Dogtrot - 14x24 Little House + 14x18 Little House

[fritz]

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks Fritz.  To you also.

Great to see the place going from your original ideas to reality.

[fritz]

Two days of 60+ weather resulted in putting 10 windows in!

Keeping an eye on the bargain shelf at the home supply store resulted in the three windows in the south end of the little cabin (the arch top and the two casements, for less $230 total.





and

Big photos are at:

http://www.digitalstoryteller.com/photos/?album=3

[Sassy]

looking good!   

[John Raabe]

Looking good Fritz!

[CWhite]

Your progress is very interesting.  I look forward to seeing more.
The idea is so unique and "livable" and seems to include an atmosphere of how you intend to live there.
That dog trot / extended deck space is a remarkable space.  I hope you'll continue to post pictures.
Christina

[Redoverfarm]

fritz what are your plans for the area between the two cabins. I had pondered to do mine that way but ended up enclosing as I have a room T'd off of the back and a fireplace in the center. Will make this the entry normally where the open area is.

[fritz]

Hi and thanks.  The deck space is 16 x 44 and unless you count the area under the center roof "twice" the deck square footage is larger than the covered space.

That said, I spend a lot of time outside even in the cold and I hope that continues. 

I have gone through about a dozen ideas for the "roof" over this space and have settled on cedar lattice to provide some shade.  At one point I thought about a polycarbonate or even wood.....I hope to have the lattice up in a week or so.  Weather is warming and I'll be spending more time building there.

This week, my Sun Mar composting toilet arrived....I'll have it working which ends the trips to the trees.  I am using a grey water recycling system for the shower and sink..... running water is coming from rural water at the highway --- 600 feet of trench to dig once the ground thaws.

[MountainDon]

Hey Fritz we'd love to hear about your developing experience with the Sunmar. Which model did you get, the self contained, 120 VAC, NE or???

Also we would all like to hear more about your greywater system.

Thanks and it's looking good.      G/L on the 600 feet of trenching. 

[fritz]

SUnmar was purchased from these folks -- delivery was very quick,less than a 10 days.

http://www.thenaturalhome.com/compost.html

I purchased the Excell AC -- I'll post some photos and a installation story -- as well as updates as the compost gets started and how it gets used / works.  It's amusing to see the reaction of city people and non public health people when you try to talk about toilets and compost.  The folks in the universty public health department are all very interested / curious.

The grey water system also comes from the above link.  I'm draining only a shower and two small sinks.  I need to talk to the county folks to be sure they are okay with a dry well rather than a leech field.  I'll keep everyone posted. 

PS  I also settled on the Bosch Aquastar 125 FX LP gas tankless water heater.  After thinking through the combustion air issue, I figured that 9 months or more of the year the window will be open .... and the other time it will be in use for a short period of time and since my construction is not well -- perfect -- I think there is enough ventilation.

[glenn kangiser]

We have the same Aquastar, Fritz.  Just set it to the maximum heat you need and no more to prevent scale build up.  We adjust ours a couple times a year as water temp changes.  It works well.  We are not running any vent but it is on an outside wall.

[fritz]

Amusing story.........

I was able to lump several large / bulky items into one delivery from Lowes, some T1-11 siding, some lattice, a refrigerator, the shower stall -- they were having a promotion - rebate on delivery.  SO yesterday, they delivered.  The great news is they called first, because they had only loaded half the order - but they found the other half and drove it down.

The typical Lowest flatbed with the fork lift on the back brought everything, the driver used the lift to scurry stuff across the open mowed pasture to the deck -- almost like having a loading dock.

When he was done (and he was very very helpful) I left.  IN about 10 minutes, he called me:

"Sir, I hate to say this, but I'm stuck down here."

Sure enough, buried the semi in the soft ground,.  When I got back to him, he was taking the fork lift of the back end.

He and I put some boards behind the wheels...but he was still spinning....so I took the brush hog off the Farmall 706, tied a strap to the back end of the semi trailer, and towed hi across the pasture until he could get turned around and back ou to the highway.

Kind of a Lake Wobegon moment, in my home town.....

[Redoverfarm]

Good deed done for the day.  It would have probably cost him a bundle to have a wrecker come out.  I have done this as well with my tractor after getting a load of concrete blocks delivered.  The builder in my area bought a 4WD delivery truck which probably has saved him alot in pulling his trucks out.

[fritz]

I've moved in and been working on interior things -- so the exterior programs has been spotty.  That said:  I have 6 of 8 walls sided and will do the gables in a cedar shake shingle -- then the lattice covers the dog trott.  And then trim out the windows.



and

[glenn kangiser]

Great update, Fritz.  You've come a long way since your first sketches.

[Willy]

Great Project! Man my cows would love to stay at your place with all that green grass!!! Our area is dry so I never see grass like that growing. Lots of sage, bitter brush and other Desert Step plant life. Mark

[fritz]

Your cows would be welcome.....how good are they with a table saw? 

