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mgc
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2011 09:18pm
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Thanks neb, not quite as scenic as your place but we like it.
Thanks Bzzzzzt, use all the ideas you come across here, we have certainly used many ideas from this site. That's probably the best part of this web site, the sharing of knowledge, experiences and ideas for no other reason than to just share.
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mgc
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2011 08:14pm
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Current photos of inside.
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hattie
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2011 11:29pm
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I love the inside pictures. Great work!!
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mgc
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# Posted: 6 Sep 2012 05:56am
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It's been a while since I posted anything, however I do try to keep watching everyones progress. We just added a little sidewalk leading to our porch and planted native seeds around it. Not a big deal, but really the only thing we have done lately, besides enjoy the place.
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mgc
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2012 09:05pm
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Walkway finished, next is picket fence and gate. We added a TV and DVD player so the grand children can watch Dora, Boots and Diego before their naps.
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neb
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2012 10:06pm
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Man, like I said before that is one nice cabin!!!! Great job!!!!!
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adakseabee
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2012 01:54pm
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Mike, super 'shack' you have! If you have close-up photos of your cistern structure and your outdoor shower, would you post them for us? Thanks.
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hattie
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2012 03:33pm
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I love your place. You have done an amazing job!!!!
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mgc
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2012 10:11pm
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Thank you, we sure enjoy it. Adakseabee, thank you and I will take a bunch of pictures of the shower and cistern the next time we go, but there's really not much to them. Hattie and Neb, we really appreciate your kind words, it's just great fun and a great reason to look forward to the weekends and holidays.
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bostonman98
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# Posted: 17 Oct 2012 11:08am
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mgc - really like the small cabin, I'm going to be building a similar size this spring. I was curious what size roof rafters you used? I would like to use 2x4's but not sure if I can get away with this
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 18 Oct 2012 05:45am
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Bostonman, we used 2X6 rafters.
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mgc
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# Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:42pm
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adakseabee
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mgc
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# Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:54pm
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Adakseabee, these are what I have. The first three are of the shower, nothing special, gets water from the pump below the cistern. In the shower, we have a hose outlet for to wash our hands or to hook up to a hose that goes to our hot water heater for a hot shower. It's one of those on demand cheap heaters. Works really good! The last shot is of the cistern, catches water from roof, water is then fed to a 12 volt pump and accumulator, then to shower. Nothing fancy here either, pump is energized by batteries, which are charged by cheap solar panels (Harbor Freight, $150).
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mgc
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# Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:04pm
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Switch to turn on pump, pump and accumulator, piping and gutter to cistern.
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adakseabee
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# Posted: 29 Oct 2012 06:12pm
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Mike, thanks for the photos. I noticed the cross-bracing to prevent the cistern support structure from racking left and right, but minimal bracing against racking forward and back. I recommend that you strengthen the structure by adding similar cross-bracing on the two sides without it. I intend to build something similar next summer at my 10x14 cabin with a full loft under a 14/12 pitch roof. Again, thanks for the inspiration. Adakseabee
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richardbosart
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# Posted: 9 Jul 2013 08:52am
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Hi Mike, we are doing the same thing on my grandpa's old home site near Cuero, Texas. We have moved an 8 X 12 storage shed onto the property and are camping out on the weekends. We had to clear brush so we can mow (first had to get my dad's old 1946 Farmall tractor running). Unfortunately the 40 ft shallow well (with windmill) dried up this past year (we had 6 ft water the year before) so we are looking at alternative ideas on water collection/storage. We currently live in Houston and make the trip as often as we can (2 1/2 hours each way).
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 10 Jul 2013 06:02am
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Hello Richard, sounds like a neat project, we've certainly enjoyed ours. Post photos when you can and if there is anything we can help with, just ask.
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creeky
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# Posted: 10 Jul 2013 10:39am
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love the cistern. that is cool. nice build.
