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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 09:02am - Edited by: OwenChristensen
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You have a great mind. I say buy a camper trailer , but spend under a thousand. You'll have a leaky roof and it won't be worth selling later , but if you're careful, you'll get a lp furnace, stove, ref. maybe lights, water tank, etc. Maybe you can sleep in it for a short time while building, then move the appliances to your tree house. Getting rid of the junk is the down fall. Actually the trailer frame and tires might be your new flatbed trailer.
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gersus
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 09:33am
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Nice! I love it! Your shower/outhouse is awesome! Looking forward to seeing your progress!
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:46am
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The other downfall to the camper is cutting a wide enough road to get it in. I'm not sure I'm ready/willing to expose myself to the road that way yet. But I would entertain one if like you said, I could obtain for a very reasonable price.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:04pm
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You could build a platform for your tent to keep it off the ground. Make it bigger than the tent so you have a deck area for relaxing and dining. Than use the platform later as the deck for your cabin.
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 01:35pm
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It's not the tent on the ground I mind, it's being in the rain with nowhere else to go.
I'm just trying to wrap my head around a manageable size for a structure in a tree. I imagine it will end up as a very small cabin. Height may be a better advantage to me vs making the actual building perimeter larger.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 05:10pm - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Build a bunkie. Later on when you build your cabin you can use it for guests.
We tented for years on our property, (25 years) and never had a tent that leaked from the side or top. Did you use seam sealer on your tent? The problem we had was the floor it would become water logged.If only we had built a platform. I still miss sleeping in a tent. It made me feel closer to nature.
The tent we had was always a two room tent with a huge awning for sleeping. The kids each had a sleeping tent. We took sheets of plywood and screwed pipes to the bottom for a bed and used air mattresses and made tables out of plywood and sawhorses.We also bought a picnic table kit. We still use these items at our cabin. We would leave them up at camp covered with a tarp when we went home. We used the front of the tent as a living room. We also had a kitchen tent. With enough room for dining. So I had a very comfortable set up.
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 05:20pm
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All good suggestions silverwaterlady, but the idea IS to build a treehouse. That is what we are considering and the ideas around that project. Sure I can build a shed, but it doesn't interest me at this point. We're on 3 acres and I already have two small buildings(metal storage shed and outhouse).
Plus I'm not seeing any other treehouse threads so I thought it might spark some conversation and help me make up my mind about something.
I've camped my entire life and have nothing against a tent but when it rains, that is what I'm confined to. And then I have to wait for it to dry before packing it (leaving it up is not an option for me or the tent).
I would like the option to be there in the winter as well. And I'm not camping. In the winter unless it's on a frozen lake...
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 05:35pm
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Here is a cool one from Pinterest:
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PatrickH
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:25pm
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I dont want to sway your decision but we sounded just like you a few years ago we where super close to buying an rv for 1,000 then it was going to be a 5,000 rv then if we bought that we wanted to put a roof over it for protection then we where going to build a portion of our cabin that was going to be one room of the bigger picture and put that portion on piers than we deceided to just do it and planned a way to build what we wanted in sections I didnt think I would even have a roof on before winter much less shingles and I didnt care as long as all the money and effort where going into what we really wanted and i couldnt be happier i just got the permits for the first of two additions that will complete the entire building even if i had only enough money to do a basement and live in that i would do that just my two cents Im sure whatever you do will be cool good luck on your decision!Cant wait to see the progress.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:33pm - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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I have been into this land/cabin lifestyle since I met my DH in 1982. So I have experienced all the feelings and changes on what we were going to build, do etc....
Yes, we have a rv on our property and its a mouse infested,leaky hunk of junk that just sits there so I don't reccomend that route.
If I give advice it's because I have been where you are. That's all! I thought that was why we are all here? To learn from other people that have the same agenda. To someday have a sweet little cabin away from the stress of the World.
Camping for as long as we did helped us save our money to be able to build what we really wanted. We're not done,probably never will be done. There will always be a new idea or goal for the cabin but at least we have the log cabin we always wanted.
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:47pm
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I agree with your thought process Patrick. Our financial goals won't let us go that direction at this time. We are planning on paying off our house before investing any significant amount into a second residence. Hoping to have that done 2018-2020 depending on how life happens. We only buy with cash at this point and have spent time eliminating all debt(-mortgage)
So in the meantime I'm looking for a 1-3k investment I can feel good about. If it's a tent for the next 7-10 years than that's what it is. Your advise is in line with what was probably our wisest plan to date - permit and build a 1 car garage that will actually add value to the property. Convert the back half to a livable space until a cabin is built in the future, then open the garage to be used as a garage when a final structure is in place. Like you said, money towards a final goal.
