Mad Dog Ranch and Cabin

glenn kangiser · August 07, 2008, 12:34:48 AM

There is no storage for images here but you can save them to Photobucket then past the IMG link here to show them, per the above tutorial.

Mad Dog · August 07, 2008, 03:34:13 PM

Ok, let's see if these pics work.

August 07, 2008, 03:51:57 PM

Sweeeeet!!!

ScottA · August 07, 2008, 04:06:04 PM

Talk about a million dollar view!

Mad Dog · August 07, 2008, 04:41:22 PM

Thanks, you can actually hear the stream/waterfall coming down the mountain if you just stand there and listen.

Looks like I'll be making a trip to Home Despot for some supplies in the next week. At a minimum get the tubes and concrete in the ground, along with the beams, joists, and t&g. Then I've got my parents and nephew coming up for a couple weeks, so I'll have to put off walls and such until the end of August/beginning of September.

August 07, 2008, 05:10:04 PM

I wanted to ask a question about the beams and the joists. I see the plans calling for 4x8 beams, and 2x6 joists. One of the local cabin builders up here, uses 4x12 beams, and either 2x8, 2x10, or 2x12 for the joists, depending on the span. Is it ok to go with the 4x12 for the beams, and 2x12, or at least 2x10 for the joists? I'd like to do this to increase the amount of insulation I can fit between the joists, for obvious reasons.

apaknad · August 07, 2008, 05:26:08 PM

whoa...beautious!!!

kenhill · August 07, 2008, 07:59:43 PM

Spenard Builders will deliver. They dropped off 20,000 lbs of material for my Red Shirt Lake Project.

Mad Dog · August 07, 2008, 08:05:50 PM

Quote from: kenhill on August 07, 2008, 07:59:43 PM
Spenard Builders will deliver. They dropped off 20,000 lbs of material for my Red Shirt Lake Project.

Thanks for the info. Any problems with a lot of twisted lumber? That's why I usually like to pick it all out myself, at least I know what I'm getting.

August 08, 2008, 06:52:19 PM

I haven't heard back from anyone, so I figured you guys are busy.

#1--What I need to know, is if I can use 2x10 or 2x12 joists with the 4x8 PT beams, or should I upgrade to 4x12 beams(which HD has in stock). I'm building the 14x24 house plan.

#2--In addition, if I go with the 4x12 beams, would it be better to go with an additonal pier(7 per side, 4' OC), so the 12 footers will meet over a pier, or can I just go with(5 per side 6' OC), again with the seam meeting over a pier for the 24 foot length? With either of these scenario's, the piers will be brought out to the ends, instead of having a 2 foot overhang on either end.

Thanks in advance for your help.

akdreamin · August 08, 2008, 07:57:33 PM

I have found lumber from SBS to pretty good with one caveat: they dont order much lumber between the end of Sept and April, so the stuff they send out is what everyone else picked over during the summer.

Mad Dog · August 08, 2008, 08:34:26 PM

Quote from: akdreamin on August 08, 2008, 07:57:33 PM
I have found lumber from SBS to pretty good with one caveat: they dont order much lumber between the end of Sept and April, so the stuff they send out is what everyone else picked over during the summer.

Thanks for that heads up, I'll keep that in mind.

glenn kangiser · August 08, 2008, 09:57:26 PM

Nice country and scenery.

Mad Dog · August 08, 2008, 10:27:16 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on August 08, 2008, 09:57:26 PM
Nice country and scenery.

Any answers to my questions Glenn?

August 08, 2008, 10:56:13 PM

Sorry - been busy and rushed through this - missing the questions.

Going larger is generally never a problem, and I don't see that it is adding a significant amount of weight. Note that I'm not an architect - just a contractor - and mostly steel for me, but I still see that as a safe answer.

If the plans say a 4x8 will suffice I don't see an need to increase the size of the beam as the footings are still the same and you are not increasing the load that much. Just a bit more dead load.

Adding a pier would be fine if it works out better for you. No doubt it would increase support for everything.

MountainDon · August 08, 2008, 11:17:49 PM

A late response... better late than never, someone once said.

No problem going up on the beam size. You probably don't need to add piers though. In fact you could reduce the number of piers, depending on the ability of the soil to bear additional weight. (Fewer piers = more weight on each.)

My evolution of the 14 x 24 Little House plan uses two built up 6 x 10 beams with piers on 7 foot centers. By building the beams from 2X10's I have staggered the ends over posts. This did mean a slight amount of waste, but not much, all things considered. The pieces were also easier to handle which for this solo 62+ builder is important.

I selected 2x10 material for joists for increased floor insulation. 2x12 could be used too. The larger joists simply make the structure a little taller.

I have a one foot overhang at each end (beam over last pier).

rwanders · August 09, 2008, 01:05:22 AM

Hey fellow Alaskan! I live in Anchorage but am nearing "drying in" stage of a 1 1/2 story in Willow (mile 91). I used sonotubes set at 4' with "bigfoot" footing forms-----makes a simple monolithic pour and is very common at cabin sites here. Water lines for well are buried at 10'. If you are putting in a septic system, be sure and get it "certified" by an engineer or other authorized installer. If you don't you won't be able to get financing and it will make it difficult for a buyer if you ever try to sell it. Certification will cost about $500. Sounds like you must be up around the Knik or Matanuska Rivers----perhaps the Butte?

Mad Dog · August 09, 2008, 01:21:06 PM

Glenn and Don, thanks for your responses, I think I know what I'll be doing this week.

