My 15.75 x 30 Jemez Cabin

Started by MountainDon, December 20, 2006, 02:03:09 AM

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MountainDon

You are welcome. Glad somebody reads this.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

astidham

MountainDon, I love the drip line paver idea! very smart
"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"
— Henry Ford


MountainDon

Thanks. Ideas grow from experiences. Even with the cabin elevated and the eve line a couple feet away there was a lot of dirt splash on the siding. That was one reason to do it. Another was that we use that route to walk from the cabin to the shed when it's sunny. After a rain it gets muddy. That walk is shaded whereas the other walk way is in the sun, so we like it for that. The eve line walk will not be so good when there is snow on the roof though. I almost got dumped on the first winter.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

wjabsco

MountainDon - you have readers, don't worry...been enjoying your thread for a year!  Keep it up.  Your experiences/photos fuel our ideas.  :-)

MountainDon

Hmmm... The Tool Shed becomes the Tiled Shed.



Too much time on my hands, or can't pass up a good deal on remnant tile. Next week I'' lay the rest.  Not enough to do the whole floor, but enough to run right up to the shelving and under the front edge of the Sun-Mar composting toilet.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


Redoverfarm

It's a good start.  It will leave you with less to do the next time around.  That is a popular color that is usually in the middle isle of HD or Lowes.  I used about the same in the loft bathroom shelf.

MountainDon

Yep. One of the nearby Lowe's had a little of it left and was clearing it. There are a lot of colors similar. We used another inside the cabin.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

astidham

You can tile right over the plywood floor?
That could save some money.
I thought wood had to be covered with cement board.
Looks real good!
"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"
— Henry Ford

MountainDon

It's a shed......  ;)

Long before there was cement board tile was placed directly over lots of plywood. Nothing bad happened to most of it. Back home we had a tile floor that was approx 20 years old when we left. The only thing about it that was bad was the color looked "old". Like an avocado refrigerator.


Cement board may make for a better floor in the long run. I'm sure it also makes for a better bottom line at Hardie, and Durock, and .....
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


countrylivn

Great Job on everything. Wondering how much you've spent for the cabin alone?

MountainDon

try this again, dumb fingers!  #%&$@*

I added a link in the index just now to the cost figures that I posted.

Here it is...

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=2335.msg113214#msg113214

Read that post and down one or two where I made an adjustment
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

OlJarhead

Quote from: MountainDon on September 08, 2010, 09:26:50 AM
You are welcome. Glad somebody reads this.

You'd be surprised.

I read it everytime you post something new (and sometimes when you haven't) to see what new great idea you are sharing!

Without your thread I'd have had NO IDEA where to begin on so many things.

Thanks for all the hard work sharing your cabin experience here Don, it's much appreciated!

As well as Glenn, Scott, and several others! 

glenn kangiser

Don, I find my fingers type whatever they want - not like the old typewriters where you had a place to judge where your fingers were supposed to be going.  I know the young ones will say what's that? 

Come to think of it I wasn't that good on the typewriter either and corrections were a lot harder....get out the whiteout... [waiting]
"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.

MountainDon

Over the last year we have sporadically made improvements to trails around the property. There is quite a slope in places, so we've endeavored to not make things worse when it comes to what happens when it does rain.

My main trail making tool is called a McLeod, a wildland firefighting tool with a large hoe-like blade on one side and tined blade on the other.



6 inch (5.5") boards for scale reference. Orange paint so I can find it when I put it down.  ;D



The straight hoe like edge is sharp enough to cut through small roots easily. It does weigh a few pounds and that helps too. The rake like edge is good for chopping, breaking up hard packed earth.

This section of trail heads directly down a slight slope. We installed cut sections of small diameter pine to break up the water flow when it rains.



The ground level drops an inch or two with every cross log. For greater changes in elevation we have used 12x12 inch concrete patio/stepping stones. This occurs at turns most often.





Most of the trails angle across the slope, back and forth, with changes in direction similar to this. The trail down the slope comes towards the viewer, then 2 steps down, and a curve back across the slope. We've lined most sections with timbers/logs on the downhill side of the slope.



A new section we started this past weekend. This is down near the meadow and the solar panels.



