There's something enchanting about the idea of escaping the hustle and bustle of city life to build a cabin in the woods. The tranquility of nature, the crisp scent of pine, and the sound of rustling leaves – these are the promises of a cabin retreat. In this multi-part blog, I'll share my experience in building a small cabin on a secluded wooded property.
The first thing I needed to do was to cut in a driveway. I found a local contractor that specialized in clearing land and constructing roads.
When I originally purchased the land, I didn't have plans to build a cabin. My intent was to make a shooting range and hunting location.
After spending time hiking the property, I decided it would be really cool to have a get away location not too far from home to enjoy throughout the year.
And so the journy began. I cleared a lot about 100 yrds from the parking and range area.
The hardest part was brining in materials and digging the the footings.
I enlisted my son to get me through this part.
The cabin design is straight forward. Basically a 12x12 box with a 6' porch. the highest point is 10' and the lowest is 8'.
The most difficult part of the build was constructing the front wall wich was 10' high. Not sure why I decided to put the siding on first but that was a mistake as the siding I used was hardy plank. 100lbs. per sheet. I got a good deal on it so I went with that. Needless to say, the wall was too heavy for 5 people to lift. I had to design a makeshift hoist along with using the UTV winch
I worked on this project six months straight coming here right after work every day until dark. I had no idea what I got myself into. I have great respect for the construction peaple that do this every day. It about killed me. My lack of experience probably added 5 months out of the six....
As I got further into the build, it became a mental challenge that pushed me to prove to myself that I could actually pull this off. This was a solo gig other than my son helping with the footings. It wasn't because people didn't offer, it was something I needed to do by myself.
I enjoyed doing the roof. Got the shingles at a restore dirt cheap.
Inside siding T1-11 board
I wanted the cabin to be self sufficient as possible. I designed a solar system that utilized both 120v AC as well as 12vdc.
Majority of the inside lighting is 12vdc. That way if the solar goes down, I can run directly off of batteries. 12vdc LED Wall Scounce
Cabinets were on clearance from Home Depot.
Solar System: 2400watt pure sinewave solar inverter. This is a 24v system. Two 200AH batteries in series. These are lead acid batteries. 150 lbs. a piece. I had to put in extra floor bracing to support. Recently I have upgraded to Litium Ion which are only 35lbs. a piece.
Of course I had to installan AC unit for the wife.
A backup propane generator is part of the system. It can charge the solar batteries if the solar drops below required feed from the panels.
Solar panels: 250 watts each. 1000 watt output at 30.4v each ran in series.
Pictured here is the loft with a twin mattress. Still need to put a rail in so whoever sleeps up here doesn't roll off a fall 8 feet...
Thrift store chair.
Propane heater that is thermostat controlled. Dyna-Glo 10,000BTU Vent Free Heater
There isn't great cell service in the area so I installed an exsternal hotspot router. Works great for streaming video and in cabin wifi. Yeacomm 4G Outdoor Router
I still have a few odds and ends to finish like lattice around the base.
Conclusion:
Building a cabin in the woods is a labor of love that requires careful planning and a deep connection with nature. It was a learning experience and I deffinatly honed my carpentry skills. I probably would never do it again but do have many other smaller projects in the works.
Part II will be the construction of the outhouse complete with a heated shower...
Neat. How far is it from the fish . . .?
very cool!