Temporary home ideas

[WhiteWillow]

I am in need of some ideas for temporary housing until I am ready to build.

I own five acres of property. It is a mostly flat, grassy area. Last year I built a small cabin 12'14'. I spent many nights and days out there in the summer and fall but I found it to be unappealing during the winter months.

This Spring I want to build another structure that is larger and that I could possibly live in until I build my house. I will continue to have my primary residence so I would not be entirely dependent on this structure. I mainly want it because I love the property and I love spending time out there.

The property has a driveway but nothing else. I would have an electric pole put up. I think that septic would be way out of my price range at the moment. I'm not sure that I have any options regarding bathroom and shower facilities if I don't have septic. I don't mind going to the bathroom outdoors but I do need something for showering.

I'd like to stick around $10,000 as a budget for this project. It would just be myself and my dog occupying the residence. I am not interested in putting a trailer or RV on the property. I am thinking of a barn-like structure. I'd probably have the Amish build something. I've been looking at barn plans and such but I would appreciate some suggestions or ideas from everyone here.

Some things I have been thinking of:

I'm thinking that I would want a concrete floor. Not sure what else I would go with. Certainly don't want dirt. I imagine I could just put some throw rugs down to make it look decent. Is wood flooring an option?

What are some cost-effective measures I can take? I'm thinking that leaving it as much as possible to one open area would save money. I know that windows add expense but they are important to me. Would it make sense to include a loft? Is that basically "free space" when building?

Would I be able to have it wired like a house would be wired? Where I could plug in a computer and such? Could I have a fridge and an electric range?

For heating I am thinking of a wood stove towards the center of the building. Does that make sense?

Again, do I have any options for running water? The most important thing would be to have a way to shower.

Does my budget sound reasonable for a project of this magnitude? I paid around $2400 for the 12x14 cabin.

I would appreciate any and all thoughts, suggestions, and comments. I am very excited about being able to do this and I want to be as informed as I can be.

[MushCreek]

The only way to have running water is either a well, or city water, if it is available. Depending on local conditions, a well could cost as much (or more) than a septic system. Your only other option is hauling water in, or catching the rain off of your roof and storing it. You can build a solar hot water pretty cheap- they even sell one that is nothing more than a black bag that the sun heats up so you can shower. For showers and such, you can make a french drain, which is nothing more than a gravel filled pit under the shower.

As far as the building goes, a lot of that depends on zoning and building codes, if you have any. In many areas, if they know it is a habitable building, you are required to meet all sorts of conditions, from proper wiring to insulation. If you're one of the lucky ones that don't have to deal with all that, you can do what you want.

[foxtrapper]

What do you find so unappealing about your current structure in the winter?

It may well be more worthwhile to modify and enhance what you've got than to build something entirely new.

[1knifehunter]

I have property in southern Ohio and had a 16 x 24 cabin installed with a full loft for $7500. It is actually a storage building that I had converted to living quarters.

As far as windows and doors, buy used or discountinued models on Ebay. I kept watch for deals within driving distance and just kept them until I was ready to have the cabin built. I then took the doors and all the windows to the builder and had him install them where I wanted when the building was put up. Saved alot of $$$ doing it that way.

This cabin has t&g pressure treated floor. I heat it with two 100lb propane tanks and an infared wall heater. Could easily put in a wood burner.

After they constructed the cabin I then installed the 12 x 24 front porch for about $500. Great place to get out of the rain and I enjoy listening to the tin roof!

I will try to post a few pics below:

I hope this helps.........

[AngieM2]

1knifehunter - I've thought of your type of arrangement (when I get property)

Here's another like your place that I've seen in Prospect TN area..



Angie

[georgec]

How about a Yurt, www.yurts.com . One big advantage is that they are considered temporary, so they won't affect your property taxes.

[palani]

I think I would buy an older airstream for $2-$3K and run it down to Florida in the winter.

[Terri]

Something to think about?

I just insulated my 10' by 12' potting shed, where I start seedlings, and last night was frosty.

A small space heater from the hardware store raised the temp by 30 degrees, and they had bigger heaters there. Perhaps a little insulation and an electric pole is what is needed?

