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Nate R
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# Posted: 14 Nov 2016 11:27am
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To help pass the time whilst I save for a cabin build... working on design.
Would like some critique/feedback.
Critcal info: Off Grid. Water will be in containers brought in/up for now (Maybe outdoor well down the road), outdoor shower, (Using a Zodi tank wtih a burner right now), outdoor outhouse/privy. Solar power from panels at the edge of our land (neighbor next door has an open field to get sunlight to the panels), batteries and inverter would live in larger closet below other things.
Land is 4 acres of 60 year old red pine plantation. We enjoy the view of the red pines, and NOT seeing our neighbors or the road from our main windows, so the cabin will be faced that the large windows take advantage of a great view. This is our focal point, really. My wife required a bedroom to keep the bed separate form the living space. We looked at a loft HARD, but want a good view from the bedroom (Same direction as large windows), and I don't want to use a ladder. Fitting in a decent stairway and good loft windows seemed to complicate the design more than it was worth. I *think* I'd rather stick wtih single story at this point, because it's simple. We'd have scissors trusses with cathedral ceilings (8 or 10:12 outside, 4 or 5:12 inside)
Wood stove for heat, direct vent propane for overnight backup/and initial heat-up help.
Possibility of adding a deck and/or porch and/or screened porch later (Right side of the floorplan)
Foundation would likely be a monolithic slab. Soil in the area is basically sand. While the slab takes longer to heat up in Winter (Only a few vists/year in winter for us), we think it would be simpler and maybe cheaper to build, and keep critters out from underneath, and keeps it a bit cooler in summer.
The cabin would likely be built IN the trees, with trees surrounding nearly as close as possible. (I'm aware of the fire issues with this)
Any thoughts/feedback on teh floorplan? I'm all about finding ways to simplify and/or lessen the cost of the build, but of course within reason. (Still want to have something we want/dream of when we're done, you know?)
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project_north
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# Posted: 14 Nov 2016 01:09pm
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Thanks for the planning challenge
Nice plan but I think you're going to be disappointed with how little you've given over to your kitchen. Would be better to tuck it in behind your bedroom and expand counter space a bit. This will allow you to eventually put in a propane fridge and sink. You might have to do something creative to get storage in the bedroom.
project_north
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tichalet
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# Posted: 14 Nov 2016 05:45pm
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Ya know, I think Project North is probably right about that tiny kitchen.
Maybe you could get one of those storage beds where the mattress lifts up & gives you a whole closet under the bed? You can buy the hardware & DIY much cheaper than a store bought one and that in addition to the shallow closets (and perhaps even an overhead cabinet spanning the bedhead) that ProjectN gave you in the bedroom would more than compensate for what you lost in the entry moving the kitchen where he's put it.
I think you're smart to put banks of windows to the view and put the future deck to the side. A view unobstructed by deck furniture is a real luxury to give yourself.
Speaking of that view, something to think about if you can save enough money to splurge on extra windows is a trick architects like to do & pull that glass to the end of the wall & pair it with one on the right angle to make a corner window. Not only does punching out the corner make small rooms seem much bigger, it's a special treat to be able to sit in a swivel or rocker with a cup of coffee looking out of a glass nook, especially into a forest. It's like being outside but with no bugs!
Here's a page where someone has collected a whole bunch of pictures to show you what I mean better than I can describe it:
URL
But I also did a quickie cut & paste with your plan incorporating Project North's great ideas plus the corner glazing (nothing was measured or is to scale of course & I sure hope I upload this correctly):
Nate's Plan + Project North
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Nate R
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# Posted: 15 Nov 2016 10:45am - Edited by: Nate R
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Thanks for the feedback and drawings!
Interesting thoughts! We've camped for years, I don't foresee us going to a fridge, we've been just fine with a cooler elsewhere and now in a trailer on our own land. I also don't think we'll have a sink, and keep it a dry cabin inside. But I know those things can change. 
But, either way, the thoughts about shifting things around with the kitchen and the corner window idea grab my attention! I'll have to talk these thoughts over with my wife, we'll see what we come up with. 
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Nate R
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2018 08:00pm
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Update: We've just about "locked down" our floorplan. Need to get some window and truss quotes, and then I'll be submitting it to an engineer I'm working with to have plans drawn up and some things spec'd out. (Foundation thickness, beam sizing, etc)
We've settled on a 20x30 footprint, but a covered porch is included in that. So, there's just over 500 SF of living space, a bit larger than the 18x24 I was looking at.
I've attached some renderings. The bedroom is missing some shelves/furniture for storage around the bed, and the storage in the kitchen large pantry cabinet isn't obvious in this view. We also have a shed to store other things.
