This entertaining memoir of a do-it-yourself adventure traces a couple's steps and missteps as they plunge headlong into the building of their dream cabin. Through every stage of the journey -- from finding land to drawing up plans, framing the structure, putting up drywall, and applying the final coats of paint -- the couple's blended family of seven must learn to work together and compromise. With generous honest and wry humor, Spike Carlsen shares the heartaches, challenges, and,  finally, the immense satisfactions of building a home away from home where all family members feel welcome, essential, and free to be themselves.