John McPhee was approached by his wife Krista with an idea she saw on Pinterest: she wanted him to make a colourful igloo in their front yard in Slave Lake, Alta. There was only one problem — she needed 500 milk cartons.

"I didn't want to build it, but I figured she wouldn't be able to find 500 milk cartons," McPhee told CBC News.

She gathered 500 two-litre cartons in 10 days.

The lineup of cartons that McPhee's wife Krista rounded up. (Mike McPhee/Facebook)

McPhee said his wife posted on Facebook pages asking for spare two-litre milk cartons. People in and around Slave Lake more than answered the call.

True to his word, McPhee started building. He cut a template out of plywood to use as a guide. They started freezing bricks of water with food colouring in it, and he put on his bricklayer hat.

It was no easy task.

120 hours

McPhee said the igloo took 120 hours total, though a lot of the delay could be attributed to weather. There were times where McPhee had to tarp the igloo when temperatures were above zero.

"This was the first time I'd ever wished for cold weather," he said.

Eventually, temperatures cooled and McPhee finished the igloo — just in time for his two kids, 10-year-old Tristin and six-year-old Mason, to be not that excited for it.

"They think it's pretty cool, [but] they kind of lost a little bit of interest, given the thing's taken so long to build," McPhee said.

"The wife is more excited than the kids are."

The template McPhee used to place the bricks correctly. (John McPhee/Facebook)

Now, with the igloo built, there are no major projects on the horizon for the McPhee family any time soon.

"I've earned my couch time," McPhee said.

"It was fun, it was great, but yeah, I'll rest now."