Our 20x34 in our Woods - Central AL

VannL · July 09, 2012, 08:28:33 AM

Greetings to the cabin builders/lovers out there. I'm Vann and my wife is Valerie. This thread is the start of our journey.

We have both been touched and encouraged by so many of the threads out here. To see someone else build what they want, and to be able to do it without being alone, is such an awesome opportunity. My wife and I are in the final throws of selling our home in Kentucky so we can purchase a wonderful plot of land in Central Alabama that we have our eye, and our earnest money, on. It is a great big piece of 18 acres, heavily wooded with 80% plus of hardwoods. While it does have a house on it, we are going to build exactly what we what.

We are looking at the 20x30 with the 4 foot expansion. It gave me enough room to include a little office downstairs. I would like to have a basement so John and I are talking about the best option for that; either the 1 1/2 story or the 2 story. (I'm hoping for the 1 1/2 as I heard it is easier to build.)

My desire for this home is to take it off grid totally or as much as possible. I have a site selected for the cabin, which will end up near the 2 acres pond I am going to put in on the lowest point of our land.

Anyway, below you can find my design ideas. The upstairs will be a loft open to the area below as noted. Thoughts, ideas?

Main Floor

Loft

Land

CjAl · July 09, 2012, 08:34:59 AM

no main floor bedroom? fine when your young but it sucks getting old.

your laundry room imo is a huge waste of space, its almost as big as the bathroom for just a washer and dryer. you can get stackables or the apartment units that have the dryer mounted on top and fit it in a corner closet somewhere.

and if you are going to have a basement why have that big storage room eating into the floor space? i am building a 30x32 and its not much space, you cant afford to waste any

July 09, 2012, 08:50:58 AM

The bedroom will be the loft until I get phase two complete, the master bedroom wing, which will be off to one side of the main house.

The laundry room is big on purpose. We have two great appliances and she wants to keep them. Also, I will likely end up with a few cabinets along one wall for additional storage.

The room marked storage is actually a walk in pantry. The basement will mostly be a root cellar with three different climate areas in it.

This cabin will be where we live full time once completed.

poppy · July 09, 2012, 09:23:37 AM

V & V You have already discovered that this is a great site.

I'm with Cj on some of the suggestions. I like pantries and wish I had one in my current house, but yours is huge. It looks like there is plenty of cabinets in your kitchen, so do you really need that much pantry space, especially with the plans for multiple storage areas in the basement?

I don't quite understand the kitchen island especially for the stove. I have a big L shaped kitchen and my plan is to build a rolling island that will give me storage and counter space, but be movable so I can clear floor space for expanding a dining table.

Since you want to be off the grid, are you going to heat with wood? If so, a centrally located wood stove (rather than fireplace) might be something to consider. I love fireplaces, but wood stoves are more practical. Of course, being that far south, heating might not be a big deal.

I appreciate using good appliances you already have, so assuming you are relatively young, why not have the laundry in the basement until later on?

Where will the entrance be for the future master wing? That will affect your floor plan in the main wing.

It looks like you have a nice piece of land. Good luck with your build.

RIjake · July 09, 2012, 01:04:59 PM

Welcome to the site!
A couple comments. My bedrooms are on the second floor too, and the comment about as you get older climbing stairs is valid but we decided to keep an open plan on the first and add on later if we wanted a first floor bedroom. The story and a half lends itself well to that if you have the room on your lot.
As far as the partial loft, IMHO I think it's a waste of space. You're heating all that open space, plus any noise on the first will travel right up to the second.

July 09, 2012, 02:57:29 PM

if you plan to do an addition it changes the game. i also dont get the island position. it is angled tword nothing. mabey you could do the pantry between the laundry and kitchen. you could have a little bigger bathroom and
bigger living room and push the kitchen out of that corner a bit so the island actually angled to the living area.
but the nice thing about building your own place is you can build what you want, not what we want. we all have different living araingments

Squirl · July 09, 2012, 03:42:44 PM

I know you have the cabin and pond sites picked out, but have you picked out the septic yet?

The order of site planning and building in all the books I have read on the subject is septic gets placed first because it is the most difficult. The septic is based on soil, which most people don't know what is 4ft down until they dig. Then there are minimum offsets of placement of wells, housing, and water features based upon that.

I was recommended by someone that stoves and sinks are great for islands and good to face a seating area. This way a host can cook and clean and face guests.

I am a big fan of putting the stove and refrigerator as far apart as possible. This will be important to you if you are trying to go off grid. In most off grid households the refrigerator is one of the largest daily electricity draws. Placing it close to a stove makes it work harder and consume more energy. Yours looks like it has a small gap between it and the stove.

Good luck. I hope you don't mind the friendly opinions.

VannL · July 10, 2012, 08:47:50 AM

My thanks to you all for your input. Very valuable.

Our home is to be the main point of a working homestead. This means that as much as is possible, all of the provision that we get from the fields and the animals will need to be stored and preserved for consumption later. One of reasons that the pantry is this large is that we will have a vast number of dried, canned and dry staple goodies in there that must last us until the next cycle of harvesting. Even though it is just the two of us, it will require a fair amount of storage. As well, we need the basement area for the same thing, but with fruits and vegetables that stay for longer periods of time in a cool place, which is the beauty of a good root cellar.

