Hello All,
I'm counting down with excitement and a little anxiety to breaking ground a week from today for a 14x24 cabin on ~ 46 acres. The property is a 5 hr drive from my home and will be used in the Spring and Summer for family gatherings and the Fall for hunting season. Pictures of the site are here http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin .
I am a total novice at building. I have been reviewing the Little House Plans for about a month now (Thanks John) and hope I have everything right in my head. I have eight guys that are going to give me two days to kick this off. I hope to have the foundation holes dug, gravel/piers in, and beams up (like this http://www.coyotecottage.com/cabin/cabinconstruction/foundation.htm ) prior to their arrival so that we can start right away with the floor joist. My goal is to get the exterior up and weather-tight for the winter. Hopefully this is not too ambitious.
The cabin will have no electricity or plumbing. I plan on a wood stove for heat and an outhouse (using the compost system described in Humanure.). Cooking will be done on an outdoor grill. The interior will be completed over time.
Of course I want to keep my cost as low as possible. I currently have a nice exterior door and six windows that were donated. Saves me some $$ right off the bat.
Thanks for all the support given and graciously received on this forum. Looking forward to banging that first nail!!
George
Looking forward to seeing updates.
George...how goes it? You making progress?
MikeG
Hello All,
What an initial experience. Lots, and lots of rookie mistakes. Here is a link to some photos. http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin (http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin) .
We ended up only working a solid day. Mainly, because Home Depot screwed up the delivery and I ended up making several trips for materials - an hour away! >:(
All in all, we got the floor frame completed. For a bunch of rookies, I guess that was pretty good. I will head back down in the Spring to finish the floor and start on the walls.
Looking back, the group had fun hanging out. I also learned an a lot. The plans are great (when you follow them ;D )!
Looks like you guys had great fun. Good job. :)
Wow, looks of great helpers - good progress!
George
Not to be nosey but in what vicinity of Central Va are you located. I live on the Va line near Hot Springs. In fact the cabin that I am building is on the Va line(National Forrest) Got the view and don't have to pay for it. ;)
Hey Red,
Not a problem. I'm just outside of Farmville in Prospect.
Due to family obligations, as of now I will only have one shot (no pun intended ::)) to get out hunting this season. So I will be on site again opening day of firearms season. I don't think I'll have time to work on the cabin.
So you are building in Hot Springs. Where are you in the process? Have you broken ground? Near completion? What size cabin are you building?
George
I am not familiar with farmville or Prospect. I had once lived in Charlestown,WV near Winchester Va and northern Va. I shop in Roanoke Va occasionally.
No my cabin is in WV at the Virginia line near Hot Springs (18 miles away) It is 32 miles north of White Sulphur Springs ( Greenbrier Resort $$$$). I am 35 miles fron Snowshoe Skie Resort. Th closest town is Marlinton, WV and then Lewisburg WV.
I don't know what the deer population is at your site but when I came home last evening there was 26 grazing in my field in front of the house.
If you want to check out my cabin then look for "Alternative Energy" on the board. Don was good enough to post my pictures for me. This is a work in progress.
Good Luck with your project.
George
I know about where you are at now. I think I went through or close to Farmville on Rt 460 going to the beach one time on the way to Richmond. If I remember it is sort of a rural area.
Hey Red,
Yes, although Farmville continues to grow substantially, the area around Farmville is very rural. I don't want to jinx myself but this is why I don't think I will have a problem building under the radar. Especially since I'm not doing the electricity, septic tank, etc.
The deer population is pretty good in this area. I always bag two or three a season - enough to fill up my freezer and give some to friends. The challenge is that the area is heavily wooded so bringing them out can sometimes be a real workout. :P
I took a look at your place. Very, very nice!
More power to you, georgevacabin. Great to see someone building in harmony with the rights intended for us by the founding fathers. Pursuit of happiness with no harm to others -- except for a few of those large rodents called deer. ;D
George!!!! That's great progress, despite the problems with HD.
