what kind of shelter to build??

Im a big believer in pole building for first time builders. Its easy to do, most of it can be done by one man and its very forgiving of mistakes in laying out. The trick is to come up with a simple plan that wont cost you a fortune but provides a good deal of comfort. You might find this website a useful inspiration: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm# This guys houses are actually meant to be moveable, but there is no reason that the plans couldnt be adapted as fixed abodes. His plans are a bit pricey and frankly tooo cute for words, but they are marvels of planning and design. All of them include bathrooms and kitchens and sleeping space in very small square footage. Most have loft bedrooms but some have first floor sleeping areas and most of them are really adaptable. If you did the work yourself and bought local lumber and used materials, Im sure you could build one of them for a modest price.

__________________
FolioMark

Mus uni non fidit antro. ~ A mouse does not rely on just one hole.----Plautus

Thanks for the SUPERADOBE info chris, I will have to look into them.
FolioMark I have seen the tumbleweed home they are very nice and small just seems to be a little out of my price range, I do like the idea they are on wheels and that the county can't say much seeing there kinda like a trailer. I really have my eyes and heart set on a packaged Earthship http://earthship.com/build/packaged.php
Thanks all

Hey Orgainic, my family of 4 live in a Home Depot Barnmaster 7 shed, it cost us 5800.00 and they did the building. Its 16x24 and I added a bathroom, extended the 8ft loft to a 24 ft loft and it is quite cozy untill my hand hewn cypress log home is finished. The will outfit them with just about anything you want to. ie... front porch, regular doors etc.

__________________
Everything looks different from the back of a horse.

OrganicGuy,

try www.countryplans.com. The architect specializes in small houses designed for the owner-builder. His plans are VERY reasonable and the site has a forum that centers on owner building. We bought the Victoria's Cottage plans and modified them.

You can see them at http://www.sherrysapothecary.com/Building.html

Sherry

You might want to wander around this site for a bit. I like the shipping container stuff myself. http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/otherfabhome.htm

brosil
I did look into the shipping containers and the "chuckhouse" is very interesting
www.chuckhouses.com/home.shtml
Thank You

my dad and I built a 12x16 foot shed last fall for about $900. we put a 6:12 pitch on it which makes it high enough someone could crawl into and sleep but its only 3 foot tall in the middle.

not finished inside though, that's just the shell of it. put plywood on it and battens for a board and batten look. I did get the shingles free, my bil is a contractor and is building condos and the guy wants the site cleaned everyday including pitching unopened packs of shingles in the dumpster!

that 900 also included a separate wood pier foundation we put in that this summer will be finished as a deck with the hope someday of building a sun room on top of it.

oh and that also included a four foot wide deck leading from the house to the shed thats about 16 feet long but it is *free floating* on 3 treated 4x4s that someone gave me.

hard work though, I don't think I've fully recovered I definitely discovered I'm going to have horrible arthritis when I'm older as I work up every morning with every single joint sore.

that didn't include any kind of foundation for the shed. we had some telephone poles around and dug out about a foot with a tractor and front end loader, put three of those logs in, carried in some gravel and sand mix that was free someone had and filled around the poles then built the shed attached to them.

Thanks Mel and all the others that have spent there time sharing there info with me

Is there a saw mill around you can buy rough cut lumber from? For what you are trying to do, that would be the cheapest route for the framing.
I saw where you said you had to keep it under 200 square feet. A 12' x 16' would be 192 sq.ft.,.
I also have back problems so I know where you are coming from with that. I have built houses etc., for better than 30 years and drawn the blueprints for many of them myself.
They used to build homes with studs on 2 feet on centers, around here any way. They stil do, but they use 2 x6 's for the studs, but for your project, it wouldn't hurt anything to go that route. and they make r-11 and r-13 insulation for 24" o.c.
If you would like, I could draw you a set of plans for a 12 x 16 with a barn type roof so you would have the extra floor space upstairs. I could design it so it would use the lest amount of materials possible. And I wouldn't charge you a dime to do so. I enjoy doing it anyway and I am disabled now for the last two years so it has been a while sense I have had the fun of doing so. I think I still have some paper, either 17" x 24" or 24" x 36" I could use. After I feel I had to sell my blueprint machine , but I can do a good job on the paper I have.
You said you have 80 acres. Are there any standing timber on them at all. If so, you may be able to find someone with a sawmill to cut your lumber for you. A lot of them will cut on halves, meaning they cut it and get to keep halve of it for doing the cutting. They could cut your framing, flooring, siding, roofing and even wood for some kitchen cabinets.
You also said you had a cord of cedar. That would be enough to cut ceder shakes for the roof. You can buy and old leaf spring from a junk yard from an old truck to make a spliting knife with for the shakes.
If you do have the timber and can find a saw mill owner, All you would have to buy would be a few bags of concrete, a few blocks, the 30 lb. tar paper to go under the shakes, nails and door and windows.
That would be a good way out for you sense you are in the pinch you are in. I know where you are coming from. It took me 8 months before I ever got any disability and I sold nearly everything I had trying to live.
But I wouldn't mind a bit in the world drawing them up for you. I could do it in a night or two.
Let me know if you want me to.
God Bless
Dennis