small rustic cabin

chuck buck

chuck buck

Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
453
hello, ive been reading the forums for a while now but never posted. recently (over the last 6 months) ive been playing with the idea of building a very simple (no electric, no water) cabin on 150acres as a weekend and getaway spot. i was wondering if you guys had any information on good designs, or if anyone has anything like this, maybe where to get good plans, etc? i know this is a survival forum but i figured it would fit with the general mountain man theme. haha. im also interested in permanent tent structures. any help is welcome, thanks.
 
If I owned land in a remote area I would definitely want to build some sort of cabin on it. If you check into magazines like Backwoodsman and Back Home, I know they have had issues with how to build cabins. I have also seen ads for books and pamphlets on doing it as well. They include everything from the structure, to plumping, heating, cooking etc.
 
I don't have any plans but I have probably a dozen friends who built their log cabins out of trees on their property and have outside plumbing, gravity fed rainwater collection water and solar or hydro power.

It's not that hard. The main thing is a good foundation and it's really better if you are using logs to use a lot of fill than to spend hours whittling them to fit.

Also a water level comes in handy.
 
i suggest a trip to your local library. there are normally all kinds of books on basic construction, and at mine there are several books on building log cabins.

you might also want to check out the books on rustic furniture so that you can furnish your cabin.
 
Or you could buy a small RV of some sort. I'd love a small rustic cabin but I'm sorry, I want power and water.
 
Hi Chuck. Welcome to the forum!

This has been a dream of mine for my entire adult life. (The exact length of which varies depending on who you talk to!) Although you didn't say so in your original post I naturally assumed you meant a log cabin because in my mind, they fit so well in a wilderness environment.

There are several very good books telling you how to do this. Typing in "Log Cabin" in the search feature at Amazon yields thousands of results. Some of these are good how-to manuals and some might be good "idea books."

A DVD htat you may find helpful is Alone in the Wilderness, which chronicles the life of Dick Pronnecke as he ventures alone into the Alaskan bush and builds a primitive log cabin all by himself.

I posted this in the "Links" sticky, but it fits here as well. This link has a lot of info about a young couple who built their own log cabin in Alaska. Lots of pictures and descriptions of their experience.

A helpful forum for getting help on building a small cabin, especially for non-log applications, is http://www.countryplans.com/smf/.

Finally, although this cabin has indoor plumbing, I thought you might enjoy a few pictures for inspiration. It is a rental I have stayed at a couple of times.

Good Luck!

-- FLIX

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thanks for the ideas guys, i appreciate it. i guess the idea of taking on a "building" is a little overwhelming when in principle it is pretty simple. anyone have any experience in permanent tent structures? ive seen yurts on the internet, any other designs? im thinking wooden frame inside thick canvas on a raised wooden floor.
 
Welcome, Chuck!
I assume you've already googled 'cabin plans' or 'free cabin plans'. Not many actual plans available out there, but some ideas and common sense will go a long way in a rustic building. What's the site like that you're thinking of building on ? For how many people at a time ? How much help will you have available to build it ? I'll assume you want to be able to use it year-round. Cost considerations ? What sorts of materials are available on-site ? How comfortable are you with your building skills ?

I built a fishing cabin with a buddy a few years ago: 8X12 w/ loft. If you have vehicle access, I'd suggest a small stick-framed cabin: you can't beat KD studs and sheathing for ease of building and everything can be brought in with a pickup truck. Pier blocks are a cheap and easy way to get the structure up off the ground. This will negate the need to put the time and effort into a foundation, which would otherwise be important (as HD said). A-frames are probably the easiest and material-efficient shape for a first time builder and IMO tend to blend into surroundings a whole lot better. Remember as well, smaller will be warmer !
 
yeah i guess that would have been important info,haha. im thinking me mostly, maybe my girlfriend. so about 15x20ft footprint, preferably with a loft. i looked on the net but most of the websites seem... unprofessional. i guess ill just have to jump head first into some books to see the standards of construction and use my common sense. thankfully ive got a little.
 
Here is another link to a gallery of small, owner-built cabins.

What is access like? Do you have a road? As Deadeye mentioned, one option would be to build it at home, designed in such a way that you can dissassemble it and haul it to your building site.

-- FLIX
 
CSG said:
Or you could buy a small RV of some sort. I'd love a small rustic cabin but I'm sorry, I want power and water.
Click to expand...

Yep. My buddies oldman left him a nice piece of property that borders gameland. We hauled in an old pull behind camper made in the 70's, that he purchased for $1K out of the classifieds. The thing was like new! We towed it in , leveled it, and built a deck. It has bunk beds, water tank, range, nice windows that open with screens, and a Mr. Heater. It's really neat. We've camped in it all seasons.

His future plans are to build a nice cabin on the property. We hauled in the camper about 10 years ago, and it has at least that much life left in it with practically no maintenance.
 
A book called The Wildernes Cabin by Calvin Rustum provides detailed, diagrammed instructions for building log, frame, or adobe . I got my copy on amazon used .
 
FLIX said:
Hi Chuck. Welcome to the forum!

This has been a dream of mine for my entire adult life. (The exact length of which varies depending on who you talk to!) Although you didn't say so in your original post I naturally assumed you meant a log cabin because in my mind, they fit so well in a wilderness environment.

There are several very good books telling you how to do this. Typing in "Log Cabin" in the search feature at Amazon yields thousands of results. Some of these are good how-to manuals and some might be good "idea books."

A DVD htat you may find helpful is Alone in the Wilderness, which chronicles the life of Dick Pronnecke as he ventures alone into the Alaskan bush and builds a primitive log cabin all by himself.

I posted this in the "Links" sticky, but it fits here as well. This link has a lot of info about a young couple who built their own log cabin in Alaska. Lots of pictures and descriptions of their experience.

A helpful forum for getting help on building a small cabin, especially for non-log applications, is http://www.countryplans.com/smf/.

Finally, although this cabin has indoor plumbing, I thought you might enjoy a few pictures for inspiration. It is a rental I have stayed at a couple of times.

Good Luck!

-- FLIX

157665928-M.jpg


158134031-M.jpg
Click to expand...

hell I could live there on a permanent basis
 
I have plans to build on my land soon, logs are hard to come by though, small pine is it.
Plywood may have to be my medium, but I'd put some nice cedar shakes on the walls.
 
Foundation, 2x6 frame, cedar or pine board and baton, good insulation, solar panels on roof and rain collection cisterns and you're good to go. Solar should give enough power for light and communication as needed.

I am envious...
 
If you have cedar or locust trees on your property , a simple pole building would be an option.

I hope to build a little cabin on our place some day.
 
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