Great pics, too...looks like it was a worthwhile trip!
I'm excited for you...I hope to get mine going soon...get my 12 x 16 delivered and add to it and finish it off.....if we quit spending money I might get it ordered within a few weeks...then look forward to some hunting and cabin finishing Nov/Dec/Jan.
I'll be up that way (hopefully) several times during this time period.
Feel free to contact me here...or work e-mail...MGlendon@vbgov.com
I'm with the Va Beach Police 33+ years...so if you need a reputable guy ( man, I got references) to check on your place, my little place up there can't be 30 miles away...
MikeG
Hey Glenn - Thanks for the support! :)
Hey Mike G! Thanks! It was a fun trip. Now that the floor framing is done I'm going to try to finish it and do the walls solo. After that I'll see if I can recruit the guys again for the roof. We'll see how it goes.
Good luck on that "quit spending money" thing. ;) This is an ongoing discussion between my wife and I! :D
Thanks for your offer. I'll contact you at the address given to see if we can connect. Since this will be an abbreviated hunting season for me I could use the help in bagging a few "large rodents." :)
I came to the conclusion that they were large rodents when I had to fence everything - garden - flowers - anything I didn't want eaten, with 7 foot high fence. They were even on top of my house. :(
We are overrun with deer as is the entire area. There are always 2 to 10 or so in sight here on the mountain if you drive for a mile down the hill.
A bunch of those rodents crapped right beside the gazebo since we were up in mountains last. My neighbor got a 3 x 3 on my road last Thursady.
I look at a live deer as a form of fresh meat storage. ;D
Hello All!
Checking back in. I hope that this post finds you all doing well.
I'm heading back down the first weekend of next month to continue work on my little hut in the woods. I hope to finish the flooring and frame the walls. The materials are on site this time around so I'm hoping it will be a smoother weekend. I'm sure that I'll have more than a few framing questions so I will post again soon.
In the meantime, I've posted a few pictures from hunting season. If interested they are at http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin (http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin). Got a couple of nice size rodents :)
Thanks ahead of time and glad you guys are here!
Hi George,
I see we are going to be neighbors. We have just started clearing in Lunenburg for our future home. Nice looking place you have there. I have been in prospect a few times, a friends father lived there. Good doing on the cabin and during hunting season. I missed this season trying to put all my pennys together for the new land.
I hope this miserable rain stops so you can get some work done.
Larry
Welcome back George. That's the way I like to see those rodents. We have dogs here now so the vermin aren't as bad, but they can be a real pain. Looks like you have a good crew there.
Hi Larry,
Yep, you are fairly close. I've actually gone through Keysville a few times. Good luck with your place. I'm sure it will be a wonderful adventure.
Speaking of adventures, we are heading down this weekend to start framing walls. I'm bringing my 5 year old son along on this trip. Both he and I are excited. I'll post pictures soon.
Take care!
Hi George,
You all have fun & we will pray for the rain to give us a break this weekend. Hope you get lots done.
Larry
George...did you make it to the cabin site the first weekend of May? How'd it go?
I've decided to order my 12 x 16 from Wilke's Lakes Sheds in Prospect (going tomorrow to do so)...and get all the construction/finishing project I need from the porch and wiring for generator and interior finish....I just don't have time to build the thing myself. Might stop by the property in Cumberland Co. and double check access clearing and site clearing for the structure...should be minimal.
Hope things are working out for you.
MikeG
Hi Mike,
Yep. Went down in May. More camping and hanging out than work. Here are some shots - http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin (http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin). We did get two walls finished. Heading back down in Sept. and Oct. to put some more time in. From the start we planned on this being a longer term project.
So did you order from Wilke's? I pass by Wilke's when ever I'm in the area. Very tempting . . . :D. Please post pics if you have them. Good luck.
