Our Projects

Firewood Racking

Watch how Ed made this racking here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kF8OEHZdK7c

If there is one thing Ed hates doing, it is RE-doing work that he has already done. If he were to go out to firewood in the woodyard that he has spent time piling into cords so that it could dry and be in proper measurements, and he discovered that the stacks of wood had fallen over! I could just imagine his frustration!
So instead of dealing with that potential headache, he decided to build this firewood racking. He put posts into the bedrock and built this wood shed with NO roof. He would have loved to make an actual wood-shed, but unfortunately in our Municipality where we live, it is such a headache to go through getting proper permits. You have to pay an architect to draw you plans, the municipality has to approve them, then you aren't able to use any rough lumber (which Ed is able to mill on the bandsaw!). So a simple wood shed becomes a huge expense. So instead, he just built this racking with no roof, no permit needed.

Our Wood Shed

When Ed was a little boy, it was his chore to trek out to the wood shed at the family home, fill a wagon with wood and pull with all his might to the wood door and throw the wood in the basement. As he got older, this job got easier, he even used a snowmobile to do it eventually. But he will never forget going out in the dark by himself to fill up that little wagon. So he knew when he built his wood shed he wanted it to be AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to the house. So our sons could easily bring in wood as a chore, without much trouble. So we built a 3 bay woodshed directly behind the house, we have a nice cement walk way in between the rows of wood, and the house, that is covered by the roof of the woodshed. 2 of the wood shed bays are used to house firewood for heating our home in the winter, plus we sell firewood as well. And the other bay houses shelving for outside tools and an area for our snowmobiles in the winter, and four wheeler and boat in the summer.

Our Green House

I am incredibly proud of this project because it’s one that I built entirely by myself! When Ed got home and saw it, he couldn't believe that I had actually done it. To be honest, I’m still amazed at how it all came together. Having this greenhouse has significantly upgraded my growing season, allowing me to extend my planting window and make the most of the climate. It also provides a perfect environment for my seedlings, giving them a stronger start. With healthier seedlings, I can look forward to a bigger and better harvest. This accomplishment not only boosts my gardening efforts but also fills me with a sense of achievement that inspires me for future projects.

Firewood Road-Side Stand

If you want to watch this build check this video out: https://youtu.be/Lj9j4ogkBO4
Or how we moved it to the road: https://youtu.be/8vPsoot8B38
Or your questions about it answered: https://youtu.be/jEythS-YalY

This spring Ed made a road side stand to sell firewood bundles out of. This build is all on our YouTube channel if you want to check it out and see how we made it, and also how it is going with selling wood out of it. We have been bagging 3 types of dry firewood and then filling our road side stand with it. Selling firewood in bundles at a self-serve stand is a really hands-off way to get some extra income. You generate more money per face-cord of wood than if you sell it by the cord.

Our Root Cellar

Our root cellar may just be one of a kind. In the ground, Ed dug out an area close to the house (beside our woodshed) with our excavator. The kids call her Elly. He then put footings down and laid cement blocks on those. He put rigid styrofoam on the outside of the blocks to insulate it, we want it to stay cool even in mid-summer! He buried all around the outside, and then instead of just putting a roof on that, he put a ceiling in. Then built a storage shed on top of it. It houses a tool bench, lots of empty canning jars, camping gear, and most importantly, our Inverter for our solar system. Down below, our root cellar houses root veggies from the garden, apples, and it is also where we store our off grid Batteries for our solar system.

Our Chicken Coop

The "Chick-Inn" is our cozy little home for chickens. We currently have 26 laying hens, a mix of Rhode Island Reds and White Chanteclairs. They lay us around 2 dozen eggs a day! We use many of them, any spares I am able to sell to community members or trade for milk! I love that our chickens supply us with delicious and nutritious food right here at home.