I started putting cedar shakes in the breezeway dog trot this weekend with thehelp of a friend and his son.  Then we latticed 3/4 of the dog trot roof.  This week I'll put the shakes on the opposite gable and then finish the lattice.

A moment of celebration (I'm on the left) the shade make a huge difference in the temp (duh)

[Redoverfarm]

fritz I am like Willy my cows would love that grass also.  But I doubt they would make the trip especially if I had to bring them there.  I went back looking at your complete thread and unless I missed it I couldn't find the layout or floorplan of the two seperate cabins.  In other words what living area's are contained in each cabin.  Not sure whether you will be using this in the colder weather but will you have to go from one building to the other for any reason in inclimate weather.  Just curious.

John

[John Raabe]

Great project. Very good design using two simple buildings. Looks like a fun place to hang out.

The proof is in the pudding.

Click HERE to see the earlier design concept and early framing.

[fritz]

Let me see what I can share from my cheap 3d software  this is close --- I think when I can take some photos with a camera better than my cell phone, it may make sense.  As for the inclimate weather question, I ended up splitting the living.

The large side has the kitchen, the guest sleeping loft, and the "public" space.  The litle side has the composting toilet, shower, my "office" and work space, and my sleeping loft.  My original design had the bathroom in the big side with the kitchen, making it self contained -- but in the end, I liked this flexibility better.  I reserve the right to change my mind after the first winter --- but it would easy to relocate the composting toilet.

First, here is an over florplan.  If you dont double count the central breezway under the new lattice roof, the exterior deck space is larger in sq footage than the covered cabin.




Now, the big side is a wide open plan.  A single galley kitchen along the top left wall...a 8 foot x 14 foot sleeping loft on the north end (away from the breezeway) and the 4 foot wide storage loft above the entry door.

The furniture layout to be determined AFTER i put away building materials and saws, compressors, et cetera.



Finally, the little side.  I originally had a clothes closet in the lower left corner AFter several rainy days and no place to take off muddy boots and wet rain gear, I added a small 4 x 4 foot "mud room" just off the door and then moved the clothes closet a little to the right.  Above the entry and bathroom is an 8 x 14 sleeping loft -- but I extended the mid section (about 5 of the 14 wide) 2 more feet to accommodate the ladder and some turn around space in the loft.

The bathroom has the composting toilet, a simple sink, a 36 shower, and a tankless water heater in the corner.



The heat source will be small lp gas stoves...to be installed this fall.  The LP tank for the water heater is in a closet on the outside deck (ventilated) as is a second lp cylinder with storage above for outdoor stuff (snow shovels, brooms, garden tools, et cetera)

I will work on some photos this month.

[Redoverfarm]

fritz that puts it into a little prospective for me.  It looks like it gives you alot of flexibility in the future.  As far as having the bathroom on the opposite end of the guest sleeping area you could always create a semi-enclosed breezeway later if you see that it is too much of an inconvience.  Something upon the lines of double french on both sides of a large breezeway to give the openess in both direction.  In fact you could even design accordian style panels that could be opened and closed on a rail system (double or tripple track) similar to barn doors.  Even with more imagination you could build bifold panels(doorways incorporated) from both cabins to meet in the center which could be folded back against each cabin wall. 

I guess you know the weather in your area and you have got a handle on what will work.  Good job IMO.  It actually keeps in the original theme of a dogtrot style. 

John

[fritz]

Thanks.  I have played with the barn door idea -- for security, for shade and for a wind screen.

I think I want to live there a few seasons and then decide.

One of the fun challenges is learning to live in a small space while it's under construction.

[John_C]

Here is one very similar.  I presume the metal siding & roof offer some resistance to wildfires.

http://www.studioatkinson.com/1-zachary-1.htm

[fritz]

It was that design that was my inspiration.....I saw it in a book, and later found out it won all kinds of awards....

[fritz]

I decided to take some photos around the place today -- I did not bother to clean up.  So you see it as I live/work it.  I call it "guy clean".

Here is the view the deck


and this is the view of the big side from the door -- the flooring will go down in the next two weeks and then the tools are banished from the inside.

I still have some wall panelling to install and have not done the ceilings or trim



Next is the little side from the door -- the windows were all bargain windows from a local builder supply store



This is the view from the sleeping loft in the little side



Next, is the bathroom, the shower is a one piece, the sink is a tiny but workable pedestal and the composting toilet.  Hidden is the Bosch FX125 tankless water heater.No finish trim yet, so it still looks primitive.



Outside on the deck is the beginning framing for a closet for tools and the lp tanks for the water heater.  You can also see the siding I need to finish, and the exhaust for the water heater and the exhaust for the composting toilet.



I very much look forward to the day when it is more finished and cleaner -- dust, mud, and building materials are everywhere.  As I shared, I live here now - but have very few "things" and most of what I have is in boxes.  Living in less than 600 sq feet is an interesting shift from suburbia.  I know people live in much smaller spaces and I use their ideas and influence.  At times, it's like being a full time RV'er...without the wheels.