To the Gang: I realized on this trip down that we never secured the platform. We lost our square and did not have time to correct it prior to taking off. I plan to address this on my next trip down in Sept. Any tips on squaring a 14 x 24 would be greatly appreciated. It's level - no worries there.
Thanks and I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
Log chains and binders or come along to the long corners should be able to pull it back and hold it until you get it secured.
If the decking is nailed down I don't think there is much hope of moving it though.
Hey Glenn,
Thanks for the reply. Nope, the joist are not nailed to the beams. However, the rims are nailed to the joist and can be remove with a little effort (I hope :D). I know I'm taking several steps backward. Again, those darn rookie mistakes!
btw - love all the site improvements!
The thing I was wondering about is the decking - if nailed to the joists it won't pull square. If the rim joists are laid out properly it should work fine if you pull the framing corner to corner to square it. Possibly a block of wood and a big hammer would square it up. If the decking is nailed to the joists -- that is bracing and it wont move.
Hi Glenn,
The decking d* - nope, not nailed down. I just laid it down to work on the wall frame. Backwards I know. I just wanted to get something done while I was there. :-\
George you might take along a "sawz-all" if you have nailed the rims to the beams so you can clip the nails holding it. If you just used fastners you can pull the nails. Once it's free you can rack it to get it square. Then use the diagonal measurement to bring it square. Just make sure that you use the same point of measurement on both diagonals(outside to ouside or inside to inside). There is the standard 3-4-5 method as well.
Hey Red,
Thanks for the tip. I'm heading back down in the Sept. time frame. I'll have plenty more question by then. I'm excitedly watching considerations' project for tips.
Take care all!
George....yes, I did order my 12 x 16 from Wilke's Lakes Sheds...got it delivered, too!
Basic unit; upgraded floor, walls (to 16 inch o.c.) and rafter joists (to 2 x 6).......I plan on wiring for a generator and a few lights; insulate and something on the walls...and a front porch/deck and a shed roof over it...and I've got a hunting cabin!
Will post a picture as soon as I get it off my cell phone. Small place, nothing fancy...add a sawdust toilet and bam!..it's hunting season.
Mike
By all means, if it's not too late to get it square then get it square. But, I have to say that having a foundation that wasn't exactly square isn't necessarily the end of the world.
I screwed up my layout when I started building my 200 sq ft. gable roofed workshop last year. One side is about 5 inches longer than the other. It's not really all that big a deal. I had to get a little bit creative when it came to framing that end of the roof, but it's going to end up looking fine since I have a generous overhang on that gable end anyway.
Early on in my work and before I realized the error, my brother (who has never built anything in his life) wagged his finger at me and said "you know Jack, you really shouldn't try doing this yourself because if you get the foundation just a little bit off then the whole thing is ruined." Bah! Don't be scared! Almost any mistake can be either corrected or worked around. Wood is a very forgiving medium.
Hey JL,
Thanks for the feedback/encouragement. I'm heading down in about a month to see if I can figure this out. I like Red's sawz-all idea.
Take care all!
Hello All!
Hope everyone is well. Glad to know the board is alive and kicking. I've been checking in every now and then to see all the good work (Considerations - still keeping an eye on your project. Great job!).
Heading down in about a week to put a little more work into my 2, no 3, no 5yr project. ::) Really looking forward to it. Now that my son has started school (kindergarten) the world revolves around his schedule :D. It is his Spring break so we are packing up the whole family and a few friends for this trip - it should be a fun time.
So I believe I left off with the squaring of the deck. I figured that out, got the deck squared and all the joist in place. That is when the cabin gremlins hit. I went to take the tarp off of the staged decking only to find that it had been ripped by the weather. Well you can probably guess the condition of the osb after getting rained on for a few months. :( . They all had to be replaced. In my never-ending search for a silver lining I found that they opened a Lowes about 25 minutes away. Yahoo! No more driving an hour one way for materials!
