The Door Inside: things I've learned, seen, done or wondered about.: 2025

Here I sit, comfy and content in the cozy main cabin drinking a delicious coffee and watching the mist drifting over the lake, thinking grateful thoughts that my two daughters and my granddaughter Junie are comfortably asleep over in our two bunkies.

The mostly finished bunkies

If you’re not aware, bunkie is a shortened version of the word “bunkhouse”, basically a free-standing bedroom where in this case, we house our guests in comfortable seclusion.

It all started around eight years ago, back when the idea of building bunkies was an unattainable dream and I tromped around with Rose and the girls clearing a building spot and pounding in stakes. We had fun, marking out an imaginary pair of bunkies surrounding a cute little unbuilt deck.

Rose in the newly cleared area

Imaginary future bunkies staked out

At that time, I wasn’t even remotely concerned about having to actually build this idyllic village in the middle of our little patch of heaven because we very simply did not have the money to do it.

Even if it was possible to YouTube my skill level up to the point where I could build something that wouldn’t collapse around our guests’ ears, we didn’t have the money to make it happen and probably never would.

But I have learned over the years never to underestimate the power of my lovely wife to imagine and plan things to such a degree, so intensely and with such fierce determination that despite the impossibility of the task, it somehow comes together and falls into place.

I often will eventually find myself standing with a bewildered expression, once again in the position of trying to make the vision happen.

In this case the actual building process started innocently enough four years ago with the idea (source officially unknown) to build a “tent platform” over in the exact spot where we had fantasized building bunkies for the girls.

Me and my helpers pitching a tent on the new platform

I stupidly believed that it would stop there.

We did use it for a few years with a tent and that worked pretty well, and our daughters seemed to like staying in it on occasion. Junie loved having a separate play place and she would drag unsuspecting adults over to the tent to be the mommy or daddy in one of her games.

The real trouble began when Rose’s elderly mom passed away in the spring of 2024 and she came into a small inheritance.

Suddenly everything began to align itself into an inescapable vortex that threatened to draw me down into a years long building program that looked likely to grow into something that would also siphon the groceries off our kitchen table.

The awesome power of obsessive planning, intense desire and the focusing of ones will (one being Rose) was threatening to pull me along with it into a multiple summers long building frenzy.

“Flee Douglas, flee!” my brain frantically screamed at me.

But then Rose looked at me with genuine admiration as she contemplated the little group of cute, warm, bunkies that already existed within her very active mind. They posed there in a delightful cluster around the erstwhile tent platform that was rapidly morphing into a central deck/living room, sandwiched between the two cozy cottages and acting like catnip to our future guests.

At that point there was no escaping the inevitable and I somewhat reluctantly began to swim with the current, deciding to join the process so that I could have a little input into the details of what I knew I would soon be building.

The strange thing that always seems to surprise me (again and again) is that once the sticky switch in my mind gets freed up and switched on, I find myself becoming more and more excited by the whole idea.

We began to ask ourselves the important questions that needed to be answered before we could begin.

What shape would the bunkies be? Answer: Rose wants shed style, with the front 18” higher than the back. Well, ok then!

How big can we make them without going through the county for a building permit? Answer: 107 sq. ft.

How much will each bunkie cost? Answer: $5,000 to $7,000.

Will I need help beyond what Rose and the girls can help me with? Answer: yes, definitely!

Surprisingly rapidly, the design began to take shape and with Roses’ very specific design requirements firm in my mind I quickly searched out a great plan. We opted for a 12’ x 10’ shed that I could customize and scale down to a 12’ x 8.5’ bunkie, bringing it in at the required size of 107 sq. ft.

Within a few weeks we were ready to get started and with a list of building materials clutched in my hand I set out for the Camrose Rona store to load up.

After I had the concrete support blocks in place and the 4x4 rails all attached and leveled I got started on the base.

Building the foundation

Ready to install the sheeting on the base and then flip it onto the foundation

We wanted this bunkie to be as warm and cozy and quiet as we could make it, so we were determined to have a well-insulated base to build on.

First, I built the floor from 2x6 lumber, then the girls came out and with their help we sheeted it with tongue and groove plywood, flipped it over onto the support structure, insulated it and added the top layer of plywood.

Readers of my book might recognize the building process that we reprised from the original cabin build and once again in the fictional cabin builds undertaken by our heroes, Dan and Jo.

Despite what they accomplished in the novel, effortlessly building a similar cabin in the woods along the Pembina River over a couple of days, in real life things go much more slowly and are sometimes a real challenge!

My helpers were game for the task, and they all did great, cheerfully taking on anything asked of them, and we soon had it sealed up and ready to build the bunkie on its nice solid foundation.

The next part of the project went quickly and with some help from a friend, the bunkie was soon framed up and ready to have the roof put on and the walls sheeted. I won’t bore you with the details but there were a few small challenges adapting the shed plan and figuring out how to order and install the metal for the roof.

