It all started when I was about to take out a construction loan to build a house and stumbled upon this site. Once I saw the 10x14 and begin looking at small homes and cabins I realized that I could do this myself being rent and mortgage free as a result of some sacrifice and a lot of hard work.
I'll be sure to post more pics as I go through the phases of construction so that everyone can steer me in the right direction. As of now I have my piers in and Saturday I am getting a delivery for everything up to the sub-floor.
Here are my plans:
10" sonatubes 36" frostline depth with crushed stone and bigfoot footers below that.
Simpson brackets to 4x4 posts attached to 2x12x18 beams laminated together with ply in the middle. 45 degree brackets for support
2x10 floor joists with insulation and 1/4" mesh to keep the critters out and the insulation in.
adventec 22/23" T+G sub floor with bamboo flooring courtesy of lumber liquidators.
Walls are 2x6x12 with the intentions of creating a simple sleeping loft over what will be a small bath and kitchen
Low slope near flat shed style roof with metal roofing made with 2x10x16 for the overhang.
I know I could have done a traditional roof for this but I just like the shed roof design that I see in a lot of the modern designs (even if some of them are from the 50's lol)
I would love to have any and all input. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I sketched this up directly from Johns little house plans with very minor changes. It is amazing at how versatile these plans really are! Thanks John!!!
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/camponeway_exterior.jpg)
Here are a couple progress pics of the work completed so far.
Running the stakes and line wasn't too bad after a couple adjustments I was square =) (I thought it was going to take longer than it did.)
All six tubes are in but I only have pics of the first 3. We used a 2 man power auger and then widened the holes for gravel base and footers. I'm not too concerned with the tubes being level to each other. The big concern was that they were straight and all at the frost depth.
Pic of my 8 week old puppy Xandyr supervising the work.
We lugged in pretty close to a pallet of 80lb bags of quickcrete, 50lb bags of stone, and water came from the stream that runs through my property. We cleared a bit of land if you compare it to what it looked like before but I still need to take a Wednesday off for 1/2 price backhoe rental down at Lucky Lennies so I can do some grading and dig a ditch for drainage around the perimeter.
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/camponeway_stakes.jpg)
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(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/camponeway_xandyr.jpg)
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(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/camponeway_sonatubes.jpg)
Good start. We'll all be watching as you move along. :)
Do you ever misplace your camo samurai in the woods?
rofl rofl
...sorry, I couldn't help myself. :-[
It blends into the woods well enough that my neighbors would never see it =)
Truth be told it was metal flake pink ??? when I first bought it hence the camo 8) My pup refused to get in it until I painted it :-\
Mary Kay hmm
Those woods are pretty thick! Must have been quite a job clearing out the area - you'll have lots of fire wood like MtnDon!
BTW, cute pup! I don't blame him for being embarrassed to ride in a pink Jeep! heh
Quote from: Sassy on September 30, 2008, 11:06:08 AM
Those woods are pretty thick! Must have been quite a job clearing out the area - you'll have lots of fire wood like MtnDon!
BTW, cute pup! I don't blame him for being embarrassed to ride in a pink Jeep! heh
Hardest part of clearing was not getting them hung up on one another on the way down. Couple of times I had to yank some pretty big trees with the little zuki and hope for the best lol.
Xandyr likes to think he is the cutest thing ever with all the attention...
"Do you ever misplace your camo samurai in the woods"
Don't let these guys give you a bad time, I lose my truck in the grocery parking lot.
It's actually pretty fun to do these projects with all the help you can get on the forum.
You are really smokin along. You may beat winter.
Quote from: considerations on September 30, 2008, 09:59:22 PM
.... I lose my truck in the grocery parking lot...
That's one reason I prefer to drive my Cherokee; lifted with the roof rack it's much easier to find in a parking lot than the silver Civic. ???
Quote from: Lorangerlife on September 30, 2008, 01:40:36 PM
Hardest part of clearing was not getting them hung up on one another on the way down.
Yep, I had that experience several times too. >:(
Although when I first picked it up there was no losing it anywhere, you do not know what its like to get made fun of until you sell your new Lincoln to build a house and show up at work in this lol...
