Living Cube cabin design by Lester Walker

[ChrisH]

Hello all,

I built an 12x14 cabin last year (this site and forum are a fantastic source of information) but ended up moving out of the area, probably never to return. I don't recommend building on a friend's land, it is just a matter of time before the relationship sours.

I've been messing around with cabin ideas again, mostly because my Dad is thinking about inviting WOOFERS (volunteer farm labor, short to long term) to stay on his land and help out in the gardens and with the animals. Living in a tent long term can be annoying, so I proposed we look at cheap sleeping cabin ideas. I would like to try something different from the normal stud wall construction on piers. We may go with cob or straw-bale or who knows what, but I have another idea I'm kicking around first.

In his excellent coffee table cabin book "A Little House of My Own" Lester Walker features his so called "living cube" cabin design, 64 square feet with a modular design that allows cabin to be built off-site, trucked in and quickly assembled. The non-load bearing wall modules can also be swapped out to change with the seasons. This may remind some of you of the Bolt Together House by Jeff Milstein but with a much simpler and smaller design.

The actual plans for the living cube cabin appeared in the July 1974 issue of Popular Science (volume 205, page 84-87). Most every library will have it on micro-film. Since the plans are not available for purchase, I took the liberty of scanning the article and putting it online as a PDF: http://www.anymouse.org/LivingCube.pdf

The cabin is an 8x8 cube with a shed roof with posts sitting straight on the ground for mobility (both from site to site and from vertical to horizontal in the unlucky event of frost heave or an earthquake).   

The modular walls sandwich T1-11 siding on the outside, 1/2" plywood on the interior and 2x2s and 2x4s between. The four corners are 4x4x12s bolted to floor and roof beams made from  3/4" plywood with 2x2 lips to support the floor and roof modules. 2" thick walls don't leave much room for insulation -- maybe 1.5" of foam = R6 in the walls, plus R13 fiberglass in the floor and roof. On the other hand, you can probably heat 64 square feet with a bic lighter.

I think the use of T1-11 and a lot plywood is very 1970s and might look kind of cheap and ratty today, but probably with a good paint job it would be quite nice. The pictures in A Little House of My Own certainly make it look delightful. Real board and batton would look better, but be more expensive.

64 square feet is really quite small, but with a desk under a lofted bed and a tiny little camping sink / cutting board and a camping stove I think the design could make a great little writing/coding cabin in the woods or housing for one or two volunteers. You would of course need outside toilet facilities.

Using the parts list provided I priced out the lumber at around $500 not including such things as doors, nails, roofing, etc. The ability to take it down and move it around depending on the season and need is a great draw for me.

Any comments? Anyone seen this design built or done something similar?

Chris H.

(edited to add link to plans here: http://www.anymouse.org/LivingCube.pdf )

[Homesick Gypsy]

Hi Chris,

Sounds neat.  You might check out references to Micro House and also the H.E.L.P. house by m-finity.  Or search for refugee housing, as in Katrina refugees.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[glenn kangiser]

I have considered doing something like it for storage sheds but never seem to get quite that far.  I was considering instant setup with walls roof etc. that would just set up and pin together with a small truck crane or possibly a couple people.

[ChrisH]

If you go to the Amazon.com page for the book A Little House of My Own (http://www.amazon.com/Little-House-My-Own-Designs/dp/1579121519) you can use the Search Inside feature to actually read the entire 4 page chapter on the Cube House including a drawings and a picture. It starts on page 128.

Chris H.

[kyounge1956]

I am new to the group and looking for two other plans that were in Lester Walker's books, the Tent House and the Summer House, both designed by Jeffrey Milstein (who also designed the Bolt-Together House). Does anyone know a source for these plans? The book says the Tent House was in Popular Science but doesn't say when. Unfortunately the book doesn't give the date of publication and I've been unable to find it using the periodical indexes at my local library. The Summer House was in Family Circle in 1980 but unfortunately the library only has it back to 1987. If you know a source for the plans, or can give me a more specific date of publication, I'd appreciate it a lot. TIA

Karen
P.S. I'm also interested in plans for other buildings using the same technique--prebuild the panels and then assemble them at the building site.

