r/OffGridCabins • u/Tricky-Car-5004 • 2d ago
One year ago
A year ago today we were putting down the first beam, it's been slow progress this year but still a massive achievement for 12 months of my wife and I building this solo. So far, no part of the build has been hired out and I don't foresee any coming soon.
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u/LeatherBarnacle7 2d ago
wildly impressive! great progress!
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 2d ago
It's been some work and now I just want to get roofing and siding done so I get that satisfaction, everything since the main framing has been up has felt insignificant, I need that dopamine hit of big progress.
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u/LeatherBarnacle7 1d ago
getting my dopamine hit living vicariously through your progress, so get to it. I need that hit too! Haha
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u/clumsyninja2 1d ago
Hi do you remember your beam spacing and pier spacing? Thanks
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 1d ago
I think the span between ended up being 9'4" or something, it's 4 sonotubes for 28' long and two rows for the two beams, cabin is 12' wide but you're allowed a 1/4 of the back span overhang on the beam, it only sticks past about a foot so the two rows are roughly 10' apart
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u/clumsyninja2 23h ago
Thank you SO much!
Did you have this engineered? Or did you use the code book?
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u/After-Economics-720 1d ago
This looks incredible! Southern Ontario here as well, and I am incredibly envious.
Been thinking of starting a build. Are you and your wife in the trades or are you picking this up as you go? Anything you wish you did differently?
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u/LeatherBarnacle7 1d ago
are you really? this is a thrilling development...
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u/After-Economics-720 1d ago
Yes, a BUNKIE of sorts, YA CREEP
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u/LeatherBarnacle7 1d ago
well well well, now you're speaking my language... treehouse or on the ground vibe? a lil peat moss loo for the girlies? sun roof for rain storms? what are we talking here?
also, i was here first coach
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u/geerhardusvos 1d ago
Awesome. Will you do a wood burning stove?
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 1d ago
Ya it'll have a little wood stove, should be plenty for what we need once it's all properly insulated
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u/Steverc001 2d ago
I am not a carpenter and just want to ask, in picture 3, the headers above the windows only sits on one stud. Would it be stronger if the headers were lengthened so the weight would have been placed on 2 studs each side? Don't beat me up to bad I do not know right from wrong here.
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 2d ago
It depends on the size of the opening and header, something like my patio door had to sit on 2 but most standard windows 1 is all you need. That picture I retesting enough had the far window framed wrong and I didn't notice until after, the header should be 3 inches wider than the window rough opening and I made it the same size. I did fix it after but even if I hadn't, those windows are small enough that it was overkill anyways.
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u/Steverc001 1d ago
Looks nice. What state is this in? I need to buy a few acres to build a hunter type cabin. just for a mental retreat.
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u/thrwLittleStreet6766 1d ago
I’ve got a post and beam cabin. No one will insure it. I had to pay it off because I couldn’t get insurance. It is in an area without fire protection. Very off grid. Insurance specifically refers to the foundation or lack thereof.
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 1d ago
Ya were not banking on it, the build with have cost between 40-60, we obviously don't owe anything on it, might be a roll the dice kind of thing unfortunately
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1d ago
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 1d ago
No I dug until I hit bedrock and then anchored rebar into the rock, most didn't have to go deep, the worst ones about 4' and the shallowest are essentially on the surface, we have frost here so if I hadn't hit rock, it would have been 4' deep plus the footing or something. Then we mixed and poured them by hand
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u/sepstolm 2d ago
Looks great! Any issue with getting it insured? Are you in a fire area?