Lillkrokan - building a new summer cottage

This is where the project begun in mid-April 2007

Building material arrived in the end of April 2007

Trees have been cut and some building material has been carried to the hill

Here you can see the staircase up the hill from the shore. Everything has to be carried by hand

Early June 2007, some of the pillars are in place

Jume 10, 2007. Now you can see how the floor starts to form

July 22, 2007. The walls start to form ...

July 29, 2007.A wiev from halfway down the stairs

Early june 2008, we have been at the island since mid April. The interior starts to shape. Here is the self-made staircase

Beginning of October 2008. The interior wooden walls have been completed and about two thirds of the bricks behind the fireplace is in place.

Almost all electrical wiring has been completed and the elecrical heating system is connected.

Mid October 2008. The wooden floor is in place and it has been lacquered

First weekend in November 2008. The staircase has been stained and lacquered

First weekend in November 2008 - last visit to the island before winter

Eastern holidays early April 2009. We were the second boat out of the harbor on the mainland. The sound was like ice in a nice drink.

My son, 16, built the back porch as a project work in school during a week

in may. He was assisted in the planning by his grandfather, but did carry out all work by himself.

The kitchen starts to take shape. The stove is a LPG one - ideal for cooking,

many professional chefs prefer gas stoves over electrical ones.

The balustrade is built on site from standard wood one can get from a timber trade. The painting is still to be done

The stairs on the front are getting into shape - still a lot to do.

The front porch is ready.

Another view of the front porch.

Front porch view - you can spot the sea between the trees.

View from the backporch towards the front.

Still some painting to do inside, but it is very minor.

Last, but not least, the view from the front porch to the sea.

We left the island second weekend in october 2009. During the trip to the shore it started raining and the raindrops grew longer and longer. By the time we arrived at the mainland it was snowing. I have only summer tires on my old VW Käfer - or Beetle if you so prefer - and I tought it may be a hard drive home, but the snow turned into rain some 30 km down the road home.

No more snow until December in southern Finland, and we could have spent the weekends until end of November on the island - temperatures being over the freezing point.