[MountainDon]

  Karen.

I don't know of any sources for what you're after. Maybe someone will have some info/ideas.

One thing to remember a lot of the older plans will no longer be buildable if present day building codes have to be observed. That's not meant to discourage you, just information.

One of our members is designing a panelized 16 x 24 cabin. We're all watching and waiting.

[Homesick Gypsy]

Is the Summer House you're referring to the long narrow house with built in bunks in the 2nd bedroom that each have a bubble window at the head?

[rwanders]

You may find this site interesting

http://www.globalportablebuildings.com/Portable Storage.html

[kyounge1956]

My thought was that the Bolt-together or Summer House are small enough that they don't need to meet code. I am looking for a possible learning project/temporary quarters while building the "real" house. The Summer House particularly is intended not to need power or water hookups so it might be especially suitable for the purpose. I would not want to live in such a small space permanently.

What thread would I look at for info on the panelized 16 x 24 cabin, or general info on panelized construction with owner-built panels? I've tried to think of ways to search the web for this info but when I search for "prefab" or "panelized" get links to factory-made panels.

thanks,
Karen

Karen.

I don't know of any sources for what you're after. Maybe someone will have some info/ideas.

One thing to remember a lot of the older plans will no longer be buildable if present day building codes have to be observed. That's not meant to discourage you, just information.

One of our members is designing a panelized 16 x 24 cabin. We're all watching and waiting.

[kyounge1956]

No, that doesn't sound like it. The Summer House is a 10' x 10' foot building. with two loft beds. The diagrams in the Walker book show optional skylights but they are not bubble shaped nor over the head of the bed.

IIRC the Tent House has bubble-shaped windows in the end walls.

Karen

Is the Summer House you're referring to the long narrow house with built in bunks in the 2nd bedroom that each have a bubble window at the head?

[MountainDon]

kyounge1956, the 16x24 panelized does not have a thread yet. I'm sure when Frank gets to where he's cutting wood, he'll start one. User name is NM_Shooter.

As for small and temporary buildings... it depends a lot on your local authorities. There are some places that may turn a blind eye and some that will not. A lot will depend on how visible your place and small building is. My mountain place for example is well off the beaten track, well treed, up and over a hill from the locked gate....

I believe you might find that even places that don't require a permit to build a small shed, 100 sq ft, 120 sq ft, or even more, still frown on living in them even temporarily. Some may frown more deeply than others. Not always but sometimes.

Now this is just my thoughts. If you want to practice on something small before tackling something larger, maybe the construction method should be the same.    A small building need not be difficult. Have you seen John's 10x14 Little House that he and his son built?

[kyounge1956]

MountainDon,
I just looked at the little cabin. It is similar in many ways to one that appeared in The Mother Earth News a couple of years ago, and I think the gable-roofed version would be even closer.

I don't know how practical it would be to do a practice building in the method I want to use for the "real" house, which I plan to build with straw bales. Due to the thickness of the walls I don't know how small you can go with that method and still end up with a usable building. I don't mind giving up a good chunk of floor area to get high insulation value and deep windowsills in my living space, but it seems kind of wasted on an outbuilding. I will have to see if I can think of some accessory structure where it would make sense to use bale walls.

Also, there is a "magic puzzle" feeling to those panelized buildings that has just fascinated me ever since the first time I saw that book!

Can anyone give me an idea how long it would take to assemble such a building once you get it to the site? I think the Summer House has 30 pieces including the roof, floor, loft beds and door.

[MountainDon]

I don't know how practical it would be to do a practice building in the method I want to use for the "real" house, which I plan to build with straw bales.

