a small cabin in mn

[desdawg]

I have a generator and I also have a thing thta you buy at the auto parts store it has a air compressor for pumping up the tires, batter cables for jumping the battery AND two led lights AND two 12V plug in recepticles.  Now this thing is very cool because I charge it up while I have the generator on, like now while I am on line.  Then I can use it to run my 12V shower it is so easy I simply unplug it from it's charger and stick it inthe bathroom where I plug inthe shower.  I got the shower on ebay for $10 plus $20 shipping search 12V protable shower msake sure you get the 12v kind though because I bet they use a  lot of batteries if you just get a battery operated one.  Then I simply heat water up in a canning pot either onthe propane or ont he wood stove then I pour the HOT water into a five gallon bucket next to the bathtub and add cold water leaving it jsut a bit hot because the bathroom is quite chillyt hese days and a hot shower feels good.  This 12V shower is the best one I have had, I bought the zodi and it heats fine but the pump only uses the D batteries and the pressure sucks which makes it a cold shower in a cold bathroom, I have two solar showers which make fine hand washing stations near the outhouse but lousy showers due to the fact that it is impossible to hang them high enough to stand under them and again the water pressue sucks.  This 12V shower is so good even my friend who visited this summer who said she would be staying with another friend because she has allthe convieniences ended up staying once she tried and liked the shower.  It takes about 15 minutes to heat up the canning pot full of boiling hot water on the propane.  The 12V power box thing is good for three or more showers a day, so far the most we have had to use it is for three.  Five gallons of water also is plenty for me to wash my hair and shave my legs aAND do a full scrub and cleaning my feet, I know that is kind of weird but my feet get really dirty living ont his mountain and it takes some time and work to get them looking right again so the point I am trying to make is five gallons of hot water is plenty enough for a long shower and the  special added bonus is that there is a lottle water left inthe bottom of the bucket when you get done and the tub gets rinsed out when you pour out the left over water.  I am telling yout his 12V shower is the best thing ever and I can take it camping with no hassle at all, it would fit in a very small handbag.  Good Luck with your endeavors.  

I use the stock pot/5 gallon bucket technique myself but I have a very low tech pump. I use a coffee cup and my arm. No batteries to buy and charge, just add groceries. Ladle out some water and get lathered up, then ladle again for the rinse cycle. I have been doing this for years when staying in the boonies.

[glenn kangiser]

I use the stock pot/5 gallon bucket technique myself but I have a very low tech pump. I use a coffee cup and my arm. No batteries to buy and charge, just add groceries. Ladle out some water and get lathered up, then ladle again for the rinse cycle. I have been doing this for years when staying in the boonies.

Cool, desdawg.  Dinner and a bath all from the same stock pot.

[theshack]

Hey desdawg,

What pump are you running? I'm still trying to figure whether I should put the heater in the loft and use gravity flow or buy a 12V pump to power the shower and a small sink for washing dishes?


Mark L.

[MountainDon]

A gravity flow water system will have approximately 1/2 lb. pressure for each foot of elevation between the source tank bottom and the point of use. The exact figure is .43 lb/ft.

The water pressure in a normal residence should be at least 30 pounds with 50 - 60 pretty much ideal. So 30 PSI will need the tank to be located 60 feet above the point of use, higher than the average attic. The use of larger diameter pipes than normal can increase the rate of flow in a low pressure situation, but will do nothing to increase pressure. Only more elevation or a pump can do that.

Some locales have much higher pressures. My suburban home has 85+ lbs and I have a pressure reducer installed outside the home. That reduces the pressure inside to about 55 lbs.

The Bosch tankless water heaters specs call for a minimum of 30 PSI, but I read somewhere that they can operate at as low a pressure as 18 PSI. Can't guarantee that tho'.

My RV has a Shurflo model 8050 12 VDC pump that provides up to 3.75 Gal/Min at about 35 PSI. Works well. I plan on using one of them in the cabin water system. For those not familiar with this type of pump they have a demand switch that activates the pump when a faucet is opened,or a leak occurs. Pump shuts off when the point of use is closed. It can be used with a small rubber bladder divided pressure tank to reduce pump cycling which will prolong pump life. There are other lower flow RV pumps at a lower price. RV pumps should not be run dry for over a minute or so.

