Hi everyone! It’s me, Jess. In case you’ve missed my dad, Les’, boomer dad gift guides, he’s quickly become a beloved contributor here at EHD. And while I couldn’t be more biased, I honestly wasn’t surprised. He’s my favorite person, and getting to share him with you is simply the best. (Plus, he feels like a celebrity the day the posts go up, and it’s pretty cute, ha.) Today, however, he’s not sharing with you his specific yet truly helpful gift ideas, no. Today, he is showing you the cabin he and his girlfriend have poured their hearts (and probably some blood) into. This is a true DIY cabin, y’all. I finally got to see it for the first time this week, and while the photos are great (well, they’re “fine” because I only had my iPhone camera and very amateur skills), the warmth and coziness are practically overwhelming. So please enjoy my dad and his cabin in the woods.

So I decided to buy a cabin in the woods. Being an inner city boy from Chicago, it’s a big move. I knew nothing of the outdoors until COVID, when my girlfriend and I bought our Airstream. I somehow found peace in that endeavor. So now I have a cabin in the woods. It was built in 1920 and is on Forest Service land. I own the cabin but lease the land. That brings the price down dramatically (can’t argue with that). Anyway, this place looked more like the 1950s than the 1920s. Hated it, but we saw some potential. What I didn’t see was the amount of work needed to get it to our taste. I figured I could live old school. Well, not if you’re living with the girl I happen to be living with. Geez.  So, after a couple of months of hard work, I think we’re done (though I never know). 

The hardest part was the floors. Lorinda wanted to save the original floors. I thought it was worth a shot, but was skeptical. She said she would sand them down herself. Well, after peeling up the linoleum (which I kinda liked and saved a piece for my pantry wall), she and a girlfriend got to work. Two days later, they couldn’t move a muscle. By the way, a big shout-out to Cheryl, one of our best friends. As I looked at the original floor after they were done, I could see the ground below the house. Yikes! Then I stepped in and, with a buddy, laid down all fresh plywood and a new laminate wood floor. Three days later, I couldn’t move a goddamn muscle. Ha!  After that, the rest was easy.

Microwave | Toaster Oven | Electric Kettle (similar) | Sconce

Originally, there were two entries into the kitchen. Seemed unnecessary, and it was. We eliminated one by building a pantry and using the back side of that wall for the TV in the living room. I covered that backside with shiplap. We eliminated some cabinets in the living room and repurposed them in the pantry. One of them worked better upside down. My whole life, I have looked at things from an upside-down perspective. Strangely, it seems to serve me well, Ha!

Pendant | Shade | Faucet | Sink

I bought an 8-foot piece of 8 foot butcher block and made a new kitchen counter out of it. (with my son’s help) Dropped a new sink into it and Wallah! Looks like a new kitchen. We also bought an old butcher block to create a small island to prep food on. Works great and doesn’t take up any room.

Rattan Flush Mount

I left the appliances but built a dish rack to cover the side of the fridge. Now, when a bear looks into my window, he will not see a fridge. Yay, as that is what they look for when taking a peek. If they see a fridge, it’s dinner time. (Who knew!)

Lo had me install a shelf of her making on top of the fridge (really slick). She’s been luggin that piece of wood around since I met her. It now has a home. She then found the right height little log from our property to prop it up. The basket is where all of our kitchen paper goods – wax paper, aluminum foil, saran wrap, etc. Gotta get creative in a small kitchen.

Wall Mount Bookshelf

For some reason, the prior owner drywalled the entire joint. Not very “cabin-y” if you ask me. So I went out and bought some knotty pine tongue and groove and paneled a few of the walls. Lo stained it dark to match the floor and beams (Now I’m feeling like Davy Crockett). 

The water I cook with and bathe in is pulled from a stream behind the cabin. (Davey Crocket indeed). When I bought the place, it had no water filter. Jess and I installed a filter in the river this week. I feel better about it now. Probably her first time in waders.

Copper Water Dispenser | Stand (vintage)

I still need to bring in my drinking water. Dragged a water stool all the way from France and purchased a copper dispenser to sit on top of it. It beats having plastic Arrowhead jugs all over the place. It has a home in a skinny little spot next to the stove and looks great.

Found an old shoe cobbler’s bench somewhere in LA and made a coffee table out of it. Needed something skinny and nothin I found was working until this. Even my daughter wasn’t entirely convinced of that vision, but it works. Ha!

Rechargeable Light

There is a Murphy bed in the living room. It was kinda boring. To change that, I lined the inside wall with shiplap. I installed a rechargeable cordless reading light, too. Without consulting Lo, I found the biggest sticker of Smokey the Bear in existence. My intentions were to put it right below the light. Lo wasn’t having it. We finally compromised by having Smokey peeking over my pillow. Personally, I love it. I want to do something with the bed when it is up. That corner of the room has zero character. I would use the same siding as the walls, but I’m afraid it would make it too heavy. I am going to look into some pine luan ( ¼” plywood ) today. That just might work. I’m open to any suggestions. You guys are way smarter than me.

