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davestreck
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:23pm - Edited by: davestreck
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Just stumbled on this forum. Great stuff. I wish I'd known about it a few years ago when we started building!
My wife and have been building a small cabin on an uninhabited island off the eastern shore of Nova Scotia for the past few years. We only get up there for about 2 weeks a year, since its about a 14 hour drive and neither of us has much vacation time (or money), but we have managed to get a small 12x16 cabin built.
The cabin is on a 60 acre island about 1 mile offshore. No roads, no electricity, no neighbors, and no building codes. The building site is perched on a cliff with great views over the ocean. We regularly see dolphins swimming in the cove right off our front porch, as well as seals, bald eagles and deer. The island is quite rugged, mostly dense black spruce and birch. The first day of every trip is usually occupied with chainsawing the blowdowns out of our way to clear the path back to the site. Amazingly, cell phone reception on the island is better than it is in my living room at home.
A local lobsterman lets us use his dock to launch our boat and park our car. The nearest town (Sheet Harbour) has all that we need: lumberyard/hardware store, RCMP, hospital, a decent grocery store, a couple of restaurants, gas station, laundromat, etc. Town is only a 10 minute drive from the dock.
We have not yet located a fresh water source, so have been hauling in all our water. I'm planning a cistern to hold rainwater as one of my future projects.
The biggest problem with the whole project (apart from break-ins) has been logistics. We trailer up a 13' Boston Whaler that serves as our landing craft, but building in such a remote spot means that everything has to be hauled in on our backs, which is quite a job for two people.
Also, everything we bring into Canada from the states (building materials, furniture) has to be declared at the border and duty paid on.
Since bedrock is only a foot or so below grade, we were able to use precast concrete deck blocks as our foundation, backfilled with beach gravel.
There is no plywood in the cabin, since its too much of a pain to fit in the boat and too awkward to carry to the site, so its sheathed in tongue and groove spruce (cheaper than ply up there anyway) and sided with tar paper and cedar shingles. No insulation, but since we plan to only use it in the summer this isn't a concern for me yet.
Steel roof, and salvaged and rebuilt wood windows and doors.
As of July 2011, the cabin is weathertight and (mostly) painted and sided. Next year will be devoted to finishing the shingles and paint, installing the wood stove and coming up with a rainwater catchment system. Future projects will be:
-solar/wind electrical system
-outhouse
-propane refrigerator and stove
-furniture and interior finish
Damn, that sounds like a lot when I write it like that. Still, it has been a great journey and I can't wait to get up there next year and get back to work. Having my 6 year old son tell me, "I miss the cabin!" has made it all worth it.
Here's a quick slideshow of pics from our 2011 trip for anyone who's interested: URL
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:58pm
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Absolutely magnificent work. Two thumbs up!
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:59pm
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Love it. I have a log cabin on a island in Ontario Canada,we live in MI. It is about 1200 sq ft. We built it in 2006. We are using it from May-Oct. when we retire. We only spend 3 weeks every year for now becaue we are still working. Our cabin is in a remote area and is off grid. Some things we have done so far: built a outdoor shower we use a gas powered pump to pump water from the lake into a 500 gallon water tank we have on our water tower. We use a EZ Tankless for the shower(videos on Youtube). Built a outhouse. We have a propane stove for heat. I don't have propane appliances in my kitchen yet because i have to get CSA approved appliances and the price I got was 8 grand. For now I use a propane grill as a oven outside and inside two butane burners I got from a restaurant supply store. Open a window to use inside. Everything is portable so i don't leave it in the cabin. Some good solar portable lights are made by d.light(on amazon). We use oil lamps as well and headlamps at night(from Walmart).
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smitty
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:23pm
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Very inspiring!
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:03am
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Davestreck - Beautiful cabin. No building codes in Canada? WOW - I didn't know there were any places here without codes. Congratulations on a job well done. Can't wait to see more photos!
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2011 06:41am
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There are building codes there. And it does not matter how remote your property is. But if your building is under 215 sq ft you don't need a building permit.
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davestreck
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:25pm
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Quoting: hattie No building codes in Canada? WOW - I didn't know there were any places here without codes.
Oh, I'm sure there are codes, but small camps on the offshore islands tend to fly below the radar. Our land is zoned as "resource", which means that we could probably do just about anything. Even if we were in violation, good luck ever getting an inspector out there.
Annual property taxes are about $45 CAD.
Quoting: Anonymous if your building is under 215 sq ft you don't need a building permit.
At 12x16 we just squeaked by!
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Montanan
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2011 11:25pm
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Wow- what an amazing location and set-up!! Thanks for sharing! It sounds like quite an endeavor to get all of your materials up there but so worth it to really get away. The look on your son's face says it all.
We managed to get around having a building permit at all where we are (we're in a no-mans-land between the county and the town plat.) We were able to get a septic permit and electrical permit without the building permit...but this is lawless Montana.