Interestingly the 8050 is certified to be used for pumping anti-freeze, motor oil,  & ATF, as well as water. Not interchangeably with potable water of course.    

[bmwbill]

Hi all ; have lived with only a wood stove in Grand Rapids Mn , a little noth of your cabin .if you are thinking of a wood stove, you could get a small cook stove , which is airtight and has a hot water option.after breakfast you would be good to go , but only a small amt of water.i missed if you have a well
if well -tankless works goog. someone makes a wood-fired water heater, can't remember who .
have spent a winter hauling propane tanks and it sucks.
vermont stoves are very good. pricey but good.when you are cutting it you want every btu out of that wood.
some pellet stoves are much better than when they 1st came out.need at least dc power to run.A guy here in GreenBay, at work, swears by pellets. I would be hating to find dry wood for the winter at this time of the year.
with the size of your cabin you need a small stove or it will be turned down and they run better turned up.[wood buring that is]
Bil

[theshack]

Hi, just got a new picture, and figured I would post it up. Ran into some problems fitting the  5 x 8 window, apparently had a mistranslation on the width. Seeing as deer hunting opens this weekend, I don't suppose I'll get much work done for the next few weeks. Might just end up polying the last two 3x3 windows, but the big one will be put in come hell or high water. Thanks for all the help so far!

Mark L.

[Sassy]

Looks like your really got a lot done so far!

[hnash53]

Mark, In the picture of the first rafter going up, it looks like you prebuilt them, sort of like trusses using gussetts and collar ties, right?

Did you install them without a ridge beam/board, like trusses are installed?

I am thinking about building my own when I expand my cabin next summer.

Let me know!!

Thanks.

Hal Nash, Wyoming

[Jared Drake]

how much do you have in it now with all the sheeting and roofing up?
Jared

[theshack]

Yes, they were all prebuilt, it actually went up really fast and easy with three people, could have even done it with two. Made a pattern, put it up and checked several times, then made the rest off the first one. Total cost so far I would guess $2,300, but thats with a few mistakes, and getting as much as possible for cheap, and thats not including borrowing tools from friends and the bobcat to drill holes for my father. So far I'm happy with the progress/price ratio. All work was done myself, and I didn't get a building permit or have any sewer/water/electricity.



Mark L.

[hnash53]

Thanks for the reply about pre-building your trusses.

In the photo where you are putting up the trusses, I noticed that you did not cut out the "birds mouth", the notch in the rafter that fits on the top plate.

Is the birdsmouth not necessary with trusses?

Did you instead use rafter ties?

Thanks. And, nice cabin!!

Hal

[MountainDon]

It'll be interesting to see Mark's reply... it's not clear from that one picture if all the truss/rafters did or did not have birdsmouth cuts.

If Mark built those like a true truss there would be no birdmouth cuts. A true truss sits on top of the walls. The lower chord 2x4, or conjoined segments, sit on the wall. Using H-1 hurricane ties at each truss/rafter to wall connection is an excellent idea, sometimes required by code.

Truss info/pictures at...
http://home.howstuffworks.com/house9.htm

Keep in mind that self built trusses will usually not meet current code requirements. That's not to say a sturdy truss can not be built, only that is may not satisfy codes.

On the other hand if each rafter unit was pre-assembled on the deck, from a left and right sloped rafter, tied together with either a collar tie, or a lower chord to be used as a ceiling joist, then raised, I would expect to see birdsmouth cuts. This would be like building a normal rafter roof but without the ridge board. A hybrid of a rafter and a truss system.

[FrankInWI]

before I built, I read the Wisconsin Building Codes (ALL of it!).  I noticed that it did say the rafters must be notched.  I read somewhere (the framing book?) that the cut shouldn't take away more than 1/3 of the width of the rafter.  I hired them framers for 3 days to do the high work at my place, and I am a bit concerned they took about 1/2 out of my 2 X 10s for the dormers.  These are pro builders though whose work is always subject to inspectors in the bigger city....so I don't suspect a problem, but found it interesting.
Just like the code said ALL garage slabs must tilt toward the outside garage door, or have a floor drain.  The guy poured mine flatter than a pancake, again, I'm not concerned.... but I think I am learning general practices counter to codes may be somewhat common place.   I'm sure there is always a risk though....just hope not with my place!  :-?

