Bryan Schatz, a reporter, and Patrick Hutchison, a copywriter, made the leap from desk jobs to cabin builders, sharing their journey of ambition and disaster. They laugh about how a joke turned into a reality and detail the unexpected challenges they faced, including construction mishaps and managing a friendship under pressure. From the frustrating process of procuring materials to the emotional highs of completing their cabin, they reflect on the personal growth and lessons learned through this chaotic adventure.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Practice Cabin
Pat bought a dilapidated cabin in 2013, serving as a learning experience.
The cabin was poorly constructed, allowing them to learn from mistakes and practice.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Reality Bites
The initial vision of idyllic cabin building quickly met reality.
Simple tasks like fetching water and mixing concrete proved unexpectedly challenging.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Small Tasks, Big Delays
Overlooked small tasks, like material runs without cell reception, consumed significant time.
Account for unexpected delays and logistical challenges in remote areas.
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It's a thought that's crossed many a desk jockey's mind: "Man, I'd love to flee this office, get out from under this fluorescent-lighting, and do something more concrete with my hands. Like, maybe, build a cabin in the woods."
My guests had these thoughts, and unlike most, actually pulled the trigger on their long-standing daydream. Their names are Bryan Schatz and Patrick Hutchison, and in today's episode they share the experience they had as a result and which they wrote about in a recent article for Outside magazine. We begin our conversation with how the idea of quitting their respective jobs as a reporter and copywriter to build a cabin together in the Cascades began as a joke between these two then burned-out 30-something friends, and how it slowly became a real, if still sketchy, plan to make it happen. Bryan and Pat share the idyllic way they thought the project would go, and when the reality of how much harder it would be than they thought set in. We discuss the unexpected challenges that arose, how the tensions of constantly working together affected their relationship, and how they kept an income coming in while on hiatus from full-time employment. We get into how long the cabin, which they originally thought would take two months to build, actually took to finish, the extent to which it went over budget, how they finally felt when it was done, and what they ultimately decided to do with it. We end our conversation with what, despite everything that went wrong, Bryan and Pat gained from the experience, and what they plan to do next.
The Art of Manliness