Starting to sheet the walls

We eventually decided on a light grey colour and we ordered panels six feet long so I could bring them out to the cabin in the back of our Envoy SUV. That meant we would need to overlap and join them together on the roof but that all went surprisingly well and I enjoyed the spectacular vista from the top of the bunkie as they were installed.

When I told Rose about the amazing view, she got that look in her eye and innocently inquired about the possibility of building a deck up there.

My immediate response (measured and thoughtful as always) was something like “are you insane?”

She usually reads me pretty well and she quickly backed off that line of speculation, probably slipping it into her back pocket for future negotiations.

One thing Rose and I did agree on is that wherever possible we would save money and use whatever we could from materials we already had on hand. One prime example is the three large windows I had squirreled away after removing them from a rental property a few years ago.

Applying the pine siding

These windows were still in good shape but not as attractive or energy efficient as modern windows. They had been demoted to storage in the country, waiting for a time when they would be needed again and low and behold, against all odds, that time had arrived.

We used the two matching, smaller windows in bunkie one, reserving the largest window for bunkie two and the spectacular view that it would have over the lake.

The exterior door came from our basement suite where it was no longer needed and scrounging around, we would eventually pick up a free Queen mattress from our niece and other used furniture from marketplace to make a cozy and functional space.

The mattress gets a hillbilly style delivery

This first bunkie was earmarked for our daughter April as a pet free zone with the future second bunkie going to our daughter Kait and our granddaughter Juniper.

Between Rose and my daughters there are a lot of design ideas and opinions and I try very hard to relax about it all but my innate cheapness and desire to keep things simple causes me to “step in it” from time to time.

They pretend to take me seriously, but I’m pretty sure that they all know I’m a big softie and though I may grumble a bit, eventually we work out some kind of a compromise leaning heavily in their favour.

April had a kind of modern Scandinavian esthetic in mind for her little cottage, and she picked out materials for a drop-down pine shelf under the window with the idea that she and her husband could sit there on cool mornings with their coffee and take in the view.

She wanted a plywood feature wall and after a lot of shenanigans involving removing the center piece after the fact and replacing it with one more similar to the other two, with the matching pretty grain (to make Rose happy), it turned out great! We went on to finish it with a clear coat so that squashed mosquitos wouldn’t ruin it forever.

In keeping with the rustic cabin theme we decided to avoid the messy drywall route and opted for ¼ inch plywood on the rest of the interior walls and after trying to make the cracks and seams disappear with wood filler, we painted the rest of the interior a sort of warm white colour.

Then it was time to add the finishing touches.

This is how things often work in our household. Rose will say something like, “April really wants these super cool chairs that she found on marketplace, look how lovely they are! They are absolutely perfect, and April is such a sweet daughter, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you were to drive over to Southgate (way across the city) and pick them up for her? What a great dad you are!”

Not quite sure what just happened, and with a bewildered look on my face I will find myself bundled out of the house with an address scrawled on a piece of paper, driving across the city in search of some cool vintage folding chairs in a green jungle motif!

The same thing keeps happening repeatedly and though I may squeak a little, I do enjoy making all of the ladies in my life happy in some small way if I can.

Of course, that extends to my lovely wife Rose and since she was determined to have the ceiling done in tongue and groove, select pine with no joins at all. I found myself hauling out many bundles of 12’ boards and then I faced the daunting prospect of installing them.

I definitely needed help with that particular job and we enlisted a friend for the project and with Rose, my buddy and myself, we soon had it done. Once again, she was right, it looks great.

Aprils bunkie

April's drop down shelf and cute retro chairs

As I stood looking at the ceiling, admiring how well it had turned out, despite being a real pain in the heinie to install, I shuddered, knowing as I did that come next summer when bunkie 2 was built I would be called upon to do the same job all over again.

Nooooo

To be honest, as much as I moan occasionally, I have very much enjoyed getting these bunkies built. As I often say to Rose, “I may not enjoy every aspect of the job, but I really love getting the job done.”

It’s fun to sit on the deck (formerly a tent platform) and look at the beautiful view with a cute, cozy bunkie at my back, all snug and finished and just waiting for visitors.

The view from the deck

The crew takes some hard earned time off after bunkie 1 was finished

Then it was winter and my ardour for the building process cooled off with the weather. Come spring I casually tried to downgrade the expectations of my wife and daughters.

“I’m feeling exhausted and overwhelmed and stressed out at the prospect of starting over and going through the whole process again.” I tried.

Well, that boat didn’t float!

Rose countered with, “If you’re not feeling up to it sweetie, I will just hire you some help. Don’t worry, I don’t want you working out there alone, we’ll get you lots of help!”

I tried again with, “I was looking at the county bylaws and I don’t think we can build them that close together.”

Rose countered with, “Let’s call the county and see what they say, maybe you’re worried for nothing.”

After some mumbling and grumbling from me, I made the call and after a little back and forth with the powers that be, we concluded that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Rats!

