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Alan K
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2014 12:12pm
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Hello Forum Members,
New to this site and the idea of living off grid. In a nutshell, I grew up / still live in my family residence, an old colonial, way too BIG for just me, especially during the New England winters.
The idea of a self-sufficient residence in my upcoming retirement (Still enough years to get everything in place  ) appeals to me.
I've seen some of the varied dimensions.
8 x 12 (96 sf), as an example.
I was wondering, from other peoples experiences.
Is there a practical dimension (range) for a permanent residence?
Thanks
Alan K.
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Malamute
Member
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2014 12:39pm
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I've lived in various sized cabins. One I liked was 16x22, with a crawl space and small outbuilding for storage. I was going to add a small wing on the side for a bedroom, but ended up selling it.
The current place is 14x18, and is way too small for year round full time for me. I have an 8x12 bathouse/pantry/temporary reloading room, and a 10x16 shop, which instantly turned into storage, no shop use so far. Building a small storage building.
This place is going to be doubled in basic footprint, and a 6x14 office/library on one end, and a similar sized sun room/;greenhouse on the south side. I think that will work for me and maybe another person some day.
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2014 01:02pm - Edited by: hattie
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The original dimensions of our cabin were 14 X 36 = 500 sq. ft.
After semi-retiring we added a 300 sq. ft. utility room.
Our greenhouse is 200 sq. ft.
Our cold cellar is 40 sq. ft.
Our shed in the backyard (for yard equipment) is 100 sq. ft.
We also have a double garage for our car and ATV and husband's shop.
I don't think you could comfortably live full time in 96 sq. ft. Our 500 sq. ft. cabin had no closets or storage. The utility room addition gave us a pantry, clothes closets, room for our washer and dryer and a drop down clothes line for hanging clothes indoors in bad weather. Our first year, we took our laundry to a laundromat and that gets expensive and very tiresome after a short time. The utility room is the workhorse room of our cabin and I would be lost without it. My husband would be lost without his shop in the garage. Our cold cellar is where we store our preserves. We also have storage in the crawl space under our cabin and we use it a LOT! While we actually live in only 500 sq. feet, we absolutely need the other spaces for storage and laundry.
Before we moved here we gave away most of our "stuff" to the kids, but there are still things you need and some you want (family photos, etc.). If your cabin is in a remote area, you will need somewhere to store food as you won't be driving into a town to shop every day. We only go into town once a week.
I would also suggest you build on one level. If you plan to live out your life there, steps and ladders will be a problem as you age. Our only steps are to the cold cellar (which can't be avoided, but it is a place I don't go to all the time).
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Alan K
Member
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2014 01:09pm
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Thanks for the feedback 
My initial plans that I'm currently looking at gives me 576 sf, (24 x 24) footprint. The 576 sounds overkill. But when I look at the layout. It's an open design, Front half is Living space and Kitchen. Facilities and utility area (W/D, bathroom) and 2 reasonable sized bedrooms at the back.
It's 1 level, figure the build would be easier that 1 with a loft.
I just don't want to fall in love with this layout, only to say "Why did I start this design?"
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Malamute
Member
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# Posted: 1 Nov 2014 09:44pm - Edited by: Malamute
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I've done a couple cabins in the 24x32 and 24x36 range. They are a pretty good all around size, especially when you mention bedrooms (plural). The 16x22 I had was one room with a bathroom.
Really small places seem cool and charming at first, but the new wears off really quickly when living in them full time. How much space each person truly requires to be comfortable and happy can vary by quite a lot though.
I'm with Hattie. Stairs are not on my list of things I really want to deal with daily when I get geezerly. I have zero interest in a loft, even at this point. I don't want to deal with a ladder or steps to use the bathroom in the middle of the night or if I get sick. With a back and shoulder issue at this time, I really have no desire.
When building stairs, if you make them at the low end of the rise scale, they are much easier on your body, going either up or down.
Alan K, send me an email and I'll send pics of the 24x32 and 24x36 places if you want to visualize them. Both are two BR, besides the BR's and bath, the rest is open. Many that walk into the 24x36 say it looks larger on the inside than from outside, since the front rooms are open and it has cathedral ceilings.
