NS 16x24 Cabin

[ColchesterCabin]

You could use Thompson's Water Seal. Cheap and easy to put on, bonus being your floor will never rot from water leaks in years to come. I think if you use regular T&G plywood subfloor, with water seal, and a big tarp you'll be fine. I know they talk about Avantech on this forum but I've never seen it around here either. I'm guessing there's a premium price for it.

That's cool I'll try that. hhbarltett did you try the link I suggested for the place in Moncton for cheap windows and doors?

[ColchesterCabin]

Was back to the property again yesterday and I can't belive how much we got done. mind you based on the plan it was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together so that the 2x6 floor joists could be nailed from the ends with the framing nailer as everything is double 2x8 main beaming. After a little thought we managed to get it done in stages. First we built the 16x16 part of the frame, secondly we built the 8x16' part of the frame then joist it, then dropped the 8x16' section back in the saddles.



Then we elevated the 16x16' ft section and hung the joists in the first 8x16' section leaving the middle joists section. For the center section we built it elevtated on the top section then dropped it into the 16x16' section the nailed the joists on the remaining edge then dropped the whole 16x16' section back into the saddels. I couldn't believe it everything was square and level.



My Dad and I each looked at ourselves and agreed that any better would definately be deserving of at least $25/hour each... In my amatuer thought process I only figured on getting the outside perimeter finished yesterday and finish the joists tomorrow(Monday), however, (let me pause for moment and say anyone starting or working on a build project right now the best tool in IMO would be the cordless Pasloade Framing Nailer CF325, it must have saved about 6 hours worth of pounding nails with no cords to drag around...sorry I digress) we are able to get everything in place and about 8 hours later we are ahead of my schedule by at least a day. For someone who is funding this as he goes no credit or loans that is both a good thing and a bad thing. My brother flys in from Alberta tonight so I'm going to put him to good use Monday.

On Monday should be "Offical Jig Day" all that's left to get there is the ripping the peg board to fit between the joists. Painting and sealing the peg board, hanging the 66 joist hanger brackets, Insulating and then laying down the sheeting, sealing and then tarping. All in all it was a great day and here is some photos of the where we are at now(please note the center joists are left out as the interfered with the center saddle and I am still figuring out the best thing to dostagger slightly outside of 16' centers)



Please ffel free to visit the photbucket album for all the pictures of the build so far https://s1156.photobucket.com/albums/p566/ColchesterCabin/

[flyingvan]

Looks great---where is your plumbing going to enter/exit?  Looking at your soil and crawl space (actually belly scoot space)  if there's any under the house trenching to do, might be easier before you get the floor down.  Same with your floor insulation---you probably scheduled it like this but you can put it in from the top just before you put the subfloor down.  Is there any wiring crossing under the floor?

[ColchesterCabin]

Yeah Been giving it some thought the biggest crawl space is under the back corner where the bathroom is going to be. The intended use is purely right now recreational so for water I am going to collect off of the metal roof on the back side(bathroom side) elevated for pressure with a first flush diverter, then once inside going to filter it for washing/showering. The grey water will run out sepearately and the toliet will flsuh into a DYI similar to the one listed in wikihow. Using three 55 gallon barrells in tandem then running out into a drainage field. Tis the plan right now, like everything looks good on paper. all wiring is being run through exterior walls.

it has been truly an experience so far and there is way more to go!

[flyingvan]

Remember that per the electrical code, you have to be able to walk through the house one end to the other turning lights on ahead of you and off behind you as you go.  This calls for three way switches (ie one by the door, the other at the stairs landing) and this means a 'traveler' wire between the two switches.  You COULD run this wire all the way around the house but your chances of picking up a nail from inside or outside finish increases....You might consider running some under the floor now and just coil the ends up.  After you frame you can drill through and pull them up.
  Be kind to your future self and get as much future stuff in place as possible.  I was kicking myself yesterday for not painting the exposed deck timbers two years ago before I put them in.  Now they've weathered a little and I had to crawl around on my back to paint them, pulling weeds as I went.  I was just in a rush to get on to the next stage.  Woulda saved time overall had I done it then

[ColchesterCabin]

That's good advise, however, the power provided will be a hybrid of batteries and generator for nighttime running so outlets will be few and far between although definately something to consider. I figure worry about getting it weather tight then the rest will follow...