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2011 10:08am
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Your cabin and land is beautiful (and your little boy-pretty handsome!) I admire your determination. Congratulations and welcome.
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unixfmike
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 02:47am
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I just read through this for the first time. I drive 3 hours, and park the suburban and trailer 30 feet from the build site. I was complaining about carrying build materials and lifting wall panels and carrying them the short 30 feet and standing them. I could not imaging the physical labor involved with loading a truck, driving to the boat, loading the boat, piloting the boat, then unloading the boat at the island, then hand carrying the materials to the build site, then starting the tasks involved with construction. I'm sure you are physically fit (or are now), and you are quite familiar with defining the word tired. Thank you for sharing this one.
--MikeW
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davestreck
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 08:36am - Edited by: davestreck
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Yeah, the carrying is a chore! The path to the building site is so rugged and steep I doubt even an ATV could make it (not that we could ever get an ATV out there in the first place). The beach where we land the boat tends to fill up with building materials, camping gear, coolers, etc early on in the trip, and the rule from then on is "ABC": Always Be Carrying! We tend to crash early most nights, as you'd imagine.
The hell of it is, my wife (all 105 pounds of her) ends up doing probably 75% of the carrying, since I'm the builder and she's the "unskilled labor" (her words) Its impossible to express how proud I am of her. In the course of a single 2 week trip, she probably makes 200 round trips from the beach to the building site. Most of the materials you see in these pictures came in on her back.
In hindsight, its amazing what you can do with just a little hard work. OK, a lot of hard work.
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davestreck
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 09:04am
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Here's a YouTube video I posted after our 2010 trip. It gives an idea of what the hike from the beach to the cabin is like. Multiply this by a couple thousand and you get an idea how much sweat equity we have in our cabin so far!
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naturelover66
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 09:19am
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You guys are Awesome !!! The reward of gazing upon the beautiful scenery surrounding your Cabin makes it all worth it.
So beautiful............. thanks for sharing.
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 12:34pm
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Love the video....Looks like you have quite a well-worn path to the cabin from the beach. *S* How big is your island?
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Montanan
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 01:00pm
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Your hauling story sounds familiar. I am also the "unskilled labor" in the family and we were unable to drive up to our site at the beginning, due to a very rudimentary road and TONS of rain and run-off this spring. Myself- and the kids- spent day after day just hauling materials the 200 yards uphill from the road to the site. I spent 2 straight days carrying 8' 2x4s on my back. We carried every single window and door by hand, too. It's a labor of love, though.
Kudos to you guys for taking on that kind of project!! We're now driving in to our cabin (at least until the snow falls) and it sure makes life easier!
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davestreck
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2011 03:37pm
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Hattie,
The island is 60 acres.
Montanan,
I feel your pain! But it makes the cabin that much more special when you are able to say you built it all yourself. And major bragging rights! Women who haul lumber rock.
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herry1
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 05:48am
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very good Dear....
I am so happy to see your work.Really i shocked how you start and complete with finishing.Can you tell me you make this alone??
Thanks for sharing.
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 06:51pm
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Dave
What a wonderful thread. This is what small cabin forum is all about. Your pix are wonderful.
60 acres of island is what most wish for!!! Us land locked folks have to add a buffer of +100 acres to get the serenity you will enjoy. And your labour (love the "u") (Cdn 'eh) makes it all special.
Please keep posting your images as you develop and explore your sanctuary.
PS Don't forget to look up and enjoy the dark. Most people now have never seen the milky way.
all the best
bugs
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davestreck
Member
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# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 09:14pm
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Quoting: herry1 Can you tell me you make this alone??
Not alone. My wife and I have done most of it ourselves, but my brother and my father have both devoted weeks of help. Still, we have used no contractors or any other hired help, just family.
Its amazing what a few hard-working people can accomplish when they set their minds to something. Just about anything is possible if you don't mind working your ass off!
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 12:36pm
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Quoting: davestreck Its amazing what a few hard-working people can accomplish when they set their minds to something. Just about anything is possible if you don't mind working your ass off!
OH SO TRUE!!!!!
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LakeSuperior5
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# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 02:56pm
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Love it! Congratulations. I am also the unskilled hauler so can relate and am glad to read that someone appreciates the unskilled. I feel guilty as my husband is building that "all" I am doing is making trips back and forth hauling. We have about a 300' hike only. No loading and unloading a boat. Yikes. I will not complain again.
We also have no "codes". Just needed a land use permit for $100. I like that.
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neb
Member
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2011 01:05pm
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Great place for sure and you have something for life. Awesome
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brokeneck
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# Posted: 19 Sep 2011 09:02pm
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Awesome cabin beautiful setting -- love the shingles -- and the roofing ...