[kruizeag]

I would consider the long term use of the structure. If you plan to build a nice garage/ shop structure eventually, maybe start out with a two story garage and put an apartment on the second floor. Dual purpose building that way. Once you build your permanent house, you can use the apartment as a guest spot or an office. Check out Tuff Sheds. They have a cabin that might work too.

[Witterbound]

I'd figure out where I eventually wanted to build my house. Then, I'd have a septic tank put in, and get a water source (cistern, well, city water). My hunch is that this might take most of your 10k budget. I just had a septic tank put in, and all of the pumps and purifiers for my well (the well was already dug), and it cost about 6k. Get the electric put in. Then build yourself a small shower house. Put in a toilet, a hot water heater, a shower, an outdoor shower, and a sink. Stay in the small shed you already have. Then you'll have spent your money on stuff that can be used in the house you want to build eventually, and you won't have 10K tied up in a barn or big garage.

Without a permanent water source, you're going to have to haul water to your site for showers. At a rate of 2.5 gallons a minute, you're going to need 12 gallons of water a day just for a 5 minute shower (12 gallons x 8 lbs a gallon = 60 lbs of water you're going to have to haul each day). You're then going to need a tank, a hot water heater, and an electric pump to pressurize your little water system and heat the water.

[kabri]

Hey, those look like our 12 x 16 cabin!!!
We collect rain water off the roof into an 1100 gallon above ground tank. We have a pump and pressure tank for the plumbing into the house - we do need to run the generator for that. Propane hot water heater means we can take showers and wash dishes with hot water! Propane also powers the stove, oven and refrigerator. If we were to stay there for extended time, I would get a solar panel and batteries to run lights, computer, charge cell phones, maybe a DVD player and only run generator when we need water. We wired, plumbed and insulated this "storage building" after the shell was built. Added a tiny wood stove, it's VERY comfortable for us!! So, I think modifying what you have would be way better than starting from scratch. What about adding on to the building you already have? We extended our overhang in order to get more dry wood storage area. Hope these ideas help!

[WhiteWillow]

Thank you all so much for your responses. You have given me quite a lot to think about.

In regards to zoning - we do not have any zoning where I am building. I would still need permits and stuff but thankfully zoning will not be an issue/obstacle.

What do you find so unappealing about your current structure in the winter?

It is too small. I think I would have been alright if I had created a larger porch or some sort of entry way. The main issue is that snow gets tracked in by both me and the dog and it just makes being inside quite uncomfortable. Also, in the winter time it is just too small. I end up just rather being home than in the cabin.

1knifehunter- thank you for posting pictures of your cabin. I can visualize having something quite similar. What are your thoughts on the loft? Do you get much use out of it? Does it feel open or is it claustrophobic? Thanks for the tip on the windows and doors. That's a great idea and I know that the Amish wouldn't mind at all. Is your cabin divided into rooms or is it just one large area?

Thanks for the information on the Yurts. In looking at the website I am seeing that it is potentially a viable option.

I definitely want it to be a dual purpose building. I don't plan on having farm animals but I could find many other uses such as storage, hobbies, greenhouse, etc.

Part of the reason that it is so important to have the right type of building as well as the room is because I run two businesses out of my home and I need some office space. I can condense but space and ultimately the feeling of security and reliability is important.

I need to get quotes for septic and well so I can be a bit more informed. I really don't think that I can come up with the cash for both the cabin and the land improvements. Are there loans available specifically for things like septic and well?

Is doing the electric a big deal? I know that getting the pole isn't difficult but is wiring the structure complicated and/or expensive?

Again, thank you very much for your replies.

[WhiteWillow]

I'm having a difficult time narrowing down what type of building I want. I was looking at this page: http://www.barnsbarnsbarns.com/ and I like the various barns they have.

I really like how this one looks: http://www.barnsbarnsbarns.com/concord.html but it is too small for what I want. I can't decide if it would look bad if I make it the dimensions that I'm looking for.

I'm wondering if something like this would be better: http://www.barnsbarnsbarns.com/walnutcoch.html .

This one isn't too bad either: http://www.barnsbarnsbarns.com/laurel.html

Back to the loft question - is that something that I need to be pursuing? It would seem like having a loft would give me a lot more room, an increased feeling of privacy and space, and that it wouldn't add much cost to the building process.