[ColchesterCabin]

Well I was just sitting here adding up my shopping list for tomorrow.  Very excited tomorrow should be traditional CountryPlans Jig Day!!!!! the honey to do list:
1.) Hang joist hangers
2.) Nail on 1x1 1/2 strapping to bottom of 2x6 joists
3.) Rip pegboard to fit joists
4.) install Pegboard
5.) Drop in insulation
6.) Vapor barrier
7.) lay down and install plywood 3/4" t&g
8.) Seal the outside with a waterproof cedar tinted sealant
9.) Tarp up for added protection.

Put it that way seems more than enough to do in a day. Plus my brother is flying in tonight so I should have him tomorrow for extra help. Adding up the total cost so far including buying a new chainsaw, gas, tool rental, excavation, concrete, and all materials to get the deck complete should put me into the project for about $3500 so far that's tax included (15% here is NS YEAH!!!)

hhbartlett as I know you may be reading this I am starting just starting to have a little doubt on the original $10k but I am sure going to give it a go that's for sure. Definately will be under or at most $12k.

[ColchesterCabin]

Too tire been a long day, even mowed the lawn when I got home, tucked the kids in bed, ate supper, now going to bed myself.... but first the highlight of the day ("THE JIG"). Been looking forward to this day for a little over a month now.



The rest of the story and photos tomorrow...

[Sassy]

   Have a good night's sleep!

[NavyDave]

Colchester,

I can appreciate those long days! I'm on a much needed trip visiting my daughter in the Omaha area and it's a nice rest after building my 12X16 shed. I'll spend about 10 days on my Victoria foundation starting next week before my next trip. I've enjoyed following your build so far, I really like what Lemay did with his 16X24 and look forward seeing your spin on that design. Lots of hard work for sure!

Quick question about your pegboard....what were your thoughts on going that route? Seems like the wire idea of Redover's might be a little easier and maybe even cheaper with less of a chance of infestation. Not second guessing you, just interested on your thoughts since I'm on the fence of what to do below my Victoria cottage when the time approaches. Also what type of insulation did you use....I'm guessing less than R-30 with your 2X6 joists?

Great work! keep hammering!

[ColchesterCabin]

Dave,

The thoughts behind the pegboard was to provide a barrier against rodents with holes to allow breathing for the insulation. I figured the pegboard holes were small enough to accomplish this and cheap enough for me to afford to do. When I got to the local lumber supply they only had 7 4x8' sheets in stock and I needed 12 i didn't figure with an order of 12 of calling ahead...lol when i got there we tried sourcing in stock solutions. My first thought was switching to the hardware cloth but the holds were bigger and I thought the chances were greater of a rodent getting into the insulation. The eventual solution was a 1/4 masonite of which I drille 1/2" holes in to allow for air. Turns out was less than half the cost of the pegboard. was only $6/ 4x8' sheet.

The insulation we used was for 2x6 R24 pink fiberglass batt insultion. Now that it is done and I reflect back I perhaps would have swapped the masonite for perhaps a silverboard 1" R5 insulation instead. Please don't take that as a regret but just a directional change. Overall as a first time ametuer I am very proud of the accomplishment so far. There is way more to go. I can't gauarentee and huge twists on lemay's design but should be diffrenet enough to call it my own (with my water collection and filtration system to my septic design and others.... should be a good run)

Thanks for the encouragement.

[ColchesterCabin]

Well Jig day has come and gone but as I was reading back over the posts I realized in being soo tired I failed to come back and post pictures on what we accomplished over the weekend. We strapped the underside, ripped the masonite and placed it between the joists snuggly used some pl premium on the strapping to give a little adhession to the masonite.



