My beau and I have been livng in a 12x16 butt and pass log cabin for many years now with our dog and two cats. We're ready for some more space
This is a link to our blog that shows the progress we have made in building ourselves a 16x26 2x6 frame house. With help from friends every now and then we have been doing all of the work ourselves .
http://www.janeandeli.blogspot.com (http://www.janeandeli.blogspot.com)
To view the oldest post, scroll down the page a little and click on April 2009.
w* Nice build, Thanks for posting.
Very nice blog! Thanks for sharing it.
Nice looking house, you guys have got a lot done this year. [cool]
What are you using to tie off to while working on the roof? I'm about to that stage on my house. I have the harness's just trying to figure out the best tie off system.
Got any interior pic's of your cabin? I can use any ideas of how to maximize the space in a 12x16 house. ;D
Thanks for the kind words.
Beavers, at the beginning of our blog, I posted some general floor plans. THey have changed a litle bit but that ought to give you an idea of waht we are doing. At this point, however, we won't have any running water. So there isn't a bathroom. We will have a composting toilet under the stairs though.
While they were on the roof, my beau and his friend were tied off to bracing in the rafters, then, once the sheathing was on, they were tied off to a roof anchor that screws/bolts into the trusses. And, there was also one line that was tied off to a pile of very large logs (at least 10 feet long and about 1 ft in D)
We still need to put on the metal roofing, put in the windows and finish the Tyvek before the snow flies. Then, the interior work can begin.
I'm fresh out of piles of large logs. ;D Guess I'll try to rig up some kind of brackets to attach to my ridge beam to tie off to.
I saw the floor plan you posted on your blog. I was actually curios to see how you made your log cabin livable for 6 years. I figured you guys must of come up with some great ideas over the years.
I second that, I would love to hear how you made it 6 years in Alaska in a 12x16.
Well, we have a little sleeping loft. That makes a HUGE difference. I'll put together a floor plan on that same program to show you how we have it set up. Again, we have no running water so, its really pretty much an open space.
you live there full time? How far from town? Electric?
(http://<a%20href="https://s663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/?action-view¤t=12x16.jpg"%20target="_blank"><img%20src="https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/12x16.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="aviary"></a>) Lets see if this works. Its been a LONG time since I used Photobucket so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.
This is the gneral layout of our 12x16 cabin. I presume that you are interested in actual pictures of the space but well, as you can imagine it is quite a mess since we have SO much crammed in there. There is a dog bed between the fridge and the stairs.
Under the kitchen sink there is a mop bucket that catches the dirty dish water. Above the kitchen sink, I made a "shelf" that holds a water cooler. I heat water on the stove in a big pot to wash dishes. The "stairs" to the loft have a 1 ft tall rise for each7 inch tread. Nothin about this place is to code. But, its worked.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/12x16.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/12x16-1.jpg)
Cabin in the summer
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/snowcabin.jpg)
Cabin in Winter
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC00721.jpg)
Cat on the big steps
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC00720.jpg)
Dog and Cat on Dog bed beside fridge
;D It's always interesting how people who have no experience in Alaska react to life here-----I have been here 42 years and have lived in every situation from tents and rude log cabins to very nice "suburban" homes. Alaska is not something that can be easily described or easily forgotten once you have lived it. Good luck!!
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC00841.jpg)
The 16x26 house we're building now
Thanks for sharing the photos and your great project. That little cabin looks comfy and snug but the 16x26 two story will seem palatial I expect. :D
I've really enjoyed reading your posts and seeing the pics.
That winter photo of the small cabin is post card ready. [cool]
Looks real cozy & I love your animals! Good progress on your new home! Keep the pics coming :)
Mountainmama,
Thanks for posting the floorplan and photo's of your cabin.
What kind of wood stove do you have? I haven't been able to find many small stoves that don't require a ton of clearance from the wall.