Floorplan from above
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3D View 1
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3D View 2
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ICC
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2018 09:09pm
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You do realize that insurance against fire loss will be hard, probably impossible, to get with tress snuggling up to the house. Here is the west it is the norm for insurance to demand there be no trees, no shrubs of any size within 30 feet of a wall. If you are self-insuring then it is up to how comfortable you feel with trees close. The forestry people around where I am also don't like trees close to structures as all too often a dwelling fire spreads to the forest too easily.
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Great Outdoors
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2018 09:40pm
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I like your plans! I agree with ICC about the trees though. As much as I like them they are a hazard not only from fires but also falling limbs and the trees themselves. (I had one fall on my garage last winter. I like to limit any large trees from the immediate area of my buildings if possible. Once they start to die off they can be a pain to remove especially if they lean towards the building. I have spent a couple thousand dollars over the years at my main house having trees removed because they had to be taken down in pieces by climbing.
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Nate R
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2018 10:36pm - Edited by: Nate R
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I appreciate the concerns and comments about the trees and fire risk. The logging operation that happened in 2017 after this original post to aggressively thin my trees and create an opening ended up with a larger opening than anticipated. So the building won't be 30 feet from all trees, but it won't be nestled IN the trees the way I wanted either. A bit of a compromise between me and my Forester. (About 45% of the trees were removed.)
They are 60 year old plantation Red Pine, which will typically be just fine for another 100 years before a real risk of dying happens. (with some proper care. Maybe another thinning in 30 years, or I'll continuously thin.) They had been thinned once or twice before, and the remaining worst trees were mostly removed in 2017. What's left is some of the best/healthiest trees, with strong sturdy trunks. Red pine branches don't tend to get very big in this scenario, as the shaded branches die off before they get huge. The risk of a tree falling on the place is fairly low, considering. Some neighbors have similar situations with plenty of success over decades. We'll have had a couple winters for any windthrow risk to be passed as well.
I did not buy this forested land to clear it and make a meadow. If that means I have to self-insure for fire, I may very well do so. I guess it's a risk I'm willing to take at this point. Another reason why I'm not borrowing money to build, and why I'm staying off grid.... cheaper to construct.
Pic is from EARLY this spring before any green up. The increased sunlight hitting the ground has REALLY greened up the forest floor this year.
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rockies
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2018 07:54pm - Edited by: rockies
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Which side is north? If north is to the top of your drawing then your north facing west screen porch will not get any light. Still, if that side is the north side of the cabin I would flip the plan right to left. This will allow you to have your main living space facing west which will be better in the evenings since you'll mostly be in that room at that time.
However, it would be a much better idea if the north side is the kitchen side. This will put your bedroom facing east with your screen porch in the south east corner (the plan would be rotated 180 degrees).
As to window placement, although you may not be having a sink in the kitchen at this time you may decide to add one later. I would suggest moving the kitchen window further away from the stove and centering it over a base cabinet (I see a table (?)there now but you may decide to change it to a standard width base cabinet later).
Also, in the bedroom I would lose the sliding glass doors into the bedroom. That is an awful lot of glass near the bed and will radiate a lot of cold air into the room in winter. The best glass door or window makes a lousy wall, plus psychologically a lot of people don't like having a huge glass door looking into their bedroom. I would replace the door with a smaller window, add built-in closets on either side and add a window seat under the window. Much more storage and a nice area to sit and read.
If space permits, you might consider having a harvest table with bench seating behind the sofa and eliminating the small dining table for two.
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Nate R
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# Posted: 29 Sep 2018 11:40am
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Interesting ideas, Rockies! Good to hear your perspective and thoughts. I can understand the reasoning for most of your alternatives presented.
The cabin won't be aligned with cardinal directions.
Attached is an APPROXIMATE pic with the outline. In reality, the cabin would be farther from the road.
We get the most light at this site from the East (road) and the South (neighbor's field). Once the sun passes beyond the neighbor's field, it tends to be blocked somewhat by the trees to the West. We had the trees thinned last year, and that has let in a LOT more sunlight overall.
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moneypitfeeder
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# Posted: 31 Oct 2018 05:42pm
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I would also add that if you are building the rafters so that a loft is feasible, you may want to add in a bonus loft space above the master bedroom (maybe crossing all the way to above your entrance), with a tight to the wall (i.e. library ladder) to the right of the bedroom door. That way if you had visitors, you could put them up there on an air mattress or something, but in normal use, you would have an excellent view for a reading nook (given a window) or storage if needed.
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