My 15.75 x 30 Jemez Cabin

[MountainDon]

Since this topic was started the image host I used has made a change. The stored images are still on the host but they have disabled allowing the images to be viewed on a forum. So there are lots of missing images. As much as I would like to re-host them to have them show here, that is a huge task and I do not want to take the time to move and relink each one. As of this edit, the images are still hosted on photobucket and photobucket is still in business. They are just not allowing the images to be used on 3rd party sites like this forum.

However, there is a way to view the images. Right click on the replacement 'warning' image and then select view image in new tab. That will open the image in a photobucket page. That works with the Chrome browser. I have noticed it does not work with the edge browser. No idea about other browsers. 

This is the first post in my cabin topic, however this index at the the top was inserted May, 2010 and has been added to since then. The actual first post commences below the ~~~~~~~ line below.  It was suggested by an admirer that I add a sort of an index.

This is listed in chronological order; alphabetical would be ideal, but that's a bigger project than I want at this time.     Some of these links may require you to scroll down slightly. 

FYI: Since I first conceived this idea of building a cabin with my wife, I have learned many things. I would have built a better cabin if I had known some of these things before beginning. The main thing that would have been done different and better is the foundation. As you shall see we built using a pier and beam foundation similar to many other projects seen in many places on the internet. A pier and beam, or post and beam if you will, is not the best, not the most solid foundation. Pier and beam foundations are not recognized by any of the building codes used in the USA. They are permitted if the design is approved by a state licensed engineer. That will cost more than doing a prescribed foundation as outlined in the building codes. Anyhow, read on, enjoy! Just keep in mind that just because you see it on the internet that does not make it the best solution.

Last edited 12/30/2016


Gazebo is started   
The Chimnea in the gazebo; chimney mount, metal heat shields   
Gazebo Cupola construction   
Generator enclosure     
Starting on the shed construction   
Sun-Mar installed in the shed         
The solar PV panel pole installed     
Clearing space for the cabin   
The cabin site just about ready to build on   
The cabin posts in place, built up beams     
The first time I explained how the cabin evolved to being 15.75 ft wide   
Floor joists in place, floor sheathing, first walls
Why I don't recommend covering your floor with plastic or tarps to try and keep it dry from the rain   
Rafters, roof sheathing, tight wall felt     
Door and a window in place and flashed     
First shot of roughed in interior
Wiring the interior begins     
Rain and more rain. Pocket door for bathroom discussion   
Notes and talk on flashing the door and windows   
The Vermont Castings Aspen wood stove, propane hookup with auto changeover RV regulator   
24 VDC to 12 VDC Solar Converters solid state voltage converter
The exterior electrical panel temporary hookup. Some wiring examples   
The metal roof panels go on, paid casual labor
Finished chimney, fire in the Aspen     
Forum friends visit, more lectrical, insulation batts in the walls   
RCH DC voltage ceiling fan 
Start on the plumbing     
Walls insulated, Ceiling insulation started
Our volcano. Working on installing the ceiling T&G   
Ceiling complete and clear coated. Cabinets stained green   
Exterior; starting the Hardie cement fiber board trim     
Drywall roughed in   
Solo Sider tool, very handy for hanging the hardie Plank siding by oneself         
The first installment of the siding completed and painted     
Hardie backer board on the floor   
more ceiling work, redwood     
Winter is closing in, we move in some furniture. The RCH ceiling fan installed.   
Kitchen counter, sink. More interior shots     
Coat rack by door   
Haul parts up the hill in snow. Install cabinet doors   
Year end 2008. Snowmobile gets stuck.   
I buy the big inverter, Outback VFX3524M   
The inverter purchase spawns the Off Grid Power Topic   
Outback Charge Controller    
PV panels bought    
Basic bed frame/box   
Snowmobile retrieval   
Fresh air inlet for the Aspen wood stove       
Solar panels installed on pole     
Fire. May 2009   
Karen tells the story of the fire     
West wall T&G completed at last     
Muffin fan, turbocharger, for the wood stove   
Redwood window trim, interior     
Floor tile start     
Bed base completed, installed   
Start on the porch   
Improved trash burn barrel, kitchen range, door trim   
Soffits, Hardie board perforated for ventilation
Start the propane and battery storage; Energy Center   
RV water heater, cutting hole through wall for installation     
Servel refrigerator installed. Water heater details   
Bought a game camera   
Propane, battery Energy Center construction   
Water Cistern   
Energy Center     
More on water cistern     
Porch Roof     
Cable and conduit from cabin to solar PV panels   
Energy Center completed, locking bar details, Charge Controller, Inverter   
Battery Bank Buss Bars in Off Grid Power Topic
More on the Battery Bank Connections in Off Grid Power Topic
Drawing Illustrating the PV System Components and Connections in Off Grid Power Topic
A Neater Drawing of the PV Power System in Off Grid Power Topic
Sink drain, exterior   
Water heater     
Oasis water pump on cistern   
Battery Bank hookups     
Charge Controller, Inverter     
Water Pump to cabin hose setup     
Installing the propane direct vent wall heater     
We find a shortcut for snowshoeing to the cabin when the snow is too deep to drive through   
Deep snow and Frozen Cistern pump standpipe     
Totaled up the build expenses
View of undersink plumbing with "what I might do different"
Shower almost done at last
More on the Shower and Bathroom
Copper sheet under wood stove
Shower all done, curtain hardware arrived
Electric power added to gazebo
Tool for trail work
An Experiment: Keep Food From Freezing in Winter
Pine board Gazebo ceiling
Changes to Cistern Water Pump

