Lookout tower cabin

[clovergecko1]

Well I posted a blurb on my lack of experience or building skills and it enabled me to meet some great people, one of them suggested pole frame construction (after some research I decided thats probably the way for me. I will be building on land I may not get to often so I don't want to put alot of money into the project. I've always wanted a cabin different fromeveryone else and about a year ago I saw a show on amazing vacation homes, the "cabin" was based on a firetower. I decided I would like to build one that looks just like an old two story look out tower (not too tall) I think w/ post frame I can accomplish this and inexpensively at that. The base was made of stone (may or may not have been used I do'nt know) I can use stone facade. The top is one large open room w/ windows all arround. So I figure upstairs would be the bedroom (for the view) and livingroom, the kitchen ,bathroom, and another sittingroom/spare bedroom all downstairs. With thestairs going up inside as well (not like the extierior stairs of the original) this is for security while Im gone. Also thers is a deck, called a catwalk that goes all the way arround the top section. Im grateful for all imput on this subject as I am an inexperienced builder. I think I attached a small pic of the original tower.

[clovergecko1]

I was looking at another post about metal roofing and I think it may be the way to go w/ this project, any ideas? How does the price compare to shingles?

[mark_chenail]

Thats a nifty house CloverGecko and wouldnt be too hard to do as a pole building , assuming you can get poles long enough that wont cost you an arm and a leg and that you can  dig  a deep enough hole to set them and have the equipment to lift them into place.  I built my house with 5x5 16' tr posts and let me tell you those suckers were heavy.  It took 3 fairly big guys just to lift and move them and setting them in the ground was not fun.   You would need much bigger poles for your idea.  if your land is really remote and hard to reach it might be a real concern.  It might be simpler to build on one level and just have a small second story area. conventionally framed on the platform.  And I know you young pups dont like to think of it, but remember that some day you will be old and creaky and climbing 2-3 flights of stairs to to lug home the groceries or just check the mail will not be a pleasant way to spend the day.  Think about a house on the ground with a tower attached.  
As to metal roofs, I have them at my place in Missouri and like them a lot. Easy to put on and relatively cheap though they arent as cheap as they used to be. Still cheaper than conventional roof sheathing and shingles.  Metal roofs are noisy though unless you insulate and have ceilings.  A really hard rain or hail can be absolutely deafening and drive you out if there is nothing between you  and the metal roof but air.

[clovergecko1]

Sounds like good sound advice Mark thank you. This will really only be for "camping" so I dont mind the climb I will probbably sell it before Im too old. (or I'll build some kind of a lift)

[MikeT]

I love the idea.  I stayed in one once.  It was the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout in the Four Corners area (near Mascos, CO).  Here is the link: http://www.coloradolookouts.com/jerseyjim.html

This is probably higher than you are planning, but some of the same issues will be the same:  racking, uplift, insulation, etc.  Note the guy wires, etc to help keep it firmly planted where it's supposed to be.

[clovergecko1]

Thats a nice one Jim. I found mine on a national site that shows all known towers of the like in the country. Unfortunately I dont remember the link, sorry. But if you are interested I'm sure you can find it if you type lookout towers into the search bar.

[Amanda_931]

For a little while I wanted a water tower here.  But to get one that would give me enough water pressure to run a demand water heater, it would have had to have been 40 + feet high.

But there is a guy in California who will be happy to sell you stamped by an architect plans.  I thought that putting an addition on the side, say of a three story might be perfect.  The plans call for very heavy timbers, brackets that you will have to get made by a welding shop or something, and the real off-putter for me, a complex and very heavy duty foundation--it looks like four pairs of crossed canoes.  The friendly local concrete guy did not want to do it.  Here's the link to the blueprints:

http://www.water-towers.com/

An acquaintance of mine, Steve Austin, wrote a song about working in a fire lookout tower.  Watching the birds from way up there, talking on the radio.

Bonnie Pruden--fitness guru from the 50's, after her hip replacement, thought about stairs and general creakyness a lot--ended up deciding that having stairs that she didn't absolutely need to climb would be good.  She could actually use them for exercise on rainy days, as long as she could handle them at all.

[glenn-k]

Amanda --thanks

Bonnie Pruden--fitness guru from the 50's, after her hip replacement

More proof that I am right in my philosophy that ---you are only given so many steps in life --- if you unwisely waste them on fitness in your younger years, you will come up short later in life. :-/

[ailsaek]

Bonnie Pruden--fitness guru from the 50's, after her hip replacement

More proof that I am right in my philosophy that ---you are only given so many steps in life --- if you unwisely waste them on fitness in your younger years, you will come up short later in life. :-/

A given number of steps doesn't worry me, but if we get only a certain number of words, I'm in big trouble!

[jwv]

Growing up in the hills of Southern Ohio we had several fire towers.  They were only manned during fire season but for the rest of the time they were the scene of late night liaisons  [smiley=embarassed.gif]

http://fisher.osu.edu/~penfield_5/fire/copperhead/

http://personal.denison.edu/~stocker/app9.html

Judy

[Amanda_931]

Copperhead doesn't look like much fun in bad weather.  But that country is pretty impressive.