Next we placed in R24 insulation in the joists followed by a double overlapped layer of 6 mil vapor barrier



came back and finished it with 3/4" T&G Spruce plywood. I have a good friend who allowed me to borrow one of his paslode phneumatic nailer, wow what a time saver. It was a true treat when doing the framing and the plywood to be able to what I would call mass nail. All in all probably saved me about at least 8 hours of hammering nails. We finished it with a tarp we strapped on the edges should be good.



Now it will be a couple of weeks before I get back to start with the walls. This weekend I have to drive about 4 hours and lay my grandmother to rest who passed away last month. My brother is in the military and he finally got home on Sunday, then we move into month end at work and with the Big Tent sale event it is looking like a nightmare busy finish to the month. From here much the same as lemay's build and looking for some input....

Thinking of going with 10' 2x4 walls with two triple ply 2x6 joists across to act as both braces and ties for the loft joists to span off of. I'll go back and check my thread to see if I have my floor plans on if not I'll throw them up and that way I can get some feedback before I trudge on...lol

[Redoverfarm]

Making good headway.  I got to wondering from your earlier discription of clearence off the ground and how moisture might effect the peg board.     Normally when it gets damp it will sag or buckle.  Hindsight being 20/20 I would have probably run my support strips with the joist rather than perpendicular.  If they did sag it would be in the center and not left a gap along the joist for critter entry.

[ColchesterCabin]

That's the way we were originally going to do it, however, the labor intensive part ruled it out. So I know it is not the best picture but we put a strap about 6" from the end of the joist(for end support) then strapped every 12" to try and prevent just that. The strapping we had accounted for wasn't enough to change mid stream. We did give it some thought though. Moisture should be limited underneath I think as there is at least 12-16" all underneath for cross ventilation.

[paul s]

I find this build a good bit interesting.  Could u build it a bit fasterso i can see the results sooner?

[ColchesterCabin]

Paul I would love nothing more to build it quicker as that would mean I would get to enjoy it faster as well. I work 55hrs+/week at work plus my oother committments. What you see has been the hard part. It should go a lot quicker from here at least to be weather tight. Just the inbetween stages I find is like playing chess you have to think a couple of moves ahead. Code here would allow for 2x4 construction, however, I am trying to figure out the cost differential vs. the R factor difference vs. winter usage then it should be onward and upward.

I went away this weekend to lay my grandmother to rest and we stayed at a beautiful cabin and it gave me a lot of inspiration so I am trying incorporate some of the things I saw at that cottage. My goal is to have the plan partially figured out and the money/team putt together for June 9th Weekend. See if I can get the walls up and perhaps the loft main supports and if I'm lucky the the loft joisted in. We'll have to see.

[ColchesterCabin]

Well here it is the weekend of June 9th and I'm working and still no contrustion, hower, on the positive note I have decided a few things:
1.) I have decided to upgrade to 2x6 walls from 2x4
2.) Have decided on window locations and sies for openings
3.) Have socked a little money aside to proceed.

I have the next few weekends off from work due to various reasons so now I have no unanswered questions regarding my wall layouts I should be able to put together a few guys to put together the walls and stand them up before the end of June. Wow if I can pull that off I would be well on my way to weathertight by my Birthday Sept 9. I'd be happy for first snow fall.

[ColchesterCabin]

So fo rthe interior I was thinking of drywalling the 10ft interior walls then the angles to the peak I would use T&G, then on the underside of the loft ceilings on the main floor I would use the same T&G boadring. The ceiling under the loft bridge I would drywal. Paint the walls white and put a semi dark stain on the T&G perhaps a red oak or red chestnut color for contrast.

[ColchesterCabin]

Wow I can't believe a month has gone by. Well here we go again late this afternoon I had the materials delivered for the walls and the upstairs rafters and enough 5/8" OSB sheets to shirt te upper edge of the walls. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think it would be easier working down then working up, escpecially in the evenings with only myself around.