If you are lookinng for a woodstove that doesn't have to have much clearance, get a soapstone one. That is what I dream about getting for our new house. Specifically, I want a SCAN woodstove. Right now I have a little POS that I got on sale at our local distributor. It is called a CASTHEAT. Do NOT buy one. I have had to replace everything on it except the body and it still is terribly inefficient. Jotul makes a great tiny stove though and actually I think that they took over SCAN. I have my woodstove in a little nook as you probably saw in my floorplan. I used scrap pieces of roofing that I found on the property to reflect the heat away from the wall.
I need to order our custom cut metal roofing and I am not sure how long to get it. The measurement from the peak of my roof to the edge of the fly rafter metal is about 153". How long do I order the metal to be?
Thanks for the stove info. I've looked at the Jotul and the Vermont Castings small ones. I'll check out the SCAN and stay away from the Castheat.
Thanks again,
Beavers
We have the VC Aspen and love everything about it except what it cost. But you get what you pay for. ;D
Whatever wood stove (or other fuel) you choose, don't fail to get a good carbon monoxide and smoke detector----I got some CO poisoning in a tent once----a horrible experience I was very lucky to survive.
Super advise!! And if it's a battery powered job DO change the batteries spring and fall.
Quote from: rwanders on August 21, 2009, 01:35:05 AM
;D It's always interesting how people who have no experience in Alaska react to life here-----I have been here 42 years and have lived in every situation from tents and rude log cabins to very nice "suburban" homes. Alaska is not something that can be easily described or easily forgotten once you have lived it. Good luck!!
Heck, I live here and still get surprised at some of the things that I see. Saturday night at the lodge a guy walked around with his laptop and .... made me blush.... You just never know what will happen.
I am still amazed that there aren't more people getting hurt or worse when working in the bush.
Your place looks great. I would bet that you have some nice views from the top floor!!! Post some pics as the season goes farther. I am near Glennallen and the trees and tundra are starting to turn.
east side
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/eastside.jpg)
moving on to the third (south) side
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/southside.jpg)
Here Eli is putting grace vycor on the sliding glass door leading from the master bedroom onto the soon 2 b deck.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/glassdoor.jpg)
more progress
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/southside2.jpg)
Pump jacks are down from the south side, On to the north side.....
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/northsidetyvek.jpg)
Nice build. Looking forward to that deck.
Well, we got the metal up on the roof finally. (https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01046.jpg)We still need to get the gable trim and the ridge cap on though. (https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01049.jpg)Just as well, we'll need to get up there just to put up the stove pipe. My (this is Jane) dad paid for a woodstove for us as an early Christmas present for us which was VERY nice of him. We got a Vermont Castings REsolute that we found on Craigslist.(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01053.jpg) There are a couple of issues with it, primarily, I am concerned about the damper "ear" which gets loose and falls away when you close the damper. I have tried using some high temp wood stove cement but I'm not sure how that will hold up. I've also cleaned it up quite a bit and repainted it. I need to get some gaskets. I think that I might have to order a gasket kit on-line though because they look a bit thinner than the thinnest I can buy here in town.
Great Pictures! I had a Resolute and loved it. I did have to get replacement gasket kit. I ended up buying it from a store here in Ohio. Lehmens Hardware. I also had to buy the piece where the secondary smoke burns, I can not remember what it was called ??? The reason i needed to replace it was because i burned it to hot. My fault.
we had a smaller house at the time and burned it from December to March without turning on the electric heat. It was great and oh how i miss it.
Looking forward to continuing to see your progress.
Quote from: rwanders on August 24, 2009, 09:46:40 PM
Whatever wood stove (or other fuel) you choose, don't fail to get a good carbon monoxide and smoke detector----I got some CO poisoning in a tent once----a horrible experience I was very lucky to survive.
I am a big advocate of the CO detector these days. When I first bought my cabin, I decided to make an upgrade from headlamp to propane lights They really were wonderful for the most part. Provided a fair amount of heat in addition to light but I found myself feeling odd and borrowed a friends CO detector and discovered that I was regularly exposing myself to deadly amounts.