[1knifehunter]

WhiteWillow,

I can only speak for myself but a loft style barn is the only way to go. We sleep 4 guys in the loft during deer season on cots with no real problems. If your not used to loft living you will bump your head a few times on the roof trusses but soon realize where you can and cannot walk!!

A queen sized bed and dresser will fit up there with no problems at all. A few things to remember when having your cabin built:

Cross ventilation is an absolute must. I had vents and windows installed on opposite walls as can be seen in the pictures. (previous post)

I also ran a full ridge vent the entire length of the roof. When the weather gets cold I nail boards over the side vents and take blue rigid insulation and block off the ridge vent. This helps with overall heat loss obviously.

I have owned this property for 15 years and we are on our second cabin. All the mistakes made on the first we tried to fix with this one.

First cabin was small 14 x 20 only two windows and a flat slant roof. It was insulated and the mice got in there and had a great party!! The smell of mouse pee in July is something you will never forget!!

No insulation in new cabin. I want to find those little varmints as soon as they get in this time.

Well, I could go on and on..........

Here are pics of the old cabin:





This wouldn't be complete without a pic of the old outhouse also!!



Just a little breezy...........

[Witterbound]

I doubt you can get a loan for just a septic system and a well.

I'm in the process of building a house in the country. What I've learned is that you need to find someone with local knowlege who can point you in the right direction when you need help or have questions. Here, that person is the owner of the hardware store.

Find out which electric company provides service in your area, and go talk to them about getting service to your property. What I was told, is that as long as I was within 1/2 mile of current service, they'll run the line for free, because I was building a house. They wanted some proof of the building, in my case I had the footings poured. I would imagine there are different rules everywhere . . . . If it's not free, running the line to your site could take a chunk of your budget.

[rileyjo]

Hello and Welcome,

Last fall I rented out my farmhouse to hunters for a week. I moved into a 12 by 12ft garden shed that had been fixed up as a bunkie. The bed took up most of the room and there was a small table and a pail potty. The shed was wired for electric baseboard heaters and I was warm enough. It was the third week of November and we had our first heavy snows and temps around -5*. I was able to go to another neighbours for a shower since I have to be presentable for work, but comfort wise, it was very livable.

[Nancy]

I was just thinking that you could possibly get the well drilled and put a hand pump over it. Then be like our grandparents. They hauled water and heated it on their wood stove. You could use the old sit in the washtub on Saturday nights for your winter bathing experiences and in summer you could have some outdoor woodburning set up and heat water outdoors or solar heat it for your summer bathing. Out in the boonies you can be naked you know. Put up a nice outhouse, so it could be used winter and summer. That's what I'd do.

[clamjane]

A friend of mine built a big house out in the country. The way he started was, he built the kitchen first, and that is where he lived while he continued to build the rest of the house.
Actually it was a laundry room/w bath right off of the kitchen.

So his "cabin" was part of the main house when all was finished. This way all of his building costs and labor was not wasted on a secondary place to live.

[WhiteWillow]

Well I have some good news. I spoke with the Dept of Health as well as a septic contractor as well as someone to do the well. The septic will run about $5,000 and the well about $8,000 or so. I was anticipating the prices to be much higher. In a way it would be nice to get the well, septic, and driveway completed first and paid for in cash. The land is paid for so then I would only have the house to worry about.

I am struggling a little bit in making sure that I have a multiple use for the building so that it won't go to waste once I have the house. Seems pretty safe just to use it for storage though. Can't ever have too many tools, mowers, and such.

Is it expensive to wire a house? What about putting in plumbing?

[Witterbound]

If you're building a house, both electric and plumbing are pricy. But if you're just going to build a barn or a garage, and put in a single bathroom and kitchen sink, then it won't cost that much. After all, you're not putting in lights, switches, and outlets all over the place in a barn or garage. Go to your library or a bookstore and get a book called the Means Residential Cost Estimator. It breaks down the cost of everyting from dirt work, to bathrooms, to concrete floors, to hvac systems. I have found it very helpful in trying to estimate costs. Of course, if you're just going to build a barn, a garage, or a rustic cabin, much of what is in the book won't apply.