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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 11:32am
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Hello everyone! I am getting building materials for a 600 sq ft cabin delivered to Alamosa, Colorado. I am going to build it myself with the help of local friends. I do not want a concrete foundation. I really like the piers foundation for my cabin and I am thinking about heating my floors with radiant heat. I am really excited about this new adventure and I will take all the advice I can get!
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 01:18pm
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Welcome to the forum. Send pics!
If you've read the forum much, you know that we have had a lot of discussion about foundation types, like types of piers, benefits of a full spread footing, how well piers really work etc. Explain what you had in mind for a pier foundation- did you mean precast piers put on the ground? Or pouring piers into holes in the ground?
Do you know the frost depth in your area?
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 01:25pm
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Hello! As of right now I have no pics to send. I am currently in the Army stationed at Fort Riley, KS. I purchased my cabing last year while deployed. But once I get to Colorado and start I will be glad to add pics. I want to use Sonotubes and the frost depth is anywhere between 3 to 5 ft.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 01:45pm - Edited by: bldginsp
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How large a cabin do you plan to build? 600 sq foot- that's big- two storey?
Do you plan to get permits?
Have you thought about septic/wastewater disposal?
Where will you get water from?
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 01:48pm
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Bldginsp as my forum title states, 600 sq ft. I have to have permits, and yes I have thought about septic/wastewater disposal. I have been planning this for 2 years. Everything has been thought out and planned. Now I just need to implement it. My water will be brought in to me from a water company. I do not want to disturb the ground nor spend alot of money on a well that may dry up later on down the road.
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Malamute
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 02:06pm - Edited by: Malamute
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How long before you get to Co to start working on it?
My cabin is on piers. I'd suggest figuring out how to skirt it in around the bottom. Even with insulated floors, it makes a big difference.
The bigfoot footers made for use with the sono tubes are great, if you didnt have any plans yet for the footers.
It may be worth checking well depths and output in your area. If its a solid producing area, there isnt much reason to avoid having a well and being a little more self sufficient regarding water. I LOVED it when I got my well in and didnt have to haul water any more, or be conservative in using it. I've lived hauling water for a number of years in different cabins. Its OK I guess, but I REALLY like having a well.
Drilling a well doesnt disturb the ground that much compared to a septic system.
All the work I do on my site, I tell the excavation guys that I'm trying to disturb the surface and vegetation as little as possible. Its annoying to them, but with some planning and care, it can be done with less disturbance and put back pretty well. Keeping the surface dirt separate, so all the rocky junk doesnt end up on the top helps. I've even tarped the ground to keep the underlying ground from getting trashed where the dirt is piled. Keeping them from driving all over my sagebrush and plants is one of the hard things. Nobody cares that much about that sort of thing for the most part.
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 02:14pm
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I will be in Colorado next month and plan on starting as soon as I get there. I will be using the bigfoot footers for the sono tubes. I have check the well depths and did my research for the area. There is water rights and all kinds of other things. So I prefer to have water tanks and have my water delivered. An no I will not be hauling my water.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 02:17pm
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Quoting: CabinGirl78 I will take all the advice I can get!
Quoting: CabinGirl78 I have to have permits, and yes I have thought about septic/wastewater disposal. I have been planning this for 2 years. Everything has been thought out and planned.
I guess first question is, do you want advice?
Second, is the building dept ok with that foundation?
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 02:21pm
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Yes I will take advice. I don't want to seem like I am being smart but if I didn't want advice I would not say I would take it. Plus just because you give advice does not mean I have to adhere to it. And yes the building deptartment is ok with my foundation. Like I said, I have been planning this for 2 years. Talking to the county on what I can and cannot do.
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Malamute
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 02:37pm
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How do the water rights affect wells there? Where I am, the irrigation water rights are entirely different than home or personal use well water rights. Theres no issue getting rights on a well. Other places my be different. The rights are just part of the well permit application and is not expensive or hard to get.
Hauling water is a figure of speech. You can do it, or somebody else, like the delivery people. One area I looked in my current area wasnt a good well area and people had water hauled/delivered. I was told that in snowy winters not to expect them to be able to get to the place I was looking at for several months. I dont know how much that would be an issue where you will be, just bringing it up for consideration. I'm reluctant to rely on someone else for my water if I have a chance to have a well of my own. Nearly everyone in the Flagstaff area hauled water also, I'm pretty familiar with it. Having lived around it and done it, I avoid it now.
