200 sf Mini Cabin - Olympic Peninsula - Washington State

[speedfunk]

wow ...that amount for insurance is outrageous.  Well no such thing as security...lol 

The place is looking great!

I am going to have to check out your rain water harvest system.  We are planning on setting one up just b/c it seems silly not to.  We allready have a metal roof and gutters to keep rain away from base of house. 

[Solar Burrito]

Thanks for the kind words, we have had bigger plans for our rainwater system for a while but haven't done them yet. I suspect having the cabin there will be an excuse to put in some more work on it.

We have a 650 tank on the hill behind the cabin so once that is filled by either a tarp funnel or a pump from the shed gutter barrels we will have pressure and volume. Don't laugh at the tarp funnel too much I bet we can fill the tank in a month then tank the tarp down. Lots of rain! Either way it's more water than we need at this point but I would love to have a solar or wood heated shower and also we'll have a sink in the cabin for washing. Then I suppose a hose with a sprayer on it would be a good safey item to stop fires before they get out of control. Especially since we won't have insurance... I'm more worried about a tree crushing the cabin than a fire though...

The master plan is a cordwood sauna on the trail below the cabin then I'd have a small pipe running down from the tank to a dipping pool outside the sauna... Mr. Lloyd Kahn an our neighbors have really got my thinking about a sauna lately but I should probably focus on finishing the cabin first. A round cordwood sauna with a grass roof and a wood stove would be very cool. But I have all kinds of flooring and plywood so maybe it would take another form... not sure yet. Got 2 trailer loads of free used cedar shakes collected. I love the look of cedar.

Anyone ever split cedar shakes? I'm thinking about getting a froe and trying it myself but I'm not sure how easy it is. We have lots of cedar rounds in the woods and my neighbor would sell some more.

[Solar Burrito]

Our place got robbed at the beginning of November sometime in a 3 week stretch I wasn't there. They took all the good stuff that I wish they didn't and caused me to retrieve all the stuff they didn't steal... I suppose we cant keep much up there now...

They got our 4x4 quad, generator, outboard boat motor, and A LOT of power and hand tools, inverter bb guns etc etc the list goes on. They didn't cut any lock or even drive in but they had plenty of time to break open the shed, cabin and outhouse by breaking the wood doors.

I've since invested in a few trail cameras. Hid one, not very well so far (my neighbor found it) Open to ideas of hiding it better.

I made a video of me being pissed when I discovered we had been robbed. It's a helpless feeling knowing you can't protect your remote property. http://solarburrito.com

[MountainDon]

Very sorry to hear about the theft.

Some cameras are hidden easier than others. But you want one that is easy enough to find as a decoy. Make 'em relax a little after they find it.

I've seen some folks get fancy with adding sculpted plastic wood or whatever and painting to blend in. 

[phalynx]

Sorry about the theft.  I know that feeling and it stinks!

[mtman]

 Wow hate to hear that
Just a heads up on the 4 wheeler, you can call the Honda dealer and have them put it on their Honda National stolen equipment or vehicle list. Generator too if its a Honda.
What that does is if it is ever taken to a dealer for repair or parts, the dealer will impound it. If they or who ever ends up with it were to try to get new key and switch they would be caught. Its a long shot, but you never know may get lucky.
Hope they are caught and you get it all back!

[diyfrank]

That really sucks Solar Burrito, I know what It's like.
Do You happen to have any ser #'s recorded? 
With any luck you'll get some of it back.

You can hide a camera in plain sight and it's likely no one will see them if there's something that focuses their eyes away from it .
  A log they have to step over or a window across from it can draw attention away.

Like MTDon said one in an obvious spot can be good also.

[Solar Burrito]

Unfortunately we don't have the serial #'s recorded on anything. They even stole the instruction manual for the generator so we can't get it from that. Ya the quad was a Honda. I like your ideas about distracting people with somthing then putting a camera on them.

After testing I've decided 2 return three Tasco 5 mp trail cameras to Amazon. The PIR sensor is not sensitive enough to trigger out past 12 feet. Which is a joke since it should be around 40. It's hard to hide things at such a short distance. I ordered 2 Primos TruthCam 35's instead since they have fixed the "clunk" issue.

Here' a tip people, get insurance BEFORE you get ripped off. That way you will have something to insure.    We aren't going to get any now since we don't have anything left to insure. I've ordered some better cordless tools and am going to get in the spirit of 100 years ago doing more things by hand with hand saws and things. Since the generator is gone.

It pisses me off that I had to take down the solar system right before I was going to wire the cabin for lights.... But I am glad they didn't take our panels.

[Shawn B]

Maybe a small cargo container would be secure enough to store tools, ATVs, etc.


Could the solar panels be mounted on your rood? Thieves would need a ladder and rope to get them down. Plus with the steepness of your roof might detour them from trying.

[Pine Cone]

I'm sorry and a bit p***ed off to hear of your loss.  In a rural setting there is no way that you can be there 24/7 to watch over everything.

I'm not sure what the solution is for big stuff, but for little stuff I have considered building a more hidden storage area in a remote area on the property.  Might have to do some variant of a hole in the ground or side of a hill, with a camouflaged roof and entrance.   Ultimately, it is still a big pain-in-the-***.

I think almost any of us here are vulnerable.  You can't bring all your materials and tools with you each time you visit your cabin/home project.  I have some close neighbors that I can trust and that helps, but if you have a local you can't trust there is little you can do.  All they have to do is wait until you show up and then leave.  Once you have left the area it is unlikely you will show up again for hours/days/weeks.

No great solutions out there that I know of...   

All I can do is commiserate  on your loss   

[archimedes]

That really sucks.  Sorry for your loss.  


P.S.  If you do decide to go get insurance now,  you might want to neglect to mention this incident if there is no police report..  It would be a prime cause for denying future coverage.  Just saying.

[Solar Burrito]

I've been gone for a while now, life got busy with a kid since we started the cabin but it's good to be back and check in on other peoples projects I've been following for a few years. Here's a short update on our cabin. It's mostly done (a little more done than this picture from last year). We do have the shingles on the porch roof done but I didn't take a photo.

We have some solar panels on the roof to discourage thieves and even a secret compartment inside the cabin to hide some solar goodies. The deck is done. After the break in we really use the property differently and never leave stuff we don't want to walk away...





Here's a video of the deck being built:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ReBMkKFg58&feature=share&list=UUc8qz5ECuf0Lv2Ap55Oh-OA

You can read more about our cabin project here, and watch a few videos. I used this countryplans site to learn how to build it. http://solarburrito.com/blog/category/our-cabin/

[considerations]

Welcome back! Life can sure get in one's face sometimes. I figured out you are almost due south of me.....across the mountains. Short trip if one is an eagle....by car, well, you know how the coast roads are.

[Pine Cone]

Thanks for the update.  I've wondered what had happened with your cabin project.  Kids have a way of keeping you busy, but in a good way.