Mad Dog · August 09, 2008, 01:29:39 PM

Quote from: rwanders on August 09, 2008, 01:05:22 AM
Hey fellow Alaskan! I live in Anchorage but am nearing "drying in" stage of a 1 1/2 story in Willow (mile 91). I used sonotubes set at 4' with "bigfoot" footing forms-----makes a simple monolithic pour and is very common at cabin sites here. Water lines for well are buried at 10'. If you are putting in a septic system, be sure and get it "certified" by an engineer or other authorized installer. If you don't you won't be able to get financing and it will make it difficult for a buyer if you ever try to sell it. Certification will cost about $500. Sounds like you must be up around the Knik or Matanuska Rivers----perhaps the Butte?

Back at ya from this fellow Alaskan! Yup, I'm down near the Knik River in renegade land.

I've seen the bigfoot molds, and haven't made a definite decision to go with regular 8" sonotubes poured on a wider packed gravel and concrete base, or go with the bigfoot forms(haven't priced them out yet). What size did you end up going with? I believe there a couple different sizes. Since we're talking about them, do you remember how much you paid for them? Tied in with rebar I'm assuming?

Septic and well won't go in, until next spring, after "break up". I'm building out of pocket, so financing won't be a problem, but the septic will be certified for the reason you stated.

rwanders · August 09, 2008, 01:58:31 PM

We used 10" tubes----6' long to allow 4' burial with 2' above ground.I needed to leave enough clearance for plumbing, etc under house and also enough room to let me squeeze in to insulate the floor. Actually contracted for the foundation work---cost me right at $200 per pier including excavation, forms, rebar, concrete and beam brackets. sounds like you have access to heavy equipment so you may be able to do much or all yourself. You should consider some sort of footer under the sonotubes though----no matter how well you pack gravel, the tubes will only have their bottom area as bearing surfaces. The bigfoots---(other brands are available too) is definitely the most labor efficient way to provide a footer along with the sonotubes.

August 09, 2008, 07:12:18 PM

Quote from: rwanders on August 09, 2008, 01:58:31 PM
We used 10" tubes----6' long to allow 4' burial with 2' above ground.I needed to leave enough clearance for plumbing, etc under house and also enough room to let me squeeze in to insulate the floor. Actually contracted for the foundation work---cost me right at $200 per pier including excavation, forms, rebar, concrete and beam brackets. sounds like you have access to heavy equipment so you may be able to do much or all yourself. You should consider some sort of footer under the sonotubes though----no matter how well you pack gravel, the tubes will only have their bottom area as bearing surfaces. The bigfoots---(other brands are available too) is definitely the most labor efficient way to provide a footer along with the sonotubes.

I know you have different soil up there in Willow. I've got great gravel down at 4 feet and below. I plan on mining it out with the backhoe from another part of the property, dig down to good gravel, and add another 12"+ on top of that. That will enable me to have a minimum of 24"+ of gravel base packed down for the footer, with rebar driven into that, and the sonotubes placed 3' in the ground, and 1' foot out.

I did check out the bigfoots today at SBS, but after more thought and talking to friend with a cabin. I should be good with what I have planned for the size cabin I'm going with. Thanks for the tip, I plan on using it for building a bigger structure, once I'm set up on the property.

rwanders · August 10, 2008, 02:06:53 AM

Probably a pretty good plan. If your soil is non-expansive and/or well drained it will almost surely never frost heave. My cabin is larger---24x24 with a double decked 10x24 covered porch. Twelve foot walls and a 10x24 loft with 12/12 pitch roof. When I drew my plans I didn't realize how tall it would be---the peak of the roof is almost 29 feet off the ground. The roof is 36' long and the wife still thinks I should have made it 6' longer. Finishing the ceiling (T&G pine) and sheet rocking my front gable end (24' tall) is going to be "interesting". Good Luck! Designing and building something that may well be there and in use for generations is very satisfying!

Mad Dog · August 10, 2008, 10:10:38 AM

Quote from: rwanders on August 10, 2008, 02:06:53 AM
Probably a pretty good plan. If your soil is non-expansive and/or well drained it will almost surely never frost heave. My cabin is larger---24x24 with a double decked 10x24 covered porch. Twelve foot walls and a 10x24 loft with 12/12 pitch roof. When I drew my plans I didn't realize how tall it would be---the peak of the roof is almost 29 feet off the ground. The roof is 36' long and the wife still thinks I should have made it 6' longer. Finishing the ceiling (T&G pine) and sheet rocking my front gable end (24' tall) is going to be "interesting". Good Luck! Designing and building something that may well be there and in use for generations is very satisfying!

29 feet, holy crap!

Is this just a weekend cabin, or are you moving out of Los Anchorage?

Have fun with the ceiling, that's what I'm planning on as well, but yours looks like it will be more "fun", than mine.

rwanders · August 11, 2008, 06:27:44 PM

29 feet was slight misprint---really only about 27 1/2. Will just be weekend place for now but may morph into several months a year in the not too distant future. Total heated footage will be a little over 800 plus the lower and upper covered porches will add 240' each. I lived in Valdez for 9 years and learned to appreciate covered deck/porches!

Mad Dog · August 12, 2008, 10:50:40 AM

Quote from: rwanders on August 11, 2008, 06:27:44 PM
29 feet was slight misprint---really only about 27 1/2. Will just be weekend place for now but may morph into several months a year in the not too distant future. Total heated footage will be a little over 800 plus the lower and upper covered porches will add 240' each. I lived in Valdez for 9 years and learned to appreciate covered deck/porches!

Sounds like a sweet place. I hear stories about how much snow falls down there, as well as Thompson Pass which I've been through and seen the markers on the side of the road for the plow trucks. They've got to be at least 15 feet high.