And that brings us to bunkie 2.

Basically, it’s the story of bunkie 1 but turned 90 degrees and with the door in a different place and one new window added for cross ventilation.

The crew once again consisted of Rose and my girls and a few good friends who pitched in when needed and with the addition of one new, two wheeled helper.

I absolutely hate having to rent a trailer or overloading my vehicle by hauling too many building materials, so we bought a little trailer to help out with the building of bunkie 2.

We got it online from Costco and then put it together on the driveway and we have gotten a lot of use from the little guy. He’s hauled lumber, junk, furniture, a stone fire pit, a lawn tractor and many other awkward, heavy and messy loads since he joined the menagerie.

Kait and Junie got full creative control on bunkie 2 and after getting over the slight shock of how different it turned out from April’s choices, we all love it. At first, I protested over the chair rail moulding and the idea of painting different colours on either side of the moulding and having to fuss around cutting the corner pieces, etc. etc. I eventually calmed down, did what I was asked and now I am glad I did because it turned out beautifully.

Insulating the base

A hard working painter

In progress but almost there

The women in my family seem to see the finished product in their minds when they are designing but I’m afraid I see mostly the problems and expenses I’m going to run into while trying to make it come out as they imagine it. Oh well, that’s why I have learned to (mostly) squelch down those misgivings and trust them and their vision.

At this point things are still slowly evolving as we add the finishing touches.

First there was the addition of a shed style gazebo/pergola that has a metal roof and provides shelter to the deck and can be closed in with wind walls and mosquito netting.

Kait and I building the gazebo

Two 100 watt solar panels do the trick

Kait calls her style "cottage core-granny chic"

A room with a view

Then it was the sink that I picked up from a defunct hair salon in Leduc. It happened to fit just perfectly on the deck and with the addition of a custom wood shelf, a water tank to feed the sink and a battery powered bar fridge underneath, voila! We have a sort of kitchen/bathroom sink area.

We had picked up an EcoFlow solar power box that we placed on a shelf and with it connected to solar panels mounted on the sunny side of bunkie 1 and wired into both cottages, we now have plenty of power for fans and lights and phone chargers, etc.

Then it was the little luxuries that would make the whole thing irresistible. We added a sofa to the deck (free from friends) and a $10 coffee table that I drilled a hole in and added a little mini table top firepit that connects to the tank from the bottom.

Next it was how to have outdoor movies on the deck? I found a great little projector that is battery powered and connects to your phone or laptop or of course a DVD player and with an ancient screen that I used to use with my slide projector, we were all set.

Or were we?

It turns out that only the newest phones have a video out capacity so our old phones were out. But when we used the girls newer phones we discovered that most of the streaming services have somehow blocked the video out function and their shows won’t play.

I eventually discovered that with my laptop I can download and play from Amazon Prime Video (hooray for them) but what an annoying restriction to have for the rest of the streaming services!

But hey, we can’t have everything in life and in the grand scope of things that issue is a very minor annoyance, right honey?

So now, with the project nearly complete and the money nearly gone, I worried that Rose would once again begin looking around for some way to keep me busy.

Later my fears were realized.

“I’m not happy with the size of the deck” she began, “I want guests to have their own cooking area and prep/cleanup area. I want them to be completely self-contained over there and to have plenty of privacy. There's no room for a table and chairs on the deck as it is. It needs to be twice as big!”

From that point on it devolved into a bit of a tug of war around whether we actually needed to expand the deck with my position being, “absolutely not!” In fact I may have said something about it being in danger of looking like a bowling alley if it got much longer.

But wonder of wonders, with the help of the rest of the gang piling on, it was eventually decided that yes, we did need to expand the deck by 8’ and move the steps over to the side and add a cable railing.

But when Rose scheduled a weekend to get all the work done, unrest in the ranks began to foment and culminated in a united decision to defer that particular project until next year.

At that point Rose got that speculative faraway look in her eyes and I quickly went from relief about the deck delay to fear of the unknown.

Later I saw a gathering of the female household members milling around in the open area beside the cabin; they were pointing and waving their arms in alarming ways as they clustered around a few wooden stakes they had pounded into the ground.

"Oh, oh", I thought, "time to make myself scarce."

Over the next few days, I worked diligently to appear busy and sore and tired all at once, hoping that I was mistaken about what was surely coming, until…yes, you guessed it, it turns out she had an idea. She handed me her phone one day and surprised me with a Facebook marketplace add for a stone firepit for sale.

“Huh” was my response. “Why are you looking at that?”

“Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a permanent place for bonfires and cooking over an outdoor flame?” she sweetly asked.

“Guests love sitting around a fire, and I still remember how Jamie Oliver would cook in his backyard making such yummy food, wouldn’t that be awesome honey. And we could put in a few posts around the edges of the gravel pad that we would need and string a bunch of twinkly lights from them; it will be magical!”

I smiled at my wife and sent a message to the seller. “We’re on our way.”