Leaves are changing... time to build the winter shelter.

Ever since my family and I bought the farm (figuratively speaking) I have been looking forward to putting together a winter shelter that I can use anytime I want and not have to worry about it suddenly "disappearing" as others have done in the past.

So I have begun building one of Mors' "Super Shelters". One difference: I am not using any green materials. Now that I am using my property, I am not sure I like that idea. I have joined the Ontario Woodlot Association and will be cleaning stuff up in the woods soon, but for now I will be using stuff that is either dead or already cut by the previous owner.

Overall View:

So far there are 2 parts.

The Firepit:

I decided that I was going to go with rocks instead of the usual wood wall-backed fireplace since I planned to have it as a more permanent place to camp. I brought in a couple loads of sand from beside the barn and gathered the stones from all over the place. Mostly from the other side of the field where they were dropped a long time ago when they were clearing the land for agriculture. I needed to make it high and wide so that I could create a big enough fire in the winter time to heat the shelter. I will be adding the cooking apparatus and more stones for stability as time goes on.

Next is:

The Shelter

At this point I have the base and the bed mostly finished. I found last winter that getting the bed all setup before the roof when on makes things much easier. There will be more trimming and probably a few more places that will need binding. We had to trim some evergreens near the house so everything my wife threw on the brushpile that was green got hauled of to the shelter.

Some on the bed and the rest on the floor. I think that the size of the shelter is a bit big but I intend to supplement the outside fire with candles inside just like a friend of mine and I did last winter. I thought that something under your feet might be a good idea when it gets really cold. Hopefully there are still some needles on it in a month. :)

The fire is a big step away from the front of the shelter. Once pace is usually the requirement but I went a bit big since it will be harder to move the fire back if it is too close to the shelter. Will have to see how that works out.

Might want to add a foam pad to that bed!

Will be putting the posts up and then the rest of the roof as soon as I can. I want to get the waterproof roof on as soon as possible so I can keep the inside dry. Besides... I know there will be a friend or three coming in from the city over the next month or so and I wouldn't want them city boys to have no place t' sleep...... Right Jeff?


Will post more pictures and an update on the shelter soon.


Thanks for reading,



Decado.