European Style Cabin Kits?

[ro]

Hi!

Newbie ro here, with a question to this forum which I have enjoyed lurking in up until now. I certainly admire the ambition and talent that many of you have shown in your small home building projects - - amazing work. Unfortunately, when I make an honest assessment of my own skills, I have to doubt my ability to construct a small cabin for my family by myself from scratch.

My question is whether anyone has any experience with the European Style Cabin kits that are more common (naturally) in Europe, especially Britain and Germany? They are assembled almost like a Lincoln Logs or Lego kit using boards with lengthwise tongue and groove joints and interlocking notched corners.

There are three North American companies that fabricate this type of kits that I know of:

Spirit Elements
Bavarian Leisure Cottages
European Log Cabin

The clearest illustration of how this type of kit goes together comes from the latter website with this page of photos illustrating the assembly details.

Also here is a sample photo to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:



If anyone has had any experience with this type of kit or method of construction, I would love to hear about it's pluses and minuses.

Thanks very much in advance,

ro

[glenn kangiser]

What we have seen - without exception I think I can safely say, is that they are generally overpriced and may or may not always use the best materials.  I checked out the Spirit site on the above model.  What you see is what you get.  That is all that you get for the most part and everything else is extra.  The insulation kit and interior finish is not code and does not include the insulation.  For the money of the initial price package without the extras, you can have most if not all of the same thing complete to code if you build it yourself and shop prices.  (Not pushing the code -- just that it usually applies and will insure minimum safety.)

I can say that if you think you are capable of putting that kit together, have no major handicaps (Mark Chenail manages to get building and design accomplished from a wheelchair), then you can probably build it yourself.  I would suggest building something small first -- doghouse - shed etc.

The Little House Plans would cover a house that size.  Making the gingerbread similar or as you want it would give you the look you want.

Welcome to the forum, ro.

[Ailsa C. Ek]

If you like those, you might like these: http://www.panelconcepts.com/.  The AuSable or the Knotty Pine seem like what you might be wanting.  And these are insulated.

[John Raabe]

In the 1970's there were quite a few kit houses based on different variations of a T&G single wall system. Lindal Cedar Homes started this way with a vertical 2x6 T&G cedar wall system. Others went with the more traditional horizontal system which can have somewhat the feel of a log structure. This seems to be the preferred method of the European manufacturers.

With the adaption of building codes and particularly energy codes in more and more areas of the country, these businesses have either closed their doors or gone to elaborate (read expensive) insulation and bracing systems. To get the wood look interior, for instance, Lindal and others used many inches of expensive foam insulation and then had to invent ways to hold it all in place (stud framing, it turns out, has automatic cavities for stuffing cheap insulation into the walls).

[MountainDon]

Almost everybody needs a storage shed. You can build one using the same techniques that will be used for a small cabin. If you have kids you could begin with a playhouse like youngins did.

I have some storage shed plans someplace and could locate them if you want. They were free downloads so I wouldn't be breaking any copyrights.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I looked at the designs from panel concepts before I found this website, but I actually called them for price quotes on what it would cost shipped to OK and with all the fixin's I wanted, and it was going to be pretty costly, just for the materials and so forth.  I decided I didn't like them THAT much, although the idea was interesting enough that I did look seriously.  However, you could build your own panels and do a panel-type house like someone else on the forums did... she built them in a relative's garage or barn and then they were able to assemble the house really quickly from the panels...maybe someone else could point you in the direction of the thread I'm talking about.  

You could build anything you put your mind to... if you doubt it, volunteer to help someone else so that you can learn on their house.  At one point I wouldn't have thought we could do it, but after six years of major remodeling old houses, I have come to the point where I not only think we could do it, but am crazy enough to almost believe it'd be easier than trying to fix things other people have messed up! (I say this as we finally near the end of an almost year-long kitchen gut and remodel and after we've jacked up an old house and put in new floor joists and floors...anything's got to be better than that!)    

Maybe like Mountain Don suggested, you could practice on other small buildings... chicken house, storage, etc.  One advantage to the panel concepts idea is that you could have a house up and weather tight in a weekend... and I have to admit, if you're short on manpower, it may be a good bet.

[ro]

Thank-you for all the responses. When I describe the limitations of my building skills, I am not trying to be modest, but rather it is based on many years of self-observation and an honest assessment - - even though I don't use a wheelchair, I have another disabilty - - I'm carpentry challenged. You are in another league altogether.

The reason I was looking to the European Cabin Kit described in this thread, is that I felt it might be an opportunity to at least participate in the building experience at a simple level. My real alternative is to hire a contractor to do the job for me - - which is a different animal altogether.

One variation of the panelconcepts.com design mentioned by Alisa and Homegrown, that I felt was just beyond my grasp was the "Summer House" designed by Jeff Milstein and described in Les Walker's book Tiny Tiny Houses. Nonetheless, it suited my other design constraints, which I didn't describe in my original post.

The purpose of this structure is as a temporary cabin on a piece of property to use until we build a (still small) home for retirement down the road. Like most everywhere, we have zoning issues and have to build a structure less than 108 sq. ft. and under 13 ft. tall. So my aim was to build something that would maximize that space with a large sleeping loft, and then a retractable awning for the front. The property is also located on an island, so even though there is some ferry service, the individual parts shippable there are somewhat restricted in size.

Anyways, I do appreciate the input on these kits, and I will continue to listen in on your great ideas and plans for small homes.

[glenn kangiser]

I have seen the type, ro.  Problem is most of them don't realize it.

Still there is hope -

You could study - one step at a time and you may be able to advance some- maybe a dog house or something.

