting future with us Shawn. Your an amazing man and I'm truly enjoying your adventures. Be safe and God bless you and your family and of coarse special Cali 🙏
I have wide pine floors in my Colonial house. We top nailed them in square headed nails. Nice rustic look, soft floors but we love them. Everything you do has always turned out great. It looks so good.
I love the look of wide plank pine floors, and when they wear in the high traffic areas I think just adds character. A hardware store in town has them and they are very worn and squeak just wonderfully
Traci Veno 22 minutes ago I have been waiting to know all this for a long time. Thank you for taking the time to tell us. The separate bedroom will be essential and so peaceful. The whole thing is a dream Shawn. I could see you adding one or two small sleeping cabins somewhere for when family gets big later on. Beautiful artistic visions you have.
When you make the benches for the dining area, build in storage space with lift-up tops. Your wife and daughters will thank you. A home, even a log home, can never have too much storage from a woman's point of view. You may not need it, but I would also consider making the bench tops extra wide and get extra padding (that you can store inside the benches) so that you can use the benches as emergency sleeping space if someone has to stay overnight due to a sudden storm, etc. You can store extra pads and throw pillows inside the benches and/or tack up extra padding on the logs that back the benches when they are being used for dining, working space or reading space, and they will make the extra wide benches comfortable as needed for guests. P.S. Why not add ventilation to the upper loft area? You may what to use that space some day for grandkids, etc. even if you and your wife don't use the space for yourselves. Perhaps you are thinking that family members in the future will build their own cabins on the land, but maybe some of them won't, maybe they'll just want to be guests occasionally.
Yes this is an excellent idea. Any space or furniture piece should be utilized as extra storage space for seasonal clothing, supplies, linens, etc. You never know if he becomes snowbound, so additional space for storing supplies, etc is always a must. Plus we women tend to have extra items that need space to stow makeup, toiletry items, more clothing, etc.
As a mom and grandmother, I think all of your ideas are fantastic!
He can always do that later up in the loft, I think he's got to consider the time now that winters close.
I think men appreciate and need storage too
When me and my wife were looking for a house I was the one who was pointing out the importance of storage and my wife kept dismissing it. Now she realizes lol
WOW! From a blank canvas to a garden, biodome, and almost a completed cabin, a lot of work and much to show for it. Thank you Shawn for sharing with us.
Having cold spring water there is ideal. At our Elk camp in the Bob Marshall wilderness, we have a spring that runs right behind the cook tent. The water is probably the best, and cleanest water I've ever drank. Never treated, no hunters have had ailments since it was discovered in 1959. Everything is coming together very nicely. Well done, Shawn!
I 4 x4 the back country in BC, Canada back 50 years, we drew water from creeks, streams lakes rarely boiled it, often just drank straight from the creeks and streams, never got sick! Although I've more recently heard from people getting "beaver fever." Guess we didn't think much about it then.
A simple drive point could make it way safer and easier to use. Not a matter of going deep just not taking it from the surface.
Awesome! I checked in daily (as always) for this latest video. I’m a DIYer. My husband watches. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Your the best school that I’ve ever attended . Thanks
I normally do love the look of a stone wall. but honestly, those logs are incredble. i think you should have that to look at everyday!
Shawn This Home Yes Home Is Wonderful. Actually What You have Done is 100% Better Than your First Home. I can not Believe The Progress You have Made, I Haven't Commented As I was Watching your Progress and To See What you Have Achieved is Beyond My comprehension. A Dream Log Home. Made With Your Own Blood Sweat and Tears. Absolutely Beautiful. My Kindest Thoughts to you, Your Beautiful Wife, Daughter's and "Calli" From Australia. you truly are a Wonderful Soul.
Amazing to see how much thought went into every little detail of the layout and built. You sure have a treasure of experience that now can flow into finishing this masterpiece of a cabin.
Soft wood floors will bump and bang up but look awesome that way in your badass cabin. My dad built log homes for many years. The work you've done the past few years is pretty amazing. The floors are gonna be cool.
I also like east facing for the bedroom, love the early morning sunrises. And when the summer Sun happens we also have shading.
Enjoy your father and I can't wait he gets to see what you have made 🤗. Have a great weekend 😊.
I have so been hoping to see a tour! Thank you! So impressive, Shawn. So very impressive.
I recommend a natural oil to seal the flooring, boiled linseed oil or a tung oil. Did tung oil on my white oak flooring in my loft and it holds up great, easy to sand an area and apply more as needed but blends in well.