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/image_024.jpg)
Oh My.... :o :o :o
Just finished tossing together a quick blog on my site for additional pics/rants that I might not post here.
cabin.lorangerlife.com (http://cabin.lorangerlife.com)
Anyone can stop by and leave comments etc without creating an account... I just ask to keep it respectable for when my family and friends check out the updates.
keep up the hard work
WOW [shocked] that is PINK.
Will the selling of the Lincoln finance a large portion of the build? oh and I hope you are not a welder, pipe fitter, or something similar as I can imagine it would be merciless at work.
Back from the Cabin with a couple updates. I know I should have gotten more done this weekend, but I had a ton of running around and a side project on the Zuki to do as well.
Beams, joists, and advantec are done although I forgot to take a pic of the latter this morning before I left for what will soon be my 80 mile each way commute.
As you can see I built this pretty high off the ground as I want to be above the snow and out of the water come spring being towards the bottom of a mountain. This will also give me an enclosed crawl space that will be insulated to keep pipes from freezing.
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/beams.jpg)
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/joists_front.jpg)
This is the little side project that took some of my time this weekend. I got sick of everyone teasing me about driving the samurai and selling the Lincoln so I did a "little" work to it Sunday night at my friends shop to make it a little more beefy.
6" spring over axle lift
2" shackles
rs9000 long travel shocks with fabricated mounts in the rear
extended brake lines at all 4 corners
front and rear lockers
full cross over steering setup
5.29 gears
33x12.5x15 Contitrac Mud terrains
12x15 American racing wagon wheels
custom drive shafts for the different axles (yes a swapped axles too)
drive shaft spacers to eliminate slip yolk failure
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/zuki.jpg)
Quote from: soomb on October 06, 2008, 05:29:17 PM
WOW [shocked] that is PINK.
Will the selling of the Lincoln finance a large portion of the build? oh and I hope you are not a welder, pipe fitter, or something similar as I can imagine it would be merciless at work.
Selling the Lincoln gave me a chunk of cash to get started building, pay off some debt, and grab the Zuki. It was an 06' so I didn't get a huge amount of money. I think the biggest savings is not shelling out $70+ every 2 days for gas.
Nice job on the Zuki. I am bouncing along in a Cherokee with 31" and a 4" lift, how does your handle at highway speed? (sorry for the short hijack off topic)
Quote from: soomb on October 06, 2008, 08:09:29 PM
Nice job on the Zuki. I am bouncing along in a Cherokee with 31" and a 4" lift, how does your handle at highway speed? (sorry for the short hijack off topic)
I think it should be an ok hijack for the moment. Absolutely feel free to hit me up over on my blog if you want about the zuki or offroading some more.
The gearing only allows for a top speed of a about 60-65ish without pushing it. That being said without my sway bar or steering damper in at the moment I can say that driving it at those speeds was a little hairy today whenever there was a crosswind or a semi trailer driver whizzing by. The big question is how will it handle once my 3" national springs and missing link shackles come in.
All in all the Zuki is pretty safe and solid living a way better life now that it hasn't sat for a year in someones back yard lol..
I feel like such a lacky. All I have been doing is working like crazy so I have enough cash to get the Cabin finished and as a result I haven't been working on the cabin.
One more crazy week here at work and I can head back up with some cash to get the walls and roof on before the weather really starts to turn.
I do have a question concerning my 18' walls. What is the best way to build them in 2 sections? one wall is just a solid wall and the other is where my windows and doors are going.
Any suggestions?
"All I have been doing is working like crazy so I have enough cash to get the Cabin finished and as a result I haven't been working on the cabin."
You are not alone in that paradox. You'll find you have plenty of cash and time when it is so cold that you groan at suiting up to go work on the cabin.
Murphy rules. [frus]
I kinda liked the pink, hard to loose in a parking lot. :D (leave it to a girl....)
Thanks for the kind words =)
The cold I am not afraid of if I can get dried in. The Snow is what I am worried about.
I'm also curious to see what living in less the 300sq ft will be like for the dog and I seeing we will be living here full time until the house is built. The 12 foot high walls were absolutely the way to go though, giving me room for a couple small lofts.
~A~
Can't wait to see the progress.
PS- what does your county require for the building? (inspections, submissions, stamps, fees, bla bla bal)
Quote from: soomb on October 13, 2008, 06:42:31 PM
Can't wait to see the progress.
PS- what does your county require for the building? (inspections, submissions, stamps, fees, bla bla bal)
Crossing my fingers this Sunday I will be able to start tossing some of these walls up depending on how the week goes here at the office through Saturday.
