Building a small 8'x8' shack

Started by 8x8x8, December 23, 2008, 09:41:12 PM

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8x8x8

Hello all,

I know a lot of you hail from 10'x12' shacks or bigger, but I guess I'm going to be one of the runts here with my new 8'x8' I'm in the process of building.  I made the floor joists out of 2x4's and put 7/16" OSB (painted) on top of that.  I probably should have used 2x6's for the floor joists, but what the heck we're not talking too much weight I guess.  I'm going to use 2x3's for the walls, make my own door, make my own windows, might do a flat roof just for the ease of construction.

In reality my 8'x8' is really a 7'7"x7'7" for the interior's sake.  I'm just wondering if anyone else here has something this small and if you could post pictures of it, so I can get some good ideas on how to efficiently manage my limited space and get the most out of it that I possibly can.  Any ideas are appreciated.

MountainDon

 w*  8x8x8, or 83   ;D

Can you tell us where you are located? I'm not sure if there are any 8x8's, but there are some smallish cabins here.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


StinkerBell


8x8x8

Hey Don, I'm on the western edge of Minnesota.  That being said, I'm going to have to cram a tiny wood stove in my little 8x8.  It's going to be very interesting, but I'm sure it can be done.  I do have the opportunity to build something bigger, but I'm not into the trendy big-house stuff like most Americans.  Most of the families I know average 600-800 square feet per person in their house, I think that's living life ridiculously beyond one's needs.

Whitlock

Welcome 8x you might get a kick out of this site if you haven't seen it all ready.


http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/?gclid=CPSx-Oe-2JcCFQhJagod5QmcDg
Make Peace With Your Past So It Won't Screw Up The Present


Whitlock

Here is my little 12x16. I don't live in it but if I don't quit buying bullets I might have to my wife has warned me ??? You might get some ideas from it.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=5331.0


Have fun,W
Make Peace With Your Past So It Won't Screw Up The Present

lonelytree

8X8X8







Inside has 3 bunks. 2 on one wall and one on another. Feet into the corner. 2X6 walls with OSB inside and out, fully insulated and vapor barrier. Wired for coffee pot, inside lights, outside lights and 900W heater.

glenn kangiser

Hmm, I lived in a 6x8 for a few years, in the front end of a Peterbilt Cabover.  Seems I had to stay awake a lot but some of it was fun. :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

8x8x8

Nice little cabin Whitlock, I like your woodworking skills, it is apparent you took your time to get everything precise there.  I wish I had that kind of talent!  Yes, I have been to Tumbleweed quite a few times to get ideas, also with a site called Small House Society.

LonelyTree, I really like your 8x8 too.  Do you have any more interior pictures you could share with us?


Whitlock

Never sell your self short 8x I'm sure your place will look as nice or better than mine.
I would also like to talk you out of building a 8x8 go with a 8x12 I think you will like it alot better and whats another 4x8 feet? Well let me tell you room for that wood stove and a sink maybe some shelves and if you go with a 8 or 10 foot wall you can put in a sleeping loft 12/12 pitch on the roof and you will have enough room to live in. I know I have done it. At 6'3" and 260 not a lot of room to move around but it was home and I wouldn't give up the experience for anyting.
I also learned to look for old cab over campers and camp trailers some times you can get for nothing.They have small sinks and stoves 12v lights gas heaters and other stuff that work good in tiny homes and if you don't make the cabin to tall you could use the frame and axle for you foundation.
Here a picture of a cabin I built just like the one I lived in.


Make Peace With Your Past So It Won't Screw Up The Present

Whitlock

I reread your post and saw that you have aready started your cabin so some of my ideas may not work.