Do you have measuring tape reading skills?  Some people have not been taught.  That will stop you right off the bat.  

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Now, knowing the restraints, building something from a kit makes more sense...That's a really tiny house!

[JRR]

Garden houses.  Use to be a very big thing in Germany and north Europe ... especially on the Eastern side of the wall.  Family garden spots were located just on the outskirts of town.  In some locals the garden land was own by the Church, sometimes the govenment ... and leased to the families.  In luckier situations the gardens were privately owned.

Without the means to travel extensively and usually confined to cookie cutter living quarters, the garden became a weekend retreat and hobby center for many of the citizens.  Only a walk away, the gardens almost allways were well tended, but most garden houses were not much more than storage sheds/shantys.  But some of the privately owned ones were quite fancy and elaborate and showed the efforts of excellent planning.  

I have some old photos ... that I will probably never find ... of some outside Torgau/Liepzig.

Now everyone can travel.  The garden houses are not currently what they once were in importance ...

Kinda sad in a way.

[John_C]

I've helped friends put together a couple kit houses and I'm not impressed.  

In one case the sub who did the foundation work didn't get it square. It wouldn't have been a big problem with a stick house to adapt, not so with the SIP kit. Same too for plumbing and electric not being "pre-drilled" in the correct locations, or walls for that matter.

For the size project you are talking about you should be able to do it yourself even with no prior experience.  You can get questions answered here. Worst case you hire a good carpenter to come work with you for a day or two. It would still be cheaper and you would learn more.

[MikeG]

great responses and great info from you all (who I have learned so much from)...I have to go back to what Glenn said:  Overpriced.  I've been all over the Internet for 2 years looking for info; that's how I found you all....some of the kits can certainly be functional for people willing to outlay that kind of money.

Shelter One has a kit....a 12 x 12 for something like $9,500!  Add a porch and it's 12K!!!

I'm confident I could build the Raabe Retreat for much, much less...that's why I'm not willing to go ten thousand more for a small kit (although I'll probably go $3,800 for a 12 x 16 delivered and leveled at my property 3 and a half hours away and put my own deck and shed roof on it...I just don't have the time to make several trips, gather the materials, get a couple guys to help; etc.).

What I've learned from this site is some common sense, functionality and frugality. That said, there might be someone who the cabin kit might just absolutely work for...everyone has different circumstances.

Am looking forward to seeing how georgevacabin is coming with his project.
MikeG

[Pritch]

What I find appealing about these styles are that you could haul them up in the back of a truck, assemble the precut "logs" with little more than a mallet, and have it dried in, all in one to two days, with virtually no construction skills.  

Here is another builder, located in Washington.  http://www.coastcabins.net/index.htm  As has been already mentioned, these tend to be pretty expensive.  I had a website saved for an octoganal "artic grillhouse" but the website is no longer there.  What was cool about this design was that it had a firepit in the center with a hood and stovepipe that exited at the peak of the roof.  Benches all around and included reindeer hides made it look like a nice gathering place.  Given that the website is kaput, I fear they are out of business.   :'(  

[ro]

Thanx for the link to Coast Cabins, Pritch!


BTW, speaking of BBQ huts, here's a British company called Anglo Igloo that makes such an animal...

[desdawg]

What I find appealing about these styles are that you could haul them up in the back of a truck, assemble the precut "logs" with little more than a mallet, and have it dried in, all in one to two days, with virtually no construction skills.  

Here is another builder, located in Washington.  http://www.coastcabins.net/index.htm  As has been already mentioned, these tend to be pretty expensive.  I had a website saved for an octoganal "artic grillhouse" but the website is no longer there.  What was cool about this design was that it had a firepit in the center with a hood and stovepipe that exited at the peak of the roof.  Benches all around and included reindeer hides made it look like a nice gathering place.  Given that the website is kaput, I fear they are out of business.   :'(  

They probably ran out of caribou hides.  8-)

[ScottA]

I built a swingset kit once for the kids yerars ago. Was the most confusing damn thing I ever saw, nothing fit right the bolts where too short etc. Didn't think I'd ever get it built. Only thing that saved me was my wife finaly insisting I read the directions.

Scott

[Sassy]

ScottA - that's what wives are for  

[travcojim]

Looks like one of the starplate systems could be used to build something close to that.

[StinkerBell]

As I read this thread I kept on asking myself where are my lincoln logs, and why do they not sell lincoln longs in adult size.






The arctic grill house was very expensive. The company was trying to sell the whole Nordic Feel. I still have somewhere in my file cabinet their brochure. I saw their grill house at the Seattle Home Show.

[glenn kangiser]

You're a big girl now, Stink.  You'll have to make your own Lincoln Logs.

Did you really lose your other ones?  Bummer.

[StinkerBell]

glen,

do you have my lincoln logs?

[glenn kangiser]

Sorry Stink, No - I don't have them and now that you mentioned it, I don't know what happened to my Lincoln Logs either. :-/

That bugs me.

Actually as a kid, my toys usually stayed where I finished playing with them.

Now that I mentioned it-- I may still have a bit of that problem to this day.

[ro]

As I read this thread I kept on asking myself where are my lincoln logs, and why do they not sell lincoln longs in adult size.

You're a big girl now, Stink.  You'll have to make your own Lincoln Logs.

There is a book by Jack McKee on just that topic called: "Builder Boards: How to Construct a Set of Notched Boards Children Use to Create Their Own Play Space".

Could be useful/fun for scale prototypes...

[Pritch]

Ro, those look EXACTLY like the Nordic Grillhouse.  IIRC, they were either importing them or were licensed to sell them here in the US.  

If you were to put together a compound of several small cabins, one of these would be a great addition.