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optimistic
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 08:41pm
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Not including the land cost... How much did you spend on your cabin build: materials and labor. And how big is it?
Thought this will be an interesting thread.
I need to run my numbers although I do have a figure in mind but want to double check first! 
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 08:53pm - Edited by: MtnDon
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470 sq ft; $21600 for the cabin to the point we called it finished. That includes the wood stove, range, water heater, Servel propane refrigerator, SunMar composting toilet. Add $8800 (2008-2009 prices), less $2640 fed tax credit, = $6160 for all the solar related equipment. Pole, mounts, panels, wires, breakers, fuses, CC, pure sine wave inverter/charger, batteries.....
That does not get into the shed, gazebo, barn, concrete paths, timbers for terracing some slopes.....
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rockies
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 09:52pm - Edited by: rockies
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Hmm. $21000 plus $6160, so roughly $28,000 to build it now? That's pretty good. About $60 a square foot. Of course, one square foot doesn't always equal another. A square foot in the kitchen will cost more than a square foot in the livingroom. Screen porches cost a lot less than heated spaces as well. And of course, it also depends on what you consider "finished". Some like rough barnboard interiors, others like fine woodwork.
My cabin is going to be built in stages, but the main part is 370 square feet with a goal of $50 a square foot finished. Nothing custom or expensive, just off the shelf products. As long as the kitchen and bathroom are completely done, I can live with plywood floors and unpainted trim for a while.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 10:27pm
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Quoting: rockies what you consider "finished".
More or less like these images; tile on all floor, some T&G, some drywall, T&G ceiling, all the hidden things like insulation, plumbing, wiring. Except that these images have unfinished details. My costs include all trim, all floor, etc etc done. Items not counted would be refinements such as bracket corner shelves by the bed instead of a stool. Not included in the pricing would be something like the bed headboard that was built after this image was taken..
west wall with door and wood stove
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bedroom corner of 16x30, window in north wall
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south wall, east end... bathroom door barely visible
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Just
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 10:29pm
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just for fun I submit my favorite cabin , total cost 2000$ , rain water solar power , out house ,dock river , wood stove .Not for every one ,but it can be done for very little if your need to get started.
cid_513_2.jpg
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cid_454.jpg
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001.JPG
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 10:30pm - Edited by: MtnDon
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wood stove, finished close up and 1 ext shot, Hardie plank cement fiber siding, fascia, soffits
I realize now I do not take enough pictures; can't find any newer "all done" photos.
VC Aspen corner
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entrance, porch
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wirivercabin
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 11:49pm
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OK, so don't include land costs. - Check!
Just so I answer correctly....
Should fuel costs to get there every weekend be included?
Winter built weekends, are motels costs included?
When the BIL helped - I had to find hotel with hot tub, that included?
When others helped - restaurant & bar tabs - included?
New grey hair - "just for men"- costs included ?
And should costs for other vacations I was not able to take- be subtracted? I have not taken another vacation in 10 years.
Honestly we have not wanted to anyway.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 12:20am - Edited by: MtnDon
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I detect some tongue in check there, or am I mistaken??
IMO, costs should be for just materials and any contracted labor. Costs for getting there, what we eat, makes for a meaningless comparison. They do impact the owner.builder, but it starts getting into apples 'n' oranges. A friend built a cabin about the same time we did. His is 215 miles from home, ours 66; not fair to compare fuel costs, etc, IMO.
I never included any costs for new tools I bought either, as those tools continue to be useful. If I had included them I'd have to add several hundred dollars. However I did include the cost of renting a trencher for the underground PV wires. But I did not include the gas. Just the way my head works.
And it is fair, IMO, to omit land costs as they vary wildly. I could have built our cabin on land that cost a fraction of what our mtn land did cost. But it would be flat unappealing barren desert .
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wirivercabin
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 08:47am - Edited by: wirivercabin
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Yes, tongue and check. Not making fun of the topic, it's a good one.
First year I kept track of what I spent every weekend, for everything I listed. Then I just gave up, it became clear I was never get back what I spent. So I don't have a solid answer. But it's just me.