My town is pretty weird. If you are in the town center they are more strict with what you can and cant do in accordance with the historic value of the town. For the 1400sq ft addition we did on my brothers house we got a permit and nobody ever came out lol... $250 min fee for any remodel or build for a dwelling.
For a shed it is $25.00. Keep in mind they want a permit for everything and anything including a fence,deck, pool, shed, etc. Not to squawk about what you are building but to collect the fees because it is a small town. Just over 2000 people in the winter and 4-6k n the summer when the lake is able to be used.
None of my neighbors are going to bark about me staying there in my "shed" though. You can't see the shed from the culdesac nevermind any of their homes. The biggest thing is that I will be using a rainwater/hand dug well, solar, and grey/blackwater recycling strategy until after the house is done and I can change it to an accessory dwelling on paper (aka in-law).
Hope I didn't ramble on too much.
Quote from: Lorangerlife on October 10, 2008, 01:52:10 PM
I do have a question concerning my 18' walls. What is the best way to build them in 2 sections? one wall is just a solid wall and the other is where my windows and doors are going.
Any suggestions?
Break them into two pieces at a convenient stud. Like in the drawings below. It's how I did my 30 foot side walls.
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/djmillerbucket/construction/wall-section-02.jpg)
Leave that one stud out, erect the sections. Then insert and toe-nail the stud into place.
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/djmillerbucket/construction/wall-section-03.jpg)
Thanks Don.
Putting up an 18x12 wall with 2x6 just wasn't happening especially now that it's a solo build here on in.
Don, Do you feel that an 18' wall could be done in 3 segments with this method, or is there a limit as to how many modules you can do before the wall is compromised?
Keep in mind that when you install the upper plate to tie everything together you want 4 feet of overlap minimum on each side of the joint. (Upper plate was left out of the illustrations) As long you keep that in mind you should be okay.
I can manage to tilt up a 10 foot section (2x6, 24" OC) myself okay, though the door and window headers make it a bit heavy. In a pinch you could probably leave the header portion out and install it after the wall is lifted vertical. More work / harder to do it that way but when you're on your own sometimes you improvise.
Yet another crappy cell phone pic but you can see the advantec is down and I have 80 sticks in the bed of the blue truck in the background that will become my walls tomorrow. Sheathing and roofing being delivered in the morning and hope to be doing that Sunday if the weather holds and my generator keeps up with the saws.
(//cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/subfloor-300x225.jpg)
Also a shameless plug for my dog Xandyr. He is already barking at anything that moves in the woods =)
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/xandyr_subfloor-300x225.jpg)
Cell phone pix are better than no pix... I'm guilty myself. :)
nothing wrong with a little bark to establish territory.
Made some more progress this afternoon and so did Xandyr. It is a good thing wild turkeys are pretty quick as he seriously thought he was going to bring one to me. I managed to get the three easy walls up and tomorrow I will finish up the front and get some sheathing up along with the roof and its sheathing.
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/left_wall-300x225.jpg)
Me (6'2") for size reference as to how high this "shed" is.
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/me_size_ref-300x225.jpg)
The last wall I got up for the day
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/three_easy_walls-300x225.jpg)
Just a quick update... ran into some issues over the weekend and haven't been able to get nearly as much done as I wanted to. As of right now I'm working on fixing a couple mistakes that I shouldn't have made and wrapping up the sheathing before the roof goes on.
Quick pic for the update.
(http://cabin.lorangerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/sheathing-300x225.jpg)
Larangerlife,
I can't see in the pictures, do you have any diagonal bracing on the posts (ie the posts to the beams) to prevent their collapse? If not I would add some, before the structure gets to tall.
Some might think it is over kill but I live in earthquake country.
If nothing else on the four corners in both directions. 45 to the beams from the post.
I'm doing the 45 degree bracing with cut 4x4 pt posts and some simpson T straps before I start on the roof.
I hadn't really thought of it much where I have been on the ground all this time. Guess I'll be doing those next =)
Mistakes are tough, but can you share what they are so we can learn?
Quote from: soomb on October 21, 2008, 08:07:43 PM
Mistakes are tough, but can you share what they are so we can learn?
My bad, sorry about that.