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2014 03:22am
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It depends on how many people are going to be living there, where you're going to be living, and how space-efficient your cabin will be.
I'm planning on a 16X20 and that will be perfect for me. Just me. I'll have a bedroom with ensuite bathroom in the back and a small kitchen and living area in the front of the cabin. A half-loft will provide storage space for clothing and such. I plan to add a screened-in side porch later. There will be a storage shed and a deck in the front.
I consider that my beautiful land will be a huge part of my living space. I don't want a bigger home than I absolutely need because I don't want the upkeep and expense, especially as I grow older. I want to enjoy walks in the woods, gardening, writing, taking care of my animals, etc. I know that in the house I currently live in, I barely use 30 percentage of it. It's filled with a bunch of furniture and "stuff" that I really don't need.
But it's different for everyone and depends on your lifestyle. I didn't grow up in a big house and the homes I've owned have actually been larger than my childhood home. I want to simplify and get back to basics.
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2014 07:10am
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Alan, depends if you are a clutter hog or lightweight... If you can live with "I haven't used XXX in 3 months, so I don't need it" then small is fine. (Power tools and such excluded of course).
Myself, I'm going with 16x20 (building now) and I have a 20' Sea Can on site as well... A separate Pump House (6x6 + super-insulated, pressure tank, battery bank for pump in there with min heat). I'll have a sleeping loft over the kitchen / shower. 10' walls with a high roof. I know I will need at least 2 more "out buildings" but that has always been a part of our plan, for a Greenhouse (year round) and a special use building... We do seem to be leaning towards adding a small "Tiny House (8x20)" on a trailer as an "office / den / Guestroom" but time will tell.
Good place to start is by looking at your "stuff" and deciding what you Must have, Need to have, would Like to have etc... what haven't you used in the past 6 months ? do you really need it ? Can you handle giving yourself a "Life Enema" (my brothers term for lightening up the load)...
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Jim in NB
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2014 09:35am
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My summer place is 24x32 - two bedrooms on the back and open concept front area - living/dinning and kitchen area. Also have a 12' wide deck across the front. I have added a 12x14 bunkhouse, 5x5 gas hut and a 10x12 storage shed. This would be the right size if it was year round and simple living. The one change I would make is to put the master bedroom on the front looking towards the lake and sunrise.
I will be building my retirement place starting next year along the same lines however it will be slightly larger - storage will be included as well as an office/library/tv room and a walk in closet - master bedroom will be facing the sunrise and the ocean. Definitely NO stairs other than the ones that lead down to the beach - can't avoid those.
Have fun designing your place and make sure you take your site into consideration - sunrise, slopes, etc, etc.
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jaransont3
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2014 09:36am - Edited by: jaransont3
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Jill and I have often said we could easily live full time in our 420 sq ft cabin. The main cabin is 16x20 with a 8x12 bedroom added on. We have partitioned off a 5x6 bathroom in one corner of the main room. We also have a loft over 8 feet of that end of the cabin that is used mostly for storage. We have an open ceiling with dormers to let in more light. We also have a 6x20 covered porch on the front and 12x12 deck out back so we have lots of outdoor living space too. We also have a 8x12 storage/generator shed on the property.
For the two of us with occasional overnight guests this is plenty of space.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2014 10:40am
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A 16X16 would work for a single person, but you need an additional building for all your personal stuff, ie reloading gear, tools etc.
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Alan K
Member
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# Posted: 4 Nov 2014 02:33pm
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Thanks for all the feedback...
Very much appreciated. Jaransont3... I like the layout you have, somewhat resembles my plans... So I guess I am planning right... thanks for the affirmation.
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 6 Nov 2014 03:30pm
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When I lived the first year in my kitchen/bathroom end of my cabin which was 12x20,it was hard but doable.Now I have the rest of the cabin done,which is an additional 18x20 it is great.Now a 20x30,Maybe even a little bit to big.It would be just fine if it were 24x20 for one person.
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