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Dreams of a cabin

Started by Jeff, December 04, 2013, 01:22:55 PM

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Jeff

I thought this would be a more appropriate board to post this and ask for input.  I made a land swap in the U.P. and traded my property for another chunk that actually has some good high ground suitable for building a cabin on.  That topic can be found here.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,69938.0.html

We want to build a cabin, but we will have to do it with very little money. Our basic wants for the cabin is a living area, kitchen and dining area, bathroom and bedroom, stairway, a little storage and perhaps a mudroom on a first floor. I want the living room area to have a vaulted ceiling, leaving this a 1 and 1/2 story. Upstairs an area for two bedrooms that would be able to open by a divider as one.   

My main concern to get started of course is a foundation. As I said, we will never have much cash, so I need to find a way to build it as economically as possible. I should have easy access to a backhoe.  The cabin construction I would like to do would be vertical log. I will have access to plenty of smaller trees that should work well for this. I do have the LT30, so I want to use materials from the land as much as I can to complete the cabin. I have lots of rock and stone near by that I may be able to get cheap.

Where do I go from these ideas?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Weekend_Sawyer

My Grand Uncle and his wife bought a Sears house in the 20's or 30's.
To build the foundation he and his wife would go down to the nearby river, collect a wheelbarrow full of 4 to 8" river stones and, with a harness he built for her, she would pull, he would push the load of stones home. This way he could use less concrete.
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

Jeff

Something I should add, is that we are in snow country, so foundation and roof need to reflect that. I'd been considering piers, but then you have the issue of plumbing and heating I don't have any idea if footings have to be below frost. I know there are old places simply built on a slab, but that is expensive now days too, and not sure if it would meet any codes.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Hilltop366

I'm full of ideas Jeff, if code allows you could build on piers that go below frost and in one area pour a box (well insulated) for your water & sewer. If Bath & kitchen were back to back plumbing could be kept on one dividing wall or utility closet for easy draining and no need to have any water lines and drains running under the floor.




Hilltop366

Just went through with trying to move a cottage at my sisters property, we were trying to save the cottage for relocation, it didn't go too well http://kirkside.tumblr.com scroll down to the video to see demolition. This building was 24' x 26' with two bedrooms up stairs plus a later added sun room of 12'x16' there was no room for a vaulted ceiling in the main part, perhaps the sun room

As I spent some time at this building and thinking about using it as a cottage and looking at how much room the stairs took up I thought if I was starting with nothing I would be tempted to forgo the second floor add three more piers and put the bedrooms on the same level as the rest and have much more roomier bed rooms, it almost seems like free space to put rooms on the second floor but having built a 1 1/2 story house it is a lot more work and more difficult to maintain than a one story.

For what its worth.

D L Bahler

There are many ways to save money on foundations, and many solutions if you look very far either into the past or to other cultures. We settled on a way that worked good for us for a long time, but there is always room for new (or old) ideas.

I've worked on a number of projects with little cash at hand -working on 2 right now- and of course the foundation is the first area where you can save...

For me, the key is having the ability to trade my own time in. We spend money for convenience -that is, we put a lot of dollars down so that we don't have to take a lot of time to do something. But when we don't have those dollars, we can cut out the middle man and put that time down. That's always been my philosophy. Since I'm busy starting a business, I am trying to spare the dollars as much as possible which for me translates into a lot of hard hand-tool work. When I had money, I put it all into hand tools knowing they'd come in handy some day. They certainly have.

One foundation is rubble and stone -rubble at the bottom, stone at the top where it is more susceptible to frost damage. For a larger structure, I'll be working off of pillars with a grade beam (more there to provide an air-stop than for support. The pillars and beam will all be made of concrete -but not portland cement concrete. I'll be using a millennia-old (and cheap) concrete made of gypsum or lime, pozzolan (in this case, brick dust) and aggregate (rocks, old concrete, etc.) And in case you don't think this will hold up, well Roman concrete (the same thing) has stood for 2000 years now... 

Jeff

My reason for the smaller foot print, with additional sleeping on a loft/2nd story would be for heating. I want one central heating stove, be it wood or corn or gas, or whatever, to heat the cabin. No ducts or anything like that.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Radar67

If you can get the materials, I second the rubble trench foundation.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Hilltop366

Quote from: Hilltop366 on December 04, 2013, 02:03:01 PM
I'm full of ideas Jeff, if code allows you could build on piers that go below frost and in one area pour a box (well insulated) for your water & sewer. If Bath & kitchen were back to back plumbing could be kept on one dividing wall or utility closet for easy draining and no need to have any water lines and drains running under the floor.

