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rebar
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# Posted: 3 May 2020 07:11pm - Edited by: rebar
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Hi folks..
My property is on a hill top with good soil and drainage. With big eaves on the cabin, I feel comfortable with a wooden skid foundation on gravel after I protect the skids with ice and water, on dimple mats. And just let the winter heave it up and down here in Iowa.
Realistically, what's the biggest cabin you would dare building on wooden skids on well drained level land? I'm hoping for a 16'x20'
And would it be ok if I placed skids all the way around the perimeter forming a rectangle?
I don't need to relocate this cabin and wonder if skids ever need re-leveled, and how difficult it would be to insulate the floor and keep critters out?
Can I build 16x20 and keep it flat on gravel? And are there any details I need to keep in mind building on soil you know will heave each winter?
Thanks!
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spencerin
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# Posted: 11 May 2020 09:13pm
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There'd be settling no matter what. My immediate question is how you would lift the cabin to re-level it if the skids are laid down in a rectangle (seems like a block foundation, but made out of wood instead). Even if you could, 16' x 20' is a lot of work to re-level. That said, a lot of our cabins are labors of love, and you might not mind re-leveling it every few years. Also, if you're building a rustic cabin, I say go for it, with proper design and engineering, especially with the gravel, drainage, etc.. If you're building something to live in full-time, I wouldn't.
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Dogman
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 01:50pm
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Hi I’m having the same concern I have a Quonset hut I just got very very cheep an want to use it as a workshop .
its 20x30 I want to put it on RR ties along the sides as I can not Afford concrete .
With gravel under the ties do you think this would be ok I’m in Montana so not to much rain it would have wooden ends with doors etc
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Brettny
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 02:52pm
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Cheap out on the foundation and you will pay for it until you sell it.
Have you priced out the cost of a sono tube foundation vs all that stuff that it takes to make a skid foundation work?
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Revelation1
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 03:19pm
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I just finished building a 16x24 Cabin on 3 6x6 skids resting on block. Its only be since Aug 2019 since we built to main structure. We did it on skids to avoid paying yearly taxes, this way its classified as a farm shed. We are in central IL.
We really haven't had any serious settling so far, however we did have the area professionally leveled with a heavy machinery, a rock bed put in and rolled with one of those heavy duty road rollers.
Without the real deal leveling I would be much much more worried.
Regarding the bottom and avoiding critters, we have 3/8 plywood on the bottom and a vapor barrier under that before our subfloor, its held up so far, I will prob had chicken wire or something under it eventually to keep raccoons out.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 03:33pm
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Wow you can not pay taxes on a building on skids? Damn you can afford to pay a bit more for a deep compacted gravel pad for the skids then.
To bad NY isnt like this. We have a sqft law, over 144sqft (some areas its smaller) you need a permit so you can pay more tax.
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Dogman
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 03:54pm
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No I will look in to it though
Do you think Would this be considered a foundation that would increase my land taxes
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Dogman
Member
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 03:56pm
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An I’m not cheeping out on the foundation it’s a matter of I don’t have the money for concrete but I do need the workshop/shed
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spencerin
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 10:03pm
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Dogman, call your land tax authority and ask them how your proposed foundation would affect taxes. There's usually a determination made between affixed-to-the-ground (immovable) vs. everything else. Your tax liability would likely be less if you built on skids on gravel/stone, but your taxes would likely increase because it's still an improvement. But, don't take my word for it, take theirs. And there's nothing wrong with going "cheap", just make sure it's done right.
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Dogman
Member
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# Posted: 12 May 2020 10:56pm
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Thanks Spencerian
I will look into doing that sounds like a great idea
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aktundra
Member
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# Posted: 13 May 2020 12:51pm
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I have a place built in railroad ties. I wouldn’t recommend railroad ties. My place was built in the 80s. Railroad ties are short sections that will require additional support when I try to level the place. I would recommend skids that are continuous beams vs segments of railroad ties if you decide to use skids.
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Dogman
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# Posted: 13 May 2020 12:59pm
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Thanks for the info .
I never said in my original post it’s just going to have a dirt floor it’s big but just a work shop but I will give it some more thought as I said money is the main reason for my thought of RR ties
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rebar
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# Posted: 21 Jun 2020 11:52am - Edited by: rebar
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Sorry for the delay, but apparently my notifications aren't set up properly..
My original question about building on skids is heavily rooted in keeping taxes low.
I have two properties, one's a stick built in town, and the other is a mobile home in the country. The levy rates are pretty close to the same, yet one has property taxes almost one tenth of the other. Can you guess which?
Lately my minds been thinking to keep the mobile home and prepare it to be a keeper..$$ Regardless of how much I loath crawling around under them because of the taxes..
On topic, I think skids reduce the weight per square inch of contact by distributing the weight more evenly and over a larger area. Which, if that area was carefully prepared, probably would never need releveled if water was well managed. But I cant figure out a acceptable way to service the water and septic on a skid built structure. Don't you need enough room to crawl under to service insulated utilities in cold regions?
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Brettny
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# Posted: 22 Jun 2020 04:54pm
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Skids dont have to be on the ground..in fact they shouldn't be. If your taxes are very low due to a skid foundation vs piers that's one of very few times I would do skids.
Could you still pour sono tubes and possibly leave them under the surface a few inches then put your blocks on them? Best of both worlds maybe.
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rebar
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jun 2020 09:00pm - Edited by: rebar
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Quoting: Brettny Could you still pour sono tubes and possibly leave them under the surface a few inches then put your blocks on them? Best of both worlds maybe.
I think as long as the structure is portable or without a foundation, the value and taxes, along with cost goes down so the sono tubes could be used. But one of my perks with skids was no stairs. Or only one or two to get up and in the house.
If you buried a concrete vault even with the surface. Like a vertical 6' long piece of concrete pipe 4' diameter. And then ran your utilities up under into your "basement". You could then build your skid house over it and not worry about freeze up. And also have a tornado shelter. But flooding the vault basement might be a issue even being on top of my hill.
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