MSN Inspired Cabin

[StinkerBell]

http://realestate.msn.com//slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=23206341&gt1=35000#1

This is intersting.

[RainDog]

 I like it! Just wonder if that nice plywood on the exterior looks as good in real life as it does in the photo. The stone work on the foundation walls, on the side, go a long way toward preventing it looking like just another cheap hunting cabin.

Concrete floors?

How they mount those kitchen shelves?

[StinkerBell]

I like how the plywood sheets are incorporated instead of drywall.  It also looks like they have an internal single water wall.

[StinkerBell]

I didn't notice the floors until you pointed out they might be concrete.

[NM_Shooter]

Only $229 for a cypress stump "table" 

[StinkerBell]

I am not looking at the furniture. I like the simplicity of it and the walls. Not considering the foundation on the side of the mountain, I suspect that is very inexpensive to build and a quick build. I am also thinking that might be a 24x24 or a 28x28, I am leaning towards the 28x28.

[poppy]

How they mount those kitchen shelves?

If you look closely at the right side of the left set of shelves, you can see the vertical slotted rail that mounting brackets fit into.

I'm sorry, guys and gals, I don't like basic plywood as a "finished" wall or ceiling, whether on the inside or the outside. 

For a little more $, they could have purchased plywood with hardwood facing on one side; now that could be made to look decent. Or even bead board plywood for that matter. 

It's good that there are generous roof overhangs to protect the plywood, but by reducing the roof and using something like cement board on the outside would have made much more sense.

Notice that they talked about inexpensive materials, they didn't mention what that thing cost to build.  Give me a break; that foundation and concrete slap was not cheap by any stretch.

It's not clear how much flat ground there is, but why hang it off the side of a cliff?

And don't even get me started about the conventional "modern" kitchen wall with stove, etc.  Where is the savings there?

It's cool looking at first glance, but me thinks the architect sold a bill of goods.

Now just to be clear, I'm not knocking the use of plywood for wall or ceiling material; just in this type of "inexpensive" cabin.

[poppy]

I am leaning towards the 28x28.

The article says it has 860 sf.; that would make it 30x30; not a "budget friendly" size, if you ask me.

The stone work

It's probably textured concrete, not stone.  Stone work would bust the budget friendly retreat.

[StinkerBell]

I know you dont like the plywoood on the interior, but for whatever reason I like it. Exterior I would do different.  It has a funk to it. I think I would rework a few things. But overall I like the look and you can introduce a fun industrial look to it.  I am rather inspired but the overall sq footage can be reduced along with the roof overhang.

[RainDog]

 It's amazing what the words "affordable" and "budget" mean to some people. Rocio Romero's prefabs are hailed far and wide as being truly affordable. They claim estimated finish costs of $120-195 per sq. ft. One guy proudly proclaims in his testimonial on Romero's site that for his 1453 square foot house the building costs, excluding infrastructure, were only $289,325.32.

Relative, I guess.

[poppy]

Now here's an interesting retreat cabin. http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=15759060

I'll bet the first budget friendly cabin cost over $100k.  Raindog is correct, it's all relative.  If they spent $100k vs. $250k and their budget was $100k, then yea, it was budget friendly.

As a person who has lived in a funky industrial type apartment; concrete floor with cheap tile, painted concrete ceilings with no texture, industrial type metal kitchen cupboards, etc.; I have to continue to disagree with StinkerBell. 

The modern industrial trend in home design and building has no legs; never was a trend really.

Read the book "The Not So Big House, A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live" by architect Sarah Susanka.

There's a reason they put a funky rug on that concrete floor.  A radiant heating system in the concrete would have made more sense, but they put in a wood stove and so have cold floors.  Why was a wood floor system not "budget friendly".

I'd wager that in a realitively short time, there will be some changes to that cabin.

Still, I don't totally disagree that plywood is no good for wall treatment; I have seen some applications that look pretty good, but there are sooooo many other options.  I think the owners of the cabin are trying to show their friends that they are slumming it in the wild. 

All that being said, thanks Stinker for posting this; it really is interesting. 

[NM_Shooter]

I just can't get past the $229 stump.  What is their idea of "budget" when they throw cash away like that?  I too would like to know the actual cost of that thing.  Want budget?  Look no further than my sub-$10k build.

[diyfrank]

"Finding the right spot
"We looked at about every nook and cranny in Methow Valley," says Andy Maloy of his search, with wife Sarah, for a quiet site on which to build a streamlined, budget-friendly retreat."


While Winthrop is a great place, it's also some of the most expensive land on the east side.
For a budget friendly retreat they could have saved thousands if not hundreds of thousands farther east.

[fishing_guy]

I just can't get past the $229 stump.  What is their idea of "budget" when they throw cash away like that?  I too would like to know the actual cost of that thing.  Want budget?  Look no further than my sub-$10k build.

NM_Shooter,

If you are on a budget and love the looks of the $229 end table, I'll knock one out for you for the budget price of $150.  Just ask...