It’s official! La Khabine is open and ready to host you! Since our last newsletter, there’s been so much planning, shopping, imagining, and of course, good ol’ elbow grease that’s gone into this little cabin of windows. We have been so fortunate to have the help of our amazing friends and family — La Khabine would still be just a dream if it weren’t for all of you.
La Khabine was delivered on July 15th, 2021 and it couldn’t have went any better! It was a little stressful watching the huge trucks back into our driveway carrying a whole house and then even more nerve-wracking to watch it being lifted off the truck by a crane and slowly set down on the property. The team was incredible and about 6 hours after they started, they handed us the keys — it was ours!
We were pretty excited to get started and we thought we could have everything ready in about a month. We may have been a little naive…
First was getting power to the house, which ended up taking a few weeks longer than expected because of the Quebec construction holiday. From there, we got to work on the patching, priming, and painting of the drywall. Up next was staining the beautiful pine ceiling and adding all of the trim.
A few weeks later and things were starting to come together. Ceramic and hardwood floors were installed and although each step was exciting, we were most excited when the well and septic were connected. We now had a functioning bathroom — a definite luxury after a day of work in the hot summer!
We really wanted a beautiful wood stove for us and our guests to enjoy. We went back and forth on which to purchase but eventually decided to go with a Stuv. Once it arrived and we saw it installed, we knew we made the right choice. It has a beautiful, modern look, takes up minimal space and is able to produce enough heat to make even the chilliest night nice and cozy.
When we first visited the property, we both envisioned the house having a beautiful outdoor space. Sitting outside listening to the forest, enjoying some bbq’d burgers, and having a laugh with some friends under the stars. All of this would require a deck. However, with the high price of lumber, our dreams of a beautiful wrap around deck were fading away. Fortunately though, we are incredibly lucky to have some family who not only helped us figure out how to plan our deck, but helped us build it as well!
Being able to do it ourselves allowed us to add beautiful glass railings around the entire deck to enjoy unobstructed views of the surrounding forest. The deck turned out better than we imagined and we can’t wait until next summer rolls around to really take it all in.
Last but not least outside was the landscaping. The project developers, Chic Shack, had some great ideas for this and we love the final result. Make sure to check out the natural backdrop to the cool fire pit we chose. It’s one of our favourite parts of the property. Natural stone steps and eco-friendly clover bring it all together.
A few months later (yes, months!), we were able to start putting the finishing touches that we’ve been obsessing over for the past 6 months. We stocked up the kitchen with everything we could think of! Our guests should have everything they need, including a Ninja blender for morning smoothies (or evening adult drinks), a kettle for hot tea, and a Keurig for morning coffee (we even include the coffee pods!). We genuinely hope our guests can cook up something delicious and just enjoy the space with their friends and family.
The bathroom has soft white towels from Nordstrom, charcoal infused face cloths for make-up removal, and a hair dryer. Our toiletries are 100% all natural, Canadian, and made by Rocky Mountain Soap Company. The bonus is they smell delicious. There is a washer and dryer available as well.
Each bedroom has crisp, white, Brooklinen sheets and duvet cover. We tried to bring your comfiness to the next level by adding down feather bed toppers, and a feather duvet. Our goal is to make you want to sleep in! If you’re not ready to fall asleep yet, each bedroom has a smart TV as well — perfect for late movie nights and snuggling.
We were able to open in December and we hosted our very first guests about a week after opening. We were like children at Christmas when we knew they had arrived (we have an outdoor camera that faces the driveway for insurance and security purposes). We wanted their stay, and every guests stay, to be perfect. After they checked out, we anxiously awaited their review:
We both breathed a sigh of relief and then immediately began to hope our next guests were enjoying it as much!
Since then, it’s been a few months and La Khabine is doing really well! We were able to add an outdoor cedar barrel sauna and it’s so relaxing— even Chris (who doesn’t like heat) is enjoying it!
This is going to be our first summer at La Khabine and we’re so excited to sit out on the deck, float along La Rivere Rouge, and have a s’more or two by the fire — we want you to enjoy it as well and we’d love to hear from you!
