Looking for help on building a Cabin

[Cookieman]

Hi there,

I'm looking for help on a cabin build I'm looking to complete.

I recently bought a 2 acre property and I want to build a cabin on it. A cabin that can be used as a hunting camp and also a place for friends and family to stay when they come to visit.

I'm thinking of making it 16x36, where I want to build has kind of a narrow long envelope surrounded by trees. I also don't want to completely rule out the idea of keeping it as a building lot, and want to make the cabin something that could possibly be moved someday (hence why I wanna make it 16 feet wide)

I thought the best way to do this would be to build on concrete pads/blocks up off the ground. Then it would make it easier to possibly be moved someday if I wanted to build out there.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this? Is that a good way to do it?

Also wondering if anybody has any plans of this size or pictures. I want it to be a 2 bedroom (with 2nd bedroom possibly being the loft), big min area and smaller kitchen. I also have old cook stove that I would like to incorporate into it for heat. I also would like it to be rustic with board and batten siding and steel roof.

Thanks again

[rothbard]

2 full length shipping containers side by side would give you roughly the dimensions you want and be "easy" to move someday.  I don't know if it would work on your property, but dropping them on sonotube piers has worked for some people I've met.

[RandyRE41]

A 16x36 cabin can work really well for what you're describing, and keeping it 16' wide is smart if you want to preserve the option of moving it later. If mobility is even a remote possibility, I'd be cautious about simple concrete pads/blocks alone for a structure that size. They can work for smaller sheds, but for a cabin you'll want something more stable and frost-resistant, like sonotube piers, helical piles, or an engineered pier system, depending on your soil and climate.

If you want to keep the lot buildable long-term, an elevated pier-style foundation makes a lot of sense and is much easier to remove than a full slab. I'd also think through access for a future move before final placement.

Your layout idea is very doable in 16x36. A main floor with one bedroom, bath, small kitchen, and open living area plus a loft for the second sleeping space would probably be the most efficient. Board and batten with a steel roof would fit the rustic look nicely, and an old cook stove could be a great feature as long as clearances, venting, and floor/wall protection are done properly.
Biggest advice: check setbacks, frost depth, and local code before committing to the foundation. That will drive the best answer more than anything else.