I purchased new decking, hauled everything up to the site, and did the best I could with my remaining time there. Not the most perfect deck installation . . . I will take a few pics this time down and post.
So this time down I think I am going to aim a little lower. In 5 days my goal is to simply get the walls framed, up, sheathed, and most importantly enjoy my family. :)
I'm sure I'll have questions. So ahead of time - THANK YOU ALL!
Hello All!,
Fell off the edge of the earth. Took a while to climb back aboard. ::) Haven't given up on the project. Got a tar paper covered box at this point. Rodent chasing time again so I will be heading to the cabin after turkey day to hunt and start roof work - in that order. So let the suggestions begin! I'll post a pic next time.
Appreciate ya!
George nice to hear from you again. I sort of figured you had it complete but didn't have DSL service. ;). Good luck on the hunting. My sone got a 8Pt on Monday. Are you in an area that has to use slug or buck shot. Not sure where the dividing lines are in the Commonwealth.
:) Hey Red - good one! By the time I finish the cabin I'm sure there will be free WiFi available! Good to hear from you. Congrats on your son's take. I'm a meat hunter. I learn a long time ago there is no meat on the horns! ;D The property falls under state regs so I hunt with a 30-06 rifle.
So I am already rethinking my next trip at the end of next week. I think that I will scale back my ambition and just finish the loft. Which leads me to my question (in my continuing series of rookie questions) concerning loft height. In another thread we discussed the pros and cons of a let in ledger vs. bolted. Without rehashing, I am still going to go with the bolted version. My question is what should the height of the loft floor be to leave decent headroom in the loft? Still use the 7'9" as in the plans? The plans indicate ~ 5 feet with a 12:12 pitch roof. I currently have 10ft walls.
Thanks and happy Turkey day to all!
"My question is what should the height of the loft floor be to leave decent headroom in the loft?"
I made my downstairs ceiling start at 7'6". The loft floor beams are 9-1/4" tall and the flooring adds another 1-1/2' +/-.
So 90" + 9-1/4 + 1-1/2 = 100-3/4" So the top of my 10' walls is about 19" above the surface of the loft floor. The cabin is 14 x 24 with a 12/12 roof like yours. So the standing room in the loft is 24' long and about 7' wide.
Ultimately the width of the walk around room in the loft depends on how tall you are. and also how thick your final ceiling finish is. If you are taller than me (5'8") you get less headroom, shorter, you get more.
In retrospect 12' walls would have been nice, but I'm pleased with what I have, its more than I envisioned.
Hi Cosiderations!
Thanks for the reply. Took a look at your project again. Great job. You are still my hero! :)
So if I understand you, the bottom of the loft joist are at 7'6"?
Hey George,
Looks like you're making progress. Just say your thread and was very surprised to see your cabin is in Prospect. I live in Prospect off of Hidden Lake Rd! Would love to see your sight.
Good luck,
Stacy
"So if I understand you, the bottom of the loft joist are at 7'6"?"
Yes, making them the lowest part of the ceiling downstairs. That is a good 22 inches over my head, which is plenty of head space on the first floor for anyone I know, but still doesn't feel like living in a cave.
On my cabin I chose a 7' ceiling for the downstairs to give me the extra headroom in the loft with a 24" sidewall and ample enough headroom. It is 15' wide. Only downside is if you are going to mount a fan or light on the first floor with the beams. The light would have to be a low profile from the beams or have the light somewhat hampered by the beams with a ceiling mounted fixture(no box).
Thanks for the awesome feedback folks. Looking forward to heading down this week. Good day to all!
Quote from: georgevacabin on September 20, 2007, 11:59:15 AM
Hello All,
I'm counting down with excitement and a little anxiety to breaking ground a week from today for a 14x24 cabin on ~ 46 acres. The property is a 5 hr drive from my home and will be used in the Spring and Summer for family gatherings and the Fall for hunting season. Pictures of the site are here http://picasaweb.google.com/vacabin .
