Let There Be Light!!

Every day without an ounce of thought we walk into a room, flip a switch, or perhaps ask Alexa, to turn on a light. We give little thought to how our electrical power is generated. Electricity in the U.S. is relatively inexpensive and as a result we tend to overlook the process involved in generating the electricity or the impact it may have on our environment.

We've owned our property since 1999. During that time we have burned gallons of white gas in our Coleman lanterns. Burning candles may be romantic but try actually reading by one and it will be a short lived romance! We are also collectors of flashlights and we are well-qualified to write reviews on how well they perform at -30F. During our building process we used a Honda 3500 watt generator for running our larger tools and for charging batteries for our cordless tools. New developments in lithium batteries have resulted in some pretty amazing cordless tools.

We've grown accustomed to not having power in our shack, but we wanted to add more creature comforts to our cabin.

For our remote property grid tied power (that power that comes with the beautiful green boxes) was simply not an option. After a lot of research we installed a 2.66Kw off grid solar system. We have 9 SolarWorld 290 watt solar panels, which are ground-mounted next to the cabin. We chose a ground mount system because climbing up a ladder onto the roof in the dead of winter to pull snow and ice towards you with a roof-mounted system just did not seem wise. The downside of the ground mount is that the panels are more visible as you approach the cabin.

For those of you versed in solar systems, here are our Off Grid Solar Tech Specs:

• 9 SolarWorld 290 watt panels
• 4000 watt Magnum Pure Sine Wave Inverter MSPAE4024
• Midnight Classic 150 Charge Controller
• 8 Crown CR430 6v batteries wired 4x2 for a 24v DC system 860Ah
• IronRidge Ground Mount 
• Honda EU2000i backup generator for battery charging when the sun's not shining

We ordered the package above (except the generator) from Wholesale Solar online. We bought the inverter and charge controller factory prewired. Wholesale Solar tech support was awesome to work with!

The IronRidge ground mount system mounts on 3" galvanized steel pipe (purchased locally). The pipes weighed in at 120 lbs each. Drilling four 12" holes in rock was no easy task but we lived to tell about it. (Thanks Wayne!!) Mixing the cement to fill those holes was relatively easy since Mkay is a proud owner of a bright orange cement mixer gifted to her from her loving husband a year previously. True love ...

Ground Mount Solar Panels

The batteries are stored in a custom sealed box (gray box in the picture below - Mark built it at home in his copious spare time) in the basement (controlled temperature). It's power vented to the outside to exhaust the hydrogen gas during charging. The exhaust fan is programmed and controlled by the charge controller. Midnight has the worst product documentation possible (!) but their YouTube videos are helpful.

Custom Battery Box, Inverter, Charge Controller, Power Vent

All that was left was to figure out all the wire sizing, correct wire type, which conduit to use, how deep to bury it, torque settings for screws and bolts, concrete encased electrode grounding, labeling, NEC required disconnects, etc, etc ... and your "good to go"!!

We wired the entire cabin ourselves and ... sitting down ... we actually PASSED the electrical rough in inspection with only a couple minor changes required. <<Insert happy dance here>>

Next it was time to install the breakers into the main electrical panel, which is fed by the inverter. Coming off a high from the rough-in inspection, what could go wrong??? Well Mark plummeted 30,000 feet as he struggled to understand how combination Arc Fault breakers work. As it turns out, if you wire them incorrectly they DON'T work!!! I was tripping AFCI breakers faster than dog snot sliding off a freshly sliced onion. The fault diagnostics indicated a fault to ground. Later I figured out that the fault was between my ears - I had misread the AFCI installation instructions! I read them TWICE. Regardless, Mkay has enrolled me in a ESL course for improving my engwish.

Main Electrical Panel 100A 24 Space

After most of the summer doing some sort of electrical work, imagine for a moment what it was like for Mary Kay and I to be in the middle of Superior National Forest as we switched on our basement lights for the first time! It was AMAZING!!! Amazing to have light! More amazing that our off grid solar actually worked!!! 

Although we will not have a monthly electricity bill, our electricity is not "free." The system has the obvious initial monetary costs. The batteries have a limited lifetime of charges. The PV panels have a 25-year warranty but they are made using precious metals. Bottom line: off grid solar also has monetary and environmental impacts.

Only time will tell how we did at sizing our off grid solar and electrical needs. We'll need to put the system into use to see how we manage across multiple seasons. For our latitude we have a mere 2.1 sunlight hours for generating solar per day during the winter. 

