Cabin Plans? (Inexpensive and easy to build)

I am looking to buy a small piece of land and would like to build a small cabin/shelter. Something that is somewhat easy to put together and inexpensive. I am not sure what kind of budget I will have after I buy the land, but I have priced out some of the builders around here and they offer pre-fab cabins they can deliver and set up from around $3500-$10,000...I would like to spend less than that any build it myself. Any ideas? I am looking at something like this. Spring Branch Trading Post -- Cedar Shell Homes, Cedar Cabins, Custom Cedar

 

See if you can find anyone that makes D style logs (see pic).


I helped build a cabin out of these last year. If you can build legos or licoln logs you can do this yourself. Start with a floor the size you want your cabin then flash around that. Lay your logs onto the flashing. Drill and lag them onto the floor (where you want your doors to be leave an empty space for the door frame. Every other row you run out past the first row to tie the ends together.



You will want to drill holes in the logs and mark them once you get 2 feet high for your receptacles. As you get waist high you will want to leave spaces for your windows. The gables can either be laid up with logs and trimmed to fit or you can frame them in with 2"x6". I think we had about 6K into the 20x30 building not including the basement. If you can have someone put a basement under it would be worth it. 6" logs will offer some balistic protection (allot more than standard framed building.

Jason

 

I will look around for that, however, I am not sure about the log availability or someone who could cut them in the Central TX area. There are a lot of builders though. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

You can also use square timbers like 6x6. If your land has any pine on it or if you know where you can buy some there are lots of guys with bandsaw mills looking for work. Normally they will saw stuff out for .25/bf. Around here we can buy a log truck of pine for under $500. In texas you might want to consider using adobe. I have never went this route but i know it's a readily avail building technique in those parts. Find a couple illegals running around and make them build you a house before you ship there asses home.

Jason

 

Look for FEMA trailes left over from Katrina. Their insulated with everything inside them finished. Put them on a decient fountation and it would be better than any log cabin and cheeper.

 

a trailer better than a log cabin???? yeah, right
trailers blow to pieces in the wind let alone tornadoes
a log cabin is one hell of a lot stronger
show me a trailer anywhere thats over 100 years old
i can show you tons of log cabins that are
trailers, even the fema ones, are made from cheap trash
made for short term usage and replacement

 

how big do you want your cabin?
im working on prints for a cheap and simple 20x18
with an upstairs bedroom

 

Not to ruffle any feathers, the poster is looking for cheap shelter, it could be argued which can survive a tornado, Ive (thankfully) lived through many of them including the April storms here in Bama. Truth is there are very few log cabins left that are 100 years old and most have been moved to parks or some sort of historical musesumn. Many house trailers are still lived in that were built in the 1950s.

I understant trailers are made cheeeply, but thats what the poster is looking for. Generally a log cabin kit does not come with a floor kitchen orbathroom and may not come with windows. So a 5000$ log cabin kit will likely turn into a 15000$ or a lot more cabin before its useable.

 

Move to NC and will sell you a house then move it to your property. Currently have a one bedroom, three br, and a two story. Sorry cannot move them to Texas--lol.

 

beast, I want one about that size or smaller. I do not want a trailer.

 

I was going to suggest "star plates" buildings, but they won't go up to that size! I am using them to make 5 sided buildings with 2x6's instead of the 2x4's and with straight walls, not the triangular shapes. I can only get a floor area of about 12 feet, ( approx. 1400 sq ft) but you can put in a loft area.

 

Wow, really like the Starplate system, but like you said,they are smaller. It might be wirth it to build one of those to stay in while I am building a bigger place. It would work better than something like this...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AXFST/?tag=survivalmonke-20
I will have little to no electricity at the time.

 

One of the neatest economical multiuse structures I saw built was a two car concrete block garage with a bathroom on slab. It had an stairway to a stick built second floor (storage area on plans). Once they got a final on this structure by the building dept, they made it a home. It never had a vehicle in it ever. Upstairs was kitchen and bedroom, door out to upper deck and second stairs down from deck. Downstairs was living room, bath, mudroom, laundry, murphy bed on living room wall, rear center door out to covered patio under the deck. It was quite a comfy little home for a couple.

 

What about one of the surplus quanzon hut type steel building's that the military use? (I think I spelled that right?) I seen a guy who used one to build a summer camp he said the price was cheap. He finished the inside with his self and after squaring the inside up had a nice loft storage.

 

Quonset...

We used a 16 foot trailer and a simple shed with lap siding , insulation and plywood interior when we built our place...the shed is still here 25 years later...

 

A couple years ago i visited a local state park here in PA. The park was hit by a f4 tornado in 1985 that leveled everything (almost). There were a group of boyscouts in the park and they got inside a cabin that was quite old and road out the storm. Here is some info on it for those interested - AccuWeather.com - WeatherMatrix | 1985 Parker Dam Pennsylvania Tornado Videos I for one would build a mason or log structure. If you know someone with a repair shot you might be able to get used tires and pack them yourself to make an earthship. 2' thick walls and all you need to do is supply the dirt and labor.

Before


after


Jason

 

Another thing to consider is shipping containers.

I have recently seen in my area a few people starting to build houses from and inside 40 ft shipping containers...either singly or multiples connected by passages.

They are also strong enough to be buried, which adds security and makes them also function as a CBRN shelter .

 

They are not strong enough to be buried without significant reinforcement. Don't just stick on it the ground and cover it up, all you will end up with is an oversize coffin.

Jason

 

Actually, while the long ones aren't without some reinforcement, the cubical ridged ones that we used to call "conexes" are...I have a neighbor who proved it to me.

With a pipe cage reinforcement, even older semi type trailers can be made sufficiently strong (I have 2 used for storage that have been under for 25years now).

Some judgement and common sense was required in the fill process, so YMMV greatly.