The mistake I made was with the framing on the 6' slider. I used a single jack stud with a doubled up 2x8 header & plywood spacer followed up by the single king stud. On a span greater than 5' you need to use a double jack setup here. No biggie just a time consuming mistake to fix.
I also nixed the transom windows when a friend bartered with me that I help his mom move in trade for a 6' slider, a 5'x6' fixed window (really cool looking), and a crank out window that cranks out 4 sections of windows at the same time.
I also made the mistake of not posting my building permit which led to practically being stalked by one of the older neighbors down the road from me who promptly complained that I was building a house without a permit. It is now sealed and nailed to a tree on my property line directly under the no trespassing sign and land use fee sign indicating that motion sensitive cameras are in use. I think he crapped himself when the land use officer told him this was my "shed"
Thanks, hopefully he will stay out of your business, but my guess is he will nose around some more.
Best of luck.
looking good. will they allow you to put a woodstove in your "shed"?
Quote from: cbc58 on October 22, 2008, 07:56:00 AM
looking good. will they allow you to put a woodstove in your "shed"?
"Technically" they wont give a permit for a wood stove and electric unless the house is built already.
With a nosy neighbor, how will you provide heat in the interim?
Will you be full time in the "shed" prior to the home being built? If so, what about plumbing?
Can you claify... do you mean once you get the "shed" built they will allow you to have a woodstove and electric... or are you saying that it has to be a livable unit to get those? The reason I ask is that I'm considering building a 12x16 "shed" also in NH (mondnock region) and was going to call it a "shed" or workshop or studio which is what it will be until I can turn it into a guest sleeping quarters... years down the road.
Reminds me of my 12x16, nice job. I learned alot doing a small shed style building first.
Thanks for the pics!
Quote from: cbc58 on October 22, 2008, 10:04:29 AM
...do you mean once you get the "shed" built they will allow you to have a woodstove and electric...
This may vary from county to county, even within the same state. It can also vary within a county's municipal government areas. It's always best to check locally and determine what the local government agencies have to say about what you want to do.
There may be several criteria that can kick a shed into a permit required category. There is a size rule; the size can vary from place to place, although 200 sq ft is common. Where I am in NM it's 200 sq ft.
Others triggers can be sleeping and cooking facilities, no matter the size of the building. Some places are also lax on that. I know someone here in suburbia who has gotten away with "temporary" living quarters for a relative in a Tuff Shed behind their home for at least a couple years. If a neighbor complained that could quickly bring and end to that though.
Some places will not issue a permit to have electrical power on site until a dwelling building permit is issued. Ditto on septic or other connection for waste water.
And in other places you may be so far off the beaten track that there is little worry about officialdum rules and regulations. ;D
So to reiterate the only way to be sure what is required in any one area to to inquire in that area. I would do that either in person or by telephone, and if I was paranoid I'd use caller ID blocking on the call. *67 sometimes that won't work.
Bishop, Thanks for the Kudos. This is to get me warmed up for building the house as well.
To answer some questions.
In NH State law shows that no permit is needed for small structures. However this changes from town to town with local ordinance as I quickly found out. Best bet is to check things out and proceed from there. For instance in my town I need a permit to put up a fence. After speaking with several people it has to do with all the people from Mass building up here and raising taxes so much that locals lose their houses. Could be a load of BS for all I know though.
In my case my neighbors can't see anything and dare not come onto my property but this guy saw truck after truck delivering materials, and an increase in traffic coming to a previously dead dead end. If my game cameras grab him I'll just kindly show him and give him a verbal warning that next time I will be pressing charges and that I can't guarantee that my .50 desert eagle will tell the difference between him and a bear once he is on my property =) I really don't think he will cause much more trouble now that a permit has been posted and he is aware that there is one though.
About the stove and electric issue. And this is strictly just for my town your town might not care at all just like my neighboring town is a total free for all there.
I say when the actual house is built because once you have power and heat you pretty much have a workshop and without a house on your property its a no no unless you are commercially zoned then you can get away with it. I plan on connecting to the grid once I have the permit for the house. The "shed" will be setup as a grid tie, so that in case of future power outages there is solar, battery, and generator backup. I'm not so worried about the heat though as you won't be able to see any of it exiting the structure from the road.
I hope this helps out somewhat... I know that there have been a couple others on here the guy in NH who built the 10x14 to be precise who managed to get electric and everything brought to his place. I will look through the forums and see if we can't pull him in here to give some advice as to how he got it.
