Old hunter’s apartment to cabin bunkhouse

Phase 1: Everything but the [kitchen] sink

We bought a cabin a couple hours north of our place in Michigan a year or so ago. Like any good “Up North” property in the mitten, it came with a massive pole barn - if your house is larger than your barn/garage, you’re doing it wrong up here.

In the back of the barn was a separate room set up mostly for storage, but we figured it could make a good workshop for us. Then we had family over to check it out and Nick’s dad (I think) suggested we turn it into a bunkhouse. I had already been talking about some cabin kits that we could look into for guest housing when we needed more space at the cabin.

I wasn’t fully convinced we had enough square footage to work with for a bunkhouse, but we started planning out the space to see if it could work.

Planning out the “tiny house”

Turns out, it would! We both work remotely and the internet is actually decent on this lot, so we knew we needed the bunkhouse to also work as a workspace. I had an older spin bike I also wanted to tuck in there, if I could. Having a workout space at home is dope when the weather is shitty (which is often in Michigan when it’s not summer).

I had planned for a sleeper sofa, two double/full size beds (bunks), and originally a single kitchenette counter next to a full bath.

Pine planking for everyone!

To get the modern cabin look we wanted, we knew we’d need pine planking. Also, Nick has some kind of PTSD from doing drywall growing up, so whenever he can avoid drywall, he will.

We headed over to The Woodworker’s Shoppe not too far away. It’s a fantastic place with really good people and decent pricing. The store itself has a great showroom, too, so it’s ideal for getting inspiration.

We got a boatload of tongue and groove pine, but wanted to play with stains and make it a little more interesting than just natural pine on pine. But we also wanted the wood grain to show through, so stain was definitely the right choice over paint.

We chose Varathane’s “vintage aqua” and “Roanoke” to go with some of the natural wood. We went with “antique white” for all the ceiling boards to brighten things up.

Kitchen, framing the bathroom, workspace

I found a coffee table that folds out into a larger table that can be used for board games or even a dining table, so we were able to use the full corner next to the bathroom for a decent sized little kitchenette.

The kitchenette

We’ll be adding a kitchen sink in phase 2, under the pendant light, in front of the window) once we tie into plumbing and septic (more on that at the end of the post).

We picked up some basic, unfinished cabinets from Home Depot and put Varathane’s “Charred Wood Accelerator” on it because I wanted to try the stain out after seeing people charring wood with flame and liking that look. It came out pretty cool, but it definitely just seems like a watered down stain. It’s super easy to work with, though!

Went w/some kitschy cabin knobs from Amazon after agonizing for too long about hardware

Since we’re envisioning guests mostly just using the kitchenette for snacks, drinks, and some hot beverages when they need a break from the group, since I cook the big meals for everyone in the cabin. So, we opted out of having a cook space. If there’s ever a need for that, we’d probably just do an electric tabletop stove or something.

I bought the retro-looking fridge on Amazon for a steal and had no idea it would coordinate so well with the aqua stain on the walls.

Hangout, sleeping, and workout space

Those shelves, which we thought were just storage, we quickly realized were used as sleeping bunks. Wild. The folks across the river were buddies with the previous owners (and we’re still in touch occasionally with the previous owners) - both told us it was used as a sleeping space for hunters. The pole barn existed on the property before the log cabin.

The land backs up to state land, so between the 10 acres of wood and hundreds and hundreds of acres of state land, hunting is big around here. In fact, the cabin came fully furnished, with a gun rack included. We don’t hunt, but we have some family and friends that do, so we’re keeping the blinds for others to use.

Is it a tiny house? Are tiny houses still trendy?

We knew we needed a decent amount of sleeping spots so our siblings and families (with kiddos) could all smash in if they wanted to. I bought a sleeper sectional from Amazon (also on the cheap), but my measurements were off by about two inches - wamp wamp. SO, we moved the old recliner sofa the last owners left us in the cabin out to the bunkhouse and kept the sleeper sofa for the cabin living room. Not ideal, but it’s been fine so far.

Finding bunk beds that didn’t look too childlike was a challenge for sure. The ladder is fine for us, our siblings, and the kids, but definitely not for grandparents/our parents. The main cabin has two small guest rooms, so that’s been okay for the older folks.

The workout corner

We managed to find just enough space for that aforementioned old spin bike, a set of adjustable dumbbells, a yoga mat, and some resistance bands.

Bunk cozies for stashing gear

I wanted to come up with a cool idea to make the beds feel extra special and we had to redo all the insulation in the place (a drag, but critters had made some pretty epic nests in some of it and there was just no insulation in other walls).

We made the best of that disaster and decided to make some custom cut out nooks with power outlets for the beds, so people can charge phones and have little lights for reading.

Nooks on nooks on nooks

I’m not very crafty, but I’d seen a lot of folksy art in some of the shops around here that was cute and it inspired me to give it a shot. I found some cute stencils at a local crafts mall and I’m happy to say that we found Sasquatch. Twice. He’s hiding in said nooks.

We wanted a cabin feel in the bunkhouse, but updated and modern, so we added in some industrial elements like the metal and wood bunks, the industrial ceiling fan and the light.

The plan is to eventually replace those old french doors with maybe a glass slider to show off the wooded view.

Outdoor hangout space

Speaking of the view….

The whole draw of the Michigan cabin is the setting. It’s nestled in the trees, on 10 acres of forest, and along the Au Sable river. There are a couple hunting blinds from the previous owners, which some of our family and friends have used.

The other draw is, of course, just the nature, hiking trails, river/kayaking/canoeing/tubing, trails for off-road vehicles, and winter activities like cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. It’s also only a few miles from two massive inland lakes, with beaches, campgrounds, festivals, and cute downtown shopping areas.

Forcing everyone outside

The idea of the bunkhouse is that it’s a comfortable space for sleeping, having coffee and a snack, and showering (eventually). Most of the action is outside, so we opted to build a pretty massive deck to take advantage of the views. Guests can sit amongst the trees, see the river flowing along, and listen to the sounds of wildlife. Or do yoga, if they’re so inclined.

I found some heavy duty (adultish-sized) pods to hang in the trees near the river for hanging out, reading, and relaxing and we hung them around the property, along with some camping, quick-dry hammocks

Phase 2: Plumbing and bathroom

Next up, we’ll be connecting into our existing septic tank (god willing) and well water. We’ll be adding a kitchen sink under the window, and finishing out the bathroom, which is only framed in for now. The bathroom will be small, but we’ve figure out how to fit in a decent sized shower stall, vanity, and toilet. Stay tuned to see that project come alive!