The open loft area is by design. I know that it is not the most efficient use of space, but we will have one heck of a view out the wall of window. And we must not forget that with careful planning of air flow, the solar saltbox makes good use of these open areas for air movement. I will need to do some serious research into some of the ideas that are out there to help with this, but if it is at all possible, we really would like to have our loft view. (Insert: I am open to ideas, hint hint. lol) Which is why I am here on this site to see how others have done the same things.

The wall of windows will be mostly southern facing to catch the sun's heat during the winter, and the roof will be extended several feet past the house to act as a block during the summer when the sun is higher in the sky. Exact dimensions will be calculated after the exact placement of the house has been determined. I have already purchased the solar kit from John so I can work on this dimension.

The entrance to the master wing will be in the bottom wall, between the stairs and the corner of the room.

Below is main floor 1.1

Squirl · July 10, 2012, 10:26:59 AM

I noticed that you only have two windows on the east facing all. Great for passive solar. Less windows = better energy performance.
I noticed that you do not have a window in the bathroom. Not a problem, just remember you will need to add some type of power ventilation fan to move air flow to dissipate moisture. Probably better energywise.

July 10, 2012, 11:09:07 AM

Thanks. I'll look at the window issue. Scratching my head on the bathroom, might have to put a small window above the toilet. The west wall is reserved for our phase two.

UK4X4 · July 10, 2012, 11:15:18 AM

My windows in the ultilities bathrooms etc are all at 5-6ft high- above most things but still let in light !

VannL · July 10, 2012, 11:34:33 AM

Version 1.2

Main Floor with windows in the bathroom, laundry and one more in the living room

Loft with more windows

VannL · September 26, 2012, 02:59:46 PM

Ok, small update.

First, and foremost, we have FINALLY closed on our new homestead. We are now the proud owners of 18 acres of heaven.

Second, we took a quick trip up to Gatlinburg and stayed in a cabin up there that we just fell in love with. Several tweaks, and by that I mean my wife remapped the whole darn thing, we have the floor plan that we are looking for. The size dimension is something that I had not yet laid out on the ground and I am very glad that we stayed in this cabin. It was a 20 X 30 which helped to show us the proper dimension of what we were truly looking at. It would have been a very frustrating and expensive set of mistakes that we would have made to build in the dimensions that we were talking about before.

I am thinking now about measuring and marking out on the ground the exact size of the new set of plans. I might even get ambitious and cut out some walls with all the "extra" cardboard boxes we now have. If I do, I will be sure to take a picture and post it. It should be good for a few laughs.

I will try to get a copy of the new floor plans up in the next few days. Still busy trying to get all our stuff moved in. I love moving (NOT)! lol

o-leander · October 06, 2012, 06:56:45 AM

Congratulations on your purchase and move. Big changes and great to be moving in the direction of your dreams. Once you are on the land, take some seasons to verify your choice of build location. I am slower than many, but having spent six years camping out during differeent seasons and mulling about my build, I know the location has shifted quite a bit.

I also agree about getting septic location worked out before setting your hearts on a site. Also taking into consideration your pond plan. My septic ended up in a diffrent place than I had planned/hoped, and it is impacting my build choices. Mostly in not having a shower/sink in the lower level basement due to not wanting to invest in a pump septic. To use gravity I have to have all that sort of waste exiting from the first/second floors. I will still have outdoor shower and outdoor utility sink, tied to grey water lines, but it changes things when you get intimate with your soil and water situations.

I have also found that i am measuring many spaces I am in when visiting friends, checking ceiling heights, looking at how different types of windows impact space and light, especially porches and kitchens. It helps me a lot having spaces in actual 3-d. Cardboard scale models have been a great help too.

October 22, 2012, 08:40:32 PM

One of the things I like about building our own home is all of the little things. Being able to put in all the things that really make it yours. She wants a special type of pull out drawer in the kitchen, she gets it. You want a big deck for your dream barbecue, you get it.

I am still working on finalizing the floor plan for our redo, but I have been able to get our place selected on the land. Everything checks out as I had hoped. I will be running the septic just across the small road I will be cutting in. This puts the pond down below the house with the septic off to one side away from the house and the pond. I love having rolling hills.

Oh, and another thing I like about building our own place...I just bought a chain saw. WooHoo!!!!

VannL · November 03, 2012, 09:16:51 AM

Very Stoked! Just put in our order for our cabin plans. Building the 1 1/2 story.

Just wanted give an update on everything. I have the new floor plan below. Much better than the previous one and much more open.

As you can see, we really opened it up a good bit. The bedroom is now back on the main floor and it is an open floor design that incorporates the bathroom. Yes, the tub is in the bedroom. The window beyond the tub is the shower. She wanted it that way...and I did NOT object. Large walk in closet with the washer and dryer in the closet. It will be a very short walk to do laundry. Likely go with a stackable washer and dryer.

The living room is open with lots of windows. The double doors from the dining area will open onto a large screened in porch over looking our view and the pond. From the stairs and over the bedroom and bathroom will be a loft area for general recreation and such.

