We’d been saying we’d build it since last year.

What was missing: the moment, the energy, the wood, the decision.

Last weekend, a friend had a fall on it — no injury. There was the decision.

Timber stacked in front of the A-frame before the build

Friday morning, we went to get the wood. Three hours, there and back.

By the afternoon, we were on it.

Ladder and timber in front of the cabin during the build

It wasn’t just a few planks to lay down. It was the piece missing between the cabin and the garden — where you put your feet stepping out, where you sit, where the view opens up.

A-frame structure and the opening toward the future deck

Measure. Cut. Align. Start over.

Carry the planks one by one, check the levels, redo it anyway — because we’ll see it every day.

New planks laid out during the build

By that evening, it was done.

Not perfect. Built by hand, on time, solid. With the smell of fresh wood that changes everything.

Laying the deck with greenery and the sea behind

The next day at 4pm, our first guests arrived — one night, from Fort-de-France. Deck still pale, still some construction dust in the corners.

Finished deck, tools still out in front of the cabin

They left on Monday and wrote this:

“An unusual place, close to nature, built with a lot of love and you can feel it. Beautiful garden that makes you want to enjoy the spot. Flawless welcome and lovely encounters. We recommend it.”

The week kept the same rhythm.

Thursday: planting, harvesting maracudja and breadfruit. A quiet lunch, just us.

Passion fruit freshly harvested on the ground

We tried cooking the breadfruit straight in the fire. Epic fail. We’ll try again.

Marble checkerboard on the deck — a gift from Yolande

It’s no longer a cabin sitting in the garden. It’s a threshold. A place to arrive and stay.

View from inside the cabin toward the deck, the palms, and Diamond Rock

The deck is there. So is the view.