Good luck and have fun,W
Make Peace With Your Past So It Won't Screw Up The Present

Whitlock

Make Peace With Your Past So It Won't Screw Up The Present

8x8x8

I might build another 4x8 section in the future, but for now it'll just be 8x8.  Since it's 8 feet high though, I should have a lot of overhead space I can use for stuff.  I read that article you pointed out and it has some great ideas I might have to implement.

brian_nj

Thanks for the post, I too have been thinking of building an 8x8 cabin to be able to stay in while building the bigger house.3.5 hours each way is tough and $75 a nite for hotel eats into the budget.I have all the camping gear but a tent all the time is not fun so I have been thinking 8x8 and this post has inspired me to go for it. 
Our web site http://www.goldate.us/
Our Blog http://www.goldate.us/blog/

If more people took personal responsibility for themselves this country would not be in the mess it is.


glenn kangiser

We will, of course, require pix. :) 
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

8x8x8

#15
Hey, that's awesome Brian, glad to know I kind of inspired someone.  I'm definitely not the first person to try to try to build an 8x8 cabin, though I might be the most frugal one so far (using cull lumber and pallet boards to finish my exterior, having REALLY wide centers so I have to buy less studs (which probably makes the structure somewhat unsafe, but I will probably add some later on.)).

I will certainly try to post some pictures of my project.  I know I've been looking at a lot of other people's small cabin photos, and it kind of helps me get an idea of what I'm going to try to accomplish.

This is kind of unrelated, but has anyone here ever see 'Alone In The Wilderness', the story about Richard Proenneke?  They play it on PBS once in a while, I'm sure just about everyone on this site would find it very interesting.

Whitlock

Yep have the book too.What I liked about it is he built eveyting by hand even parts of his tools.


Think I might post it on the forum
Make Peace With Your Past So It Won't Screw Up The Present

MountainDon

Read the book years ago as well as having the PBS production taped.

I always marveled at how much walking back and forth he had to do to do all the filming of himself doing everyday things.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Mike 870

I had the book too but can't remember who I lent it to.  I have a feeling I won't get it back.

karnf

Welcome 8x8x8,
We really need people like you who live small and are content with just what you need.
I found this site on small houses and there's a lot of info.

wwww.apartmenttherapy.com and key on the left hand column House Tour and key on
House Tour Roundup: The Smallest Homes. Great ideas to live comfortable in small places
and use every sq ft to the fullest.
Karen


considerations

There are boat heaters for tiny spaces that burn all different kinds of fuel and would work great for an 8 x 8.  Just depends on what you want as a fuel source..  These are not recommendations, just ideas to trigger more ideas.

http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/propheaters.html

http://www.go2marine.com/category.do?no=14757

Happy hunting!

8x8x8

Thank you all for the additional and informal posts.  I've got the platform/floor done, and two of the walls.  Should be able to put it up sometime in the next few weeks, despite all of the snow.  I think I've spent about $60 so far, which includes: 2x3 studs (walls), 2x4 studs (floor), two 7/16" 4x8 OSB (floor), and two quarts of Rust-Oleum (floor).  I've been pulling pallets apart like crazy to use the pallet boards for siding (along with other pieces of scrap wood I've acquired).  It's going along pretty good so far.

Jens

check glass companies, and big steel or welding yards, they usually have large palets, 10 feet long.  I just picked up a pallet that has rough cut 3x4's for the runners, 10' long.  Underneath it was a pallet with 4x4x10' runners, that I will get on the next run.  A glass company around here has shipping crates with 1x10x10' sides. 
just spent a few days building a website, and didn't know that it could be so physically taxing to sit and do nothing all day!

FrankInWI

a huge manufacturing company here is always installing new equipment.  I got the ok to pull from the pile of the discarded shipping containers.  I to so much plywood I over loaded my trailer... it was from Italy and a non uniform US size, and I ended up giving it all to my brother in law for an extra shallow well pump he had (after an early frost busted up the one I had installed) The pile was huge....

much dimensional lumber too, some foreign, some not. 
god helps those who help them selves

NM_Shooter

Quote from: 8x8x8 on December 30, 2008, 10:41:10 PM
Thank you all for the additional and informal posts.  I've got the platform/floor done, and two of the walls.  Should be able to put it up sometime in the next few weeks, despite all of the snow.  I think I've spent about $60 so far, which includes: 2x3 studs (walls), 2x4 studs (floor), two 7/16" 4x8 OSB (floor), and two quarts of Rust-Oleum (floor).  I've been pulling pallets apart like crazy to use the pallet boards for siding (along with other pieces of scrap wood I've acquired).  It's going along pretty good so far.

I'd like to point out that you are significantly remiss in posting pictures of your progress.  We've gotten very angry with folks for far lesser offenses. 

-f- :P
"Officium Vacuus Auctorita"