Scary indeed.
I think im going to pick up one of those detectors too. Good advice.
One thing to remember about CO detectors is that they do not have as long a service life as smoke detectors. Five years is given as the maximum today. The newest models will have an end of life indicator.
According to Consumer Reports there are also sometimes great differences in how well they detect CO at differing levels. Todays models are generally better than those from 5+ years ago. So, another reason to buy a new model if yours is older, like mine.
I ordered a couple new ones today.
We have been spending the dark chilly winter in our little cabin, planning the wood stove installation and just basically keeping warm. We are going to get an energy rating on the house for the Alaska Home Finance Corporation (AHFC)'s Energy Rebate program. If you build a 5 star energy efficient home, they will rebate up to $7500 of the expenses. That is going to happen in February. Meanwhile, I (Jane) just started a Kindergarten teaching job and have been more exhausted than ever before at the end of the day. This however, will give us a boost in income to help us finish the house.
I HAD to share this video with you all though. About a mile from our home, someone put a motion sensor camera on a moose carcass back in October. The footage is amazing. You'll see the plethora of animals that surround our home. Moose, bears, lynx,coyotes , wolves. Oh my!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l6XBr__DdI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l6XBr__DdI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l6XBr__DdI
Awesome vid. Where are you at? Our "shack" is about about 4 miles north of Anchor Point off Tall Trees.
Wildcottonroad, we are on the Homer hillside area.
SO, I recently decided to go ahead and do the Alaska Home Finance Corporation's Energy REbate program. I contacted and energy inspector to come and check out what we've done and give us a speculated rating based on our plans. GOing with a spray foam insulation in the walls and cellulose in the roof, we will have a 5 star plus home. So, going with the rebate program, we should be able to recoup $7,500 of our building costs in the form of a rebate after our house is done and a blower door test is done. BUT! After I paid our energy inspector a big ol chunk of change, I was informed that to partake in the NEW HOME rebate program, we would have to have had inspections done since the time of foundation pouring. I was informed by two inspectors that we aren't supposed to build on concrete pilings without consulting an engineer. UG!!!!!
That's a shame about the concrete pilings. Have you tried to get the blessing on the pilings from any engineers? We love the Anchor Point/Homer area and go camping/fishing there every summer. I want to build a nice log cabin down there after I finish building our new house.
Tim
Hi Tim. Glad to see anohter Homerite on here. :D We have not talked to any engineers. We just kinda decided that was cost ineffective and moved on but I may (if I find some time) do so....
At any rate, after a 7 month long winter, we finally got back to work on the house. Eli framed in all the interior walls which will provide more shear strength. We now also have a closet framed in upstairs and the bedroom. Between the bedroom and the stairs there is a little nook which I will be using as a little office nook with some built in shelves in the knee wall.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/Picture025.jpg)
We also rented some scaffolding and got back to work on the stovepipe.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01522.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01520.jpg)
We now have one three ft. section and the chimney cap left to install once we get the roof support straps.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01531.jpg)
We had our first fire in the woodstove though and it worked wonderfully. We're going to have to get used to the steps of which levers to pull when but it was amazing how fast the griddle got hot and then we were able to lift the griddle and add more wood. So cool! Or, should I saw, so WARM?!
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01525.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01528.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/DSC01523.jpg)
I still cannot even got to my cabin. It snowed again today. The lake is still froze but not safe unless you have an airboat or hovercraft. What are you using for siding? I am still fighting with ideas.
We might not post much these days but we are doing some projects when we find the time and money. We have been working on the skirting most recently. Here are some pictures of that.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/July2010058.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/July2010069.jpg)
From under the house
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/July2010073.jpg)
Now we are trying to figure out how we will extend the skirting to the ground. We get a lot of heaving here so it has to be able to move without buckling or slamming into the house. We are thinking about something that slides up and down. I would like to have metal roofing down at ground level but don't want it to get all smashed up. We are also considering some cinder blocks on the South side (the highest gap under the house).
