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grover
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 10:16am
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Getting ready to lay the block for my foundation and I'm wondering what things distinguish a cabin from a small house? I want this to have more of a cabin feel but I want to make sure I use the correct materials or design to accomplish this.
I'm planning on cedar lap or poplar board and batten siding with stain instead of paint. What else can I do on the inside or outside to make this happen?
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Kharkov43
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 10:46am
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Might not be the answer you wanted but mine is you don't half to take your shoes off!...
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hattie
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 12:31pm
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I agree with Kharkov43 about the shoes. *LOL* My answer below isn't really what you are looking for regarding the aesthetics, but it is my take on the difference between a "cabin" and "house".
I think the difference is that for a "cabin" the door is always open (well not literally or you'd get a cabin full of bugs; but you get my drift). Everyone is welcome with open arms and the number one priority is family and fun. When I think of a "house" I think of locked doors, peering between the blinds to see what is going on in the outside world and stressing about work and time.
"Cabins" are small and cozy with every available space packed with silly mementos and pictures. "Houses" are antiseptic and uncluttered.
"Cabins" are laid back. The work'll get done when the work gets done. "Houses" are places where you need to rush and get it all done yesterday or you will be in big trouble.
"Cabins" are where your blood pressure drops. "Houses" are where it goes way up.
"Cabins" are warm and cozy and if the floor gets dirty you can clean it up later. In your "house" you want it to look more like a showcase so your neighbours will think you are rich.
"Cabins" are where you can sleep in and stand out on your porch in your jammies with a coffee. If you sleep in at your "house" you run around cursing and tripping over things to get out of the door fast.
In "cabins" you don't worry about cell phones and modern stuff. In "houses" you have to have the latest in all the gizmos.
In "cabins" you wake up to birds chirping. In "houses" you wake up to traffic noises.
"Cabins" are where you wave to your neighbour and chat for an hour or so. "Houses" are where you close the doors and pretend you aren't home.
That's my take on it. BTW - we have been living in our "cabin" full time for over 5 years now and never want to go back to a "house" again. *smile*
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Just
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 01:15pm
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the size or shape or color dose not matter ,it,s what's in your heart that matters .
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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 04:40pm
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Well it used to be the cabin was where I went to escape the phone. That has went away now. It's still a different feel though.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 11:21pm
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Quoting: hattie Cabins" are small and cozy with every available space packed with silly mementos and pictures. "Houses" are antiseptic and uncluttered.
hattie.i love what your thoughts on what a cabin is.tis wonderful.
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ICC
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# Posted: 26 May 2013 11:39pm
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Quoting: Just the size or shape or color dose not matter ,it,s what's in your heart that matters .
yes, it is a state of mind as much as anything else. if being at the "cabin" puts you in a more relaxed state of mind than being at the "house", that is well and good. but then maybe your mental priorities need some adjusting when you are at the "house". at least that is what i think and what i have interpreted from living my life and watching others live theirs.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 27 May 2013 01:06am - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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I feel at peace in both places. The only difference is the noise level. Now believe it or not sometimes it is harder for me to sleep at the cabin because the nature sounds are so loud! It could be the wind, rain on the metal roof,frogs, waves or the bats wings flapping around outside our bedroom window at dawn eating bugs. The shoe part is true. In the city the dirt is dirtier. We remove our shoes in the foyer. At the cabin we don't.
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Grandma Off Grid
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# Posted: 27 May 2013 02:34am
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I always wanted a cabin because I wanted it to be paid for and be somewhat self sufficient. plus I always loved going camping and doing things off grid or like that as much as possible.
at my cabin so to speak even though its large I just go barefoot. company and holidays are a great time but I also have much quiet time too to work on projects to be creative to do what I want to do.
somehow the cabin idea to me means freedom and peace and quiet and reflections time. and sometimes to do nothing but sit.
