Building a Little Cabin in the Virginia Woods

[SawyerTed]

My former student who has become a longtime good friend is building a little cabin on his hunting property just across the NC/Va line.  He has about 40 acres that's in the middle of about 600-700 acres of undeveloped farm land and woods.  

He's the guy who seems to know when I need help with something, the guy I can call if I'm in a bind.  He's the friend I called when I was out of town and my wife got stranded in the snow.  

It's my time to "pay back" some of the many things he's done to help me.

So this week we've been building his cabin   It's a 12'x20' main structure and will have porches on two sides. 



 

 

 

It's been slow going due to heat, having to collect and haul materials and the 40 minute drive around the mountain.  

We built the deck and insulated the floor Monday, framed two walls Tuesday and the remaining two walls today. 

We would have used sawmill lumber but he doesn't have logs.  

I might get to hunt there a bit too!  

[Ljohnsaw]

Are you gonna mill up some nice pine for the interior? Edge some slabs so he can make it look like a log cabin?

[moodnacreek]

Relationships are a big thing in life. You have to be a friend to have one. Sometimes one has to pay it forward, sounds like he did this time. I was a bit slow learning these things but after you loose a few of these relationships it sinks in.

[SawyerTed]

The siding will be live edge poplar.  He plans to stain it.  Interior paneling will be pine or poplar with clear polyurethane.  He hasn't decided if the psneling  will be vertical or horizontal interior.   

The roof sheathing and ceiling (exposed rafters) will be T-111 siding with the grooves running horizontal.  We will see if he wants to do that knowing the price on T-111.  

The ridge pole will be milled on 3 sides.   The cabin  will have a loft with exposed "D" shaped floor beams.  The long walls will be tied together with similar exposed  "D" shaped beams instead of ceiling joists.  

[Don P]

Looks like fun. Holler if you need anything, we'll be back in the woods tomorrow.

[thecfarm]

That's a good project and friend. Both of you!!

[Magicman]

He hasn't decided if the psneling will be vertical or horizontal interior.

I would go horizontal up to the window's lower edge and vertical above.  Or just the opposite.  I put both variations in our Cabin.

[Nebraska]

Good project.

[SawyerTed]

Today we put rafters up.  



 

 

 

I didn't get a good photo of 4 live edge beams we installed as joists for the loft.  They are 4.5" thick and approximately 8" wide, 12' long.  They were flattened on the top and bottom with the sawmill. 

Those beams were peeled and cut to length this morning before being installed. 

After the beams were installed, we installed the rafters.  

We were three men today, the cabin owner, his son-in-law and myself.  

I was the saw man and worked on the ground.  The younger men did the high work on the rafters.  That's a 16/12 roof pitch.  I laid out the rafters and 21 of 22 fit near perfectly.  For some reason one was 1/2" short.  A spacer at the ridge corrected that.  

I adhered to Forum rules regarding climbing ladders, mostly.  However, other guys are not forum members!  They did the climbing, especially the 30 something man. 

[Ljohnsaw]

Why are there rafter tails on one side and not the other?

[Magicman]

I see a lean to shed in the making.  ;D

[SawyerTed]

That's an excellent question!

There will be a porch over the windows on the long side and over the door on the end.  So no tails on the porch side.  

The owner wanted plenty of overhang to direct water away so that explains the length of tails.  

[Don P]

We call those pitches a rain splitter  :D

[Resonator]

Roof that steep looks like an A-frame ski chalet. (Expecting snow?) ??? ;D

[SawyerTed]

 

 

 

 
Yesterday and today we sheathed the roof and installed the metal.   

Tomorrow windows and the sheathing on the ends will be done.  

I won't be able to help tomorrow but I suspect Wade and his son will get it "in the dry."

[Walnut Beast]

Nice work 👍

[sawguy21]

@Resonator That was my first thought. ;D

[SawyerTed]

The roof pitch is so high to allow the loft to be usable by full size adults rather than munchkins.   :D

[Old Greenhorn]

I was thinking it looked like an elevated A-frame, I kind of like it, adds space upstairs, but the sheathing and metal had to be a challenge to put up for sure.

[SawyerTed]

Yeah, my buddy the, cabin owner, rejected the idea of a two story with a more conventional roof.  He's the one who did the high work today.  

Seems like I heard him muttering something about his helper should have been more convincing about the two story design.   :D 

[scsmith42]

Looks great!

[SawyerTed]

Here are a few photos showing some progress on the cabin.  

The porch floor is white oak, the porch floor joists and roof joists/sheathing. are pine. The b&b siding is pine.  All of it is off my mill.
  
He's done a great job with it so far.  

Siding needs to get finished, interior insulation and paneling need to be completed.   But he's waiting for his cash reserves to build up a bit before Christmas.  



 

 

 

[Walnut Beast]

Pretty nice for sure!

[moosehunter]

That tyvec is upside down. It'll never work like that. Tell him to turn it over.  :D
mh

[SawyerTed]

 :D The Tyvek is installed at an angle so it runs moisture to one side.   :D