Can anyone give me an idea how long it would take to assemble such a building once you get it to the site? I think the Summer House has 30 pieces including the roof, floor, loft beds and door.

Well, I do believe you've got me there.    I didn't realize bales were in the plan for the bigger version.  I think you're right, small straw bale buildings might not be too practical.

No idea on the time. Some folks can do amazing things in a short time with regular stick construction too. Have you see what Willy (Mark) did alone?

[ChrisH]

I do like that Summer House. For those of you who don't have this great book you can read a few pages of the chapter using Amazon's Look Inside feature: http://www.amazon.com/gp/sitbv3/reader?asin=1579121519&pageID=S03L&checkSum=hhdSqttj%20Xq/onf%20WiT9fNKAt7msKjYwhKDE6rtpRP8=

The chapter begins on page 122, search for 'Summer House' and you'll find it.

Anyway, the design does look very simple. Just 1/2" CDX plywood on 2x3 24" spaced studs built on a 10x10 post supported platform with a 45deg rolled roof. They say the windows are just stretched plastic. I can't imagine that would look at all good for more than a month or so but it is cheap and easy. No good in winter/spring/fall but with bare 1/2" plywood walls you're not building for anything but summer anyway

There is a neat picture on page 124 that really shows how much you can fit in a 10x10 space. I played around with estimating how much it would cost to build today but stopped at "not much". 16 sheets of plywood, around 50 2x3x8s, 200sqft of roll roofing, at least 4 2x6x10s, 2 treated 4x4x8s, probably 10 2x4x10s, and interior furnishings. I'm not sure how the panelized roof and floor would work. That might complicate things.   

I asked at my local library and they only keep Family Circle for three years, but it may be available via inter-library loan. The plans for Jeff Milstein's bolt together house are available on countryplans.com, I think they got those from an old original scan of the Family Circle plans. Probably someone out there in internet land bought these plans 28 years ago and has them in an attic, but really the design is so simple you could reverse engineer everything from the pictures in just a few hours.

As to the time question... I put together a panelized 8x10 shed in about an hour with a group of three other guys. The roof was more shed like and the platform was already in place, but I don't imagine it would take more than a few hours if you plan things well.

Man, now I have the cabin bug again!

[kyounge1956]

No idea on the time. Some folks can do amazing things in a short time with regular stick construction too. Have you see what Willy (Mark) did alone?

How big is Willy's cabin? It's very interesting the links you have suggested...both were in Washington State (where I also live) and one is a single-handed builder (which I will be). However, I am like the person on the thread for Willy's cabin who said he's only good for about 5 hours. I have worked a couple of days on a Habitat for Humanity house with some folks from my church, and I start to run out of steam about an hour after lunch.

[kyounge1956]

I do like that Summer House. (snip)
Anyway, the design does look very simple. Just 1/2" CDX plywood on 2x3 24" spaced studs built on a 10x10 post supported platform with a 45deg rolled roof. They say the windows are just stretched plastic. I can't imagine that would look at all good for more than a month or so but it is cheap and easy. No good in winter/spring/fall but with bare 1/2" plywood walls you're not building for anything but summer anyway

I think I can guess about how it works, except two things: how the corners fit together, and what order to assemble it in. Of course, that's the two things you absolutely have to know to actually build the thing. I just can't see enough details in the pictures in the book and was hoping there would be more photos in the magazine article that would help me figure it out, or I'd be able to find the actual plans. The text says it would be easy to add insulation and an interior facing, which I would do if I build it. That way, maybe it could be a guest room after the "real" house is finished—that will be very small and not really have an extra sleeping space in it. If I do a good enough job on it to make it a permanent guest room, I could always replace the plastic with real windows later on, couldn't I?
And another upgrade might be to replace (or simply overlay??) the roll roofing with metal panels....those ribbed ones would be very similar in appearance to the plywood plus battens of the original design. And of course to hook it up to plumbing and electricity from the main house.