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richardbosart
Member
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# Posted: 10 Jul 2013 08:33pm
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Thanks Mike, here are some photos. I built this 8 x 12 storage shed 25 years ago to hold my possessions while doing mission work in South Africa. We moved it from our home place in Cuero out to my grandpa's 2 acres at Clinton (near Cuero) a year ago. We are in the process of gradually renovating it to make it livable. We love what you did to the inside of your cabin and have been looking at different opportunities/designs. We have a lot of old wood, but it would take longer to install it than the beaded paneling.
installing window in my storage shed
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fixing breakfast on outdoor wood fire
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eating breakfast outdoors
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richardbosart
Member
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# Posted: 10 Jul 2013 08:54pm
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Here are some more pics of our cabin and land at Clinton. We only started clearing brush and mowing about a year ago. The property has been setting idle for about 15 years (so was the tractor) since Dad died in 1998. My grandpa bought it in 1927 and my mom was born here (I lived the first 3 yrs of my life here also). Old house was torn down by Dad and used to build onto our house in Cuero back in the 1950's. It's good communicating with you since we have lots in common re: small cabins and Texas land.
property a year ago when we jsut started clearing brush and mowing
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Dad's old 1946 Farmal A with drag shredder
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inside our cabin
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shower similar to yours using bucket system
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 11 Jul 2013 05:39am
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Great place Richard! Love mesquite trees, but a little hard to deal with the thorns. Your cabin and shower are perfect. That windmill and tractor are priceless, i could stare at both for hours. Great place!
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Purplerules
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# Posted: 11 Jul 2013 11:10pm
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just got the chance to read through and I
love your micro-cabin.
It may be small but it has quite the charm!
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ChuckDynasty
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2014 05:35pm - Edited by: ChuckDynasty
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Very nice, love it. What is the wall height and roof pitch? Could a tall building having an 8x8 base be easily blown over if not anchored down?
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rockies
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2014 06:01pm - Edited by: rockies
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Having a background in Architecture and Interior Design, I must tell you how pleased I am to see someone put so much care and thought into such a small cabin. It shows that it really doesn't take very much effort (or money) in order to build something both functional and practical and also to condense it down to the absolute minimum and still have it be beautiful and well built I have never understood people who find their "little piece of heaven" in some part of the world and then put a poorly built, ugly old shack on it.
The argument that is always made is "Well, maybe that's all they can afford". I don't believe it. A little extra time, research and effort can always improve a building and turn it into something you'd be proud to pass on to your grandkids, rather than it being an instant eyesore and a candidate for a bonfire one day. The assumption is also that "If you want it to look nice you have to spend the bucks."
Again, thoughtful planning will always pay off far more than the size of your wallet. Congrats on a beautiful cabin.
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mgc
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2014 05:30am - Edited by: mgc
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Chuck, I've thought about that and it probably could blow over in a hurricane, we have them here, but we are amid huge oak trees that should help against that. The house is sheathed with plywood, inside and out, top to bottom, that is glued and nailed (we were worried about wind and weight while building). We will anchor to the base of the trees if needed, but if it blows over, we have much, much bigger worries than the "little house" as our granddaughters call it.
Rockies, thanks. This forum helped a lot with the "thoughtful planning" part and it is easier to use good materials if you only need a little bit of it. We were hoping that the little house would be elegant, dignified, functional and FUN, in an inviting way, not in a snobby way. We love it, our grandchildren love it and all of us enjoy it immensely. You can't see the entire property in the pictures, but the little house seems "fit into the property" and not clash or stand out against the place.We're not into zen or fen-shui, but the little house feels like it belongs there. I think that is what all the houses in this forum have in common, they are small, fit into and are a part of, what ever nature they are around. Thanks for the kind words.
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2014 06:58am
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Just a recent photo, little fence for the little house.
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eddienlinda
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2014 12:39am
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Very nice. What's the stairs to the right going to?
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:45am
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Its a Princess' tower for our granddaughters (3 and 5), made from a stump and some scrap lumber and my first attempt at welding. They run up and down the steps and survey their kingdom from the tower  It's a hoot watching them.
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:53am - Edited by: mgc
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The girls and the new tower, bad shot of me.
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2015 05:43am - Edited by: mgc
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Updated our rain catchment, trimmed trees, bigger gutters, leaf guards and new holding tank. Still have to install a first flush device and reinstall water pump.
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