Hes already used natural oils in the past
Has anyone used HOT linseed oil? I've applied it, and it goes down fast if you're not wanting a gloss, but I've never seen it later on. It was just another job. (Fill insulated bucket with hot oil from the truck. Go to where they tell me. Slop oil on the newly laid wood floor as quickly as I can without missing a spot. Go back in and apply a second coat. Report any gaps in the new flooring or loose spots if the job was parquet.)
Fascinating…..how much you have already done, and how much you still have in your head to do! Going to be great watching the rest of it come together!
Looked at your old cabin and this new one .it's like david and Goliath, love it ,must be so satisfying sitting outside of your self build home xx
I watched the My Self Reliance vid first, then this one. I always enjoy hearing you talk about what you have done, and what is planned for the future. Having watched EVERY episode of the previous cabin/property build, and then the same with this property, I must say that it has been a monumental undertaking that would cause many men to quail in the face of the challenge! I could imagine how you were going to finish the inside, but it makes so much more sense to see and hear you describe it. What a wonderful homestead you are making for your family - best wishes in the continuance, and as always, stay safe!
PS - I just turned 79, a year younger than your Dad. Grateful for every day of life!
You did an awesome job on this cabin. Have you considered making wooden panels to place over your windows and that glass by the door?...on the outside that can be locked down? I've seen where bears have broken a glass, come in and ransacked places. Just something that's fits over the glass for days you might ride into town or just be away...or while sleeping at night.
Shawn, I was watching a video the other day about Amish barn raising. They mentioned that when building the post & beam framework the timbers they use are still slightly green. One reason was that when pinning the joints together, the pins they use are completely dried & as the beams continue to dry & shrink they tighten even tighter around the already dried pins. Guess you learn something new every day. Have a great day 😊.
Very, very interesting! A valuable tid-bit for future building projects.
And only being "slightly" green, they won't shrink much; if they did shrink much, they'd probably split. Brilliant.
Well you certainly have made a beautiful dwelling, well done 👏
I love when you speak your thought. Brings back the excitement of when you did the old one and how amazingly fortunate I was to find your channel. ❤️
To help find where a spring emerges in a pond or stream, look for watercress. It requires a lot of nutrients which is why it is often found near underwater springs.
Property looking amazing man!
I wonder if that's what he was showing a close up of when he and Calli walked into the woods and there was a little creek/spring area? A close up of a plant with his hand in the foreground...if I remember to go back and look for it, I'll time stamp it here.
😎🖐 amazing attention to detail, an example for us all in self reliance whatever situation one is in, blessings for you and your family
Well done, Shwawn. It's an incredible accomplishment to do all of it by yourself.
Looks great, Shawn! We love it. Use that sawdust and those wood chips directly on your garden. Use the "Back to Eden" system in an area and see if it increases your yields. Keep up the good work, man!
Adrenaline is mountaining day by day to see when it's going to be completed but the process and experiances going through will be much appreciated and remembered forever.
Thank you Shawn for inspiring me always
Shawn, I enjoy both your channels and appreciate you sharing your life experiences and wisdom. You mentioned in this video about how difficult it is to pound the pipe through the sand for your well. Just as an idea (which you probably thought of), what if you put a pointed metal tip on the pipe the same diameter of the pipe. Don't affix or screw this metal point but fit it so that it will stay on while you drive the pipe deeper without damaging the it. Once you reach the depth you need, put a smaller diameter pipe inside and drive the fitted metal point deeper; thus unplugging the well pipe. I am not sure if this makes sense, but thought I would throw out this idea. Take care.
Thanks for the cabin tour.. it is nice to see how it will be arranged. Glad there are lots of windows. You really improved on the last cabin. More convenience and space usage. 🌻💖🌻
Thanks for sharing your home details Shawn. Just putting in my 2¢ worth, I'd opt for keeping the log wall opposite your stove vs. a stone wall. You certainly deserve to be able to sit & look at the fruits of your labor in shaping & installing that wall, as well as all the rest of your home.
I absolutely LOVE the thought put into everything. My husband could never do any of this. Heck he couldn't screw in a light bulb without me telling him he had to turn it to screw it in! He does a lot of other things well, just nothing involving real physical labor.
