New here & looking for input while I am in the planning stages of my cabin

[jimconnors]

Greetings!

I have been a long (5 years? maybe) lookee-lou admirer of the CountryPlans - specifically the very first tiny cabin.  I'm impressed but not surprised at the following that has grown since.

I am looking to get serious about planning/designing and finally building a cabin on 40+ acres of timberland I bought fiver years ago.  I have camped with a tent for the last five years when hunting, but my goals are a bit more than that.

Some background...

The Land:  40 acres of timberland in far northeast Texas - Southwest corner of Clarksville, TX (Red River County).  The property is a large rectangle, roughly 600 ft wide of road frontage running east/west by 2,900 feet deep north/south.  The soil is sandy river washout combined with streaks of red dirt throughout.  The average rainfall is ~43 inches a years, avg high of 93f in july (and 100% humidity!  ) and avg low of 29 in january.  There is power to the property (a pole with a dual outlet on it).  There is no water, and a well would cost approximately $10-15k dollars to drill.  Water table is roughly 350-400 ft deep.  Plan is to gather rain and store with a 1000-1500 gal cistern.

The Goals:  For the short term, I want a cabin that is large enough for myself and my wife to be able to live comfortably for a week at a time there.  This basically means simple services - Some sort of shower, toilet, heating and cooling in an enclosed space.  Further down the road, I would also like to be able to work from there a few days a week & full time during the hunting season.  I work from home as it is, so whether I do it from here in Dallas or there in the sticks, its transparent to the boss-folk  .
I would like to be able to add to the building in the future; I mention this as I don't know how that affects decision making on the foundation (post/pier, block piers, footing, slab etc).

The Question Marks:  Questions Marks are stubborn things for me.  I don't jump into projects until I really have the entire project worked out in my head and on paper.  This drives my wife nuts as I work re-work and re-work plans to death; she'd rather jump in and figure it out on the fly.

So my questions/concerns that I was hoping that you all could help to clear up...

• Foundation style... a slab would be ideal for me I would think... the challenge is that this is god's country.  8 miles away there is a diesel station; it carries ammo, hoho's, deer corn, salt licks and thats about it.  Next closest store with a better selection is Walmart, 30+ miles away.  The quotes from concrete companies that I have gotten for just the concrete delivered average 2 - 2.5 x that which it would be here in Dallas, TX.  Reason being that they would be coming from 50+ miles or more away and there's 8 miles of dirt road to cross that they say they have gotten a truck stuck in before.  Post and pier seems like an option, but I'm not sure about depth, height, spacing etc as well as whether to do a fully dry post (no poured concrete) or with poured footings.  I like the solidity that concrete provides, but i have no running water, and I dont know how much water I would have to lug up to the site (150 miles).  My bud has a water tank trailer, but I dont know if it will be enough.  I grew up in the northeast, so I know about the frost lines etc - but not sure what it is around here.  Plus I want this place to last - I'm 31 and I would love to be sitting on the front porch eyeballing bucks and wild hog with my .270 across my lap for another 50 years if possible.
• Which plans to buy?  Seems like a silly question, but I'm not an architect and although I have my favorites, and reading/looking at the builder modifications helps, I cringe at spending $10 much less a couple hundred on anything I may not use!  I'm a born & bred connecticut yankee and we are notoriously cheap
• Other considerations - I want to make sure I don't make future plans impossible or tough.  These include things like solar panels on the south facing roofline to supplement the power and feed back into the grid; possibly even a windpower unit or two - there always seems to be wind blowing around there.  Initially, I think a cistern collecting rainwater off the roof will be my water source, but I'm not sure what would be an appropriate sewage option.  There is no 'city sewer' so I assume septic, but I am ignorant in this area as to options.  I'd like to eventually include water filtering to ensure 100% potable drinking water, likely stored in a second cistern unless the filter can handle real-time inline service.  The electrical equipment, water filtering, pump, cistern(s), all seems to me to require an outbuilding/shed and some of the space in the building itself.

To start, I think one of the 16 x 24 1.5 story buildings will be sufficient.  In the future, adding additional rooms with a side kick-off is likely as we add little ones to the family.  Also, this will be one of a few buildings/units - a Barn or one of the 20 foot hi-cube storage containers to store my tractor, 4 wheeler and other odds and ends will be there.  A cool box, 10 x 10 or so with a concrete pad to gut quarter and process game and then hang and dry age will eventually find its way onto the property as well.