In NY I see many properties get electric to the property with a hook up for RV's and trailer's. You can just run the electric from there. It is an idea.
Tks. Can I inquire where you are in NH? I went to school in New Hampton for a year... anywhere near there? We used to go to a place called "sculptured rocks"... ever heard of that?... pretty cool rock formations with natural cut-in pools you could dive into.
Quote from: cbc58 on October 22, 2008, 01:19:23 PM
Tks. Can I inquire where you are in NH? I went to school in New Hampton for a year... anywhere near there? We used to go to a place called "sculptured rocks"... ever heard of that?... pretty cool rock formations with natural cut-in pools you could dive into.
lol... I'm about 5 min away from Newfound lake in Bristol NH. So about 15 minutes away from the sculptured rocks if I am not mistaken. its right down the road.
If you are going to be building and need a hand with anything, even if its just lugging wood feel free to count me in.
They still got "Carr Oil" in Bristol? (I went to college with one of the kids) Newfound Lake is beautiful.
Quote from: cbc58 on October 22, 2008, 02:28:34 PM
They still got "Carr Oil" in Bristol? (I went to college with one of the kids) Newfound Lake is beautiful.
I don't think its still around although I could be wrong
tks....
All too often the electric will be set to a site so that power tools can be operated. This is common in this area. One lot one pole and nothing around it.
they have no problem at all with me installing a pole as long as I pull a permit for the house =) Otherwise I am pretty sure I will be sitting in on a meeting trying to explain why I need it.
yep. exactly my point
Quote from: Lorangerlife on October 23, 2008, 01:10:03 AM
they have no problem at all with me installing a pole as long as I pull a permit for the house =) Otherwise I am pretty sure I will be sitting in on a meeting trying to explain why I need it.
I have a new friend who was in the deepest layers of the protection of our country. He is absolutely appalled at the level of unconstitutionality we have sunk to. He is totally p-ssed that his family thinks it is a great freedom to be able to use public land -- that belongs to us-- at times and places without having to get a permit.
Having to get a permit and explain why we want to have power on our own place and even the feeling that we should be required to should be unthinkable. Is it our place or theirs? They, wrongly want to make us think it is theirs.
He very nearly gave his life for this ??? He's outraged.
Freedom has been stolen.
Our power co. wants to see a built structure before they will set a pole for free. If you are willing to pay for the work they will set one anywhere for any reason. The RVers run into this alot. They have to pay to get power put in but a house they will hookup for free.
I'm not to happy in the least about all the permits that need to be pulled.
Want a fence. permit.
Electric. permit for house.
water. permit for house.
The list goes on and on.
Somehow I think if you walked onto the property of any of our founding fathers and asked for a permit for their barn that was being erected you would have been shot or something....
I just think, its my land I own it outright and dont owe anyone a dime for it so I should be able to live there without having to pay tons of cash to everyone else just so I have a home to live in.
Ditto. Sorry. Just waiting for Glenn to give his $.02 worth.
Permits for water set me off most. That is like a permit for food. I can see the reasoning that I don't want some idiot poisoning my water supply, but I don't like having to ask myself.
Likely the only ones who would poison your water supply would be the ones you didn't get a permit from.
The only government official I recall with a real concern about the water quality and who knew what was going on was overridden and blackballed by the ones in the good ol' boy system who wanted to give the polluting modern method well drillers preference over the old system which sealed the polluted water into it's own strata preventing mixing of polluted and fresh water.
John, I am running out of words and frustrated that these parasites are allowed to do this to us - in violation of what the founding fathers wanted for us and our families.
These guys fall under the planning and zoning board. Yes - you may stir up trouble if you use this but I find it to be pretty effective and found out I was likely reviewed by the DA in absentia during the last fire as I was reported to be a crazy guy with guns and a tractor and at the first fire meeting they were backpedaling very hard. There was standing room only and fear of lawsuits I was told.
(http://tinypic.com/1iicr9)
The bad thing is that a lawsuit will likely cost you lots of money even if you are right. I try more devious methods... [crz] :-X
Sorry for the lack of progress the last two weeks.
Between crappy weather and setting up a new business I have been swamped. Hopefully things go well and I keep making the cash needed for the cabin and the house in the spring though.
Done for the winter?