What a huge accomplishment, your land is turning into a little town, well done! The cabin is gonna be spectacular when it’s finished. The cellar or basement is a feat in itself that’s not visible. Love your skills and determination! ✌🏼❤️🙏🏼
Good to hear about your plans, especially harvesting rain water and solar. I'd consider wind power and a good sized battery bank, maybe a Tesla unit. My only concern would be ice buildup on the blades, but I don't know enough. Maybe this isn't an issue.
Just amazing how quickly it's all coming together. 👍
The fortress is coming along nicely🏰There's a lot of light showing through the end of the tunnel now👍🏻Have a nice weekend ... take care✌🏻
We are all so glad to see you do such work by yourself and we also learn that it's possible to try creating confort around us.
Really appreciate you sharing your hard work and planning. There is alot to learn here watching you. Looking forward to your progress. Take care
Wonderful Shawn.
Hard to comprehend the amount of creating that you do.
I am totally enthralled, watching these videos.
Félicitations Monsieur James. Vous avez fait de vos mains une cabane magnifique, cela a été fascinant de suivre l'évolution de vos travaux durant toute cette année,
et ce qui est le plus remarquable c'est votre très grande dextérité pour toute cette réalisation totalement manuelle ! J'ai hâte de voir la suite : aménagements intérieurs et annexes autour.
Bien cordialement. Christophe [FRANCE - Corsica Island]
Man lives in accordance with natural laws, respecting nature and animals.
If you put castors on the bottom of the island, you can push it out of the way or position it farther from the planned Space for an extra work surface near the table or elsewhere. Very handy.
To accentuate the breezeway being your main entrance, you could put railings around the south porch that has the seven foot overhang and have a nice patio set out there, and have a gate blocking the stairs entering the patio.
Shawn - Great job on figuring out the best location and angle for the cabin! I am excited for you to be able to start living in the cabin! 👍👍
I like your breezeway plan. My Grandpa built his house in the 30's and although he put in a formal front door and porch like you it was almost never used. The "kitchen" door was put in just like you at 3' below the main floor level with a landing, up to the kitchen down to the cellar. Being farmers tracking in stuff was a problem. He had a shower and wash area in the cellar so he could clean up before going into the main house.
Thank you for the walk through and set up, it’s going to be an amazing home and very comfortable. Many have learned from you on many subjects and building skills. I’m looking forward to seeing the root cellar as well. I would be very proud and honored to live in such a beautiful home and live off the land.
Very impressive. Appreciate the share and explanation of what goes where, can totally envision what is coming. Thank you for a great video
I am so happy things worked out for you and you were able to build and bigger and better cabin. One you and your wife can life in forever. Can't wait to see it when you are done.
So much effort, from digging the basement to where you are now..
Amazing structure
The work you do as one man is just amazing Shawn! I'd have liked to see the surrounding trees to which you winched those heavy logs into place. Also please just walk around with the camera showing the layout of the property and commentating. That would help. Thanks!
He has to consider his security, some privacy is necessary for his safety.
Some nice future plans you have in mind. It’s so satisfying to see you with an almost inclosed home. Thanks for the tour. 🐕🌲🏠🌲
Lovely plans. I'm glad you are doing a washroom in the cabin. And a great idea to add on the bedroom. Amazing amount of quality work!
Shawn, have you ever thought of installing a radiant barrier up on your ceiling rafters. I can attest having it done to my attic that my house stays cooler and my electric bills almost 30% less this past summer which was a hot one in Texas. The temperature in my attic was in the mid 80's F versus 100 degrees F.
The cabin sure is coming along. You should be proud of yourself for making a fine home.
I did a pine floor with screws, I plugged the holes with walnut plugs. Then sanded it down . It was beautiful.
I am so excited for you! I can’t wait til you are done and relax on the porch and then you can say “Well Done”. God Bless you Shawn James!
Thank you for the inspiration I haven’t built a log cabin but we are becoming self reliant. I had a mad moment and we have bought our selfs a 70ft narrow boat which I am renovating at the minute. The cost of living will be a lot less than a house and we can can move and change the views every day if we want to. We too are going to be composting toilets and a log burner stove . We should be moving on board in around 6 weeks again many thanks for the inspiration to go do this and keep up the good work and I love watching your videos
Congrats on your narrow boat purchase! Do y'all have a RUclips channel? If you have or make one in the future, let us know! I would def subscribe. I love watching videos of narrow boats in England. Good luck to you.
Alison have you considered showing your journey. Renovation of a boat to home. Should be interesting. Anyway good luck with the work and hope it all works out for you.