LED Christmas Lights
LED General Exterior Illumination Lighting
Keeping Food NOT Frozen
And Problems with the heater


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Here's what I've been planning, thinking, etc. It's basically 14 x 26 ft, with a bumpout at the wood stove. It's all one room more or less with a divider that would be something like 5 1/2 to 6 feet tall to set the bed off to the side sorta. There are some unconventional details. The use of an RV type combined shower, toilet, sink is the main one. Yes it is rather small, but we have gotten used to living in an RV over the past dozen years or so and travelling most of each summer. This is much the same, only permanently parked.



"Parked" off in the boonies where I do not expect to have many uninvited visitors. I have one and only one nearby neighbor who is equally "offstream". We're of such an age we have trouble remembering where the county offices are located, among other things.

There will also be a porch at the front end (left) that will be covered by an extension of the metal roof. Electrical power by solar. Wood stove as main heat. Propane RV furnace as backup.


Part of the acreage after light recent snowfall; woodpile from selected collected deadfall.

[Sassy]

Beautiful site!  What state was that again?  Altitude?  (you've probably posted that before but as you were saying memory fails sometimes...  :-/  Looks like an economical use of space to me  .

[MountainDon]

This is in northern New Mexico, about 8600 foot elevation


looking east along northern property line

Jeep parked

looking south thru the rainy mist, logpile of cleared up dead fall

old logging road, runs east - west across property

dead tired woodcutter Don

[jwv]

You had me at "Hello"!

Beautiful site, great plan.

Judy

[APG]

Nice idea!  What is the closest town?  Are you planning to dig a well and install a septic system?  Sorry for so many questions.  Your idea is a GOOD one!  

[MountainDon]

Nice idea!  What is the closest town?  

Closest town? Depends upon what you need or want ; cup of coffee = La Cueva corner, restaurant meal = Jemez Springs, groceries or a movie = Los Alamos, building materials and other important stuff = Rio Rancho or Santa Fe

Are you planning to dig a well and install a septic system?

Eventually my own well; but to begin with hauling water from a friend down the road a little. (300 ft deep well). There'll also be a water harvesting system off the metal roof. But yes I do want a well of my own one day.

Not sure on the septic; may go with a composting toilet, partly to help keep down the water use.

To begin with we're going to be living in the old RV and hauling the waste away in those blue tote containers. (That's easier than driving the RV in & out to empty the holding tank... in fact, we'll probably have to use my neighbor's Cat to drag the RV up the final hill or commute from the bottom to the top with the ATV or Jeep.   :-/ We've also got a couple porta pottis that we haul around in the Cherokee when exploring the boonies, until we make the final decision.

