Early March 2020- A Winter Escapade and a stay at the Casino
We learned that our local casino offers a package during the winter months for $55/night that includes 2-$10 vouchers for slot play plus $15 in food credit. This made it very possible to head up during the cold weather months, especially knowing that we had a warm place to shower and sleep after a long day of working outside. The bonus is that the first time we took advantage of this- we won enough to pay for our second weekend! (But let’s not talk about how we did the second weekend)
With our permit expiring on April 15th, and knowing that we were yet to have any inspections, the Leelanau Building and Safety Department had no option but to insist that we complete something for inspection or else we would have to pay to renew our license. I cannot tell you how difficult it has been to make it up here to work on this place, let alone never having done any of this kind of work before. We learn something new all of the time.
To catch everyone up on the work that has been done, we have managed to complete all of the interior framing which required us to bring out every stud at 16 inches using a 2×3 since the entire building was constructed on cinder block. We would have to do this so that our drywall had something to adhere to while it ran all of the way down to the floor. In addition, we framed in the bathroom and also prepared the opening for a 3-panel slider that will be installed as soon as the COVID-19 shelter-in-place is lifted.
The well drillers finally found water- but only after bringing in someone to perform “water witching”, drilling once with their small rig, and then needing to bring in the big rig to find water at 260 feet. The original quote was not to exceed $14,999- but it did. This has been a huge financial set back. The last step of the well connecting to the house and the installation of the well pump will happen after the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
We have installed some amazing windows to bring more light into the place. We installed one in the bathroom, one at the site of where the kitchen sink will go, and one above where our platform bed will be located. The trim is all hand-created by us and the bathroom window makes you feel like you are showering outdoors!
The big news is that we cut the hole out for the 3 panel slider just before the Governor restricted travel between residences.
Finally, Tim was able to complete the electrical so that we could have our first inspection on April 13th, just before the permit expired. We are still awaiting word for how we did.
Thanks to our friends, Tom and Cindy for allowing us to crash at their place in April. The casino was booked and their offer was very much appreciated!
Little Leelanau 