Abandoned Cabin: A Neighbor May Have Saved Our Renovation

We are renovating an abandoned 1950s homestead cabin in the Joshua Tree area and turning it into our next short-term rental property. In this episode, we run into a major problem: we may not have enough original wood to finish the exterior the way we imagined. Our goal is to preserve the old desert cabin character while rebuilding it into a modern Airbnb investment property, funded by the income from our first short-term rental next door, The Seventh Ray House.

Then our neighbor shows us a pile of old wood on his property, and it may have completely changed the renovation. We’re sharing the real process of building an Airbnb from scratch, tracking the budget, making design decisions, and learning what it takes to turn a forgotten cabin into a profitable STR.

Subscribe to follow our abandoned cabin renovation and short-term rental investing journey in the Joshua Tree desert.

*Get started with Lodgify today!*
👉 Use code 60KM for 60% off through June 30.
https://www.lodgify.com/?afmc=16m&utm_campaign=16m&utm_source=leaddyno&utm_medium=affiliate

👋 *New to Our Channel?*
Hi there! We're Kristen and Michael — a couple embarking on the wild adventure of transforming our dream desert home into a thriving short-term rental business!
After leaving Los Angeles (our home for 10 years), we chased our dreams and bought our desert house in summer 2021. Since then, it’s been a full DIY renovation journey and building our rental business from scratch! Follow along for laughs, tears, DIY fails (and wins!), and all the behind-the-scenes moments of Airbnb hosting.

✨ Drop your questions or suggestions in the comments — we love hearing from you!

🏡 *Explore More*
🔹 Check Out Our Airbnb Listing: https://www.theseventhrayhouse.com
🔹 Follow Our Airbnb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theseventhrayhouse/
🔹 Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_and_michael/

🛒 *Shop Our Favorites*
Shop Our Home
🔹 LTK Page: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Kristen_and_Michael
🔹 Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3UH6qUq
🛍️ Shop Our NEW Merch Collection (Get 10% Off with code: kmyoutube): https://theseventhrayhouse.myshopify.com/
🏠 Shop Our Airbnb Living Room Remodel | https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Kristen_and_Michael/collections/11ef4df63dac28f58cc30242ac11000f
Shop our Amazon:
https://amzn.to/3UH6qUq
🎥 Shop Our Gear: https://amzn.to/4c0vrSO

🏡 *Watch Our House Tours*
🏠 Full House Tour | Before Renovations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qde4XXhl4BM
🏡 Full House Tour | After Renovations: https://youtu.be/g0C3Yc2mNPw

🎵 Music We Use:
🎶 Get One Month Free with Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/DvQ9E

00:00 Intro
00:58 Sealing gaps and finding daylight
01:30 Removing 70-year-old cedar siding
02:37 Why we need more old wood
03:04 Our neighbor offers to help
04:41 The siding problem might be solved
05:19 How Lodgify helps us run our Airbnb
07:03 Back to demo and saving boards
08:13 Framing the bathroom and utility corridor
10:26 Cleaning up and preserving the cabin’s story
11:03 My parents save the original cedar boards
11:35 Next week, the real desert heat arrives

#AbandonedCabin #CabinRenovation #JoshuaTree #Lodgify