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Purplerules
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# Posted: 27 May 2013 08:59am
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Quoting: hattie "Cabins" are where you can sleep in and stand out on your porch in your jammies with a coffee. If you sleep in at your "house" you run around cursing and tripping over things to get out of the door fast.
My favorite part.
Hattie your reflections are spot on! Thanks
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 27 May 2013 10:12pm
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Looking at etymologies-
Cabin goes back to old English, French and Latin and meant a hut, then later a partition inside a boat, or a roughly made shelter.
House goes back to old German and refers to a family, as much as it refers to the shelter of the family, as in the house of Smith, etc.
So then, as now, your house is where your family is and your cabin is a roughly made place to go at other times, when, say, family life gets a bit too, well, family.
Things don't change much.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 27 May 2013 10:20pm
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Cabin is where your cares melt away...house jolts ya right back to reality!
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 28 May 2013 02:17am - Edited by: Truecabin
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outhouse
sink or shower bath outside
stove or fireplace burn wood for heat
no nearby houses, if any nearby its cabins too
small size 300 or less than 400 sf
off-grid, no power or water or gas
rustic, simple low cost appearance
natural landscaping, no asphalt
if it has all these its a "Truecabin"
if some then i guess you can call it a cabin
if none of these of course its a HOUSE!
DONT BLAME ME GROVER ASKED a simple question it deserves a real answer on small-cabin forum
i know people like to call their vacation property a cabin i hear it all the time and I ask them is that a cabin or a house? And they always say well yes its a house. a cabin sounds simple and carefree and it sounds better but usually its just a vacation home.
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Kudzu
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# Posted: 28 May 2013 05:51am
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My cabin is where I can go and have no worries. It is a place where I can work my fingers to the bone or sit on the front porch and watch the world pass by, it is my choice. It is also a place that has no carpet and I can track dirty boots all thru it, it is my choice. It is a place my dog and I can go to and explore. It is a place my wife can come or stay home, it is her choice. It is a place I greatly miss when I am not there and I wish I was there now.
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 28 May 2013 09:55am
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The Cabin has no use for a clock. You rise when you rise and sleep when you can't stay awake any longer.
The Cabin should be disconnected as much as (safely) possible from the daily race you are escaping. A camera is okay, but you can turn off the cell phone, computer and tv.
The Cabin TV is only used for a special event viewing of a cabin related movie (Great Outdoors or What about bob). Once a visit is okay. Otherwise the TV should sit quiet like the rest of the furniture.
The Cabin is the place where you notice the birds, frogs and even your own heartbeat.
The Cabin is our last frontier for wonder, exploration and experiencing nature. Keep as much of its rawness as you can.
The Cabin is nature. The House is man.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 28 May 2013 12:01pm
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True cabin...yes on all of those, except size (had to meet code). It's still most definitely our cabin
Thecabincalls...don't forget 'Black Sheep'  watched it this past weekend...great cabin scenes..............."I call top bunk!" And that terrific old green fridge (with no chocolate pudding in it). Lol...also can't forget the bat scene. "I'll touch it, if you do" hahaha...good times!
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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 28 May 2013 08:20pm
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The first thing that comes to my mind is "one room" with maybe a loft and small closet bathroom. But that's just me. My "cabin" actually has an upstairs but is made of logs...so I'm torn LOL.
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grover
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# Posted: 29 May 2013 10:41pm
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Wow, I should have checked back here a little sooner. A lot of very interesting answers but not exactly the ones I was looking for. I do appreciate your thoughts and I get what you mean. I guess mine will not be a cabin according to some. Too big, electricity, water, and septic system.