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 02:46pm
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Malamute I did't say that the water rights affect the wells there. I just said that there were water rights and all kinds of other things. As for where I am located, the only issue would be is if they delivery truck cannot get through La Veta Pass due to weather. I just do not see spending thousands of dollars on getting a well dug. My best friend who will also be my neighbor paid over $6000 for her well and then found out that there is methane in her water. No thanks...I rather spend that $6000 on getting my homestead and business up and running. But to each their own. Everyone does things in the manner that they feel comfortable with, what they can afford and what is more convient for them.
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Malamute
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 03:32pm
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In mentioning "water rights and all kinds of things" when talking about a well, it seemed to connects the two. Thats why I asked how they affected wells there.
Methane in the neighbors water is definitely an issue that would affect a decision on whether to drill or not.
Are you going to do an underground cistern? If it freezes up to possibly 5 feet deep, do the cisterns need to be deep or be insulated? Frost depth is 4' here. One cabin I built, I had a concrete cistern set under the cabin, but it was a concrete foundation. I dont know if it would help having a cistern under a cabin on piers unless it was skirted to keep cold out. Just a thought if the cold is an issue with the cistern/tank/whatever.
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 03:40pm
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In our county the cistern has to be underground and it will freeze. My neighbors froze last winter.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 03:45pm
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Don't know if you have considered it yet, but you might try supplementing your water deliveries with rainwater collection.
Methane from a well! yuck! That would scare me from drilling a well. But I bet you'll get tired of paying for hauled water pretty quickly. Quite a dilemma.
That's interesting that the building dept. accepted your foundation on piers. I say that just cause all the engineering types I talk to say that piers just don't function well for handling lateral loads- earthquake and wind loads. Might not be a big issue where you are. If you can make a pdf of your basic structural plans and post it up here I'd be interested to see.
You mentioned radiant floor heating- explain a little more there- did you plan to use a propane heater to heat water to run through the system, or some other method?
Thanks for posting- you've got an interesting project.
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CabinGirl78
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 03:50pm
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There are rules on rainwater collection as well. I am pleased with the pricing and the service that the water delivery company I have choosen will provide for me.
As for a basic structural plan, I do not have one to post. All my designs are in my head and sketched out.. Once I have things figured out then I put actually draw up a design/plan.
For the radiant floor heat, I am using solar power to heat the water to run through they system.
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SandyR
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 04:23pm
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I don't pay attention to the rules of rain barrel collection. I collect it anyway. I have one barrel and it serves us well for all of our needs for our family of six.
We have separate drinking water.
Will it just be you? Will you be living there part time, or full time?
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rockies
Member
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# Posted: 8 Jul 2015 08:37pm
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Use Bigfoot tubes for the piers. Much simpler and easier than cardboard sono-tubes.
http://www.bigfootsystems.com/
http://www.bigfootsystems.com/include/products.htm
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Malamute
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# Posted: 9 Jul 2015 01:06am
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Looks good for wet conditions. Is there another advantage?
I've often ended up cutting cardboard sono tubes to various odd lengths to get the tops even when the base was dug 4' below grade, and not always done to an exact spec for depth. Looks like the plastic tubes are a set length.
I hadnt heard of wind issues with pier foundations, though I havent work with them much. My current cabin is on piers, it was a shoestring operation at the time. With the 100+ mph winds we get here, there hasnt been a problem. Permits basically ask the general idea, and size, there isnt any plans/blueprints submitted etc, and no inspections other than septic, and for finished size and basic idea of value when its tax time. Logs are anchored to all the piers.
I did end up putting up a 6' board fence with power poles 4' in the ground for fence posts around the cabin, for privacy from the 5 or 6 cars that come by each day and wind break.
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y2kdejesus
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# Posted: 12 Aug 2015 11:24pm
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Cabingirl,
I also have some land in Blanca Colorado about 25 miles east of you. I want to build a small cabin 600 sq ft minimum requirement in Costilla county. Let me know how it goes and you can help me out through the same venture of a homestead place where I can get away from this HOT Arizona heat....Cant wait to hear from you and see pics as well. Thanks 
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