[MountainDon]

It appears that a small video will work...? Here goes... it's the final drive up to the forested land... the worst part of the journey, but worth it....       I've changed this to a better quality  (2.2 MB)


//[URL=https://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/jemez%20video/?action=view&current=Jemezfirstsnowbband320x.flv][IMG]https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/jemez%20video/th_Jemezfirstsnowbband320x.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
or here's a link to the dialup  160x120 size   video (588 KB) [lousy quality]

https://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/djmillerbucket/landscape/video/?action=view&current=Jemezfirstsnowdialup160x.flv


There's sound; some of the noise is from the trailer we're pulling, some from the Jeep; it's modified and noisy on rough stuff.

[MountainDon]

Oh it does work but that's rather crappy quality... should have tried setting to keep the size down to 160x120.  You cab delete this if you want Glenn. Maybe I could go larger but then might into a bandwidth use problem.... hmmm.

[glenn kangiser]

You can just change it in Photobucket if you want to then change thje link to the new video.  You can edit your own postings at any time -- just hit the modify button above the one you want to change.  

I can do it but I'll just leave that one there until you come up with something - or don't, that you like better.  It doesn't hurt us as it's still hosted on Photobucket and we do get to see a lot of snow.

[MountainDon]

Thanks Glenn, I didn't realize I could edit my posts. Way cool! I upgraded the quality on that post. Thanks again!

[glenn kangiser]

Cool, Don - much nicer.  We are one high class forum ---

We needed the ability to edit our own post's so that sometimes I can go back and extract my foot from my mouth when something doesn't go over too well.  I try to keep myself a bit more respectable than Howard Stern. :-/

[Mark_Chenail]

Photobucket does vids and we can post them here.  OHHH OHHHH now Im in trouble....indulging the filmmaker in me.

MountainDon.  Your land is gorgeous, though I had no idea they had forest in New Mexico.  Its that Hollywood western desert influence.  I didnt know it snowed in Australia either until a few months ago.    Your film needs some jingle bells on the soundtrack and with a little special effect we could manage a reindeer or two in front of the truck hood.  Get De Mille on the phone  

[MountainDon]

I had no idea they had forest in New Mexico.   I didnt know it snowed in Australia either until a few months ago.  

Yes, mountains, forests and snow in New Mexico. We DO have a lot of desert as well, not just sand; there's maybe a 25% or so coverage with plants that are arrid resistant. It does green up a lot with enough rain. Hot and dry in the non mountainous areas tho at lower elevations in the mountains it gets rather warm as well in summer.

Snow in Australia??? I also thought it was either bone dry forlorn desert or on the northern coast, a dank sweaty jungle. How about that

[jonsey/downunder]

Yep, we have it all down here. We even have sharks big enough to swallow a bus, croc's that are partial to the odd tourist, and, if you leave your 4WD lying about they will eat that too. And, you know how flat it is in Kansas, around here we call that hill country. However, right now it's 8 am and HOT, knocking on the door of 40 and the summer is just starting.  

Merry Christmas to you all and don't get too wounded over the festive season

           

[glenn kangiser]

The snow falls upside down there, doesn't it, Jonesy?

104 degrees F - that's pretty hot.

Happy Festivus, Jonesy.

[jwv]

Hey Don,

Had to show your video to Rick (DH). What with building going on we don't get out much so the video gave him a vicarious trip.  His question: "Wonder what we're driving?"

Judy

[MountainDon]

His question: "Wonder what we're driving?"

Judy

99 Jeep Cherokee Classic, 32" tires, ARB's F&R, 4.56 gears, 4.5" lift,  link below to more info, with photo when it was newer and shinier and almost finished. It's now got lots of rock scapes on those bumpers, rocker skids, etc. FYI, I did all work myself

http://nm4w.org/members/miller-d/miller-d%2ehtm

[jwv]

Ohhh Don, I can't show him that page-at least not until the house is finished!   He'll be lost to me. We've had various 4- and 2-wheelers over the years, "our" first car was '78 Jeep Cherokee.  But now just a work truck and my little zip around town car.  I want an RV and a jeep or motorcycle to escape the heat for about 3 mos in summer.