My best guess 22x22, 2 levels, no well or septic. fdn, lumber, bear min. gravel driveway to get trucks into site, fireplace, electrical and service, only labor was for concrete and required electric hookup. I have over 40K. Yes, sure I will never get it back So about $42 a SQFT finished to a cabin level, insulated, pine on walls & upper ceiling, no lower level ceiling yet. But mostly finished to what we want.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 09:18am
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Quoting: wirivercabin First year I kept track of what I spent every weekend, for everything I listed. Then I just gave up
Interesting thread because, as MtnDon describes, there are so many ways to do the accounting. I have tried to keep a rough cost total going but I don't think it would help anyone else to do their own estimate. I've mentioned a couple of times in my build thread that , as I do consulting/contract work, any time I spend working at the the cabin means I do not get paid so, if I really thought the budget thing through in detail I would have paid other people to do a lot of the work and actually come out ahead - but where is the fun in that! If I was retired I would look at this differently but I'm not so I need to keep this hidden cost in mind. In the end I am confident that whatever I have paid (and continue to pay) is well worth it when I see how much fun my family has at the lake.
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cbright
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 09:23am
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My place, with inside dimension of;
Main floor - 15x12 = 180
Loft space - 15 x 7.5 = 112
Total 292
I have about 5500 in so far and will be putting in about 1500 more to get it 100% finished in an out.
So that's about 7000/292 = $24/foot
Will be finished to the same level a residential house is, 2x6 walls, fully insulated, spray foam in the ceiling, regular insulation in walls/floor. Fully wired and has a direct vent propane heater. Have access to power, so no need for a solar setup
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:34am
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16X18 footprint, includes covered porch. About $14,000 but went pretty fancy on the inside. I cut zero corners, used zero OSB etc... This does not include any other cost like fuel, food, outhouse, graveled driveway etc.
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MJW
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 05:05pm
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640 sq ft with a 12 x 20 loft.
All pine T & G throughout, not a piece of sheetrock in the place.
350 ft well, 2 out buildings, wrap around deck, fence and gate at the front or the property.
I hate to even add it up as we really spared no expense if we wanted it, we did it but I would have to go with somewhere in the 45 to 50k range.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 06:11pm - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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1224 sq ft log cabin 24'x34'
With outhouse,off grid lots of work left $65,000.00 CN with about $40,000.00 CN of work to come(adding a four season room and a second loft,adding 291 sq ft). Value of cabin as it sits now $250,000.00 CN.
So we consider it a good investment. It could have cost a lot less if we built it ourselves but we could not get that much time off work.
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MI drew
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 09:05pm
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14x28 with two 8x14 sleeping lofts. $7000 in the shell, $500 insulation, $500 in 6x8 outhouse, and $250 in a 4x12 porch. That's where we sit at now.
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rockies
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 09:25pm
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Given the amount of information available to everyone these days on the internet, there is no reason why anyone can't build a safe home with high quality materials for very little money, and also make it beautiful.
If there is one thing that annoys me intensely (!) it's when I see some architect or designer or builder come up with the "latest and greatest micro house" that can be yours at only $250 to $400 a square foot which has to be crammed full of specialized computer systems and gadgets in order to "manage the interior environment".
Obviously they have never consulted with people who build the kinds of cabins seen on this site. $25,000 is a reasonable amount to spend for a great cabin, and if you love the "thrill of the hunt" and go to antique stores, reclaimed salvage businesses, or just get stuff free off "Craigslist" you can probably build for much less.
I would love to see some cabins that look beautiful and are built to code for $25 a square foot or less, not the "$200,000 micro mansions" most small home websites love to feature.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:56pm
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I'm at 48.61 a square foot, this si done, fully finished and a little excessive, ie a full custom kitchen cabinets.
Mt Don, I see we have the same taste in BBQ's, is that the "Q" or the Baby Q?
I have the Baby Q and love it and I cant tell you how many friends of mine bought one after they seen mine.
Finest BBQ I have ever owned.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2014 11:20pm
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That's the Baby. We have two. 
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ErinsMom
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:39am
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Just,
It's a fine lookin' cabin. I would be over the moon to own. I could sit by the river all day!
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Just
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:22am
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thanks mom
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tcmatt
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2014 02:23pm
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12x16 with half a loft, fully insulated with hardwood floors, and a nice Jotul woodstove. Plus a 4x8 outhouse (front 2/3rds) / shed (back 1/3rd) all for ~$8,000 - $10,000. let's say $9,000.
