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WILL1E
Moderator
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# Posted: 3 Sep 2020 02:03pm
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Hey y'all!
We are closing on our 6 acres of property in a couple weeks so i'd thought i'd get a head start on designing our future cabin even though it's a couple notches from the top of the list and will likely happen in spring.
Our land is located in NE Wisconsin and will be used year 'round. It's just my wife, son and our 2 dogs. I would guess on average it'll be used 2 weekends a month throughout the year. The topography of the land is anything but flat. For the cabin spots were considering, i would say average 2' of drop/rise for every 25' (based on contour maps).
Fortunately our building inspector for the area is pretty much non-existent and even more so for anything other than a permanent residence.
So with that said I'm thinking a post/pier foundation. The cabin i have in mind is a 12 x 16 with a gambrel roof with a loft upstairs. Eventually i would add a deck/porch off one of the long sides. One thing i would like to potentially do different is frame it up with 10' walls vs. 8' and then install loft joist at 8' from the floor so that i can stand up in the loft...i'm 6'5". I recall seeing a technique once where the loft joist are nailed to the wall studs below the top plate and then a jackstud was nailed below that within the the wall.
Does anyone have plans for something like i've described above? I'm good with 3D CAD so i'd like to start drawing out my plans.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 3 Sep 2020 06:37pm
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Believe you will enjoy the extra height. Not sure you are going to be standing upright upstairs? Our bed in the middle prevents that. But, nice.
How much of the work are you going to be doing yourself? I was able (70 yrs)to do everything but the roof. Yeah! I was timid. 😂
Plan ahead on orientation! Morning coffee vs evening mint juleps. Maybe a deck not attached to cabin for morning?
Can't help on CAD . Me? I just took a garage, 12x16, plan and just revised the height.
Enjoy! Half the fun s the process. Other half is, wow! It's done
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 3 Sep 2020 07:00pm
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Since you can use CAD you can make your own plans. Start with a floor joist layout. Move to each wall then the roof. Gambrel roofs are really the bees knees of loft head room. I did a shed with one that was 19' wide. Thers no knee walls and plenty of head room. There is a roof calculator on blocklayer.com that has common rafters and gambrel. I found the equal length bottom and top rafters made the strongest truss. I built trusses on the ground and used plywood tie plates. This was for a 19x13 shed. No plans where drawn.
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razmichael
Member
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# Posted: 3 Sep 2020 09:04pm
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Sounds similar to mine. My build thread is
Build thread
and a link to photos of the build including the homemade plans I used Photos
This might give you some ideas. I used an LVL beam for the ceiling which, along with the higher walls and gambrel roof, provides for likely 13 or more of the 16' width that I can stand up fully in.
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Nate R
Member
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# Posted: 3 Sep 2020 09:28pm
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Welcome, congrats on the land!
Are you comfortable sharing which county in NE WI?
We've got 4 acres in Marinette County, but on very flat land. Starting the first phase of our build in 3 weeks.
I'm of no help on the plans, we're doing a 20x30 on a slab foundation.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 06:04am
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Quoting: razmichael This might give you some ideas. I used an LVL beam for the ceiling which, along with the higher walls and gambrel roof, provides for likely 13 or more of the 16' width that I can stand up fully in
With out your knee walls there is no need for an LVL or any ridge board for that matter. Mine has no ridge board at all.
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razmichael
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 06:16am - Edited by: razmichael
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Brettny, not sure I understand your comment. I do not have ceiling joists (in the traditional way). By using a beam (this is not a ridge board) there is also no need for collar ties so this provides more headspace throughout. I know there can be some debate on the amount of spreading with a small gambrel roof (hence the 'no need for ties' etc) but I choose to use a ridge beam to eliminate the need for ties, especially given the snow load in our area.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 06:40am
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Yes the loft floor joists could be wall ties if you didnt have a knee wall...if the floor joists where ontop of the wall plates. That would tie the walls together.
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WILL1E
Moderator
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 08:01am
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Frankpaige...i plan to do 100% of it myself. I'm pretty capable when it comes to building, remodeling, plumbing, electrical, etc. so i don't forsee needing to hire anyone. The most i'll need is guidance from all the experts on here!
Razmichael....Nice cabin! i just scanned through your photos. Two questions: What did you use for your privy tank? For your loft floor joist, it looks like you only ran 2 boards paralallel with your 1st floor joist and then you fill in that span with short boards going perpendicular. Just curious why you did that vs. running all your loft joist from 1 side of the cabin to the other.
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WILL1E
Moderator
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 08:09am
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Nate R...well we might just be neighbors then  Is there a way to PM on this board?
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Nate R
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 08:40am
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WILL1E,
I don't think there's any way to PM here....
Do you have an instagram account? maybe PM me there? I have an account with no posts I intend to use for cabin stuff... @tallpinescabin
If not, I can figure out a way to get my email address to you...
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WILL1E
Moderator
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 09:01am
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@Nate R ...sorry, not a social media guy. I'll try to think of a way as well.
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razmichael
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2020 09:19am - Edited by: razmichael
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Privy is just a deep hole lined (framed with wood (small gaps), landscape fabric and gravel on the outside - this was based on the local requirements for an outhouse and their "plans". No tank. many more years of use before I will need to move it or have it cleaned out. Edit: just saw you post on Nates outhouse - the pit design is very similar to what I did. Overall construction also similar but for the venting.
Regarding the lofts, the side walls are 10' but the end wall are 8' including the header over the two large patio doors and then the end of the covered deck holding up the extended loft. With the aim to keep the main ceiling at 8' and use the extra 2' for height in the loft, it seemed easiest to use the two header walls to support the loft joists as they both met table requirements for the job. I extended the loft into the cabin by 2' hence the LVL to support the ends of this short span. So the joists are going from hanging on an LVL (which is supported by 2x6s in the side walls), 2' to resting on the main end wall header then 8' to the deck end header on hangers - all the spans easily within span tables. The joists are single lengths 2x10s. I'm sure there are many ways to do this and your planned cabin is even smaller than mine. My goal was lots of headroom in the lofts and this way the way I achieved it.
The use of the ridge beam (not board) required beam supports to be directed properly to the foundation. This can mean posts in a living space but my dimensions allowed for the only "interior" post being part of the end wall with the patio doors - so the beam was sized for 16' long (with the remaining 8' good to go obviously) and the 8' rafters on each side.
Basically, with one exception, everything met standard building codes. Technically the Gambrel roof would have needed engineering approval but my area did not have a robust approval process I used government design plans for barns and upped the strength a bit which was fine for the people giving me the permit.
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Nate R
Member
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# Posted: 6 Sep 2020 09:18am - Edited by: Nate R
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WILL1E,
I'm posting a link to an image of my email address here. I'll leave it for a day or so, and then edit/delete it. Seems to be the easiest way to get some contact info to you.
Shoot me an email and we can talk off the forum.
URL
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WILL1E
Moderator
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# Posted: 8 Sep 2020 07:54am
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Got it!
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