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El Jefe
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 11:53am
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I live in a city but own farmland. One one of the farms, we have some land that is surrounded by trees and only has a couple of grain bins on it. Probably about 20 acres or so. I am thinking of building a small cabin on it for my family and I. There is no running water and the only electricity is to the grain bin. We would only be going up there once or twice a month and only spending a day or two there so it would not get get alot of use, there fore we do not want to invest too much money into it. It is more of a place to get away from the city and relax. I am thinking of building a small cabin, maybe with a bedroom, a small living area, a deck, etc.
I have a few questions to get me started:
1. Where is a good place to start looking at simple kits or plans. I have been looking around some websites, but must come with kitchens and bathrooms. Nothing to big or fancy. 400-500 square feet would probably work. We are a family of four. The kids are 10 and 12.
2. Heating - Would a wood stove work? I have read about Pellet stoves as well.
3. Bathroom? We plan on hauling water in with us when we go in some big camping jugs. How do most of these small cabins off the grid have their toilets set up? A separate outhouse? A pit toilet, compost? Is it attached to the house? We are in Iowa, so it gets cold during the winter.
4. Cooking - We will have a gas or wood grill/smoker there. We would probably use the wood stove to make coffee, boil water, etc. Are small gas stoves with a propane tank efficient?
5. Roofing - Shingles or metal?
I am sure I will come up with more questions as I think this through. We would like to get it done this summer.
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Just
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 01:24pm
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Call the local building department and find out the what the rules are FIRST !!!
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El Jefe
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 01:39pm
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I have already done that. Where the farm is, there are no specific rules for buildings if they are under a certain size. Since we are looking at a small cabin and it is not a full-time residence, we are OK. We do not even have to get a building permit.
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1tentman
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 02:25pm
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Welcome to the cabin life , it sound like you have a pretty good plan. The fact that you have electric available is going to make this build alot easier.
Heating -I would put in a wood stove to start with.
Bathroom- since you have no water a outhouse is a must, start looking around and try to pick up a porta potty. I bought one on a sale cut the bottom out of it mounted it on skids dug a hole and slid it over the hole, works great.
Roofing- Metal
Building plan- Are you able to build yourself or have freinds that can help, if so just set down and start drawing up what you and your family would like and need.
You say you are in Iowa, what part Iam located in west central Illinois( Go Illini) would love to show you my project I had as much fun building it as I do spending weekends there. Good luck on your build a cabin is a great family project.
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El Jefe
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 02:44pm
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Thanks for the info. I live in the Des Moines area but the farm is up by Hampton/Iowa Falls - The North Central part of the state. About 85 miles north of Des Moines.
I was planning on building it myself and having some friends help. Not sure if a cabin kit would be easier or just do it all on my own. I have seen some kits online where I can order all the materials and it is delivered there and I just put it all together.
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RichInTheUSA
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 03:23pm - Edited by: RichInTheUSA
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Consider converting the grain bin into a cabin!!!?
That would be cool... as it would be hidden in plain sight... and it already has electricity. 
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El Jefe
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 03:29pm
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I had thought about that. It would be a unique idea and the structure would already be there, but the grain bins are in use. We use them every year after harvest.
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RichInTheUSA
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 05:14pm
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Can you use the top part? Good views?
Im not a farmer, but perhaps there are gasses coming off of the fermented grain?
Anyhow, glad we were thinking alike.
Btw, My son asked for an "El Jefe" sticker for the back window of his Mustang of Christmas. He thought it would be awesome.
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ARShooter
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2016 09:29pm
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I'm almost finished with my cabin 20X20 with a 6' porch 2 doors and a bathroom in it. I plan on catching rain water for water I'm going to have solar power and a generator for back up power. I'll have about 6500 in it when completed that's with me hiring two guys to help me dry it in. I went all metal its a lot cheaper.
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groingo
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 11:20am
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Sounds like a great family project.
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Coyote Flats
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 11:39am
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You might consider a garage package from your local lumber yard. They sometimes have good prices on the package
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Steve961
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 02:35pm
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The problem with the "packages" at the local lumber yard is that you get whatever lumber they pull from the stacks. Many times it the leftovers from everyone picking out the good boards. I would much prefer finding my own plan, then picking out my own wood.
As for roofing, I will only ever use metal in the future. Like ARShooter I use my cabin roof to catch rainwater. I wouldn't do that if it was asphalt shingles. It's also fire resistant, easier to install, and lasts longer.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 03:12pm
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Your off to a good start by asking questions and welcome to the forums.
2 Kids @ 10 & 12 = space & privacy required.
2 Adults = Private Space required!
I think a 500-ish sq foot main floor with 1 bedroom and 2 lofts above for the kids would work out. Depends if there will be guests & friends over etc... Could also just build Mom & Dad's Cabin and a Kids Shack / Bunkie off side to the main cabin. Just a thought. IF you decide on Lofts, make certain you have opening windows for venting !