Another "newish" section along the SE slope very close to where the recent deer and elk videos (fence jumping) were taken,



Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


astidham

"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"
— Henry Ford

nathan.principe

that looks like alot of work, I can only imagine!  Pretty smart by using the native timber like that, gives me some good ideas for my own place ;D

MountainDon

Eventually, they will rot. However, we are not a fast rotting forest. Too dry much of the year.

The McLeod makes cutting level pathways across slopes easier than any other tool I've tried. It has enough weight but not too much to heft.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Bishopknight

Those Buck were beautiful, great photos Don!

MountainDon

This weekend we finished the tile floor in the shed...




And the gazebo is undergoing renovations.   :o  Already!  ???




The underside of the roof, cum ceiling, with roofing nails sticking thru, h=clips adornments between roof sheathing panels, et al, finally got to Karen. And Karen got to me, twisted my arm good....

1x6 plain "whitewood" boards; no t&g. The hips will receive a 1x3 batten to cover the joints. I still have to fill in the horizontal area by the chimney and put an itty bitty triangle in that corner. Clear coat for the finish.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

astidham

Wow! looks great MountainDon!
I think I might use that Idea for my ceiling.
"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"
— Henry Ford


MountainDon

In a couple of other places we had some discussion on how to store food in a cabin in the winter. Mostly we were trying to keep things in cans and jars from freezing and either breaking the jars or breaking the seal on canned goods. It was also suggested that it might be easier to use frozen food and keep it frozen rather than trying to prevent freezing.


I have an experiment underway. I opted for this as a trial as I had no expenses. All parts were in my odds 'n' ends boxes as left overs from projects.

I had an unused power steering fluid cooler. I'm using the hot water from the RV water heater as my heat source. The pilot light alone keeps the well insulated 6 gallon tank (extra pink foam as shown) at 140 degrees in the summer. It was suggested that perhaps the heat could be used to keep the under sink area from freezing. I will be adding some foam to the counter top underside and door backs.

Theory said that thermosiphon action should have the water circulating through the heater loop. There was only one way to be certain.

There's the Hayden cooler, now a heater. It's on top of the heater tank in sort of a temporary mode. The hose on the left is the line from the hot fitting on the tank and the one on the right is the return line to the cold fitting.



Below is a shot illustrating the maze of pipes/tubing.  :o  The red circled parts are the outlet (hot) pipe from the water heater with a newly installed Tee. Up goes to the Hayden radiator. Down goes to the balance of the system. In the Hayden heater loop there is a ball valve to permit easy shut off.      The blue circled parts show the return line part of the loop. There are a couple of valves there. More on them later on down the page.



Another view, with the hot valve circled...



Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

MountainDon

#1121
The cold (cooler) water return lines. The braided hose comes from the Hayden radiator. The small arrow points in the direction of the cold water inlet for the water heater tank.



The valves circled with the dashed blue line need explaining. The brass valve is a three way valve. In the position illustrated the water passes through the valve right to left. When turned 90 degrees the flow is from right and out the side. The purpose of this valve was to make it easy to "burp" the loop, get the air out of the loop. The chromed valve is a standard faucet shut-off. It is only there as the brass valve (used) had a small drip out the side diversion. Rather than use a pipe cap or a new valve  :o  I dug in the parts boxes and came up with a shut-off to shut off the leak.   d*

So did it work?  Yes within minutes of opening the valve and purging the loop of air the Hayden radiator was very warm to the touch. I turned the valve to off position and checked back an hout later. The radiator was cool. Turning the valve back to on, water began to flow almost immediately.

Faucet operation with the pump moving the water, both hot and cold, remained as before with the loop activated or not.

Now I have to add insulation and wait for freezing weather.

If this works through the winter for the estimated cost of about 12 gallons of propane we'll be happy.

I still may explore one of the other options, that of using surplus PV electric power. That experiment requires the expenditure of some $$ for a solid state relay and a heater though.

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Sassy

Nice ceiling in the gazebo!  Interesting set-up for heating beneath the sink...  let us know if it works!
http://glennkathystroglodytecabin.blogspot.com/

You will know the truth & the truth will set you free

MountainDon

I will Sassy. And a picture or two when the ceiling is completed...  heading up there tomorrow.   :)
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

glenn kangiser

Part of ours is plain boards.  It looks fine.  Good job, Don.
"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.