Taming Needle Eye Mountain

After 14 months we have finished the house on Needle Eye Mountain!

We went from this

To this

What an experience.

We wrangled snakes, rats, spiders, wasps, and the occasional critter to clear the original homestead and make way for the build.

We filled 6 professional size dumpsters. Took eight refrigerators to the salvage yard. Picked up bottles, toilets, bathtubs, doors, screens and other odds and ends. We pulled hundreds of buckets, barrels and other plastic parts out from the woods.

We recycled lots of old wood.

To build the ultimate man cave wall

Picked up literally hundreds of aluminum cans (probably in the thousands). We cleared pastures, reclaimed trails from the woods, hauled huge boulders for landscaping, We re-sided the machine shed. From this..

To this…

We found all sorts of treasures from toilets to a Chevy truck to antique washing machines, horse shoes, cow bones and teeth to arrowheads!

We adopted a lot of chickens… 17 to date we found natural springs, beautiful vistas and perfect sunsets.

We cleaned out old buildings, regraded the drive, put in a well, built chicken runs, seeded for grass, cut down old dead trees and the work still isn’t done! But we have it to a point that it feels like home!

And if that’s not enough, we have had family and friends come for visits, joined the town’s event committee, found great little diners and a favorite Mexican restaurant, explored the nearby hiking trails and the truck knows the way to the local hardware store😂 .

This adventure has been a learning experience for both of us and a practice of patience! If you are ever near Alpena please come for a visit and a Needle Eye T-shirt.

Here is the finished product from outside view. Part 2 will have the inside.