I am considering showing king Louie’s journey I wish I could send photos but I don’t know how
It’s humbling to see you build your last cabin from start to finish and everything else that was on the old property, to what you’re doing on this property with this new cabin. You can see the changes clearly of what worked what didn’t work, to what you liked and didn’t like. Trial and error is part of everyday life. Being im from Texas and watching the way of life in a colder climate versus our hot climate is amazing to see what this world we live in brings to everyone every where. You’re an amazing guy Shawn, you have a great family and Cali just makes it all that much better. Best of luck with the rest of the work, you never disappoint!
I'd invest in soapstone for the flooring, side (by the desk), & back wall of the woodstove, just to be able to have it absorb and then re-radiate heat overnight so you don't have to wake up & reignite a fire in the stove in the middle of the night. Soapstone can absorb quite a lot of heat, and radiates it back low & slow over time.
So proud of you Shawn. Having watched your channel for years now.
I would use the sawdust in the garden to improve the soil and also sift the finer sawdust and use it in the outhouse to help compost the waste. Also, you can put it around your fruit trees to help them stay warmer in the winter. Sawdust is a great resource.
He did have a place in his out House where sawdust was stored, I remember seeing it.
How awesome things are coming along!! Looking forward to seeing the finished project.
You're welcome been watching since your first cabin you do such wonderful quality on your cabins!
Bet that neighbor of yours is stomping up n down like a child right now in seeing that this one is better, bigger, nicer n more thought thru w details!! You go, Shawn!!!
Thanks for this video as it was getting harder to envision the cabin as you went along but I like your plans. Can’t wait to see the basement. That’s going to be so helpful to you all. I also like that you are screening in the kitchen this time. I can’t imagine with all the back flies you all get up there. Would you ever put in a yurt for your guests? Or maybe a canvas tent or hammock post’s in a circle on a platform. That would be so cool.
The thought you put into everything is amazing! Can't wait to see the finished product but I also enjoy the process!
Love the way the channel has progressed. You are absolutely inspiring lots of folks, which is a neat feature. Well on you Shawn. Great health to all.
Congrats Swan, lovely house. Been waiting for the roof, what a difference it makes. I am so glad you will have your house nearly ready for next winter
The cabin is beautiful. I'm grateful for all the wonderful videos you've shared with us.
Tell your dad Happy Birthday from Idaho. Just had my 80th on August 19th
What a layout !!! Snug , neat side areas, yet spacious, spiritual center core. With a loft and a basement, decks and platforms why you've covered all the areas of life
Incredible progress this year on the cabin and the property. Love the tall ceilings, those gables beg for some triangular windows but maybe that will mess up your heating and cooling plans. Just incredible work I can't wait to see what you do with the place.
Admire your patients and skill that you have tenaciously put into action, your hard work is really coming into fruition. Well done, it has been and I’m sure will continue be an ongoinging project that many people start enthusiastically, but rarely sees the finish line, not so in your case and to have done this in relatively short succession now all but completing a second entire project build is something most people will rarely achieve. Thank you for sharing your skill and expertise with this community, you really are one of a kind. You should be extremely proud of all your have achieved. Your posts on both channels are delightful and we look forward to enjoyable viewing that you so openly share. A very big thanks and Congratulations - from Queensland, Australia. We are so envious when we watch in our summer that most days reaches temps into the mid 30’s c. and you have fresh snow.
Great tour Shawn! It's already looking so beautiful! Thank you for sharing with us!
Well done Mr. James, well done! I just came upon your channels two weeks ago and I've been consumed with them, telling everyone about them. Then my first thought when I saw this video this morning was my heart started rapidly pumping because I thought, what's left for him to build now! But then you shared your future wonderful, thought provoking plans with us, and shoot, we have many, many more videos to look forward to escaping with you. Be safe out there especially with the Farmers Almanac forecast of Canada expecting 14 winter storms this winter. Take care.
I yearn to be standing beside you as you explain your vision for your property. I want to feel the roughness of the cabin logs as a blind person would "see" someone's face. And to smell the aroma of the wood. As I listen to your words and see the cabin dried in, my heart can almost sense the immense value such a home would have been to our settlers. I so appreciate that your sharing allows a glimpse into a simpler, age-old, close to nature lifestyle. It just feels...right. Thank you.