Now go turn off your lights ...

Fall Pic (Photo Creds to Courtney)

The Insulating Crew Sporting Tyvek Suits & Masks

Is it done yet?

Mark places the last piece of siding

There’ve been two persistent questions this summer by our faithful followers. First, is it done yet? And Second, why haven’t you written a blog post?!

So here’s the long awaited blog post (!), and no, we’re not done yet! This summer has been mostly about installing the solar electrical system, inside and out. This past week, Mark filled out the paperwork requesting an electrical inspection. Yay! When that’s done, we’ll be able to insulate and hang sheet rock - then things will start looking like they are coming together.  We also finished the siding this summer. The picture above is of Mark hanging the very last piece at the highest point of the cabin. It feels so good to have that done. Thanks to friends Al and Dave for helping the last of that big job!

We’ve actually taken time off from the building project periodically this year. We’ve spent time paddle boarding, swimming, canoeing, and sitting our butts in our teak rocking chairs on the screen porch. Alisha, James, Alex, and baby Avery came up for Labor Day weekend - it was Avery’s first visit to the cabin.

We’d love to say we have SOMETHING complete, and the screen porch is close. We still need to install cedar tongue and groove on the ceiling inside and finish the outside peak. How to finish the outside has been an unanswered question until recently. I really wanted cedar shakes, and Mark really wanted to use up the leftover siding. The latter is practical and the former is a lot more work. Yesterday, Mark came home with four bundles of cedar shakes, bless his heart (that “bless his heart” was for you, cousin Connie!). Today we stained them in preparation for their installation.

In August, we started a fun project. We are using reclaimed hardwood for our flooring, which will give us a very rustic look. We bought it last year, and it’s been sitting in our way. So, while typically we’d install the flooring after doing the walls, we need it out of our way. So we started the installation. We had our friends, Al and Kathy, up for a few days and Kathy taught Mary Kay how to install the flooring. Kathy and Mary Kay finished the bedroom in 2 afternoons, and then MK got a start in the main room after they left.

That’s a bit of an update. Perhaps Mark will write a blog post all about the electrical system - that’s beyond MK’s pay grade! The good thing about not writing a blog post since the beginning of the summer is that I realized how many people are reading them and enjoy seeing our progress.  Thanks to all who prodded us to get another entry written - we promise it won’t be so long before the next one!

The Perfect Day

Mary Kay and I ventured north for Memorial Day weekend. I had been up the weekend prior with my brother Al and what a difference a week can make. A week ago we had frost on Sunday morning. This trip we had temps in the 80's and the bugs were awakening from their slumber.

This weekends plans were to screen in our porch that we built last March. As usual, the truck was packed with supplies. To screen the porch we framed the openings with 2x2 cedar. Then we made our own screen frames with heavy duty extruded aluminum. We used black aluminum screen and splines to complete the project. The main porch screens are 80"x42". The came out great ... not perfect mind you, but well within our tolerances. The black colored screen blends in and is nearly invisible.

Sunday turned out to be a "Perfect Day". We completed our screened in porch .. DONE! We then unwrapped our paddle boards to take them on their maiden voyage. You'll see we were donning our life jackets expecting some pretty cold water if we fell into the lake. After a short trip on the lake with Minnie as our paddle board Captain we decided it was war
m enough to attempt a swim. To our she-grins the water was warm! We floated in the lake and laid in the warm sun on our boards to dry off. 

The day flew by and before you knew it was Happy Hour! Mary Kay decided it was due time to put her feet up and use that porch that she has worked so hard to build. Since I cannot sit still (nor read), I decided to try my luck at fishing. Minnie was torn ... stay with Mkay or go with Mark, stay with Mkay or go with Mark ... she decided to stay. For a golden, it is pure torture to have to choose between your peeps. In the end, Mkay had to listen to her whining on the porch and I missed my ballast in the canoe ... but we all survived.

My happy hour in the canoe was interrupted by a nice trout. My first out of the lake. We added the trout to our walleye for dinner which was fantastic!

All in all ... it was simply ... a Perfect Day!

We are almost ready for our electrical rough in inspection. Plumbing supply lines and vents are also nearly complete with the drains remaining. If we are not careful we'll be able to insulate the walls soon! We've purchased our complete PV solar system from Wholesale Solar and we are working on the off grid installation. We're installing a 2.6kW solar system that should support all of our conservative electrical needs. For those interested ... we're installing a 4000W Magnum Inverter, Midnight Classic charge controller, 9 - 290 watt SolarWorld panels mounted on a ground mount. We'll have 8 Crown 6-volt 430Ah batteries to supply our power. The batteries will be installed in a custom made battery enclosure that has a 24v DC powered exhaust vent.

