We’re back on the island! 🏝️
This week we made a lot of progress on our deck and it is almost completed.
We have bought some deck boards to put on top of the frame. The boards are 3.6m long and we bought 140 of them. We drove from the store to the nearest road, where we could comfortably park the car, and then walked down around 50m to our boat. A big thanks to my mom for letting us use the van and help transport the wood.
This trip, I added support beams to the deck. I felled more trees, cut them to length, debarked and measured them, making sure they were all equally spaced out. Then I marked on the frame where they will be going. When I figured out the positioning, I started notching the log so they would be secured to the frame. I was able notch the logs going on top and bolt them down on the back half of the frame. This was done by making a 10mm pilot hole before putting in 12mm lag bolt.
Next trip, we want to finish our deck by putting the decking on and finally move our 5m tent there.
Thank you for all the tips, they are always appreciated!
About the chainsaw… we have read all the comments and we did get a new chain and a sharpening kit. It is working 10x better and the battery life has improved a lot too. This video was filmed before we uploaded last weeks video, so the chainsaw is not sharpened yet. Next video tho! 🙌
More about us, the island and the process:
The island is completely secluded, has no electricity or plumbing and currently has nothing on it but trees. We want to turn this island into a fully functioning summer cottage with a log cabin, sauna and other amenities. Most of the work is gonna be done in the summer months as the lake freezes in the winter and the weather conditions are tough.
There’s a lot of work to be done as the island is over 2.5 acres (1 hectare) and we have no experience in off-grid living, carpentry or building. So any tips or advice are greatly appreciated, as we are planning on doing everything ourselves and transforming the island into our own little paradise. We’ll document every step of the way, starting from smaller builds to finally – an off-grid log cabin.
Our plan for this year is to put up a platform for a glamping tent, build a floating dock and start cutting down trees to begin the process of building our log cabin.
The island is located in Finland and we bought it in 2024. We are currently both students and we plan to transform the island alongside our studies.
So, subscribe and join us on this adventure. It won’t be fast, it won’t be easy, but it will be fun and challenging. We don’t know what to expect, so be a part of the journey.
📸 Follow us on Instagram: @Off.grid.island and TikTok @off.grid.island
source
About the chainsaw… we have read all the comments and we did get a new chain and a sharpening kit. It is working 10x better and the battery life has improved a lot too. This video was filmed before we uploaded last weeks video, so the chainsaw is not sharpened yet. Next video tho! 🙌
You still pull chain saw towards your face !!!! Push it from other side !
A new subscriber from a previous video that popped up in my feed.
Do you have plans to get to the closest Emergency Room if you are injured? Phone number and directions? What happens if you can't row your boat? Don't depend on your gf to carry you. Is there a helo rescue near you in case and how will you contact them? Do you have phone reception there? If not a satellite phone?
These should all be answered asap for yourself.
❤❤❤
5/5
I don’t want to spoil your great journey but do you have all needed paperwork and read tape done with local authorities?
Looking good keep it up
Its nice to see xQc out in the wild.
Grab a battery planer and a straight edge and you can get quite a nice flat finish on the top of the joist logs
Nyt täytyy nostaa kaverille hattua! Tämä on varmaan sitä suomalaista sisua 💪
Using logs vertical for steps would be a good idea
That chainsaw has the power of an anemic sloth! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
You should've countered your logs, one big end, and then then one small one. You have all your strength on one side.
Did it ever occur to you that wood floats and you could raft the wood to the island ?
Good video once again
Kannattaa ostaa sähkömoottori siihe veneeseen. Itte ostin käytettynä parilla kympillä semmosen ja siihen bemarin vanha akku.
Tuttu tunne kun vie saari mökille kamaa😅
Talk to much!!
Safety glasses!
Do you know that if you filter and boil that water you can drink it. If you just filter it you can use for everything else. You should really build a barge. Also I would learn a lot about pulleys and moving heavy things with little effort. Also look into making roads or trails. I really think you need a bigger and smaller hammer.
if you cut the notch deeper it will be easer for you and a sharp chain
Carry lumber on your shoulder so it's pushing down on your center of gravity versus having to pull it up.
Also if you are going to be doing this for a while then build a cart.
After that I bet you're going to utilize next winter to bring as much construction material to the island as you can, once there's hefty layer of ice to support whatever vehicle you're able to use.
Great job so far.you truly work hard and you're very strong for your size.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
That looks so fun! I’d love to have an island get away. Keep enjoying yourself and the journey.
Looks like a fun project. I know you said you're in Norway, but it sure looks like Canada too. 🙂
Dude! You do speak Finnish??? Now you should know already that just yelling very loud "PERKELE" and throw the boards to your island…
Thanks as always for sharing!
Stumbled upon your channel an episode ago !!! Well done – love your work
Love the series! You should lookup the video 'Traditional Finnish Log House Building Process'. I couldn't understand a word because it's Finnish, but it shows a lot of traditional building techniques.
can we all chip in and buy you a proper chainsaw? Power Bank? Solar Panels? a bigger boat? I think we could raise $3000. Seyup a go fundme and I will be the first with $20. Also, you should build a container offsite and then transport it in,,, would be cheaper and better for the forest, did you think about it?
What an amazing progress! Keep it up and good to here that yout chainsaw is working now with a sharp chain 🙂
Also: How long do you need to debark one tree?
Greetings
You need a boat motor,or get you a long rope,or cable,this way you can pull yourself,back and forth.
I know its Finland but what about unwanted visitors, thieves or vandals? any danger of that, now that the place is published?
loving your videos gotta love the journey it reminds me of my first build good luck ill be watching
Buy a paddle bit and drill recessed holes so the bolts lay flush. Buy a Stihl gas powered chainsaw and watch a lot of videos on felling trees. Dont rush your platform framing. Make sure it’s level and plumb before you set your decking. It will save you a lot of headaches later.
Not sure how available it is, but building a frame out of wood and plastic food grade barrels would work for the basics of a floating dock, might not be a bad idea to build a float and drag it behind the boat so you can bring materials over. If you are close enough to get a rope between where you can park and to the island, you could use it to ferry across as well, just hauling a rope back and forth.
Everyone in the comments can correct me but I'm sure 6 – 50 gallon barrels and a few pallets can make a great temp floating dock to help transport material. otherwise great work!
The sound of that toy chainsaw trying to cut makes me cringe. This will make you appreciate fossil fuels.
please Buy a gas chainsaw FFS.
Would invest in some 55 gallon plastic drums + roll of mesh for rain water + build a wide raft with pontoon to trail behind the rowboat so you can move materials and do less trips