There is a neat picture on page 124 that really shows how much you can fit in a 10x10 space. I played around with estimating how much it would cost to build today but stopped at "not much". 16 sheets of plywood, around 50 2x3x8s, 200sqft of roll roofing, at least 4 2x6x10s, 2 treated 4x4x8s, probably 10 2x4x10s, and interior furnishings. I'm not sure how the panelized roof and floor would work. That might complicate things.

 

The book shows pretty much the complete floor plan. If I do build it I think I would make it 10 x 12 rather than the original square layout. I believe all that would be required would be to make the small panels at the center of each side wall a full 4 sheet of plywood instead of only half a sheet as in the original. I think the extra two feet of length would allow the 2 x 3 foot toilet cubicle to become a shower (i.e. the whole room is a shower). If you look at the photos—the one with the proud owner standing on a platform on top of the roof—it shows what looks like a hand held shower on the deck in front of one of the windows. I definitely want an indoor shower, even if it's only a hand held spray and a tin washtub to stand in.

Also I think the kitchen would work better running along the end wall of the house than parallel to the side. The original design only gives 2 feet of standing room between the counter and the ladder, which is mighty tight. As for that ladder, I'd probably sleep on the built-in (or purchased) couch downstairs and use the lofts for storage, and it just occurred to me to wonder whether it would be possible to make that ladder swing up parallel to the floor when not in use. That would free up a little more floor space, and at 10 x 10 or 10 x 12, you need all the help you can get.

As near as I can tell from the pictures, the floor panels are simply rectangles. I think the wood framing is set in from the edge of the plywood so it sits inside the rim of the deck, and the edge of the plywood is flush with the outer edge of the square rim of the deck. I believe there may be a lip inside the deck rim which supports the panels. It wouldn't be difficult to add insulation to the floor panels. I also think the listing of panels is incomplete. If I understand the drawing right, there should be four 6" x 8' panels for the roof overhangs at the front and back of the building (not two as listed), and the porch roof which is supported by the ornamental brackets on the front of the house is also not included.

I'm not sure if the roof is actually made of panels. In one photo the roof rafters are clearly visible, and they are pairs of 2 x 6's or possibly 2 x 8's, joined with a plywood gusset at the top. It may be that the roof is just plain sheets of plywood fastened to these rafters. Or it may be that the rafters are attached to the roof panels, and the plywood gussets added to fasten the two sides together once the roof panels are in place. It might be tricky to add insulation to the roof if it's just sheets of plywood. But after all, how much heat could a 10 x 12 building need, even if completely uninsulated?

continued...

[kyounge1956]

I asked at my local library and they only keep Family Circle for three years, but it may be available via inter-library loan. The plans for Jeff Milstein's bolt together house are available on countryplans.com, I think they got those from an old original scan of the Family Circle plans. Probably someone out there in internet land bought these plans 28 years ago and has them in an attic, but really the design is so simple you could reverse engineer everything from the pictures in just a few hours.

I can get Family Circle via interlibrary loan, I just need to put in a request. I thought I might find out what I want to know faster by asking here. I fear the only way I will find the Tent House is to sit down with the bound volumes of Popular Science and keep reading until I find it. Fortunately the library has them back into the 60's and earlier. (I found out in my researches that Jeff Milstein graduated from UC in 1968 so that's as far back as I need them). Unfortunately, they don't appear to be indexed at all.

continued from previous comment...

As to the time question... I put together a panelized 8x10 shed in about an hour with a group of three other guys. The roof was more shed like and the platform was already in place, but I don't imagine it would take more than a few hours if you plan things well.

Man, now I have the cabin bug again!

OK, I was guessing a it would take longer than an 8 hour day (which would only allow 16 minutes per panel). Maybe two or three days, and I'd need get someone to help with the heavy lifting.

thanks,
Karen

[Robbo]

I think there is a reason why we moved out of caves (small, damp, uncomfortable etc) and moved past tiny cabins (cramped, marginally less damp, marginally more comfortable etc) and that house sizes have evolved upwards. 