Could you use the same principles as a dock on the water? Where your skirting is allowed to travel up and down with the heave. The kink in the system is if the pipe/rails heave with the ground vs hold fast.
Quote from: soomb on August 26, 2010, 06:47:35 AM
Could you use the same principles as a dock on the water? Where your skirting is allowed to travel up and down with the heave. The kink in the system is if the pipe/rails heave with the ground vs hold fast.
Interesting idea soomb.
We are thinking about having two layers of skirting essentially. One is higher off the ground and fastened tight to the house sheathing (plywood) and other boards behind the sheathing. Then, actually touching the ground would be more skirting (perhaps attached to a movable piece of plywood). The skirting will likely be metal roofing BTW. This skiting would be able to move up and down with the heaving ground by using loosely tightened bolts in vertical slits. I'm not sure if this description makes sense. But, that is what my brain allowed me to put together this Saturday morning. c*
I appreciate your input.
You may be able to dig a 1' deep trench around the perimeter. Secure the metal skirting to the building and allow it to extend into the trench holding it above the bottom of the trench a bit. Backfill the trench with pea gravel or drain rock. This should allow the ground to heave without coming into direct contact with the skirting. ???
Just a thought..
Why not just use a stationary piece of metal roofing or corrogated secured to the house by a 2X framework leaving it 6" from the ground. Then use another piece of l;ike kind slotted with fastners attached to the stationary piece. That way if it does heave the bottom piece will slide up over the stationary piece. Then when it settles again it will drop back to the ground level until next winter.
Its been several months since we've posted on here. In part its because we were paused in our process while we saved up the $$ to do spray foam insulation on the first floor. Once that was done, we started moving along at a great pace again; expecially with the days as long as they are now!
We got all the sheetrocking done on the 1st floor including mudding and taping. Eli did a bit of texture on the lid and walls.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/May2011146.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/May2011235.jpg)
We chose "Naturally Calm"(tan) for the ceiling and "Japanese Koi" (yellow) for the walls. Those bight warm walls will help us keep our spirits up through the long dark winters.
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/May2011255.jpg)
(https://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/janemdunn/May2011251.jpg)
I really love the way that these colors bring out the natural tones in the log and beams.
Looks great,
really like the colors!!
[cool]
another great project to follow!
Questions about your blog... how has it been keeping that blog and keeping this thread going? im tempted to blog about what I do too... but am not all that excited about the redundant work - so that makes me shy away from the blog.
Also, I see you have some ads on it.. how are those working out for you? Making much from it?
Duncan
To echo the words of your excavator...you do professional work!
Question...It appears you used drywall returns on your windows...have you experienced any condensation damage where drywall contacts window frame? Do you plan to use any casing trim on doors?
Quote from: duncanshannon on June 04, 2011, 09:19:55 AM
[cool]
another great project to follow!
Questions about your blog... how has it been keeping that blog and keeping this thread going? im tempted to blog about what I do too... but am not all that excited about the redundant work - so that makes me shy away from the blog.
Also, I see you have some ads on it.. how are those working out for you? Making much from it?
Duncan
Duncan,
I started the blog as a way to share with family and friends. It only became redundant for me after getting into Facebook because I was posting pics on there too. Perhaps I should just stop that. W/R to the ads, we haven't yet recieved a check because my proceeds from ads is still only about $40 from the beginning of the site. I think that if I was more diligent in posting regularly, I'd get more hits on there and more ad revenue as well. BUt, it just hasn't been a priority. Its free to host a blog on google though. So, I figure no harm no foul. Might as well. Good luck!
-Jane (Mountainmomma)
Quote from: Danfish on June 04, 2011, 10:15:50 AM
To echo the words of your excavator...you do professional work!