[MountainDon]

Frank, you're right about the one-third max depth. The concern about the rafter cuts being too deep come into play when we're talking heavy snowloads on larger overhanging eves.

A non sloping garage floor is only bothersome when you end up with standing pools of water like my Dad's garage floor was. It only bothered us when one of us wanted to crawl under the car for some work in the winter. Melting snow off the cars made for puddles.

[Redoverfarm]

Don not only do grage floor drains work to keep the floor dry they also keep the house clean. I have a two car(only use one side) that has drains in the middle of the bay. When you pull the car in and it's covered in snow, road salt, sawdust and gravel in the winter what ever drips off when thawing runs underneath the car. Otherwise you would be constantly stepping and tracking that into the house.

Back to why I onlu use one side(wifes side).  I have a deisel and I don't dare start it up inside during the winter.

[MountainDon]

Good point on the floor.

Also a good point on the diesel... don't need those billowing clouds of white smoke and the small. (Been there, done that)

Now not enough cold to worry about it.

[Redoverfarm]

I wouldn't know how to act in an area that didn't get freezing and below a couple months out of the year. They say actually that it is good to kill all the bacteria and give the plants(trees) a needed rest.

It was 32F most of the day with flurries. I tried to work 4-5 hrs this morning until I couldn't feel my fingers. Nailing in rabbit wire to chink. Ended up using a pair of needle nose to hold the nails. I said tomorrow is another day. But it is predicted to be the same.

[MountainDon]

The first winter after moving here (NM) from Manitoba I had a constant grin on my face whenever I was outside.    Ya', like that!

[glenn kangiser]

I tried to work 4-5 hrs this morning until I couldn't feel my fingers.

The exact reason I moved to California.

[hnash53]

Mark hasn't responded yet about whether birdsmouths were used and/or needed for his self-built trusses.

Can anyone else address the issue?

Mtn Don provided a link showing trusses but they lie flat on the top plates (except for the scissors trusses) and one can use rafter ties on them.

Seems like I've seen birdsmouths and no birdsmouths used.

I'd like to get clear on this, so someone reply.
Thanks!!

[glenn kangiser]

The trusses I see most often always sit on the top plate and standard ones are made of 2x4s with no birdsmouth.

[MountainDon]

There's no need for a birdsmouth with a truss. Even if you look back to old books that gave information on how to build your own trusses they all sit flat on top of the walls.

Those old truss plans for build it yourself units are not current code approved. But if you're  in a no code situation and more more info I can probably find it someplace around here.

[MountainDon]

That was way easy! 
Here's a link
http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/mwps/mw0009.htm
It's not a downloadable book, you have to order it. Cheap at $7. Nine left as of now.

Because this book presents truss plans that are based on old or outdated building codes, the truss plans are to be used only as conceptual information. Neither MidWest Plan Service nor any of the cooperating land-grant universities and their respective agents or employees have made and do not make any representation, warranty, or covenant with respect to the specifications for the trusses described in the book.

Additional professional services will be required to tailor the trusses described in this book to your situation.

[glenn kangiser]

I've seen trusses with tails - or overhangs as. shown here also.



http://www.classictruss.com/roof_truss_facts.asp

[desdawg]

That was way easy! 
Here's a link
http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/mwps/mw0009.htm
It's not a downloadable book, you have to order it. Cheap at $7. Nine left as of now.

Because this book presents truss plans that are based on old or outdated building codes, the truss plans are to be used only as conceptual information. Neither MidWest Plan Service nor any of the cooperating land-grant universities and their respective agents or employees have made and do not make any representation, warranty, or covenant with respect to the specifications for the trusses described in the book.

Additional professional services will be required to tailor the trusses described in this book to your situation.

I think there are only 8 left now.  $10.50 with shipping and handling Thanks Don.
Code? What?