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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 24 Dec 2011 06:20pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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Hi,
I havent seen anyone on here converting a pre built shed/building into a living space so I thought I would share my portable building shell conversion project.
I decided to go with Dersken Portable Building, the lofted barn cabin model 12x32. The Dersken company frames 24 on center with every other stud doubled. Some other companies that make the same building use 16 on center with no double studs. I personally wanted more insulation so I went with the 24 on center.. plus Dersken had the lower cost.
Anyhow, this will be a full time residence starting next summer, so ive got a lot to do yet.. below are some videos of my progress, and a few pics.
A 3d mockup of the floorplan to show how I will be finishing the lower level, the lofts will be bedrooms for kids, but not shown in the mockup here.
3D tour
land first time
cabin dropped off outside
cabin dropped off inside
cabin framed interior
The image below shows my 4x6 piers I added to the high side, they are 3 feet below grade with about 1.5 feet of cement at the bottom. I want to add a few more before removing the blocks.
and the view from my soon to be kitchen window over the sink
Thats where im at, long fun road ahead :)
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rayyy
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# Posted: 24 Dec 2011 06:25pm
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Very nice Rifraf.That's similar to what I have done.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2011 04:17pm
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Thanks Rayyy,
Hope you had a great xmas ! , what exactly is it you are doing with your project ?
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MJW
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2011 04:49pm
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I am so torn between buying a shell and building ours from scratch.
I have 0 skills in building but after reading as much as I have think I would be able to pull it off.
Just something about the idea of building it myself from the ground up.
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:26pm
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@Rifraf... You and I are going down the same path. I dropped a 14'x40' shed on my lot just this past November, for use as a 3-season cabin. We're in the process of building a few interior walls to seperate out two small bedrooms and a small bathroom- the first step to completely finishing the interior. In fact I hope to have some of them up later this week.
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2011 11:21pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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PA_Bound, cant wait to see some of your pics.
i didnt post it before because its in the videos, but my wife reminded my that not everyone likes vids so heres a shot of the front.
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PA_Bound
Member
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2011 08:53am - Edited by: PA_Bound
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Here is the posting for my cabin, including a couple pictures.
http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_1536_0.html
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Becca
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2011 11:42am
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Thanks for posting the pics and videos. I'll more than likely be going with a Derksen 12x28 cabin. I'd love to build my cabin myself, but I simply can't do it all with no help, so a shell is probably the best option for me.
How difficult was it to add the piers with your cabin already in place?
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Rifraf
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2011 09:20pm
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Becca,
It's pretty easy. I didnt have to dig them by hand though I hired local a backhoe operator to dig out small trenches for me about 3 feet deep. He was already there to help pull some large stumps anyway.
I just cut the 4x6 legs , put in some gravel and tampered that with the pier itself, then placed each pier with two 50lb bags of mixed quick creet and toe nailed the pier in on all four sides with 16p nails.
I plan to go all the way around the outside perimeter with piers when I have the backhoe back after things dry out around here.
Unless you are hand digging your pier trenches the only labor intensive part of it is placing it since you want a very tight fit before you toenail.. I found it eaier to cut a little shorter than the measured pit depth then just backfill with 2 inch gravel and tamper that until I had a really good fit.
I also plan to add 45 degree 4x6 supports in between each pier
I'm learning as I go , there are probably better ways of doing it.
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jrbarnard
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2011 03:35pm
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I have one of these as well. It is super nice, but you have got to (where I am from in Texas) line the inside with Radiant barrier to help block the heat. In the Summer, it is like an over, with insulation, and it holds all the heat it can till the sun goes down. Once the sun goes down, you can cool it....but not a minute before.
I plan on keeping it as a guest house on the other end of the property, for when we have more folks that want to visit the ranch, when I build the new cabin. I need more than 12' wide...heh
Good luck!
Russ
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Rifraf
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2011 04:23pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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Jrbarnard,
Yeah, the guest house is our plan as well. Right now we pay a large mortgage and have listed our home for sale, after paying 45,000 in interest we want to get out of the housing market, and build our own larger cabin while living in the smaller one, and once that is done the smaller one will be demoted to guest cabin.
Thanks for the tip on radiant barrier, is one better than the other or any radiant barrier will do the trick ???
12x32 size was a challenge but I think my floor plan will work well.
heres the basic design plan. Master bedroom in the back for my wife and I while the two 12x12 lofts will be for the kids.
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naturelover66
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2011 05:05pm
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Nice...is that a flat screen on the wall?
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jrbarnard
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2011 06:37pm
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I am planning on doing the $10 per 4x8 sheet at Home Depot. The key is, every little bit helps. I.e. add the radiant barrier to the walls and ceiling.. then add a covered porch on the non-shaded side of the house, if the large sides are pointed towards sunrise or sunset. Those will shade the sides.. the roof is never easy.
Then a regular window unit should be enough to cool it.
Russ
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:42pm
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Hey Russ,
Doesnt the radiant barrier require about an inch air gap to be effective ?
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jrbarnard
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2011 08:38am
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You must be thinking of the foil...not using that. We are using the 4x8 sheets of OSB with Radiant Barrier on one side.