Tiny cabins like this one are an interesting intellectual exercise - with a certain amout of abstraction needed- but they do not, to my mind represent a viable alternative - even to WOOFERS - to a point where all reasonable needs and desires for comfort and facility can be met in to a reasonable degree.

I am also considering having woofers on my farmland in SW New South Wales, Australia. However, I could not ask them to live in a cabin the size of a good sized outside shi**er.

Just my opinion.

Robbo

[John_C]

reason why we moved out of caves (small, damp, uncomfortable etc)

You & Glenn need to talk

[glenn kangiser]

Robbo, we have moved out of caves? 

I don't think so, Robbo.

The world is too scary for us to move out from the comforting bosom of mother earth.

As I sit here typing, under the surface of the earth, roses, parsnips and swedes grow aimlessly toward the sky overhead. 

How could I leave this for a flimsy above ground crackerbox just waiting for a forest fire or strong wind to destroy what I have so feebly nailed together with tiny pieces of wire and sticks, covered inside with a thin layer of gypsum sandwiched between cardboard and paper?

Covered outside with a layer of cement and paper fiber board, plastic and dioxin, or concrete is better than the soil held together firmly with the roots of majestic trees and gentle flowers?

A thin layer of tar sprinkled with sand is superior roofing to a fine garden filled with flowers, wildlife and food?   

Chemical filled modern surface treatments and health damaging substances, silently oozing invisible toxic fumes from glued pressed waste wood board, foisted on the homeowners by large corporation lobbyist and the industry complicit government  would slowly suck the life out of my family-- so subtly that they didn't even notice until they mysteriously develop respiratory problems and begin growing mysterious cancers.

No... I think I'll just stay down here below the unsafe outside world  until the end of my life.

The folks in Coober Pedy have it right, Robbo.   

 

Just yanking your chain, Robbo and anyone else I may have offended. 

I have been a surface dweller before.  Continue if you must.

[John_C]

   C'mon tell him what you really think

[kyounge1956]

Two thoughts
#1 64 square feet is smaller than my office cubicle. For work which requires only a pad of paper and a pen, or a desk and computer, it might be adequate—barely. If any other items are needed, I think the space would be too small to work in.
#2 It's a cube. The pdf shows a dimension of 7'1" from the top of floor to the bottom of the ceiling. That's way too low for any kind of loft. I think the occupant would have three options: sleep on the floor, sleep on the desk/table, or sleep on the roof. But with this sort of construction I'm not sure you could climb onto the roof without tipping it over. Sleeping on the desk would require removal and storage (where??) of all work items, every night (what a pain in the neck!), and I think if there is a desk and a chair, the only unobstructed floor space big enough to lie down in would be under the desk.

It sounds pretty uncomfortable to me for just one person and completely impracticable for two. I don't know whether it would be feasible to enlarge it to 12' x 12' x 8  (3 panels per side) or even a 12' cube, but I think either that or two cubes per person (one to work, one to sleep) would be about a minimum. IMO it would be a bit much to expect people to work for free and live in something the size of a large packing crate and cook their own meals! I sure wouldn't volunteer in those conditions! Maybe a circle of these around a central facility with toilets, showers, laundry facilities and home cooking 3x a day would be more reasonable.

And I'd only consider it in the summer or a very mild climate (which may be all you need it for). I can't read the dimension on the section view of the solid panel, but ISTM it would be impossible to insulate the full width of the panel due to the solid vertical pieces at each edge, and also I think impossible to insulate the joint between the panels, which is just a strip of wood bolted over the edges of both. Maybe it would be possible to put some weatherstripping in the joints but otherwise I bet it would be pretty drafty.