Above is a computer generated view of the living room and dining room area.

And here is the bedroom and bathroom.

CjAl · November 04, 2012, 09:37:14 AM

i love the open bath/bedroom design. but personally i would put the camode in the shower room portion. or enclose it in a small closet with a good fan. just sayin, not exactly romantic if ya know what i mean

VannL · November 06, 2012, 08:44:02 AM

And I raised those very same objections, but as long as I've know my wife, over 30 years, she hates enclosed toilet areas. Unless someone else is in the house, she doesn't even close the bathroom door. Lol. I figure if that is the worst I have to deal with, I'll be OK with an "open air" toilet.

Huge29 · November 06, 2012, 11:39:02 PM

Clearly, this is your custom build and do it the way you want, but there will most likely come a day when someone has to sell the property and having the toilet where it is is a bit of a white elephant feature that could make it a difficult sale. It may be your kids, but someone will most likely have to deal with it. Maybe just making it easy to close in later would be a reasonable compromise. At least you have the partial wall to give semi privacy. Enjoy!

VannL · January 06, 2013, 10:55:46 AM

Ok folks, let the party begin!

I was clearing a space off for our build, but with the need to dig a new well (current well is at 120 feet down), installing the septic system, and getting tied in to the electrical grid, we decided to build our dream cabin right behind our current home and just use what is already there.

So, that brings me to the point where I can begin building. Now guess what? I'm nervous. I really am. Of course, it might be a combination of nervous and excited, but I'm feeling it. Hoping this week to get my batter boards in place. Now, with our plan, which is really a 20x34 plus a 10x20 on one side, do I set the batter boards up in that same configuration or just treat the site like one big box?

Also, this will be my first attempt using a water level. I think I understand the concept and all, but any tips or tricks would be great.

I live in the clay farming soil of central Alabama. Seeing as I have talked myself out of a basement, I have been checking out how some others did their foundation, (particularly astidham and dug) and feel that this system will work well here. I liked what Dug did with the center beam. It just looks more solid, or my nervousness is getting me to rethink everything.

I promise you fun, lots of pictures and obviously some questions along the way. Here we go!

January 07, 2013, 01:01:23 PM

Greetings Vann and Valerie....

I too am going to build the same plan as you, except mine will closely follow the already laid out floor plans for the two levels

PLEASE update this post with any and all pictures and progress you make for myself and all others who can gain knowledge from you!

Redoverfarm · January 07, 2013, 04:01:09 PM

Vannl it would depend on how you set your batter boards with the foundation you are planning. With a perimeter foundation you will need to set one for the main structure and another set for the bump out or addition. If pier then your batter boards need set individually for the location of your piers where your support beams will rest. You indicate 10X20 demensions set on one side. Is this a porch or actually a bump-out on the main structure. On my cabin I had bumped out of the main portion as a "T" configuration. I set two individual sets of batter boards (one for each). But the intersection of two different string lines was the corner for the intersection of the two rooms. Square is the key to make sure everything works out later.

Set your bump-out batter boards well into the main structure as not to disturb while digging the footings for the main structure. In fact I would set my batter board configuration at least 4-6' back from the edge of the build demensions. More importantly if it is a perimeter foudation.

bayview · January 07, 2013, 06:10:46 PM

Wow!!!

That new floor plan . . . Where does one start? Unconventional to say the very least!

I can't imagine being a guest and having a late night bathroom "emergency". Absolutely no privacy.
The kitchen is barely usable. No counter space . . . No drawers.
Laundry AND shower in the clothes closet? Your clothing will be full of moisture - humidity.
Use tempered glass if you want a window into the shower. Also, A window within 2 ft of a door must be tempered.
You will need a dormer over the stairs. . .
Is that a wood stove in front of a window in the living-dining area? You may want to eliminate the window or move the stove. Two wood stoves double the expense. Maybe consider a more centrally located stove . . .
What is your escape route from the shower-laundry-closet room in case of an emergency.
The bath has taken over almost ¼ of the downstairs floor space. . . In fact, you now have added on a side room to accommodate it.
Double bedroom doors under the stairs?
Small living area. . . Room for only one sofa?
Consider a sliding door instead of the out-swinging doors in the dining room.
You will have more strength to your structure if you locate doors and windows at least 4 ft away from a corner.

I would reconsider the latest floor plan . . .

/.

Redoverfarm · January 08, 2013, 08:32:51 AM

Vannl sorry I missed your original post showing the floor plan.

Thought the one I replied was the original. Oh Well I think you get the gist of my post on layout of the foundation.

VannL · January 08, 2013, 01:33:38 PM

Well, it looks like I don't have to worry about how unconventional or not my cabin design is. I just ran into a timeline issue. Momma wants the grandkids down here and not 600 miles away. So, working in concert with our daughter and son-in-law, we are going to be able to bring them down in the spring, which now means I will be rebuilding the small bedroom at the back of the house and making a master suite for her and I so the kids can have the much bigger bedroom.

Oh well. Best laid plans and all that. Cabin later.

Thanks guys.