Your Foundation / Base is CRITICAL (yup, just had to say it) so you really need to make sure whatever you build on is solid. Honestly, the best thing to do is to dig a hole 2'x2' down past your frost level or at least 4' deep next to where you want to build and see what is under the top soil and plan your foundation accordingly.
Plans are readily available at many places on-line. Some free, some cheap and some not so cheap. Many have various foundation options from Slab to Pier etc...
Plans:
cabinplans123
Today's Plans Many Various plans for lots of things.
BarnsBarnsBarns Barn & Building Plans, various types, including Pole Barns which can be built as cabins / cottages. WORTH A LOOK !
NB: I bought their Candlewood Barn Plans and they meet our building req's here BUT I chose a different build in the end.
Country Plans
N.Dakota State U, Building Plans
Interesting Links related to building etc:
Socket System Lumber Link Kits
http://magestikfoundations Floating Foundations, No Concrete Foundations etc...
countryplans, vintage farm plans Good Stuff (non housing)
Propane / LPG is good for cooking, water heating etc... won't sour or go bad and will last till the tank is empty. Getting a good used RV Type stove with oven shouldn't cost ya more than $200 and needs no power. Hot Water can be heated with any number of small LPG powered On Demand heaters, so you can have showers too. Many here have experience with these smaller portable water heaters
Heating with wood when needed will work just fine. I would not invest in pellet or other expensive heating stoves for occasional use. You likely have some tree lines around you that could use thinking and managing, so your heat will cost you your labour... Better than being stuck having to use a commercial product (read pellets) which is priced at the whims of whoever, whenever they choose...
Bathroom: You can have a shower & sink that dump to Grey Water system without a lot of effort. Composting Toilet is one option where any options exist. You'll have to decide which is best for you & yours. A Septic System can become very pricey very quickly and there are many good alternatives. Girls tend to be more persnickety when it comes to bathrooms/washrooms and often kids will pull the good ol "Ewww that's gross" shtick when it's something new or different. (most folks assume that washrooms / bathrooms are the same around the world - so funny....)
Power ! You said you have power on the property which you may be able to run a branch off of, that's good BUT check to see what you can take, if you need an upgrade etc... Hopefully you can just run a line over without needing to spend on upgrades.
Money Saving: Something most of us like to do.
Windows & Doors from craiglist, habitat reStore's, Off Orders @ Big Box retailers and other's, New Blemished windows & doors can be had cheap just cause of dent or marks.
Insulation (if you need/want) Commercial Roofers sell "take off" ISO & XPS Insulation from commercial roof jobs. I think I paid like $12 per 4'x8'x4" ISO (R21) which isn't available retail @ 4" but retail 2" ISO 4x8 is $34.00 here.... so.... Next Best is Rockwool like ROXUL.
Roofing: Tin is cost effective, long wearing and minimal trouble over lifespan. If you want to capture your rainwater then Tin is better for that too (no gravelly bits etc). The lighter the colour the cooler it is in summer. It is a tad noisy (pending on installation method) but you can get a CondenStop type coating underneath that stops condensation on the tin and acts as a sound absorber. Not all companies offer that but it's worthwhile. The cost difference for my roof was $350 to add that... my roof tin is just over 900 sq.ft.
Hopefully my long response helps and gives you some ideas to consider...
Good Luck & Have Fun
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Topper
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 06:38pm
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Quoting: El Jefe We would only be going up there once or twice a month and only spending a day or two there so it would not get get alot of use, there fore we do not want to invest too much money into it.
With this in mind, while you may not want to go with a couple of tents, a used camper-trailer may be an option?
Possibly such a trailer with a framed addition & the woodstove in the corner.
For a day or two bi-monthly (2-4 days per month) do you need tons of room, solar panels, on demand water heaters, et all?
When we were building our first cabin, the kids were 12 & 15 & while building we used a wall tent for the wife & me, a second wall tent for storage, two dome mountain tents for the kids & a screen house for a kitchen/living room.
Just another opinion...
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old243
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 07:08pm
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The way you describe your farmland , with grain bins. Is it possible that this was an existing farm with buildings that have been removed? What I am getting at it is possible there was a water well, that you might make some use of. County records of water wells are available in some areas, Good luck with your project. old243
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 07:56pm
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Quoting: El Jefe I have a few questions to get me started: 1. Where is a good place to start looking at simple kits or plans. I have been looking around some websites, but must come with kitchens and bathrooms. Nothing to big or fancy. 400-500 square feet would probably work. We are a family of four. The kids are 10 and 12. 2. Heating - Would a wood stove work? I have read about Pellet stoves as well. 3. Bathroom? We plan on hauling water in with us when we go in some big camping jugs. How do most of these small cabins off the grid have their toilets set up? A separate outhouse? A pit toilet, compost? Is it attached to the house? We are in Iowa, so it gets cold during the winter. 4. Cooking - We will have a gas or wood grill/smoker there. We would probably use the wood stove to make coffee, boil water, etc. Are small gas stoves with a propane tank efficient? 5. Roofing - Shingles or metal?