So, hopefully I have painted you a decent picture if what I am hoping for, and those of you out there with those helpful tidbits of info can toss a few words down to help me out.  My real focus right now is the foundation - its been the biggest stopping point for me, and once I have even a platform to build on, I have done enough framing before that i could get 4 walls and a roof up solo in a few days.

I have ample funding for the project, and although I want to do this right the first time, like I said, I'm cheap  .  So shoot!  Fire away, I am hoping to glean as much from your lessons learned as possible!

Thanks!

Jim

[John_M]

Hello there and welcome to the site!!  Sounds like you already have things well planned out.  That is important and makes the build much easier!

As far as answering your questions, a lot may depend on building inspectors and codes that you may have to follow.  That often dictates what you can and cannot do.  Some people like to say "the hell with the building inspector", but I am one who has always kept a positive relationship with them and it has made my build much more enjoyable.

All foundations have positives and negatives.  A concrete slab would require precise planning, because plumbing will have to go in ahead of time (before the slab is poured).

Many, many homes have been built with pier foundations and have lasted a long time.  Factors that might affect the decision might be slope of the land, water and type of soil.  I don't think you have much to worry about as far as a frost line in Texas, so a post and pier would probably do you well and be much more economical as well.

Many others will have lots more information to share.  Just remember, everyone has an opinion, you often need to decide what is best for you!

Good luck!
F

[Squirl]

I'm from the northeast to, but I will try to answer your questions.  You will not have much of a frost depth.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL148/1822929/21448713/376155177.jpg
It looks like it would be 5-10".  You could probably get away with concrete pavers and blocks from the local big box store.  I'm jealous that you don't need to mix a lot of concrete or hire a truck to build.
http://www.jshow.com/y2k/listings/6.html

On size, I would go for the 14x24 or 16' wide Victoria's cottage. Space for a sleeping loft, bathroom with shower, small kitchen, and living area seem to be necessities for many woman in my life. If you build them with 10' high walls you can easily add a shed roof addition later.  

If are not in a city, solar panels can also easily be placed on a post or shed.  The roof does not have to face south.

I will try and supplement my answers when I have some more time.

[jimconnors]

As far as answering your questions, a lot may depend on building inspectors and codes that you may have to follow.  That often dictates what you can and cannot do.  Some people like to say "the hell with the building inspector", but I am one who has always kept a positive relationship with them and it has made my build much more enjoyable.

You know thats a good point... I had been told (and judging by some of the shacks up there I tend to believe it) that there is no real code requirements out where I am.  Its basically unincorporated timberland that falls under the county seat.  I should probably call the county clerks office though to ensure thats the case before I start rocking out a foundation.

Jim

[rocking23nf]

the cabin we bought and are now renovating has a pier foundation, it was built in the 60s and the piers are still in perfect shape, a few have sunk a bit over the years but nothing a little jacking doesnt fix.

[Squirl]

A few more thoughts I had.

On rainfall.  If you build a 14x24 house you would have  336 sq. ft. of catchment area, or 48384 sq. in. of catchment area x 43 inches of rainfall would give you 2080512 cu. in. of water.  At 231 cu. in. per gallon that would give you 9006 gallons of water. It is important to check the monthly distribution though.  If you have 1000 gallon tank and it rains only in September, you are going to only have 1000 gallons of water for the year.

On septic. If you are on rainwater catchment, I would consider a commercial composting toilet.  IIRC, they even sell them through the Home Depot catalog for $1400.  That may seem like a lot for a toilet, but in comparison to digging and installing an entire septic field, it is a bargain. Two people using a toilet 4-5 times a day with 1.5 gallons per flush can use up to 105 gallons a week.  Many ladies don't seem to want to sign up for the outhouse option after experiencing indoor plumbing.  That is just in my experience.

Some of this could change depending upon the local rules.

[Redoverfarm]

Jim 

Sent you a PM.

[MountainDon]

 

The point about permits and what restrictions they may bring has been made, and was my first thought after reading your initial post. Being sure about what is required by the county would be a prudent first step. Don't go by what the neighbor's have built, they may be out of compliance.

