With a deadline of Dec. 29th as a motivator (the scheduled family bonfire breakfast) Rick and I put up wall #3 last weekend and 2/3rds of the final wall today – we have to wait for the door to arrive before we finish the wall.
Everything (other than the 2×4’s) are leftover pieces from something or other, cut and nailed to fit. It’s nothing fancy or beautiful but it works.
Wall 3
At Rick’s work, they were throwing out a glass table top. He salvaged it and it became the window of our third wall. The window is 4’ square. We then went through our scrap pile of plywood to fill in the wall.
My plan is to put some birdfeeders around the window areas so we can watch the birds in the winter time and the flowers in the summer.
Wall 4 (sorry no pictures)
Last weekend, after finishing wall #3, we had enough time to put 1/3rd of the final wall up, with two old windows stacked on top of each other.
This morning, just a couple hours before my family was to arrive for our bonfire breakfast, we made the opposite end of the final wall. We had one last old window from my great-grandfather’s farmhouse, one oval window scavenged from Rick’s work, and one smoked glass window from a table I was tossing out.
We were putting the final nails in the plywood when our company arrived.
We had a great time in our little outdoor retreat. 
And here is a picture of our chefs. Oh wait – where are they??? Hmph. We found them sitting inside by the new fireplace! 
(in the background are the remnants of tarps and other fixins we’d used at our last bonfire breakfast, trying to keep everyone warm. We left it up in case we didn’t get the gazebo done in time. Now, I guess we can clean it all up. The gazebo was a success.)
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)
12 comments so far
GrandmaT
home | projects | blog
3222 posts in 387 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 340 days ago
Looking good!!!!! Can’t believe you were hammering nails in the snow!!!!
-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
3811 posts in 509 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 340 days ago
yah.. and it was just starting to get light when we started.
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)
Damocles
home | projects | blog
805 posts in 363 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 340 days ago
Outstanding, glad to see it was finished in time for the big event! I especially like the submarine window theme you’ve got going…
But why doesn’t it look like an igloo, eh?
-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
3811 posts in 509 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 339 days ago
that’s funny… my brother said “should have made a tepee” (since we want to put a wood stove in the middle to heat the space for future ‘events’)
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
3811 posts in 509 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 190 days ago
May 27, 2008
Yesterday Rick installed a door (an antique door from my Great-grandfather’s home) and made a screen insert for it. It looks wonderful (Pictures later today)
And he put one of the windows on a hinge and we will be installing a screen for it.
Slowly but surely it is coming along.
Hopefully we will have it mosquito-free for when my son, daughter-in-law (Karla) and my granddaughter come “home” for a visit in a couple of weeks!!
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)
GrandmaT
home | projects | blog
3222 posts in 387 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 190 days ago
What a fabulous door and what memories you must get as you pass through it!!!! Can’t wait to see it.
It does sound like you guys are moving right along.
How wonderful your son, DIL and granddaughter are coming “home” for a visit!!! Have a wonderful time and soak up every minute, it goes by too quickly.
-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b
blooz
home | projects | blog
268 posts in 231 days
posted 189 days ago
Oh Deb, you certainly have been busy and so productive. What a cozy cabin ….. and what a joy it will be during the summer months. Congratulations to you both. Enjoy the family and as Grandma T said, the time will pass you by all too quickly. Enjoy!
-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown
Bon
home | projects | blog
1741 posts in 289 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 189 days ago
What a nice place to enjoy family and friends in MsD.I think it is awesome that you have used so many things with a history to them.Windows and a door from great grandfathers place….Wow. Nice touch.
-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more
Eklectic
home | projects | blog
1476 posts in 309 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 189 days ago
Nice gazebo!
Looks nice and cozy!
Love how you recycled using grand-pa’s windows and door and left over plywood!
And the table tops!!!!!Fantastic.
The way you are going, it is going to be ready when your loved ones get here!
-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
3811 posts in 509 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 189 days ago
thanks everyone!! :)
We were in it this morning in our “almost 0” temperatures and it was really cozy. Cold but cozy. When the sun came out – I fell asleep :)
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)
Eklectic
home | projects | blog
1476 posts in 309 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 189 days ago
That must have been soooo nice!
Really happy you are enjoying it that much!:-D
-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
3811 posts in 509 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 189 days ago
thanks.
Yes it’s a treasure – both in the winter and spring so far!
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)