860 sq.ft. cabin

[Aohtee]

http://www.sunset.com/home/architect...0400000059507/

The Sunset site has several photos of an 860' cabin. The photos show interior views. They show the floor plan but no dimensions. The cabin has a shed roof that would make this go up quickly.

[roachhill]

I prefer a standard gable roof for small cabins because it allows overhead loft sleeping areas. Sure it's a little more expensive and time consuming to put up but not nearly as expensive as building a larger foundation. My cabin is only 20x28 but with the loft space it's plenty of room for 2 or 3. Just my thought for saving space not a criticism by any means.

[hunter63]

Didn't see any cost listed?
Am I looking in the right place?

[FarmerChick]

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geus3b51...fRS5TB6SJIE9Jf


Here are some cute little cabins that start at about $17K
Tony wants to buy one to put in our back woods for hunting and other things..lol

[Aohtee]

No specifics were given. The site is more "eye candy" than DIY.

[Aohtee]

Originally Posted by roachhill

I prefer a standard gable roof for small cabins because it allows overhead loft sleeping areas. Sure it's a little more expensive and time consuming to put up but not nearly as expensive as building a larger foundation. My cabin is only 20x28 but with the loft space it's plenty of room for 2 or 3. Just my thought for saving space not a criticism by any means.

Building up is always cheaper that increasing the foot print. What I like about this type of roof is anyone can build it. Cutting rafters for a gable roof requires a lot of homework if your not experienced with it. Although I did once see a crew framing a gable roof using a chain saw to cut the lumber and sheathing. Maybe it's not as hard as the framing manual make it out to be.

You could increase the height of this building and add a loft. If you live in snow country, increasing the pitch of the roof would be a good idea.

[MN Gardener]

I can't tell from the pictures, what are the deminsions of the cabin? I am really interested in building a small cabin for an office. I think I would build up too.

[Forerunner]

The original structure that I built from all salvaged materials was a humble 14 by 24, with loft for sleeping. For my young bride and I, back in 1990, it was huge.

To this day, even with two further additions, store-bought fancy winders and a new steel roof, I don't have ten thousand invested in my quite comfortable and weather tight home.

[fantasymaker]

Originally Posted by Aohtee

Building up is always cheaper that increasing the foot print..

When I worked at the lumberyard we seldom found this to be true,although I suspect it depends on the construction methods.

After looking at this house I have to seriously wonder about the economy of it. It would appear to be nearly square thus expencive to truss or rafter. The plywood paneling is neither cheep nor as safe as sheet rock and the idea of limiting windows to save money is just silly . Why save a few dollars on windows to live in a cheerless room,wasnt the point of the house to enjoy the outdoors? Seems like a crummy floor plan to for a vacation home.

[Trisha in WA]

Originally Posted by fantasymaker

The plywood paneling is neither cheep nor as safe as sheet rock

Can you expand please on why plywood isn't as safe as sheet rock? We are drawing up plans of our own to build a small cabin, so this is interesting information.
Thank you,
Trisha

[hotzcatz]

Sheetrock is nasty and melts when it gets wet. I don't use it at all. In our area, I've found that 1" x 6" T & G pine boards are cheaper per square foot of wall coverage than sheet rock. Also saves time on taping and mudding. Sheetrock has no soul. Ick!

[Pink_Carnation]

I did some calculating...33x26ft is 858sqft, 35x25 is 875 ...that is just some guestimate numbers.

[Cheribelle]

I have always been told that sheetrock is safer in case of fire. Makes sense to me, but I do like the look of the plywood, myself.

[francismilker]

Sheetrock is absolutely safer because of fire. It won't hardly burn. (except the paper on the outsides of it.) I too am of the mind that you can build up cheaper than increasing the footprint. One foundation, one roof, multiple floors....