Karen

Hello all,

(big snip)
In his excellent coffee table cabin book "A Little House of My Own" Lester Walker features his so called "living cube" cabin design, 64 square feet with a modular design (snip)
The cabin is an 8x8 cube with a shed roof with posts sitting straight on the ground for mobility (both from site to site and from vertical to horizontal in the unlucky event of frost heave or an earthquake).   (snip)

64 square feet is really quite small, but with a desk under a lofted bed and a tiny little camping sink / cutting board and a camping stove I think the design could make a great little writing/coding cabin in the woods or housing for one or two volunteers. You would of course need outside toilet facilities.

Using the parts list provided I priced out the lumber at around $500 not including such things as doors, nails, roofing, etc. The ability to take it down and move it around depending on the season and need is a great draw for me.

Any comments? Anyone seen this design built or done something similar?

Chris H.

[Robbo]

Robbo, we have moved out of caves? 

I don't think so, Robbo.

The world is too scary for us to move out from the comforting bosom of mother earth.

As I sit here typing, under the surface of the earth, roses, parsnips and swedes grow aimlessly toward the sky overhead. 

How could I leave this for a flimsy above ground crackerbox just waiting for a forest fire or strong wind to destroy what I have so feebly nailed together with tiny pieces of wire and sticks, covered inside with a thin layer of gypsum sandwiched between cardboard and paper?

Covered outside with a layer of cement and paper fiber board, plastic and dioxin, or concrete is better than the soil held together firmly with the roots of majestic trees and gentle flowers?

A thin layer of tar sprinkled with sand is superior roofing to a fine garden filled with flowers, wildlife and food?   

Chemical filled modern surface treatments and health damaging substances, silently oozing invisible toxic fumes from glued pressed waste wood board, foisted on the homeowners by large corporation lobbyist and the industry complicit government  would slowly suck the life out of my family-- so subtly that they didn't even notice until they mysteriously develop respiratory problems and begin growing mysterious cancers.

No... I think I'll just stay down here below the unsafe outside world  until the end of my life.

The folks in Coober Pedy have it right, Robbo.   

 

Just yanking your chain, Robbo and anyone else I may have offended. 

I have been a surface dweller before.  Continue if you must.

Clearly there are caves ...   and there are CAVES!!!!!  I know nought of yours, but as hobbit holes go, it sounds very attractive as descibed.  But I do know a bit about Coober Pedy and accept that there is a lot to recommend what often are very substantial dwellings built underground - esspecially in their climate.  But this is not what I was referring to in my earlier post as I am sure you know.

I now of several achitects who spend a lot of time fooling around with micro-desigs for dwellings but they are the first to admit that alothugh they may have some uses - such as in emergency situations etc, they are completely impractical as an ongoing proposition.

Best Wishes

Robbo

[John_C]

Glenn,

I had never heard of Coober Pedy but it certainly sound like your kind of place.. have you been there?


From Wikipedia

Interesting attractions in Coober Pedy include the mines, the graveyard, and the underground churches. The first tree ever seen in the town was welded together from scrap iron. It still sits on a hilltop overlooking the town. The local golf course - mostly played at night with glowing balls, to avoid daytime temperatures - is completely free of grass and golfers take a small piece of "turf" around to use for teeing off. As a result correspondence between the two clubs the Coober Pedy golf club is the only club in the world to enjoy reciprocal rights at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

It sounds like these folks know how to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. I bet they have an underground pub or two.

[Willy]

No idea on the time. Some folks can do amazing things in a short time with regular stick construction too. Have you see what Willy (Mark) did alone?

How big is Willy's cabin? It's very interesting the links you have suggested...both were in Washington State (where I also live) and one is a single-handed builder (which I will be). However, I am like the person on the thread for Willy's cabin who said he's only good for about 5 hours. I have worked a couple of days on a Habitat for Humanity house with some folks from my church, and I start to run out of steam about an hour after lunch.

My cabin is pushing 600 sq ft now. Day 20 and the roof metal goes on soon. I just finished the decks today. Mark