[TLR15]

At the request from a couple members here from my first thread, I figured I'd start a thread of my build.
We bought the land in July of 2010. The land has never been built on but there was an existing skidder road bisecting the property that was perfect for the road bed that would become the driveway.
The trees hadn't been harvested in about 15 years, so to take advantage of Maine's Tree Growth tax exemption, I had the land surveyed and evaluated by a forester. He suggested a light thinning to strengthen the forest. I did that the next year.


The Lot

These few pictures were taken from the peak on the eastern edge of the property that rises about 175' in elevation from where the house sits.

It's 17 acres of mixed hardwood. Mostly Beech, but a good mix of Poplar, Birch, Maple, Red Oak and Ash also, to name a few. There's quite a bit of Eastern White Pine on the peak. I've got a lifetime supply of firewood and lumber.
Most of the land has a nice slope to it and it drains real well. There is a small stream that runs through to.

The Road

Once things dried out the following spring we got started on the driveway. It was a 1300' project of which about half was improving the existing right of way that leads to my property from the road.
I got a couple friends together and some rented machines and we got started. It really wasn't too bad, just took the top layer of loamy material up, laid the Geomat, then 4-6 inches of road gravel.

 

[TLR15]

The Cabin

We decided on a very common design here in the northeast. It's a story and a half. 20'x30' with an 8" concrete foundation. It's 2x6 balloon frame construction with ten foot exterior wall and 8' ceilings. This gives good usable headroom on the second floor. I only went down 4' in the cellar in an effort to save some money on the budget. In hindsight this was my biggest mistake to date. I should have popped for the full foundation with a poured floor. Oh well, maybe if I ever add on I'll put a nice full basement in.
There's two bedrooms upstairs.

The well was drilled in the summer of 2011. It's 225' deep and produces 20 gpm of perfect drinking water.
Last summer I got the septic system in. It's a 20'x40' leach field with a 750 gallon poly tank.

Here's my buddy behind the controls of my '79 Case 580C. It paid for itself with the installation of the septic.

Here's a couple shots of the leach field.

And some grade work around the house.

I'll add more as things progress but as of right now I'm working on buttoning up all the walls. It's all insulated, the electric is done. Shower and toilet are in too. I've got to get the propane installed so I can take a hot shower. Then it's a lot of finish work inside.
Maybe next year if the money is there, I'll get the front porch and rear second floor deck on.

 

[Candogirl]

That's really beautiful. The land and the cabin. You're really fortunate to have that forest to enjoy. Best wishes from TX.

 

[used2bcool13]

wow, beautiful house, love the siding and your surroundings. Are you very far from a town? It looks pretty secluded, electric or solar?


thanks for the pictures they are great.

 

[TLR15]

wow, beautiful house, love the siding and your surroundings. Are you very far from a town? It looks pretty secluded, electric or solar?


thanks for the pictures they are great.

The town we're in is pretty small, about 500 people, and it is secluded but not too remote. We do have neighbors but there's plenty of elbow room. A 15-20 minute drive puts me in a town of 7000 that has everything that I need. There's grocery stores, restaurants, farm supply etc. It's the county seat as well.

As far as power, the plan is solar with a generator for back up. The roof is oriented north/south and has a 12 pitch, which closely matches the latitude of our location to take advantage of the sun year round without having to adjust panels.
I'm not opposed to having power brought in, and we probably will some day but we're 1300' from the nearest pole and have not got an estimate from the power company. I can only imagine what that will cost.:grumble:even considering the savings from grid-tying the solar.

 

[Dutchie]

Beautiful. I miss western Maine

 

[Candy]

Beautiful! I have only been to Maine once and I loved it. Your land and area looks like my cup of tea!