I can't believe people from the main channel aren't subscribed here. Love the details Shawn
Fantastic!! Totally mind boggling all the thought and planning you have put into this and the other projects. Really great accomplishment. One of the advantages of NOT having government assistance. This one is really looking amazing. Just seeing the massiveness of those logs and how they are all linked together is a dream. VERY inspirational. Great work Mr James.. Thank you for doing all the EXTRA work it takes to present this all to us out here enjoying your accomplishments. It probably doubles your workload/
Thank you so much for explaining the design plans - sounds amazing! Could you do a walk around (exterior view) of the cabin to show where the outdoor kitchen will go, the bath house, the additions from the outside, shelter for snow mobiles, and now the tool shed? The reasoning behind the interior design, based on where the sun shines, is well thought out and makes total sense... well done, would definitely do the L shape dining bench/table, and stone backdrop for the wood stove... it is so exciting to see the progress!
Thank you Shawn for this walk through! You do exception craftsmanship without equal!
The quantity and quality of your projects stir pride and endurance! Its not by chance or luck you enjoy over 332 thousand subscribers JUST ON THIS Channel! It is due to your vision and planned plan and following your methodical quality work! Congratulations of the Highest Order🕊🦅🦅🐻🕊
Thanks for the cabin tour Shawn. I think it'd be cool to put a screened in gazebo by that small waterfall you talked about. It'd make a great place to sleep in the heat of the summer. The waterfall would lull me to sleep. Anyway, Looking forward for the future projects you talked about.
Oh wow! What a grand idea....here in the Deep South of the US, my great-grandmothers home had a huge 3- season porch (half wall with operable windows in the top half) with a queen sized bed that we kids fought over to sleep out there. There was zero insulation so wintertime was tough but it was so cool in the sling and fall with the windows open and the screens kept the mosquitos away. Ahh--good memories. Thanks George.
Certainly done some work, fantastic job getting to this stage, look forward to seeing the next few years
Thank you very much. Loved the tour. God bless.
It's a wise man who agrees with his wife. Well doneSir :P the build is coming along fantastically - I love hearing the amount of thought you've put into almost every aspect of the build! :)
Shawn your new cabin is so beautiful .I love watching your progress with your build .Very relaxing and very interesting and informative .Thankyou for Sharing .I can't wait for your next one .
So exciting to see plans coming together. I like the frequent use of 'we' and accommodating family visits.
We also built our benches into beds, thick foam backs that made a level bed with the seat, a d they were storage bins also. We made a gate leg bed extension , which laid flat against the box until it was needed for the bed to be made. A tip for the table: we copied an rv set up… two metal rings on the floor, with cylinder legs that mount the table top. And husband built it onto slides also, so table top could be pushed away on the track so easy in and out when sitting on the boot bench.
I recieved several messages from different apps from shawn james. Are any from you? Expect you are being used for spam or other purposes…
What a wonderful home this will be for you and your family.
Must be a big relief to have a roof on the cabin before winter.
I watched another homesteader and they scorched the bottom of poles going in the ground, they said makes them stronger. Amazing. You do such great work.
I'm impressed with your work on the cabin to get a log structure square is a difficult task even in the construction process of milled purchase lumber. Square level plumb ,if that is accomplished within a quarter inch in today's building process your lucky, because of settling.
I mostly do remodeling and up dating kitchen and bathrooms, flooring electrical plumbing etc.
Many of us tend to think of people as either strong physical types or very intellectual brainy types, but you are a complete combination of strong, intelligent, and every other good quality a man can be apparently! It's so nice to watch as you build your life while you build your homestead! I'm certainly glad you also liked technology enough to film it all and share with us.
Dear Shawn, ...I'm speachless!!! I've been viewing you Self Reliance Channel sind the first House an when your Dog was little ;-). So I've been looking out for how you are doin' on your new Cabin. HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE RESPECT how you do this all by yourself. You have achived so much of Spirit into all you've been building since years, an your Spirit leaves a mark in this World, that shows what a Man can do in a frew Years, ...noch mentioning what a Man can do in his whole Life. This new Generation is nothing compared to you - not in their Spirit and not in their mental Level, neither in anything that could get a bit of near what you are as a human Soul on this World. You are showing what living and what WILL in life is all about, and what itcan move, if someone (like you) brings up the strength, effort, WILL and Love and about what is important to someone on this World. God bless you, Shawn and thank you for letting us all be a whitness to what a Man can achive and what the Word Spirit really means. Yours, MARIO, Frankfurt/Main [...called Mainhattan ;-) ] / Germany. T,ake care, Man.