[just_sawing]

Sheet Rock has a higher fire safety rating but steel is even better this train of though will put you in a storage container though I won't even knock that Idea in some cases.
Sheet rock as the poster in Hawaii stated does not work for high humidity of fluctuations of temp.
In a cabin scenario you need to choose material that can take the environment.
Wood Paneling swelled and shrinks in high humidity and temp changes but is still serviceable.
The shed roof can considerable more light in a secluded area (Woods) than a gable. A Gabriell style has the highest square foot and lowest cooling (As long as you don't use the loft in the summer)
Bottom line building a 1000 foot cabin for 5K is doable as long as you not in a Socialist area. (Washington state would probably from my understanding have that much in fees to get to your cabin)
If you are interested sit down with someone pay for the education that they give you even though they don't ask and build as a contractor watching ever decision, not just heart pulls. Build a small something and look at the things you would do different.

[Aohtee]

The dimensions were not listed. I'm not sure how they came up with 860 sq. ft. If I were to build this I would want a length that would utilize 4 by material to advantage. Say 28" x 28" or 32" x 32".

I think the value of this design is its simplicity. It can be adapted in many different ways. For instance extending the roof line forward and enclosing the created space with glass would give you a solar collecting greenhouse.

[roachhill]

I would agree with the statement that rafter framing isn't as hard as the framing manuals make it out to be. My roof was built by 2 Amish kids using just a chainsaw. The roof angle was determined by how high the tallest person could reach from the top of the wall without scaffolding. No complicated math or procedures. 2 and a half days and $600 they built a roof and porch. I also agree with the liking the pine Tongue and groove it's the easiest wall material to put up and looks nice without all that finish work. I'm not sure how people are figuring the cost of the cabins. I was figuring it would cost about $25000 to finish which seems high but includes foundation, septic, running water, solar panels, batteries ect.
Are these $5000 price tags just for a shell or what are people including. I don't see finishing the septic for less than $2000 anymore. Just wondering what the prices are including.

[Michael Kawalek]

Originally Posted by Aohtee

Building up is always cheaper that increasing the foot print. What I like about this type of roof is anyone can build it. Cutting rafters for a gable roof requires a lot of homework if your not experienced with it. Although I did once see a crew framing a gable roof using a chain saw to cut the lumber and sheathing. Maybe it's not as hard as the framing manual make it out to be.

You could increase the height of this building and add a loft. If you live in snow country, increasing the pitch of the roof would be a good idea.

I have to disagree with the idea that gable rafters are so complicated. For our own cabin I decided on a Cape Cod style because I wanted the upstairs loft area, but didn't want to make construction too complicated. I decided on a 9/12 pitch for two reasons. First, I wanted to be able to stand comfortably in the loft, and secondly because of snow loads. I would very much hate to be under that roof in a big northwestern snow storm, where I've seen 2 or 3 feet of snow fall in a single night!

I simply looked up a rafter table in a construction book I got at the library, made some estimates of the quality of wood available, the the most snow this country has ever seen, and selected the proper sized rafters. I placed the first uncut rafter in place, made some location marks with a pencil, and made all the bird'smouth cuts myself. Once the first rafter was measured and cut, I didn't put it in place. I simply used it as a template to cut the rest of the rafters. Am proud to say it's been up for 4 years now and has survived winter storms that have felled 2 foot diameter trees next to the cabin! All that with NO previous construction experience at all.

[just_sawing]

Ok I will share a secret. There are 366 days in a leap year. Now before you roast me take any structure width multiply it by .366. Now cut four boards with a 15 degree cut on one side and 30 degree on the other end. Now these will make a gambrill trusse.
Try this on a example and I think you will be amazed.

[fantasymaker]

Originally Posted by Trisha in WA

Can you expand please on why plywood isn't as safe as sheet rock? We are drawing up plans of our own to build a small cabin, so this is interesting information.
Thank you,
Trisha

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Sheetrock is nasty and melts when it gets wet. I don't use it at all. In our area, I've found that 1" x 6" T & G pine boards are cheaper per square foot of wall coverage than sheet rock. Also saves time on taping and mudding. Sheetrock has no soul. Ick!

Sheet rock is designed as a fire barrier. In a fire there is a heat driven chemical reaction that both cools the material and fluffs it up causing it to insulate the material behind it from the flames.
Plywood burns very well
If you want the wood look just put sheet rock behind the panels. Hotzcatz idea to use thicker wood is good to as thicker wood is harder to ignite,
If you are in a high humidity area you might want to use moisture rated Sheetrock,