We are going to do the frame up tomorrow and hopefully get to start towards the loft floor joists. Chance of showers here tommorrow so we'll have to play it by ear. I'll have more pictures tomorrow. I am just excited to be back out and moving forward again. I did happen to hear back about the rafters. The 11 Parrallel Chord style as drawn plus 2 gables (thinking a 11/12 pitch) delivered and set on the roof for only $975.



Going back through the thread I am trying to get it weather tight for $7000, main budget of $12-$13k max. So far about $3300 for the main floor(footings, excavation, concrete, 2x8 and plywood sheeting), $1050 for today's delivery (130 2x6x10', 25 2x6x8'loft joists, 10 5/8 sheets of OSB plywood, 6 2x8x16' loft supports, 4 2x8x10' loft supports, 50 2x6 joist hangers, case of 2 1/2" passlode nails, 4 4x8" joist hangers, delivery) according to my calculations leaves $4350 for (rafters $975, sheeting $500, metal roof $1000, Windows $1200, $675 for misc) Shoot wood stove not in there yet hmmm. Have to make it up the difference out of next year's budget... lol

I think if I can keep it under $13k I would be super excited, my wife as well but then again I am a realist. We'll have to see..

[Redoverfarm]

One advantage of hanging it from the bottom up is that you have a ledge created by the first sheet to hold the upper sheet in place without it slidding down.  But if you wanted to reverse the process just drive a couple 16d in where the bottom of the upper sheet would be and use them as a rest/stop for the sheet. 

[ColchesterCabin]

Greatt idea I was thinking of putting togeter a jig/brace to accomplish that but your idea is clean/simple, thanks!

[CjAl]

i wanted to use those bigfoot forms. i like the idea of them but they have almost no distribution in the US.  There is not one dealer in tx or la. i was going to have to buy them directly from the manufacturer in canada and it came out to a bit more money then i wanted to spend for plastic forms

[NavyDave]

Looking forward to seeing more progress on your build! As far as the sheathing goes, have you considered sheathing before the walls are raised? If you have enough muscle to raise them that way it might be easier. Would be hard working by yourself though unless you have a wall jack or come up with some type of system to raise them. Just an idea for you to ponder.

[ColchesterCabin]

cjAL I  would have to say in my case they were worth the investment as they are the only tube I came across you could backfill then pour concrete later. I did it this way as I am paying for this as I go along. It also allowed me to dig/set/backfill while the escavator was on site instead of having him come back for a second trip.  Little background in the last month my brother was home as some of you may have seen him in my pictures about the time of my jigging(however poor it may have been....lol), we laid my grandmother to rest, I only get every second weekend off, and oh yeah as of last Thursday I joined the male higher voices club(hopefully most men got the reference..) As a result I was told post procedure i wasn't allowed to do any excercise for a week and more importantly no heavy lifting.

Thursday afternoon about 3:45pm was my procedure so I lined up some guys for this past weekend to get some work done if not it would be another 3 weeks before we got out. On Saturday I had the material delivered to start the framing of my outside walls. I know I said I was going to do 2X4 as per local code but I decided being here in Nova Scotia, Canada for the extra $1/stick the R factor was a little more important.



As you can see we were in for a grey day with strong chance of rain. Remember I said I had a 5 man crew lined up including me for this excercise on Sunday. After all the dust settled and the material was dropped off it was left to me and a good buddy of mine to proceed. Against my better judgement and based on not wanting to lose 3 weeks to the build we trudged on. I know I was thinking we could get the sheeting on starting at the top, but as with all good plans the fell apart...lol  I want to stop here and say we called an audible and changed the design on the fly against the plans. The original plans called for a big window then a small then the door then a solid end to the wall. I thought that looked too dull so we redesigned the front as you'll see with 2 windows the door and then a small window. I think it balances it out more esthetically.