For the first time, I am starting to get a sense of what the whole place would be looking like.
On the greywater system(s), it seems you could put up a good septic system to constantly feed the greenhouse.
For those of you who don’t know, Shaun has built several beautiful cabins. Please look at his older videos. He’s an amazing person.
The place is really amazing I loved the old place especially the pond you made I wonder how it filled in. Anyway. I've been watching your channel for awhile and the cabin feels like home to me as well.
The place is gonna be really nice when your done. I always liked all the outbuilding you had. This one will be even better. 👍😊🇨🇦
Shawn tell your dad happy birthday! I turned 51 this year July 30 my day turned 79 this year August 7. We are so close in many ways. I wish I had your energy !
This is great, the way that you have thought out the utilization of the cabin to everyday life and incorporated how things are layered out while using entrances, window's even outside elements for entry in different seasons. Food source is the greatly important one and having that all prepared-on sight and stored within the cabin is great too. Good planning is critical to final application of any home. It's going to be awesome once you get it all prepared. Then you can be there to enjoy it, perhaps write a book- on showing other's how to do the same thing!! Have a great weekend and week upcoming!! Thank you for sharing.
Incredible Shawn. Been watching you for years, since midway through the first cabin. You've truly outdone yourself with this one. I'll join you one day in the lifestyle, also a metal worker myself. Give Cali a treat for me, she's such a good pup.
Hi Shawn...could you please use the CC especially for videos like this where you are explaining so much. You usually do but I guess forgot to turn it on. You are so amazing!
Hi Shawn. My husband and watch weekly and are blown away by all that you’ve done. I was wondering if you considered putting the small indoor bath off of the bedroom or mud room in order to have more breathing room and more comfort in the main area? Also anyone using the restroom would feel more comfortable not being in the same space with others. Your wife might like having the sitting/hangout space for kids/grandkids in the winter. Just a woman’s perspective really great job 👏🏻👏🏻
I thought the exact same thing! It's also going to block off that nice large window.
Really really enjoyed that Shawn and have been hoping you would do this type video for us, well I figured at some point you would. Buy it really helped tk see uour vision of everything in detail and what all is still to come.
Love that your able to get it dried in soon and will have the whole winter to do lots of indoor work and completing your separate areas in the cabin.
I have a feeling you will be installing the indoor shower in the bathroom since your wife still enjoys the creature comforts that I'm sure she's probably enjoying now. Can't say I blame her I'm alittle to spoiled to be giving up the easy life at 62.
Always wondered how far the workshop is from the new cabin.still don't no exactly buy uou said pointed off in one direction and said it's quite aways off that way so better idea of where it's at according to the cabin.
Maybe some day you can give us an Arial view with the drone showing where the woodshop is and the cabin in the same drone shot. Or maybe it's to far to see both at the same time.
Anyways nice to see how far you've come and all the hard work you put into all the milling and building. It's quite the lengthy process and stacking logs is as well so it's seemed like you weren't getting anywhere for the longest time and now it's like wow the roof is on and windows going in doors soon and the floor.its a whole new ballgame now and really gives a whole different feeling of completion not far off.
Yet there's other buildings to be built and outdoor kitchen and sauna and laundry and the dream just build and builds.
It's already an amazing property and we can now see it's going to be alot more amazing when you get more of the property built.
Thanks so much for sharing your past present and exciting future with us Shawn.
Your an amazing man and I'm truly enjoying your adventures. Be safe and God bless you and your family and of coarse special Cali 🙏
Enjoyed the tour and hearing about your future plans very much. The cabin is looking great!
I have wide pine floors in my Colonial house. We top nailed them in square headed nails. Nice rustic look, soft floors but we love them. Everything you do has always turned out great. It looks so good.
I love the look of wide plank pine floors, and when they wear in the high traffic areas I think just adds character. A hardware store in town has them and they are very worn and squeak just wonderfully
Traci Veno
22 minutes ago
I have been waiting to know all this for a long time. Thank you for taking the time to tell us.
The separate bedroom will be essential and so peaceful.
The whole thing is a dream Shawn.
I could see you adding one or two small sleeping cabins somewhere for when family gets big later on.
Beautiful artistic visions you have.
These channels are my favorite Friday thing to do in the mornings. Shawn James time everybody!! So excited to see the finish