Enjoy!

M&M

Next time maybe Mark can take a few photos to include Mkay!!

Where's Waldo?

Where is Waldo the cabin builder?

We've been hibernating the past couple of months waiting for milder temps at the cabin before we continue our Nordhjem Escapades. I just returned from a great weekend XC skiing with friends near the cabin. This area near our cabin has received 70" of snow so far this season. The woods are a winter wonderland as the winds sculpture the snowy landscape. (Sunrise photo creds to Bob A.)

We have continued some of our cabin research over the winter to narrow down our lighting options and to spec out our electrical solar needs for the cabin. This is all in prep for the upcoming building season.

We made good progress last year! The exterior is 75% sided. On the interior we have the majority of the electrical and plumbing rough in completed.

We are also thrilled to have our first grandchild! Little Miss Avery Benton joined us on January 25th. She is "precious" to say the least!

Back here in the big city I continue to volunteer as a XC Ski Patrol
for Dakota county. It's incentive to get out of my recliner and enjoy the local parks.

For this blog entertainment I have created a random video of cabin photos. The photos remind us how thankful we are for the family and friends who have helped us along the way.

Enjoy!

Is it done yet?

No, sorry, the cabin is not finished, but we did make good progress again this summer. Mother Nature provided 14" of fresh snow in our area (another 11" this weekend, according to our friend Bob) to mark the beginning of winter. Fortunately, we have enough material staged in the cabin to keep us entertained over the winter months.

This past summer the cabin exterior changed considerably as we built the deck and screen porch,  had the metal roof installed (we hired that done!), installed soffit and fascia, and finished the siding on three sides of the cabin. Wow, what a bit of wood will do to appearance!

Inside we're working on the plumbing (mostly done) and electrical rough-ins (still a ways to go). We also had spray foam insulation installed on the ceiling, gable end walls, and the rim joist (another thing we hired done!). This past weekend we hooked up the propane to the cabin and have the copper propane lines connected for the water heater and furnace; the connections are ready for the stackable dryer and range. We installed the furnace chimney and the floor furnace is operational, which will allow us to have some heat this winter during the day (we can't leave it on until we complete the wall insulation).

People are always interested in our make-shift ways of figuring things out and getting things done off the grid.  Cutting the furnace chimney hole in our brand new metal roof was another "Depends" (think adult diapers!) moment - one of these moments when you realize you have exactly one chance to get it right.  Not wanting to mess it up, we made a template for cutting the hole into our 10/12 pitched metal roof. (Hint: its not a round hole). To do this we took a section of the 5" chimney out onto the screen porch, which is also 10/12, held it vertical with a piece of cardboard on the underside of the roof. Mkay shined a flashlight up the pipe and I traced the outline. We re-traced for the 1.5" clearance then duct taped the cardboard pattern in place and cut the hole with a jig saw. Badda Bing, Badda Boom! It worked like a charm!

Family joined us for a weekend in October (Alisha, James, and Alex) so we took advantage of the extra muscle to move a "few" things into the cabin. I filled a rental truck with 800 sq ft of reclaimed barn wood flooring for the main cabin floors. Then I decided to "balance" the load with 30 sheets of 4x8 sheetrock. We also brought up the wood stove chimney parts, our Vermont Castings wood stove (which weighs over 500 pounds itself), and the Elmira range (not quite 500 pounds). If our math was close, we were near the weight limit of the rental truck at 4300 lbs but we made it without incident. Mark's Motto: A Secure Load is a Safe Load ... so we used plenty of straps to keep the load from shifting during transit. Unloading was a piece of cake with all the help (MK and I let Alex and James do most of the work!  Alisha, who happens to be eating for 2, supervised). We intentionally rented a Penske truck as they have more clearance, allowing us to back the truck up and use the ramp to make a bridge onto the deck. (Once again proving that Mark is anal retentive).

We also brought up the tile for the utility room and bathroom and the Dens Shield underlayment (goes under the tile, for those not familiar). We'll need the heat on to work on tiling so that project will need to wait for insulation.