The spacing we determined is such 1.5' from the outside wall then a 3' window followed by 3' between the windows followed by 1.5' between the window and the door, a 36" door followed by 1.5' space then the window and a peice left over at the wall. the 1.5" spacing is important as the window are 3' and my intention is to build 1.5' shutters so when i am not at my camp I can close in my windows to deter the common thugs.

Anybody who has done this in the past knows that a good rule of thumb is 1guy/8' wall for lifting based on 8' ceilings and depending on how many windows and doors. Well here we are now with 2 guys a 24' long wall made of 2X6 with three windows and a door. We blocked it off the floor so we could get our grips and with a lot of strain and every ounce we could muster we got the wall raised and braced out.




So feeling pretty proud we decided that we weren't defeated so we proceed to frame out the second 24' wall. This time the was only two windows however we did from a door into the wall with king/jacks/ and sills so in the future if I want a door on the back of the cabin it is a simple fix to install properly. We started at 7:30am and we slugged it out until 6pm to get everything done. here is the one of the final shots taken with both long walls raised and braced off...



I am building a 1 1/2 storey modified somewhat off of Lemay's design so we based all the tops of the windows and the doors to be the same height so when the tripple 2X8 Beams go across as per my plans the upstairs loft floor will be at the level of the sill on top of the header thus providing a 2' knee wall upstair before the trusses get added. Thanks to Quinn who is a contractor by trade who helped me tremendously this past weekend. He figures that with a crew next time out we should be able to get the 16' walls up and the floor for the loft decked in and sheeted. I'll use my 5/8 OSB sheets I got this time for the flooring upstairs in the loft. Here's hoping.

Please I welcome any feedback as it is a learning curve for me I know I have read a lot of the threads and tried to take as many thoughts with me as I went however like I said I am a desk money not a contractor....

[ColchesterCabin]

Man I can't believe how busy sometimes life can get you, seems like finding time for the build can be like pulling teeth sometimes. Survived Canada Day July 1st long weekend since last time. In anticipation of this weekend last weekend I went out with my dad as our schedules haven't aligned recently to spend some quality time. We precut all the studs to legnth last weekend also the jack studs to legnth, the headers and the sills.

I was fully prepared today for a solid day of work I even stoped by Canadian Tire and bought a 1500lb electric winch so I could make a wall jack to assit in my lift. I started out today with my marking out my top and bottom plates then thanks to the pre-cuts pieces from last weekend it went fairly smoothly. laid it all out on the floor like a giant jigsaw puzzle. I had it all nailed together...



Now for you in the south this next line is going to sound dumb, but today it was 33 degrees C here which is about 95F or something like that. We here in Nova scotia simply aren't used to too many of those in a summer. This year much like the south we a super dry here seems like everday has a strong chance of thunder showers. I had just finnaly found some shade and sat down while basking in my vistory in putting the walls together and trying to figure out the best solution for this DYI Wall jack. While sitting there reading a thread which escapes me right now here on the forum and having a bit to eat for lunch my phone rang. It was a buddy of mine looking for something to so, so with a little coaxing I gave him the directions to get out to the site and before I could finish lunch here he came to save the day.

With the walls on the floor and not having to build for now the wall jacks we quitely set out to stand the walls I had built. I think when we braced the 24' walls we should have taken them a little out of plum a little more as the walls were a little tight going up at the top.





you'll notice the blocks on the top plate, we put those temporarily where the top plate was peiced over a stud for extra support while standing so the wall didn't come apart. By 3pm for me it had been a long day, we decided we would make everything tight, level and square, plum and we ended our day about 4:30pm once cleaned up and truck loaded after finishing the walls and putting on the double top plate.



Tomorrow's hit list is to get the tripple 2x8 loft beams across and true the 24' walls down the middle then start building the loft floor off of the beams and if time finish with flooring with the OSB I have out there. That would be a huge victory in my opion anyways. I doubt I'll get much sleep tonight, with the walls up I can start to get a true sense of the floor space tomroow if I can pull of the bucket list it will pump me up that much more. Sorry for the ramble but I thought I would put it all in here before bed...