I would think a pier and beam would be allowed and a reasonable choice given the issue of water. An 80# bag of Quikrete needs 12 to 16 pints of water, plus water for cleanup.

As for solar, many times the roof is not the best place for panels. The slope can be incorrect for best performance of the PV panels. If the angle is not adjustable you give away part of the potential performance. If you build in adjustable mounts you need to go up on the roof a few times a year to adjust them. The less time spent on a roof the better as far as I'm concerned. We put our PV panels on a pole and I made an adjustable arm that takes no time to speak of and no ladders. Plus your mention of catching rainfall likely means you would be advised to use metal roofing; not the nicest thing to have to walk around on, especially on steep pitches like what's needed for a loft.

The advise on rainfall is spot on, you need to know when the rain falls and be able to store enough until the next rainy period.

John's plans usually come with variations for the foundation. I haven't seen them all but believe most common forms are included in the plan sets. They are quite reasonably priced and if one is not familiar with how things go together they could be a wise purchase. We members also try to help with questions, so it is not a requirement to buy his plans to take part here.

As John_M put it; those are my opinions.    There is no single correct way to build a cabin.

[MushCreek]

Having lived on concrete slabs for the past 30 years, I hope I never have another one. They are cold, and hard on your feet/legs/back. Professional dancers won't dance on a concrete stage; they put a suspended wood floor over them. The other problem is if something goes wrong with your plumbing, which will mostly be under the slab (they are in FL). If a pipe bursts, first of all, you have to find it, then it's concrete saw/jack hammer time. If you decide you want to move plumbing sometime in the future, again, get out the saw and jackhammer. If you are planning to add on over the years, chances are that you will want to move the plumbing, too. My next house will either be basement, crawl space or piers. Oh yeah- and anything you drop on a concrete or tile floor will break- on the first bounce.

[jimconnors]

To start, I want to thank everyone for a very warm  !  I really didn't think I'd get that many responses that quickly, thanks!

So I made a few calls today, and got some great news.  I'm rural, unincorporated and aside from having at least 10 acres for a septic system, the County really doesn't care what I do!  I don't know if that is disconcerting or cause for celebration! (Or Both!)

I have spent a few hours scribbling different layouts, and although I like the Victoria, I think I would want to modify it so that the subfloor platform would be a simpler build; that and I think I'd likely build the main building without the extra bedroom to the left at first, then add that at a later date.  That dovetails into two questions that have been bugging me...

Can I piece-meal the Victoria's cottage plan like that when using a pier foundation?  Would I just build a second set of pier runners for the addition?  Secondly, and this is likely me being somewhat dense and too much of a worry wort on details, but I am still not totally comfortable with the pier foundation build process.  Are there any documented builds out there that used crushed stone footers, with free floating pre-cast piers?  I am having a hard time finding anything other than some deck pre-cast piers (See below pic) that are great for a small to medium deck, but I dont know if they will work for the cabin.  Vertical post max is 4x4.  I have seen some pre-cast ones on here that look far stouter and have the ability to use metal tie-ins.



Anyone know a manufacturer or outlet where I could get something better?

Jim

[MountainDon]

considerations used this method. She dug holes, tamped in gravel, placed a paver with the concrete block things on that and used PT 4x4 for posts.

GO HERE

[poppy]

This guy did a similar thing. http://www.coyotecottage.com/

[MountainDon]

Jan's place has been up for at least 6 years now I think. And it is currently for sale.

[considerations]

They ended up a lot more aligned and vertical than that pic shows!   

[phalynx]

Jim, Welcome.  You have discovered the wonderful part about Texas.  No county can enact any permits, restrictions, zoning, or codes on your property.  Only incorporated areas can.  The only requirement is septic and that is a state law.  You may build how you please.  I would build safely.  On foundations, I build on concrete in the ground and I have build sitting on the ground.  To me, both are equal.  I can think of no instance where wind that could move a building off its blocks wouldn't cause many other problems.  A tornado is going to destroy a home unless it is a fortress.  I feel very safe in my place. 

There's a lot to learn here and a ton of people willing to help.  Good luck and keep us posted.  Also, remember, this forum loves pictures. 

[glenn kangiser]

Jim.  Looks like they have you well covered.  I have been having a little spate of work lately so not here as much... wanted to welcome you too though.