Also.. in Texas, not sure about where you are, every single bit helps. We may even add a metal roof over the shingles, just to reflect more heat...otherwise, the cabin is useless in the summer.
Russ
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steveqvs
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2011 09:24am
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Riffraf, what program did you use to do the cabin rendering in. Cabin looks good.
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2011 11:19am
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I used sweet home 3D
I had to import some of my own models such as a ladder, and the human figure, its built in furniture and such is pretty limited.
Sweet Home 3D - free interior design application
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steveqvs
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2011 07:44pm
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steveqvs
love open source software thanks!
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JCinAZ
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2011 02:35pm - Edited by: JCinAZ
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Hello, I am so glad you shared this. I was thinking of doing this exact thing. There is a builder here that does sheds and buildings exactly like this and I had to been hinting to my husband that this could work for us. Here is a link..
http://weatherkingaz.biz
thanks for sharing!!!
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:00pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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Yep, thats it. These cabin / sheds are a very common design, because they sell well. Shop around your area , you may just find that many builders make the same design cabin and not all at the same price.. I shopped around alot and saved about 1000.00 USD on my cabin .
When I asked the person who delivered my cabin if many other people were converting these to living spaces he said that yes many people were, and that he stays very busy delivering them to rural locations.
If you have any questions about my experience you can ask here or email me , ill put my email address in my profile.
One thing ive learned these last few days is that with a cabin shell like this one, the best way to insulate is having foam sprayed , especially where the ceiling in concerned. Thats how I will be doing it, you can
A. hire a pro who will come out with heater based pump system and put a nice thick layer in there.. ( my installer charges .34 cents per board foot ) wich equals about 900 USD for the entire cabin insulation.
B. if you are so remote nobody can come do it for you, you can buy kits for around 600 - 800 USD that allow you spray it yourself. They dont seem to expand as well as the pro installers stuff and you almost have to do it on a nice day when its not too cold or hot as the chemicals need to be at the right temperature when sprayed.
I'll be doing my wiring and plumbing on the 13th, after that ill have the insulator come out. ill post pics and videos as I get them.
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JCinAZ
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:58pm - Edited by: JCinAZ
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0K..thank you so much for the tips. I am looking to doing this right after winter. I will be really had to do it right now with all the snow.
Please do share your pictures I am really excited for you and for me.
:)
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2011 06:08pm
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Rifraf... where your roof comes down and hits the sidewall, are there any openings to provide ventilation for the roof once it's finished inside (like the soffit on a normal roof)? As you know I have a similar cabin, and mine doesn't have any ventilation. I'm just wondering if yours does, and how they did it.
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2011 06:25pm
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Mine does not have that either, im told because of that, the spray foam is the best choice.
Im very new to all this , but my current understanding is that ridge vents and such are more designed for attics and not so much for open ceilings and if you use spray foam you eliminate any need for them since the foam doesnt allow any open space for heat to build up
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simon
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# Posted: 30 Dec 2011 09:02pm
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You did a great job setting up shop! Going to be a nice cozy cabin :D
I have a similar idea in mind, thanks for the pics.
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 12:14pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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Thanks Simon,
Small update, put im my breaker box and roughed in most my wiring. Once I get it all in there and the line ran to my pole i'll have the expanding foam insulation blown in. I dont show it in the video but I put an outlet in each loft too.
Video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5EMjkbsqPc&feature=youtu.be
Pic:
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neb
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 09:06pm
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Looking good.
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2012 02:02pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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Well I made it to the cabin again , I was there for a day and a half but only got about 10 - 12 hours of work done.
It doesnt look alot different from my last report but ill post what I got.
I went ahead and made the TV pocket in the entry wall, 8 inches deep. Ran some 8 guage wire (and some more 12 guage lines) under the cabin this time to save my poor walls some abuse. Framed under the loft edges to add a nailing/screwing point for paneling. Finished all of my wiring and labelled it as well.
I decided to break the kitched into two line runs since ill be using all 120v appliances including Large 1500w toaster oven, burners, normal toaster, microwave, coffee pot, and fridge. Should be able to start my insulation soon !
Shot of my TV pocket and my latest video below.
Youtube video url link :
URL
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JCinAZ
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2012 07:50pm
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looking good! I'm looking foward to seeing it once you have put the insulation and walls in.
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Rifraf
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:14am
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Thanks JC,
Im very excited to get to the next step, you can probably tell im not an experienced builder by any measure I am enjoying learning as I go.
I *think im going to use close cell spray foam kit on the ceiling 2 inches deep, batt on the walls(aside from cluttered cavities , will hit those will foam too), and im undecided on the underside of my floor.
Im nervous about the foam kit though, they cost nearly 700.00 and have just enough foam to cover my ceiling 2 inches, they say if you dont spray it on at the optimal temperature you loose some of that foam in the tanks.. so in other words if I dont apply it perfectly I wont have enough :)
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MJW
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:27pm
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HI Rifraf,
Your project is coming along great. Nice work.
As another inexperienced builder, what resources do you recommend for getting up to speed? I am especially looking for instruction on wiring and framing.
Thanks!
Michael
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