16x24 with slab 5k +-. And that's not finished inside. So not this year. But it is still a possibility, and i could just as easily wait until next year and maybe feel good about dropping 6k on it. And that's probably a good idea but only being able to spend time there 6-7 months out of the year, while making me appreciate the time I do have there, is getting old.
So in the meantime I need a project to get some dry heated weekends.
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2014 09:05pm
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Quoting: silverwaterlady If I give advice it's because I have been where you are. That's all! I thought that was why we are all here? To learn from other people that have the same agenda.
I was grateful for your suggestions. Not sure what you meant by this.
Quoting: silverwaterlady Camping for as long as we did helped us save our money to be able to build what we really wanted.
Patience is tough to learn. But money does not grow on trees either, so this will likely be our approach as well. Just trying to temporarily upgrade our 'waiting/saving' situation.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2014 11:36am
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Love all the pondering..........great advice here.................................................................carry on...............
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wirivercabin
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2014 04:39pm - Edited by: wirivercabin
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Interesting idea... will be fun to see it work.
Where I am at in WI along the river, the trees don't root very deep.
Whenever a storm come through I am always shocked how little huge trees have for roots. And I don't have a tree I trust to hold much more than a bird house.
We went the opposite and built into the ground (1/2 basement) for our bedrooms. Idea was if money ran out, I would cover the floor deck with roll roofing and keep going up when funds were enough. Luckily I was able to continue and didn't need to roof the main floor.
Plus the storm issue, we sure get our share of spring storms.
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:15pm - Edited by: Gregjman
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I like the idea. When I build a cabin I will also fund it as I go. But the startup costs for septic and electricity have me putting it a ways down the road.
Whereabouts are you on the river? I usually canoe from Sauk to the Mississippi once every other year or so. Love it down passed boscobel. Always have a great time.
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wirivercabin
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:28pm
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I still don't have well or septic, so that is still on the list of when I get the cash. May not happen as I am getting used to it and it keeps guests from staying too long. ( or in our case they don't come back, city folk LOL)
We are close to Winter on the Chippewa.
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:56pm
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I assumed the wi river by your name. I have some family in rice lake.
I can't get a building permit without sanitary permits first.
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wirivercabin
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2014 06:12pm - Edited by: wirivercabin
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Ok, in Sawyer county a "non plumbing" sanitary permit for an outhouse was all they required, And I have a sealed tank so that was just a fill out the paper and pay the $25 fee. Composting and incinerating toilets were also accepted.
A true outhouse, or pit toilet required soil tests and other work.
But I don't know what is allowed these days, I know a lot of rules have changed.
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wirivercabin
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 10:50am
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Here is a plan not in a tree but same idea.
http://www.topsiderhomes.com/images/plans/PD-0101.gif
I have stayed in this one, it's at Spirit Mountain Skiing in Duluth MN
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Gregjman
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# Posted: 25 May 2014 08:01am
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We got back to the land a few times this spring. I finally cut a driveway in to our camp area so we can get back there with a truck now.
This weekend we rented. 6" Vermeer chipper. Works awesome. Basically all last year we spent time gathering our fallen dead pines. Hundreds and hundreds of them. We piled them up along the trails we cut. It worked out great.
My father in law brought his atv to pull it around. If anyone is planning in doing this, you'll need a pretty large atv to tow these things if not your vehicle. Anyways, we pulled it up to each pile, one or two ppl fed the machine, and everyone else gathered more.
We probably made at least 30 yards of mulch in a full day. Now I will take my time and spread it on the trails to decompose.
It's amazing how much better it looks. We are glad we didn't rent it for more than a day. Now we have time to gather and stack the test of the bulk? Maybe trim up some trees by camp, and rent it again this fall to really clean up.
After this big 2 year cleanup it will be a lot easier to maintain if we just stay on top of it.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 3 Jan 2021 02:10pm
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Are you still at this land Greg? We are not far from Coloma, a bit sw past Pleasant Lake. And I think I recognize the 'granite quarry.
I saw you were hoping to pay off the house, etc. and keep at being 'unencumbered by debt', hope that has worked out.
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