Question...It appears you used drywall returns on your windows...have you experienced any condensation damage where drywall contacts window frame? Do you plan to use any casing trim on doors?
Thanks for the compliment DanFish! Very kind of you. :)
I will ask Eli about the window question. We will be caulking between the window and the sheetrock today though.
We will be doing trim around the doors.
This weekend, we are going to be busy installing the rest of the lights and electricl outlets on the first floor and then moving stuff out of the 2nd floor to prepare for spray foam insulation upstairs! ;D
Thanks again!
-Jane (Mountainmomma)
Its been an insanely long time since i have posted anything on here. Sorry about that. We got super busy. I had been working on my master's degree and we'd been working really hard to get moved into the house before we got too deep into the winter.
We began a habit of sleeping in the house on Fridays and/or Saturdays but it was tedious because we didn't have any of our things in the house and had to go back to the cabin to cook and live. Finally, after getting carpeting installed in the bedroom, we got things rolling and we moved in during Thanksgiving weekend. We had our parents up for a feast the following weekend.
Its been amazing to finally be in here. It stays so much warmer even in the sub zero weather that we've been having.
Its also amazing to have a drain pipe for our gray (sink) water so that, for the first time in nearly 10 years, I don't have to empty a bucket after I do the dishes. We are still hauling water though and have a couple of small containers on the counter (perched over the sink) to provide water with the flick of a lever.
I am very anxious to get our composting toilet installed. Its become even more pressing in that I am now nearly 8 months pregnant. :)
Perhaps you can help us with something. We acquired an Envirolet low water system from a friend that has a large storage unit. The storage/composting unit will be under the house in our giant, heated/insulated crawl space. We're supposed to install a liquid overflow tube. It's meant to go into a cess pit outside the house lined with gravel and whatnot. This time of year, however, there is no digging a hole in the ground and we don't really want to have it run on top of the earth as this is not just urine liquid. Its been advised that before making a solid deposit, we pour a little water in to aid in flushing everything. Normally, it'd be hooked up to water but we aren't at that point yet.
My temporary solution for the winter is to have a container for the overflow to run into which stays beside the composting unit and will be emptied manually from time to time. Any advice of what kind of container to use or how much liquid we should plan to contain for two adults?
look into sawdust toilet. It cost almost nothing to make , works insanely good. We used when in our travel trailer last year. 5 gallon bucket ....do your thing...cover with sawdust. Does not require emptying until full. Never smelled.
nice project too :)
edit to add: sorry I might have mis read what you were looking to do..if not then hope the above is helpful :)
:) How exciting for both of you expecting the birth of your child! Congratulations bigtime!
Average urine output for adults is 1500-1600 ml/per day or roughly 2 Quarts. I believe I live right down the hill from you near the hospital. I do have a copy of the Humanure Handbook and also a book on Septic Systems if you would like to borrow them. Shoot me an email and I will give you my phone # if you want. I don't have studded tires and I know my car will not make it up the hills at least until spring!
We still havent built anything except a storage shed on our property out the East End...sigh.
Again congratulations on your pregnancy! :)
I am not familiar with the envirolet line.
I have reviewed much of the SunMar line, so much of this is for that, but hopefully it can translate. If it is a heated A/C composter, the overflow is largely not needed. The heat and fans can evaporate most of the liquid. The material I read has the option of connecting the line to a tank to be emptied elsewhere (any public toilet or camp ground). The fluid amount shouldn't be great. From Freezengirls post, two adults a day of 1 gallon urine. The low flow toilets are 1/2 gallon flush, so another gallon. The composter needs some water to work, and the fans should take care of most of the rest. The central units are usually larger and should also be able to handle two people easier.
I would insulate and heat the unit. It needs to be 55-60 degrees to even work. As long as everything is installed properly there shouldn't be much liquid overflow liquid if at all. It is more of a backup.