Thanks
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 29 May 2013 10:51pm
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No Grover, not by everyone's definition...but it is a cabin if it's a cabin in your heart
And I know it is 
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 30 May 2013 12:41am
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don't worry your in good company do to speak i bet there are more houses called a cabin than cabins. mostly because the old cabins are falling down and only houses are allowed new by the codes
its sad thats our american history they wiped away and its been years, 30 or 40 years a whole generation since cabins were legal a whole generation lost
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 10:30am - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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grover, my log cabin is 1224 sq ft when we add the 3 season porch it will be 1416 sq ft. Cabin size does not matter. Nobody would say that our cabin does not look like a cabin. Having electric does not mean its not a cabin! Just use rustic looking light fixtures and lamps.
Other ways to get that cabin look: use natural building materials like wood and stone and I mean everywhere including the walls and floors;no drywall,carpet or linoleum. Use braided rugs or rag rugs on the floor.
The kitchen should not have matching cabinets. That is a 20th century invention. A freestanding cabinet is great for dishes. A Hoosier cabinet looks amazing in a cabin. A farmhouse table and chairs. The sink? A apron front,with duel drain boards.
The bath,a claw foot tub,make a sink base out of a vintage dresser.
Subscribe to Cottage Life and Country Living magazines. Clip your favorates from these magazines and keep them in a file. Shop thrift stores, auctions,estate sales, garage sales,Craigs List and EBay for cabin items. I had 25 years to plan my cabin and did all of the above. Of course it does not have to take that long but finances dictated the wait. Hope my tips are helpful to you.
Edit: one thing I didn't mention is the use of color in your cabin I use forest green,deep red,brown,black and navy blue as my color palette.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 01:00pm
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If I was worried about that I would stay off the Internet. This is a free site as well why are you on here?
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 01:31pm - Edited by: trollbridge
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Yikes! don't say no carpet, drywall or linoleum-we have some of each of these and our place is still a cabin
You gave terrific tips. I love how we all have different visions of what a cabin should look like. I also think it depends on the surroundings and what location it's in. We are in the northwoods, as are you
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 02:54pm
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Cabin's best attributes are not the cabin at all.
The Cabin is merely a simplified shelter we use when we escape. A place to sleep. It should be simple, efficient and humble. But it isn't the center or cause for our visit. It shouldn't matter what materials we use, but it helps if they are native to the land. It doesn't matter the size as long as it doesn't dwarf the trees you are there to pay your respects to. It does matter how cushy it is...as it should be simple. You should be able to find most things for repairs on the land around you.
The Cabin used to be a place families would escape to in the summer to stay healthy and avoid the dangerous city air. It was a simple, no-frills shelter.
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 03:15pm
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Quoting: silverwaterlady This is a free site as well why are you on here?
well thats kind of a good question but this site is cabins but pinterest is only to harvest as much personal info as possible to sell
because they get all of your other interests too for their database
it just seems like the worst kind of internet surveillance because its voluntary
but i understand if you are not worried about it the internet can be so much good info and recreation too
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 04:27pm
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Quoting: TheCabinCalls The Cabin is our last frontier for wonder, exploration and experiencing nature. Keep as much of its rawness as you can.
love this.
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Truecabin
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# Posted: 31 May 2013 04:37pm
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same here
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Fanman
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# Posted: 18 Sep 2013 06:47pm
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A cabin is where you can pee off your porch.
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skootamattaschmidty
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# Posted: 18 Sep 2013 10:29pm
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All the above!
And too add, a few antiques or "artifacts" as my kids call them lying around to add to the decorating. And I bet in most old cabins you can always find a copy of some old Sears catalogue from the 70's or 80's! At least in mine you will!
Above all though as far as I am concerned it is entirely your mindset when you are there!
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tsvoyager
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# Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:47am
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Many good post! I never really thought about what the difference is, but you got me thinking, and that's never good 
To me the "Cabin" or in my case "The Storage Shed" is a place to go to unwind, not so much as to what it looks like. A Cabin should be a place you go to kick back and enjoy the surroundings.
Whether your 20 feet from the neighbor at the lake cabin or 3 miles from the neighbors cabin in the woods. It's all a mind set.
As long as you feel relaxed, it's a Cabin!
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