When we purchased the Colonel’s Cabin in the summer of 2019, we didn’t realized how special of a place it would end up being for myself and so many others. It had great bones and had the hunting lodge feel we were looking for when we envisioned one day owning a hunting lodge. However, as we began hosting hunts and other events, we realized there were things that needed attention.
In the first year, we were fortunate to have a new kitchen donated to include new cabinets, an over the range microwave, a dishwasher and a new island. However, other than a couple of very small cosmetic things to include some upgraded furniture from time to time, that was about the extent of the interior work we had done in the first four years of operating B4 from the Colonel’s Cabin.
So where did we spend most of our budget for improvements the first few years, on the exterior. We built a landscaped walkway down to the back patio to keep our hunters from having to walk in the mud, we added an addition to the shed to block the wind and weather so we can better enjoy the ambiance of the wood stove, and we spent a truck load of money on gravel for the driveway. We also removed the old barbed wire fence from the entrance area and installed a more welcoming wooden split rail fence to make it look like someone actually used the place instead of an old cow pasture fence!
Then 2024 rolled around and the interior of the lodge received the attention that it finally deserved! Starting in January, board member Danny Rhodes, a retired Army Colonel and the inspiration behind the name of our cabin, and volunteer Doug Dunn joined Kevin Rhodes to paint the lower level of the lodge which is where our guests stay during our events. This was just step one of a major overhaul of the lower level. Next up was installing a new floating hardwood floor on the lower level to cover the old scratched up stained concrete. Again, Danny was integral in making the flooring project happen as were volunteers Elmer Wilson, a Marine veteran, and Eric Ensign. With their help, Kevin was able to transform the lower level and make the overall feel of the lodge flow to the downstairs area.
Following the flooring project, Kevin tackled a small kitchen project on his own by installing rustic corrugated metal to the backsplash between the lower and upper cabinets. It was the final touch of the original kitchen project done in 2020 when the new island had a piece of the same rustic corrugated metal added to it to cover the back.
Next up on the list was continuing the fresh paint up the staircase and into the main level of the lodge where our guests dine, fellowship, and experience the camaraderie of being in hunting camp with like minded patriotic Americans! The same painting crew that painted the lower level in January, Kevin, Danny, and Doug, came together and finished off the painting duties in one day at the end of May!
While all these projects were going on, Kevin and Erik, who helped with the flooring project, were working behind the scenes on a special project that had been 5 years in the making. The one big issue with the Colonel’s Cabin is storage space for the hunters while they are in camp. When we are at full capacity, there tends to be a lot of hunting gear scattered about in the lower level to include duffle bags, gun/bow cases, boots, and backpacks scattered around on the floor, on the couch, and anywhere else guys can find space to store items. If you’re a hunter, you know that we like our gear and tend to have way too much of it. So, when you get 4 or 5 grown adults hunting together there tends to be a lot of extra gear lying around.
The solution to this storage issue was to remove the old pellet stove in the great room portion of the lower level and build some type of storage area and that is where Eric’s expertise came in. Eric has been building furniture for years for use at his own house and for his family, so Kevin approached him about building some lockers for hunters to store their equipment while in hunting camp at the Colonel’s Cabin. The design Eric and Kevin came up with over the winter, started to become a reality in April and May as Eric took Kevin’s vision and began to build the lockers. The lockers would be two feet wide and seven feet tall with a bench, an upper shelf, and hooks for hanging backpacks, coats, and hats. Below the bench would be an area for boots or other equipment guys wanted to get out of the middle of the floor. The space between the bench and the upper shelf was designed to give guys enough space to store their rifle or bow vertically so they didn’t have to worry about it getting stepped on or knocked over.
Then on the Saturday of Father’s Day Weekend, Kevin and Eric put the finishing touches on the lockers – backer board and hooks – and then installed them in the room by securing them together and securing them to the wall. A vision that was at least 6 months in the making was now a reality. We’d be remiss if we also didn’t thank Eric’s wife Julene for staining and waterproofing each locker so when guys come in with wet muddy gear, we won’t have to worry about them getting damaged!
Yes, 2024 was the year of the interior project, however we had one particular outside project that had been nagging at us from day 1 of owning the Colonel’s Cabin and we were able to get it completed thanks to the help of Derek Cunningham. Over the years, the footers for the cabin’s front porch had settled causing one part of the porch to have a verynoticeable slant to it and that is where Derek’s expertise as a contractor came in. He helped jack and level the porch to the point it could be raised and resecured to a level position. Jacking and leveling led to another issue, however, that we didn’t realize would be a problem, unsafe stairs. The stairs to the front porch were no longer safe since they were now higher off the ground due to the jacking and leveling of the porch. So, again with Derek’s assistance, the stairs were relocated to the front of the porch and a third step was added making it safer and easier to access the cabin’s front door.
It’s kind of crazy to think back about the last six months and realize how much we’ve actually gotten accomplished, because even with all these projects going on both on the inside and outside of the Colonel’s Cabin, the work on the farm, on our leases, and for our events, etc, haven’t slowed down either! None of these projects or any of them for that matter would be possible without the efforts of our volunteers and board members, and of course without our donors and supporters. We thank each and every one of you for all you do for B4 Outdoors.
What can we do next?