I have plenty of old, cool things around this place, but I really like a piece of folk art that a friend’s father had made (the lumberjack on the wall behind the stove). I don’t know that there is anywhere on earth that it would work as well as here. As that man has left this life, I cherish it. Of course, if his son ever wants it back, that’s ok. 

Pendant (similar)

The two chairs are for the grandchildren, and they double as wall art. The glass cabinet and dining table were found at an estate sale store in Oceanside, California. I have bought a lot from that place. The rug was a gift from Cheryl, the saint who helped Lo sand the floors. It just fit perfectly. The dining chairs were found at a number of consignment stores. I think they all came from different locations. You always have to know what you’re looking for and know that sooner or later, you will hit the number that you want if you explore places the way I do.

I tend to walk through cities and usually stumble into all sorts of unique (to say the least) stores. I wandered into this place in Amsterdam. Never, and I mean never, have I experienced anything like this before. It was frickin great though as long as my nerves held up. Ha!

The cuckoo clock on the wall was dragged here all the way from Grindelwald, Switzerland. I think we take the trophy for things we have carried on international flights. We have been looked upon as crazy on more than one flight. 

Toto Bidet Toilet Seat | Wicker Table Lamp | Mirror | Vanity | Faucet

The bathroom needed some help also (what didn’t?). Lo picked out a new vanity and sink from Lowe’s. I then picked it up on the way up here and installed it, Prest-o Change-o. The mirror came from Wayfair. Also purchased a Toto Washlet toilet seat. I will never be without one of those again. Now I gotta tell you, on a cold mountain morning, having a seat on my warm Toto is something to look forward to. And I do!  

Antler Flush Mount

The bedroom was absolutely awful. To make it more “cabin-y,” I built some wooden beams out of Alder wood. I installed mounting blocks on the ceiling and attached the beams to them. What a difference. Then I added an antler light in the center of the room, and what do you know, rustic cabin. 

The sculptures on the wall are swallows. I put them there to remind me of San Juan Capistrano, the city where the swallows return every year and the city where I raised my family. On a side note, I once signed a hotel register in a small town in Scotland. When the proprietor saw my address, he walked over to a piano and played the song, When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano for my whole family. It’s one of my all-time best memories. How great is this human race?

Sconces (I added the cord and pull chain)

We put down throw rugs throughout. The wall-to-wall carpet in the bedroom I left unit I come up with a solution. 

I installed a stackable washer and dryer in the bedroom closet. Don’t want to go back to 1920 in every way.

We brought in a vintage armoire for our clothes.

All the lighting has been changed, mostly acquired at vintage and consignment shops. My total investment in the facelift was around $10,000. Of course, most of the work was done by Davy Crockett. 

Led Solar Deck Lights

In the end, I find comfort here. I have met neighbors from down the road, and they are quite nice. I don’t think this place was ever used in the winter. It will be this year. I can’t wait to ski for free, which is the only goddamn perk of being 75. I have Jessica insulating all my pipes under the house as we speak (tough being one of my kids, HA!). 

We have a deck on the back of the cabin that overlooks the American River. We do not need a cold plunge here, as this river is quite cold. I have put two deck chairs on the riverbank. It is so nice that I am dumbfounded. I can take credit for all of the physical labor, but the design end of this place belongs solely to Lo. Except for Smokey, ha! I suspect we will be spending some time here. Hard for me to fathom myself in the woods, but here I am. Change is great, isn’t it? I never want to stop changing. New things are so invigorating to me. I don’t know if anyone has ever figured me out (that includes me). I really hope I never do. Whatever is around the next corner is much more exciting when you don’t know. I get the feeling that even keeling over dead will have some kind of wonder and excitement for me. I hope those who have loved me remember that. I wish you all a great summer and hope you all get to shake hands with Mother Nature. I’m dancing with her as we speak. 

Below are some before and after pictures. I’m told these are called sliders. If you hold the cursor on the arrow and slide back and forth, you can see the whole deal. Of course, EHD would have all the latest tools for the best reading experience. Personally, I am always blown away by technology. I remember my first cordless drill. Thought it was just a fad. I’m an idiot. Enjoy the pics!

DESIGN UPDATE!!!

After I wrote the post, I decided to go ahead with the 1/4″ plywood on the Murphy bed. Though it looked better than before, it still needed a little more character. As always happens in my life, I stumbled upon a large, old framed map of Lake Tahoe. The map has notes on it from somebody, which gives it even more character. I slapped that baby on the wall and Wallah! Boring to warm. Lo is going to stain it the same color as my plate rack. That only left one wall, causing my displeasure. Though the cuckoo clock helped, it wasn’t quite enough. So I bought another 9 pieces of tongue and groove, and I am now finished with the exception of the stain. By the way, I appreciate all of your positive remarks. They warm as much as my cabin does. 

*Photos by Jess on her iPhone…she did her best, ha.