Our son-in-law, James, must be charmed.  As we built the fire for the first night's leisure time, he wondered aloud whether we might see northern lights.  Not to disappoint, Mother Nature provided a long show of them throughout the evening.  Later this fall, we had a moose encounter as it sauntered right past our not-yet-screened porch, startling Minne, and subsequently the moose (!) who took off at high speed down to the lake.

The DIY siding jigs have worked great to allow Mark to install the 16' 2x10 siding solo. Another successful DHFDF (Do Hickey For Dumb F____) has been born!

A couple more miscellaneous things we got done this summer:  With hopes of returning the bobcat to its owner this fall I built a small boulder retaining wall along the cabin to protect the septic system cleanout. We also had our trusty excavator (Brad) out to repair our mile-long driveway; unfortunately he had to pull out due to rain and we have about 1/4 mile remaining. Mother Nature won the race on removing the bobcat (think SNOW),  so we'll keep that kidnapped for another winter and return it next spring. Sorry Wayner!

Each season, we seem to have a "blooper" or two story to tell.  This fall, we found a unique way of getting the bobcat stuck (nothing better than having 6000 lbs stuck!). Trying to maneuver the bobcat in a tight spot, I wedged a 14" diameter maple tree (that is on a steep slope) between the front and rear tire (not just anyone can do that!) - thankfully, the bobcat was leaning against the tree. Trying to get it out just put me in a more precarious position. With the bobcat nearing its tip over point we (Dave and I) decided to hook a chain to the bobcat and use the truck for resistance. In order to get the truck into place we had to back up all the way around the cabin. As I backed the truck around the cabin I remembered the bobcat forks were there. No problem! I successfully cleared the forks and WHAM! managed to back the truck into another maple tree. It won the battle and took out the tail light and crunched the rear quarter panel of my truck (ok, if you've seen my truck, you might not think that's such a great loss). WAIT! We're not done yet ... we hooked up the chain to the bobcat and the truck - put the truck in 4wd low, tensioned the chain and managed to get the bobcat unstuck without issue. WAIT! The truck was revved a bit too high and literally slid sideways for 12 FEET and stopped with the pickup high centered over the picnic table!! (WHAT?) In the end, we disengaged the truck from the picnic table successfully. (I only wish we would have had a video camera on that scene, because it would have potentially won us $10,000!). Contemplating what to do next and not wanting to do any more damage, we felt it was best to sit quietly on a stump and contemplate the event.



Hope you enjoy the blog!!!!

M&M

Roof Roof!

The delinquent Nordhjem bloggers have returned and we are alive & well! Minne, our faithful cream golden companion, is always the most excited when we head north. She's the first one in the truck when we leave city life, and always exuberant about seeing what's new when we arrive at our place in the woods.

Since our last update we've made good progress on the cabin. We finished framing the screen porch. Mkay pre-stained all the cedar 6x6 and 4x4 posts. They are so beautiful that we've altered our plans. Originally we were planning to simply staple the screen to the outside and trim with 1x4 cedar. The posts are so beautiful we cannot cover them up. Instead we will make framed screens to inset into each opening. We'll install them next spring since our bug season is over for the year.

Roof! Roof! Yes ... we now have our metal roof installed on the cabin and porch. We hired this job done. The transformation was amazing, finally removing the 2x4 roof cleats and seeing a finished roof. The color is "burnished slate" and we love how it settles into the surrounding forest. At the same time, with help from Dave, we completed the metal soffit and fascia. We took advantage of the lift from the roofing contractor, which made our work considerably easier!

We are now installing siding on the cabin! We chose a hand hewn siding from Cedar Creek. Essentially it is an expensive 2x10 that is hand hewn and has a rabbet joint between courses. We purchased the siding pre-finished to save us LOTS of time this fall, and hopefully get the siding up before winter sets in.

Again we took advantage of the lift (thanks Tom!) to install siding on the cabin gable ends. Honestly I'm not sure how we would have tackled the siding above the porch without the lift. We used the lift along with a section of extension ladder that we padded with foam and used ladder hooks over the porch roof peak to install the siding. Mark also created another DHFDF (Do Hickey For Dumb F....) jig, which helps to space the courses of siding and hold a section in place for installation. To install, we nail through the top rabbet and face screw trim head screws on the bottom of the course.

We hired out the spray foam insulation. We're building a non-ventilated roof so we applied 6" of closed cell polyurethane foam to the underside of the roof sheathing (R42) and 3" (R21 for the math impaired) in the upper gable end walls as well as the cabin rim joist and corners. Since we are on solar electrical we cannot run an air exchanger. Instead we will install batt insulation in the walls and utilize passive air exchange to control humidity and air quality. BTW ... spraying foam insulation is a NASTY job ... don't even think of this as a DIY project. Stop ... consider the source of that last statement and read it slowly ... don't even think of doing spray foam yourself.