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VC_fan
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2014 03:37pm
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16x20 with loft over half. Cheap materials - T111 walls, plywood floor, big deck (~28x14, should never have been built but live and learn), no site work, electricity or plumbing. Around $6000 in year 2000 dollars plus a few hundred since (kerosene heater, craigslist inverters, HF generator, battery, etc). That's materials only.
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nik870
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# Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:26pm
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I have around $3,000 in a 12 x16 with a 6x6 loft. The interior is what is adding up. T & G siding on the inside. I am now looking at wood plank flooring that might add another $200. the little stuff like that is what is fun.
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creeky
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2014 11:08am
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Eeee. I don't want to think about it. I'm up to about 7,000 on my 8x8 with 4x8 deck solar shed. complete with 1500 watt 12v solar system. (currently ; making 600 watts under bright cloud). (no recycled content. well. some cabinets).
About 4,000 for my 8x16 "shizzer shack." aka. the washroom. with composting toilet system. Super insulation. On demand hot water. 18k btu vented heater. 100lb propane tank. cork flooring. shower system. clothes washer. lighting. it does add up. and I'm not done yet. (40% or better recycled. inc. toilet system)
8000 for my main cabin: an amish shed. 12x20. propane heater 100lb tank. wood stove. pipes. fridge. cabinets. IKEA stuff. flooring. insulation. sink etc. (10% recycled content).
and now my portable bedroom. so far I've got 1500 bucks in materials waiting for spring. (90% recycled/used)
so 21+-k for an as yet untrimmed camp. lessee. 64 sq ft + 144 + 240 = 440? give or take. so coming up to 50 bucks a sq. ft. of course. i have a 2 acre field for my living room. and 250 sq ft of porches and decks. (bedroom to come: 110 sq ft plus loft)
I've saved at least 5k with repurposed / salvaged / used materials. and spent an extra 5k with cork / ikea / overbuilt / solar system (i mean two mppt controllers, 1500 (soon 2000) watts panels etc)
all labour is free.
great thread.
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optimistic
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2014 07:47am
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Wow... Had been very busy and didn't even get to post my figures.
So... My little 144 sqft cabin with loft havn't come cheap but I we really got everything we wanted. I speant 15k so far on it and the shed I have outside.
although I didn't finish it completely yet - I did buy most of the things already. The ONLY big item I still didn't buy is the solar system which I am waiting on after have some things stolen from me.
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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:13am
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My story is too long. The dollars spent along the way have changed in value so much. The 120 acres cost 400 in 1915 when grandpa bought it. The wood I used to build was bought in 1990 cost probably $2,000. The cost to keep it all up $50,000 over the years.
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ATB
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2014 10:39am
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12x16 gambrel with 2 lofts 6.6 x12 and 4 x12. Just insulated the walls and up to $6,700.
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Mike 870
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2014 07:39pm
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My 12 by 16 shed came to $7,350. That included finishing the interior with nice materials, insulation, skylight, cedar siding, running a sub panel from my house etc. Really did not spare any expense.
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missouriboy
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2014 09:55am
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I have $11700 in my 12 x 24. This is finished cost with electric, insulation, paint, cabinets, etc. Costs will vary a lot by location, how much you do yourself, and where you get materials. For instance I made my cabinets and had most of the wood left from other projects. I only had to buy $150 worth of wood to complete 9' of cabinets with a countertop.
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luther
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2014 05:05pm
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My place is 20x20 with a 8x12 foot loft. I am into the place for about 30,000 everything included but land. I do not have septic or a well bit a commercial composting toilet and water tank with pressure cold and hot water. I did my best to find deals on material but I was not going to wait forever and so bought much of the stuff new from big box stores. This amount includes land prep and driveway.
I also have about 4000 spent on a 12 x16 bunk house. Powered and insulated.
For a place that is used only in the fall and winter on weekends it may seem like a lot, but both my wife and feel that this is the best thing we have done for our family. Being able to get away into the woods and explore nature has been great for our 5 year old son and we hope will be just as wonderful for our new born girl. I wouldn't trade the cabin for anything.
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