I am a total novice at building. I have been reviewing the Little House Plans for about a month now (Thanks John) and hope I have everything right in my head. I have eight guys that are going to give me two days to kick this off. I hope to have the foundation holes dug, gravel/piers in, and beams up (like this http://www.coyotecottage.com/cabin/cabinconstruction/foundation.htm ) prior to their arrival so that we can start right away with the floor joist. My goal is to get the exterior up and weather-tight for the winter. Hopefully this is not too ambitious.
The cabin will have no electricity or plumbing. I plan on a wood stove for heat and an outhouse (using the compost system described in Humanure.). Cooking will be done on an outdoor grill. The interior will be completed over time.
Of course I want to keep my cost as low as possible. I currently have a nice exterior door and six windows that were donated. Saves me some $$ right off the bat.
Thanks for all the support given and graciously received on this forum. Looking forward to banging that first nail!!
George
We are so similar! Our place is on 20 remote acres about 4 1/2 hours from our home in South Eastern WA. Same size 14x24. Look for the thread (i'll post a link shortly) for Okanogan 14x24 by lurker :)
Cheers and Good Luck!
It is amazing how the net can cause someone to miss a simple thing -- like the date! I didn't realize you have been working on this for a long time where are you now?
I saw your post about a felt covered box -- I wish!
:) No worries Lurker. Confucius say "I go slow so that I may go faster." I just haven't gotten to the "faster" part! ;D At the same time, I'm not in a hurry. We make good use of the property during the Spring/Summer and I've actually slept in it as-is my last few times down hunting with my temp roof on.
Love your project (and commentary!) You are so much further ahead than I am. As as military man I know travel doesn't faze you. The 4.5 hr drive gives you time to think about the fun you are having with your project! :D
Quote from: georgevacabin on November 30, 2009, 09:38:55 PM
:) No worries Lurker. Confucius say "I go slow so that I may go faster." I just haven't gotten to the "faster" part! ;D At the same time, I'm not in a hurry. We make good use of the property during the Spring/Summer and I've actually slept in it as-is my last few times down hunting with my temp roof on.
Love your project (and commentary!) You are so much further ahead than I am. As as military man I know travel doesn't faze you. The 4.5 hr drive gives you time to think about the fun you are having with your project! :D
It's true the drive doesn't bother me (maybe it is from the Corps -- never thought about it much) but I tend to spend it thinking about everything I have to do!
Mostly I worry about the weather, you see where I am it could get as much as 4 feet of snow!!! Sure it hasn't for a few years but it's been getting colder and wetter by the month...so the locals tell me it could be swinging back to lots of snow in the hills...we can hope not!
I suspect your cabin will be better built then mine :) But I also gathered from reading you posts that you get less time on your property then I've had on mine (that would kill me!)...oh and you're clearly a better hunter too! ;D [cool]
Good luck and keep posting pics!
Happy Holidays to All!
Got the loft up on my last trip to the cabin. Thanks for all of the tips. Actually did more hunting than hammering. Got to feed the family!
Heading down again for a long weekend soon and hope to get some rafters up. I will probably be working alone and, as a visual person, was looking around the forum for close up pics of the steep gable roof (with no overhang) using Simsom Strong ties. I found Fritz's dogtrot but hard to see the pic.
As always - Thanks!!!
Quote from: georgevacabin on December 30, 2009, 11:59:26 AM
Happy Holidays to All!
Got the loft up on my last trip to the cabin. Thanks for all of the tips. Actually did more hunting than hammering. Got to feed the family!
Heading down again for a long weekend soon and hope to get some rafters up. I will probably be working alone and, as a visual person, was looking around the forum for close up pics of the steep gable roof (with no overhang) using Simsom Strong ties. I found Fritz's dogtrot but hard to see the pic.
As always - Thanks!!!