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beachman
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# Posted: 25 Sep 2011 08:20pm
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What a great project. We have done a similar project in NB. It is on a lake with no road access and we had to haul all materials to the site by boat from a baot launch area about a mile away. Hauled all the cement blocks over three or four weekends and had to dig out five bad stumps by hand - chains, jacks, etc... Took 8 trips from 8AM to 6PM in the drizzle - but luckily the lake was calm. We built the cabin about 500sq ft with a loft and a kitched are stretched out about 4 ft. It was started in May and we have the whole thing ready for the wood stove and the kitchen to be installed. No running water or electricity. We purchased a Sunmar Centrix 2000 low-water toilet and a gas range and refrigerator. Anonymous said that gas appliance ran high - we got ours (stove and refrigerator) from Bob's in Nevada for about $2,800 shipped to NB. These are not installed yet and we have a bathroom with a shower - to be run by a marine pump and accumulator tank - 12 Volt to use deep cycle battery with solar charger and inverter for misc - phones, radio. TV not allowed!
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davestreck
Member
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2011 06:32pm
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Quoting: beachman What a great project. We have done a similar project in NB. It is on a lake with no road access and we had to haul all materials to the site by boat from a baot launch area about a mile away. Hauled all the cement blocks over three or four weekends and had to dig out five bad stumps by hand - chains, jacks, etc... Took 8 trips from 8AM to 6PM in the drizzle - but luckily the lake was calm. We built the cabin about 500sq ft with a loft and a kitched are stretched out about 4 ft. It was started in May and we have the whole thing ready for the wood stove and the kitchen to be installed. No running water or electricity. We purchased a Sunmar Centrix 2000 low-water toilet and a gas range and refrigerator. Anonymous said that gas appliance ran high - we got ours (stove and refrigerator) from Bob's in Nevada for about $2,800 shipped to NB. These are not installed yet and we have a bathroom with a shower - to be run by a marine pump and accumulator tank - 12 Volt to use deep cycle battery with solar charger and inverter for misc - phones, radio. TV not allowed!
Any pics? I'd love to check it out. Sounds like a similar logistical challenge. While I love my Boston Whaler, I fantasize about one of these:
Sounds like you'll have a comfortable setup once you're done. How are you handling propane storage? Grill tanks or larger? I'm planning on propane appliances too, hooked up to a bank of grill tanks plumbed through an RV auto-changeover regulator. Rainwater for washing up, gravity filtered for drinking and cooking. Being on a lake I guess your water supply will be fairly straightforward. Solar and maybe wind feeding a battery bank and inverter for basic electric.
Lots yet to plan. Then I have to get it all out there!
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TomChum
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2011 10:53pm - Edited by: TomChum
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Awesome project! And beautiful setting too. 14 hours from home - I bet it's hard to leave the cabin.... ! All your tribulations (ABC etc.) Too late now - but if you do more projects you might erect a steel cable "high line" and a trolley to carry things over that distance.
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beachman
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# Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:53pm
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davestrek - would love to post pictures but as yet do not know how. I have several so maybe this forum is not the place - I will try to find out. I just registered so maybe next time pictures???
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beachman
Member
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# Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:03pm
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OK - in business. These are a few of he ealy pictures showing the site and the start of the project. I read many streams from this forum and many other sources. I settled on a few ideas that seemed to be confirmed here and in other places about remote sites with no electricity or road access. I ordered a Dometic gas refrigerator and a Premier Gas Range. From West Marine, I found many useful items and articles about solar power and small 12v systems used on boats. I have a Bosch propane hot water heater and a wood stove for heat. None of these have been installed and won't be until next spring - season is over and getting colder here - Canada. Hope this all works and will let you know. I'll send a few more pics in the next thread.
the site
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stumps - by hand
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lumber pile by boat
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floor with kithcen overhang
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2011 10:47am - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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beachman, this is davestreck's topic, about his cabin. Could your please create your own topic/thread in the "Member's Projects and Photos" area? We'd like to see your project there - it sure looks interesting and promising. Hope you understand. Thanks.
P.S.: "stumps - by hand" - that's hard work! (I usually resort to just cutting the tree at the ground level).
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beachman
Member
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:17pm
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davestrek - to answer your previous questions, the propane that I will use will be 100lb tanks - 2, attached to a manifold that I had made. The manifold will have shut-off valves for each light and appliance so I can shut one off if necessary. I am going with Falks propane lights - 6 in all for the cabin. As for water, I have a dug well for an old camp that I was able to tap into. It fortunately has great water and good supply. The lake is clean and drinkable but tea-stained so it looks like ginger ale - could use it with a filter. I have 35 gal tank that will sit over the bathroom area attached to the 12v pump and accumulator tank. I will fill this by Guzzler Pump from the well periodically. This will feed to the low-water flush toilet, the sink and through the propane water heater to the shower. Cheers - plan to start my own topic soon as suggested.
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