Life at the cabin by Martijn Doolaard

I'm one year in building a homestead in these two stone barns at this plot of land in the mountains in Piedmont, Italy. The first months I focused on the electricity, water connection and creating comfortable space to live on the land, whilst I was waiting for the building permit. 0:00 Chapter 1 7:43 Chapter 2 12:02 Chapter 3 14:28 Chapter 4 16:08 Chapter 6 21:25 Chapter 7 27:15 Chapter 8 29:04 Chapter 9 33:09 Chapter 10 35:55 Chapter 11 37:28 Chapter 12 44:35 Chapter 13 49:20 Chapter 14 58:26 Chapter 15 1:08:20 Chapter 16 1:13:42 Chapter 17 1:22:02 Chapter 19 1:25:00 Chapter 20 1:29:48 Chapter 21 1:33:00 Chapter 22 1:37:50 Chapter 23 1:42:24 Chapter 24 1:51:30 Chapter 25 1:55:00 Chapter 26 2:03:00 Chapter 27 2:10:54 Chapter 28 2:15:18 Chapter 29 2:20:43 Chapter 30 2:24:50 Chapter 31 2:28:00 Chapter 32 2:32:00 Chapter 33 2:38:00 Chapter 34 2:42:00 Chapter 35 2:46:00 Chapter 36 2:53:00 Chapter 37 2:56:14 Chapter 38 2:59:00 Chapter 39

The renovation of the first roof in one video. I started in July 2022 and got it weather tight just before the snow arrived in November. The rain gutters are made of wood, which took me a long time, dealing with the challenges of winter. In early February the roof was already finished, but I wanted to include the finishing of outside walls in this video as well, which was done in between other jobs. If you want to see the full works and everyday life on the homestead, you can watch weekly videos, which are numbered.

Turn your TV in a fireplace. This fire was recorded on Thursday 21 December in my cabin. There was a severe storm going on, which you sometimes hear in the background.

Compilation of the second year living off the grid in Italy. I was halfway the roof renovation of the first cabin and got it weather tight just before heavy snowfall. During the darkest days of winter I carved out wooden rain gutters. Then moved on downstairs with the big work: digging out the floor, building foundation walls, digging trenches for drainage, sewage and plumbing. In summer I poured a floor, completely rebuild the small side room, replaced a lintel, fixed the holes and cracks and pointed the inside walls.

Compilation of the build of the masonry stove. The concrete core and doors were provided by Tempcast. The integration of the chimney and stairway is custom, all build from local stone available on the property.

The 3rd year on the homestead, from October '23 to October '24. Most of the outside work on the first cabin is done and I am focussing on the work inside. The goal is to pack the tent and be inside before snowfall. The first night I spend on a few floorboards that are just installed. It's a heavy winter but working inside makes things easy. Some extra heavy snow falls in March, and even in April when the trees are already green. In summer the work outside starts. I'm building a greenhouse where the tent was before and make a start with the work shop and the second cabin.