Another big year!

The inside of the cottage really took shape this year! I am extremely happy that we can now "stay" in the cottage anytime - since we have working heating/cooling, plumbing, toilet, sink and shower, HDTV and a few beds. The absolute best is having a live working thermostat (furnace and a/c) to control heating and cooling. This may sound funny, but with the crazy weather swings from 20 deg and frigid to 95 deg and humid, this is so important for the cottage in the middle of an island in the middle of the lake.

Big thanks to everyone who helped throughout the year...

• The drywall crew - Albert, Al, Gary, Ken, Andy, Scott and Brad
• KI Neighbors - Chris, Tim and George

Special shout-out to my uncle, Al Stenger! The heating/cooling installation would not have been possible without all of your help, hard work and advice (including multiple trips to Menyhart in Cleveland).

Here is the final exterior photo of the season. I was hoping to get the lot grading finished, driveway gravel added, and grass seed planted. However, the focus this year was on getting interior items up and running. Therefore, this photo does not look much different from last year.

 "Our House" - November 2013

Check-out the interior progress made in between November 2012 and November 2013. Biggest improvement is the installation of the drywall and wood ceiling.

November 2012

November 2013
 

Here is a nice shot of the sunset from Portside Marina early Saturday evening. Notice the empty dock.

Sunset from Portside Marina

Sunday morning, I finished cleaning up and winterizing all of the plumbing. I used the air compressor to blast pressurized air into the lines right below the pex manifold. This is a two-step process, first concentrating the air downward to blow out any water left in the well pump and then second blasting air upward to blow out any water in the pex manifold, hot water heater, and ultimately all of of supply lines. I then poured anti-freeze into all of the traps and plugged in the heat tape for the sump pump and water main line to prevent freezing over the winter season.

Well, this is the last post for 2013. Looking forward to next year.

Neil