Ok, question 1, I bought plans and with some whiteout, made adjustments. Bought something close to what I wanted. I submitted it to the county that way to the county. Better then reinventing the wheel. I used town and country plans or http://www.townandcountryplans.com and find one that is close and make changes.
Wood or pellet would work. You have electricity,, so pellet stove migth be the route to go. Dont store pellets there, jsut bring them as needed.
3 bathroom, I bought a brand new Sanican (Satellite Industries Tufway 150) and you can have it serviced or install a pit under it. Not many options with no running water.
I cook on the porch with a propane camp stove, and also have a RV propane stove built in kitchen. Both works fine.
5, my roofing is metal with a 7.5 pitch to shed snow. But if you dont have heavy snows, no real fire danger, then 3 tab would work too.
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Topper
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2016 09:06pm - Edited by: Topper
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2 burners plus oven. The oven has a learning curve, but once you get past that, a nice set-up.
The one on the right.
http://www.campchef.com/portable-ovens/outdoor-ovens.html
Would a Home Depot storage shed with gambrel roof & loft work?
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El Jefe
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# Posted: 29 Feb 2016 12:25pm
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Thanks to everyone and their responses. I was out of town this weekend so I will read through them. I am looking forward to getting this project started asap. I will probably have more questions as I go. Thanks again!!!
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El Jefe
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# Posted: 1 Mar 2016 11:08am
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After going up there last weekend and looking over the property, I have found a few things.
Electricity - I could hook up an outlet to the electrical box on the light pole. It will come in handy for construction and power tools. I would only use that for back-up power once the cabin is functional. My friend has some solar panels that I plan on using.
Water - There is a well, but it was capped when the house was torn down (it was torn down about 15 years ago.) The well had gone south - rusty water and we were told we would need to dig a new well. We never did since we were tearing the old house down. I figure the cost of digging a new well for a small cabin that will only be occupied a few days each month won't be worth it. I think I will go with a metal roof and catch rain water. Since we would only be going up there every few weeks for a long weekend, we could probably haul in potable water if needed as well.
Shower - I have a solar camp shower. Looking at a way to put a shower in the cabin and use the solar camp shower for water.
Toilet - I can get a used porta-potty for under a $100 from a friend who uses them for construction. I plan on digging a pit under it. Probably reinforce the walls with strong chicken wire or a large plastic trash can.
Foundation - I was thinking of using concrete blocks. I know it might settle after awhile, but I can always jack up corners or sides and add something to even it out. Would that Work?
Cooking - We will have a wood smoker-grill there to use. Our plan is for an old wood stove so we can heat up water and warm up food on that as needed. We need to put some kind of sink in there for washing things and washing up our hands. I have seen some kind of system where you have a big water storage bin under the sink and a pump that gets the water to the sink and then have the drain go down and out the side of the house or possibly through the floor. I know we would have to seal it well to keep critters out. The place that has the porta-potty also has portable sinks, but they are pricey.
I know several people have mentioned just using tents, etc. Our plan is to add a farm pond and stock it with fish someday. Then maybe some friends would use it too and it would get more use. Keeping it simple and cheap as the farm pond idea is still a good 5+ years down the road.
Right now, it is going to be a family project with a couple of friends helping out. I am a teacher, so I have my summer free. I have a cousin helping and another teacher. Plus my wife and kids. Hoping we can knock it out in a couple of weeks if we work daily on it.
Thanks again for all of your responses. If you think of anything I have missed, let me know. I will keep you updated
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1tentman
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# Posted: 1 Mar 2016 02:25pm
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El Jefe
How big is your cabin going to be,you might think about building it on a floating concrete slab, then you wont have to worry about blocks settling and no jacking it up later.
You say you want to use solar panels which is fine ,but you have electric right there ,somebody is paying a monthly meter charge for the power at the grain bins. The cost for the wire and panel would be less than a battery bank for panels and alot less maintenance. The amount of electric you will use is minimal since the service is already there. This will also allow you to maybe put a small window air conditioner in or a small frig later which could prove to be very useful later. You could then use the panels as a back up at a later date and still be able to say you are trying to live a little green
The fact that there was a house at this spot there isnt a old barn still there by chance is there, if so you could tear it down and use the old beams and build a timber frame cabin that would be real cool. Just some thoughts for you to think about. Good luck on your build and most of all have fun doing it and if somebody thinks you did something wrong just tell them thats the way you wanted it.
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El Jefe
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# Posted: 1 Mar 2016 02:43pm
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I guess the electric box makes sense. We would just have to run a cable or something to the house as it will be about 25 yards from the light pole.
We had a great, big old barn but it too was torn down about 8 years ago as the snow finally collapsed the roof. Right now, there is only a light pole and two grain bins there.
We also took out a corn crib too. No one was living there and it was becoming a spot for High Schoolers to drink and smoke. That is another worry of mine. We will be up there every few weeks, but I do worry some that kids will find it and start using it. We will keep it locked up and there will be a gate on the drive, but that didn´t stop kids using bolt cutters or just parking on the gravel and walking to it. I was thinking of getting some deer cameras or something and put them on a couple of spots of the property.
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