Polly Wally Doodle! Mkay has been busy applying Helmsman polyurethane to the interior of all the windows and doors. She was not pleased when she found out her "anal retentive" husband wanted FOUR coats of poly with light sanding between coats. Truth be told Mark is such a putz with a brush that he's restricted from being within 20 feet of an open can of polyurethane.  (MK inserted comment here:  Mark CANNOT be left alone with a can of poly and a brush!)

For some reason our help felt our driveway needed a bit of repair?? It was in pretty bad shape after all the construction traffic (we'll spare you the "before" picture). We're having "pit run" trucked in and spread. If you recall our driveway is just shy of a mile long ... uff da ... the driveway is soft but it will settle over time.

We also completed the plumbing supply lines. Sounds impressive ... but there are only 4 hot and 6 cold supply lines. We used 1/2" Pex A tubing and home runned all the plumbing to the mechanical room to hot/cold manifolds, which will allow us to control water to each device. We also have the plumbing vents nearly completed. The plumbing drains remain along with the final connection to our septic. Mark continues to study the #1 rule of plumbing ... shit flows downhill ... eventually he will figure it out!

We have our electrical layout, main panel installed, electrical boxes installed, and we'll continue to pull wire when Mother Nature is not cooperating for exterior work.

Keeping with tradition here is our latest crew photo! But we blew the selfie and omitted Mkay :^(

When we are not up north we are busy preparing for the next trip or working on smaller projects. One set was fun so we made three ...

Lessons Learned:

1. Mark cannot be left alone with a can of poly and paintbrush.
2. If you prefer round chimney pipe do not order online.
3. Don't even think of doing spray foam insulation yourself. Even IF you are successful you will not live long enough to enjoy the finished project!
4. Confucius say, man who leaves with four unsecured strips of polystyrene in back of truck may arrive at destination with fewer than anticipated. 

We hope you enjoy the blog!!

M&M

Here we go again!

And so begins another year of building. We're heading up north for the week of July 4 to work on the cabin.  Just the two of us - doing odd jobs that get ready for the bigger ones to come.  We will stain the porch floor and deck; perhaps finish the porch (!); run electrical and plumbing; do some final measurements for the metal roof and siding - order the same! And whatever else mastermind Mark has in mind.

Cabin site, spring 2016

I often get asked if we'll "finish" the cabin this year. WE WISH! We estimate it to be a 3-year project, and I HOPE that's true.  Sometimes it feels daunting - like we'll never finish it. And it was really great to have a break over the winter. When I feel overwhelmed with the whole project, I look at where we were last May compared to the place we are today (see pictures at left). And I'm amazed at what we've accomplished (thanks once again to our amazing volunteer crew!). Grateful, is the only word I can come up with.

Mark's been up three times already this spring. I joined him once, over Memorial weekend. The result of those trips is the beginnings of a screen porch and deck (see pictures at the bottom).

Cabin, spring 2017

A screen porch is an absolute necessity this time of year. From  about Memorial Day through mid-July (or sometimes end of July), the black flies, mosquitos, and gnats can get pretty bad.  So, we'll be hoping for it to be a "light" year for those pests, and if not, for breezy weather! We have many ways to escape the peskies when they get to be too much...  a canoe ride (sometimes), go for a fast ride on the 4-wheeler, this year we're adding fat tire bikes to our possibilities of fun, or head down to the Big Lake and catch its cool breezes that are just too much for the bugs. Someday, I'll be able to sit in the screen porch, or in the window seat, and just watch the bugs and the world go by!

Not sure we've ever described the inside of the cabin. It's pretty simple. The porch and deck are on the west end of the cabin (you can see the stairs in the picture to the left). The east end (shown in the picture) is the bedroom, bathroom, and utility room, and of course the loft above, which will be just an open sitting/sleeping room. The rest of the cabin is kitchen and living area.  We constructed the inside walls over one weekend in the winter. Perhaps that sounds impressive, but it isn't - there are only a few walls!

And finally, a note of gratitude to all who watch this process through the blog. So many people express genuine interest in our project.  It's great to feel like there's a community of people that are interested and want to see its success. Thank you!  

Celebration after a day of decking!

Rain on the cedar decking

Porch roof on, thanks to Mark and Dave