Edit:  piers may not fulfill foundation requirements for vertical log wall.

Hilltop366

Quote from: Jeff on December 04, 2013, 03:01:57 PM
My reason for the smaller foot print, with additional sleeping on a loft/2nd story would be for heating. I want one central heating stove, be it wood or corn or gas, or whatever, to heat the cabin. No ducts or anything like that.

That would make it easier to heat with a central stove.

Does this sight have access to hydro?

Draco

I have a buddy in Traverse City who just put his piers in.  He got his lifting poles in the four corners before the ground got hard, too.  If you want to do it cheap, this is the way.  He came from the Ukraine and has done 95% of the work alone.  He has peeled all of his logs and already built a 12'X12' shed for practice, with porch, metal roof and window.  He has a full time job, but works every day, all day.  I plan to build a cabin, as well, but I'm a lot older than he is and will hire some work out.

We both took the same class from the Log Home Builders Association.  The money spent for the class and travel is worth it.  It is an awesome method of building a log home, at whatever level of building skills and cash that you have to work with.

Jeff

Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jim_Rogers

hydro means electricity......
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Dave Shepard

I've been following the http://tinyhouseblog.com/ for some time now. They have an archive on the right of different categories. There are a lot of good ideas there. I would do some googling of the tiny house movement. You'll get a lot of people building on trailers, but also a lot of people building permanent structures with very limited budgets.

I'm going into my 3rd winter trying to heat a 3 bedroom cape with just a woodstove on the North end of the house. It's not working so well. ::) A small open plan cabin with the stove in the middle will not take a lot of heat to keep it comfortable.

What are your building code requirements regarding insulation? I know a pure log structure won't fly around here anymore, we need R21 in the walls now. Looking forward to seeing this idea develop.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Jeff

Then Yes. There will be electricity.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

beenthere

Quotehydro means electricity......

Must come from the days when there were hydroelectric dams producing electricity. The name sticks so that all electricity is assumed to be "hydro".

To me, hydro refers to hydraulics...   ::)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Dave Shepard

Hilltop366 is from Canada. Hydro might mean Hydro-Quebec, the local utility up there. I've seen that quite a few times around the internet.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Jeff

Once I have an exact cabin site picked out, I'll put a pole in, get electric and try and drive a well. I want to be able to run a mixer and have water.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

thecfarm

I know how money is,any chance of going under ground with power? I did go underground from the last pole to my house.
Is this something you would like to get started on next year?
We drove around and kinda took a few homes that we liked and made ours. Is this like a retirement home?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Hilltop366

I usually say electricity, but I have noticed that once you go west of New Brunswick the term hydro seemed more common, could just be my imagination.

Sorry to distract from your foundation question.

I built my own footing & 4' foundation forms and reused the materials for the house, the footing forms were used for floor joist for the loft and plywood for the loft floor. This cut the cost by 1/2, I was lucky to have access to some form rods at no cost but you may find a place that rent them as well as forms.

Mooseherder

Is your cabin outback too big to move on down the road on a flatbed?

breederman

My log home sets on a pressure treateted foundation with crushed stone footers. No concrete and cheap.6.o treatead lumber is
used, not your run of the mill green stuff.
Together we got this !

Corley5

How strict are Chippewa County's zoning laws   ???
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

WmFritz

I pulled up the Chippewa County building dept. and not much info on the website. Foundation depth is 42" minimum, roof snowload is 70 PSF,  wind load is 90 mph.  Your best bet is to stop in to the building inspector at the Soo when you have time.  Looks like he's only in from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. without an appointment.

When I started planning mine, I was going to build the cabin slab on grade. Cheboygan County would only allow up to 400 sq. ft. My building was 1350, so I had to go with concrete footings and block stem walls, since it was the only thing that I knew. 

If you have use of  a backhoe, your gonna save on your back and your bank account. I found an old John Deere and couldn't have built without it.
The planning stage is the most fun. Enjoy it.  ;)
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

WDH

Boss,

Once you get things planned out, you should seriously consider hosting a Cabin Raising.  I am sure that a number of members would come up (or down) and help you out. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

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