Thanks for the info, I'll save the link for later.

Judy

[Freeholdfarm]

Don, could you give us an idea of land prices in that general area of New Mexico?  And, is 300' usual for a well around there?

Kathleen

[Sassy]

Thanks for the map of your location - very, very pretty area.  I just got a chance to watch the video & see all the pictures...    Somehow I lost track of this thread & just caught up on it today (couldn't see the pics while I was at work last week).

[MountainDon]

Don, could you give us an idea of land prices in that general area of New Mexico?  And, is 300' usual for a well around there?

Kathleen

Land prices cover quite a range in these mountains. Partly it depends on how many and how close you want your neighbors to be> Makes sense. There are a few subdivided mtn areas where you can buy land with electric already to the property line, as well as telephone.  And in some cases a community water system in place. One such 1.25 acre lot was $58K when we were looking. Another 2.5+ acre lot was about $70K and had septic in place also. A third lot, .6 acre was $45K last summer, down to $38K now, also with septic in place. But these are little communities, and not what we were looking for.

We also found a 1 acre lot for $12K in a small subdivision. There wasn't so much as one square foot that was level. It was a terrible piece of land. I wouldn't buy it for $120 let alone $12K; well maybe then I would, I'm sure I could turn it ove fast and double my money  

And then there's a parcel I'd love to have; 28 acres not too far from where we are for $450K. Have to buy it all, that's the rub. It is sundividable tho, maybe keep 10 - 12 acres and sell the rest in 3 - 4 acre size lots.... Hmmmm. It's nice land too, some meadow area, lots of trees too.  :-/

We paid $19K an acre for land that has some good more or less flat areas and some slopes. We have an acre and a half and have decided to exercise our option to buy the 4.5 acres remaining. Nearly no neighbors, no one closer than a third of a mile... well the possibility exists for someone about 600 feet away. Not bad. The downside is we're about $55K away from the power grid. But we're going solar.

Within a 6 to 7 mile radius I know of one well at something like 160 - 240 ft, forget exactly... maybe 240 deep and pump at 160? Another place they went down to 585 feet. The deeper well is at a location about 1200 feet higher. Closer to me is a 300 foot well, at about my elevation.

Hope that helps.

[MountainDon]

Somehow I lost track of this thread & just caught up on it today (couldn't see the pics while I was at work last week).

I do that all the time  

[MountainDon]

I want an RV and a jeep or motorcycle to escape the heat for about 3 mos in summer.

Thanks for the info, I'll save the link for later.

You're welcome Judy. We'll be using our old (1983) RV to live in while we build this summer. Wow! Used to I was having to say next summer  , now it's this summer!!    Then we're going to retire it, maybe park it inthe trees and use it for guests.  :-/  My wife doesn't like to take long trips anymore, and when I go I'd just as soon sleep in the back of the Cherokee wherever it loks good rather than back track to the RV. I don't mind three or more days in the wilds w/o having the running water or shower as much as she... but then I'm either alone or with a male friend or two and we travel in separate vehicles. And sleep in separate vehicles.

I like dirt bikes. You can cover more ground in less time, which helps counteract the lesser abilitiy to carry stuff. Less need to overnight someplace. I would like a 4 wheel ATV, but also have a dislike for too many folks who have them and use them irresponsibly. I know there are motorcyclists as well as jeep and suv 4-wheelers who are also irresponsible Public Land users. But it seems to me there are more bad ATV'ers. Just an impression; I could be wrong.

G/L and when you figure he's done enough work, let the poor guy have a look at my Jeep page  

[Sassy]

Don says

G/L and when you figure he's done enough work, let the poor guy have a look at my Jeep page  

Yes, Judy, sometimes we women have to use strategy...  

[John Raabe]

Just want to say hello to Mountain Don and that I look forward to seeing this project evolve.

You're clearly a careful craftsman (judging by the Jeep) and a quick study (judging by the video). You're going to have a great time up there, I expect.

I love that high mountain country. You aren't in Pinon Pine are you? I think that's more North of the Grand Canyon if I remember right. I can still smell those pine trees. Makes the best campfire in the world.