With an airnailer it is possible to do this alone. Set the rafter on the wall and then pivot to the ridge beam and pull up until the birdsmouth settles on the wall. Then go down to the wall (get off the ladder) and suck it up tight, nail it, climb the ladder and nail the top :)
Easy peasy :)
Thanks OJH,
(Love the progress on your cabin btw) I hope to borrow a nailer. Looking to install a clipped roof. I saw pics somewhere where the person used ties on both the ridge board and the wall. That would seem to make the job even peasier! :D Just wish I could find those pics again.
Found this: http://picasaweb.google.com/DocJim79/Framing02?authkey=nlF-Pg_9rEg#5106308946669090754 (http://picasaweb.google.com/DocJim79/Framing02?authkey=nlF-Pg_9rEg#5106308946669090754) Can zoom a little but still not close enough :(
Quote from: georgevacabin on December 30, 2009, 04:42:21 PM
Found this: http://picasaweb.google.com/DocJim79/Framing02?authkey=nlF-Pg_9rEg#5106308946669090754 (http://picasaweb.google.com/DocJim79/Framing02?authkey=nlF-Pg_9rEg#5106308946669090754) Can zoom a little but still not close enough :(
My shed is built that way too. I thought about it but decided not to. It was just very easy to put the rafters up once the ridge board was set (which will be hard alone).
I hope to get back to my project Saturday.
George this may not be what you were wanting but here is one pictured
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=7442.40
It may take a little research but I have found by using the "search" bar and typing the subject matter it will usually turn up several post with the wording that you are using. This was on the first page of "wall ties".
Awesome Red!!! Thanks for the quick response. Guess I'm not search savvy. :o More questions to come!
Happy New Year!!!
Has anyone experienced using the Simpson screws? :-\ http://strongtie.com/products/connectors/screws-loadrated.asp#connectors (http://strongtie.com/products/connectors/screws-loadrated.asp#connectors) see the H1Z pic halfway down the page.
No. But it would appear the screws would be easy to install with a cordless drill/driver. Other than that I don't see any advantages, myself. Probably a lot more pricey, biut that's a guess. Simpson's short joist nails are usable too.
Thanks for the feedback MD. I value your opinion. I will more than likely be trying to tackle this alone. Trying to look at alternatives if I am not able to get my hands on a nail gun. Any you are right - looks easy with a cordless drill and Simpson ties. I'm also going to pick up the working alone book that has been recommended.
Happy New Year!
Hello All,
Just wanted to post a few pics from this past weekend. Thanks for all the help/support/advice from the folks here. Special shout-out/thanks to Considerations, MountainDon, Lurker, and Redoverfarm! Till next time (looking like May!), All the best!
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_peeG-nXxr20/S0yYT4ukGqI/AAAAAAAAAp4/DSgLuAOy-Lg/s800/IMG_0168%5B1%5D.JPG)
one up!
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peeG-nXxr20/S0yYUyh57ZI/AAAAAAAAAqA/mGpFKYBaDus/s800/IMG_0170%5B1%5D.JPG)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_peeG-nXxr20/S0ya5Iv0LpI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/FIynlIJk5n4/s800/IMG_0182%5B1%5D.JPG)
all rafters up and covered with 6 mil plastic
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_peeG-nXxr20/S0yTqH2vnqI/AAAAAAAAApY/CPry2ePL2MM/s800/IMG_0185%5B1%5D.JPG)
back of cabin
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_peeG-nXxr20/S0yR7WXxOaI/AAAAAAAAAo8/Sy06qAlwOMo/s800/IMG_0187%5B1%5D.JPG)
buttoned up until next time
Here's to a short winter so you can get busy again. :D
Oh sure, go up for a weekend and pass me by like a Ferrari in a tricycle race! Oh man I need to get back into the mountains! I've got a rafter pair as well as two lookouts to get done, then blocking and sheeting....I hate winter right now :)
Need perpetual Spring and Fall for about 6 months :D
Great stuff George! Looks awesome! Fantastic! Motivating! [cool]