Scout Cabins

[Pat Becker]

Hello, I am a volunteer for Girl Scouts.  They consolidated the camping properties to a camp that has just one lodge and a few platform tents.  I am doing research on sleeping cabins and small buildings.  the home under 200 sf is delightful. Some of the ideas may be useful to us. What is the proper way to use some of these ideas without "stealing them"?  Also any great cabin ideas would be useful.  

[glenn kangiser]

Welcome to the forum.  Here we receive free and give free, except we encourage you to buy a set of John's plans if he has one you can use and send others our direction.  That helps support this free forum.

I think if you do find a set of plans that fit your stated needs,  it would likely be the Little House Plans.

Other than that - if you don't need to purchase any plans, please feel free to steal any ideas you find here.  That is our purpose here -- to teach others what we know and make building affordable.

[Jared Drake]

Pat, John's Little House Plans are cheap enough that almost anyone can find the money to buy them. And believe me, you're going to get enough help from some of the people on here to make it worth the money. This is one of the best, most flame-proof boards I've ever seen. Plus, the people here that know don't make fun of the people that don't know.
Jared

[Pat Becker]

Thank you,  If I can come up with a basic plan, then all we need to do is individulize each cabin.  They will be unheated sleeping/activity areas  connected to a  common area for 3 season use.  I have 2 months to come up with the proposals, sketches costs, etc .. then we present the ideas, then we build.. May get going in April or May, if I'm lucky.   We may even be able to get the older girls involved in this.  

I like the Idea that they can be carted down a path to a remote location. Wish me luck.

[Pat Becker]

The little house plans look good.  I would like to be able to have open area down with a sleeping loft up.   I believe ACA guidelines will require a regular stair case, with escape windows on the gable ends.  I think a split loft area with a flyover might work well.  This would give a stand up walk area in the loft, 2 sleeping areas at 6-8 each and an open area by the door.  Can the loft take that much weight or will support beams be needed?  

[glenn kangiser]

I'll move you to plans support so John can answer this.  It is possible if you have some agency reviewing the plans that you will have to have an engineer review and stamp the plans and changes you make.  This is a standard procedure and he will make sure members are sized large enough for the load.  I don't really see you exceeding the design loads though.

[John Raabe]

If you need a full sized staircase to the loft you will need a larger building than the Little House project. I would say a 16' wide structure at a minimum as you will also need full head height. You should find out if this is a requirement as local codes vary and many allow sleeping lofts under 200 sf to have a ladder access (this is what the Little House was designed for). Getting escape windows in the loft gable ends is easy to do and a very good idea. Traditional camp cottages even had an outside ladder to the loft window for sneaking in (or out) at night.  

I expect your camp design project will likely need a local architect to design it to satisfy the national agency as well as do the site planning and reviews needed for such a project. A traditional camp cottage many not be possible to build anymore.

Our focus here on the CountryPlans site is towards individual building projects. Even a group of small buildings for a church or other organization is necessarily much more political and complex than just doing your own structure.

[Pat Becker]

Politics Yuck!

You are right about that.  Two years ago we needed to replace the Ranger's house...to make a long atory short...the county just enacted a new zoning plan and made no variances for Camps or Churches " a building with a kitchen and a bathroom is a house. one per parcel, period.  I don't care if the parcel is a 300 acre camp that is being developed in our county."  They wouldn't give a variance as they had just passed the ordinance and did not want to lose face. :-/  So we had to parcel out the Ranger's house, never mind that we tore down an old one.  The lodge has a kitchen so it is a house.  

Sorry, about the rant...

Maybe they will give us a variance this time,  

[John Raabe]

Best wishes on your project.

If you need someone handsome and tactful to talk to the inspectors and zoning folks you might want to ask Glenn to help out.

[glenn kangiser]

Garsh, John---

I could bring a couple bags full of tact.  Do you prefer paper or plastic? :-?

[Amanda_931]

Tact or just tack rags?

[glenn kangiser]

I'm far from being tacky, Amanda.  Oh yeah - now I remember --- from the paint booth.  Used to help the painter sometimes after hours when I was the mechanic at Dodge.