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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 8 Nov 2010 01:22am
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A few of you asked for pictures of the loft construction. I tried to take some pictures but it is tight quarters so I'm not sure I captured the view you were looking for.
The basic construction was to build the walls then add the loft joists up under the double top plate. We then added a supporting block under the joist. The loft decking is 1/2" plywood.
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Left loft front
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Right loft front
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Left loft under
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Right loft under
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Moontreeranch
Member
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# Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:16pm
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I set my loft on the top of the window headers also...load transfer is key
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Skip
Member
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# Posted: 26 Dec 2010 03:26pm
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Hey MikeOnBike!
Take a look at the following, and see if you think anything looks similar:
http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_737_0.html#msg6612
Concrete piers, 2 x 6 rafters, decking, relatively steep roof pitch, etc.
We even have sagebrush, but you've got more trees!
We don't have a window in the loft yet, but were already planning on adding one this Spring!
Skip.
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RnR
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2010 03:26pm
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Super Amazing progress MikeOnBike! Love the Canyon location as well... wow...
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2010 03:56pm
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Thanks, RnR. It really is a beautiful site. We are blessed.
I'm going through construction withdrawal! There is 2' of snow on the mtn. and we won't be back up there until April.
We will build another shed in the spring. Similar to this one but without the loft and will have a shed roof and larger deck w/pergola.
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RnR
Member
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2011 03:01pm
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About the withdrawal, ya, its exciting to see walls go up, floors getting done where there was either nothing or close to nothing there before and you kinda miss the high that provides if you stop.
Is it feasable to have an access road plowed for winter access?
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2011 04:31pm
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We are only a couple of miles off the county road but the closest the county clears their road in the winter is 12 miles away.
When we have an insulated cabin with a wood stove we will probably invest in a couple of snowmobiles.
In a couple of months I'll probably start prefabbing my next shed for the mtn. That should help with the building jitters. Right now I'm working on the wiring for the solar system for my shed. Should be enough for lights and music.
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TomChum
Member
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2011 06:28pm
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WOW Beautiful place! That's a nice running spring too!
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TomChum
Member
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# Posted: 14 Jan 2011 06:32pm
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WOW Beautiful place! That's a nice running spring too!
Quoting: MikeOnBike I'm going through construction withdrawal! 
ATV trailer on snowboards
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2011 07:52am
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Very nice. If you dont mind what do think the total cost ended around?
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2011 12:53pm
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Too much! It will be just about $3900. That includes the rest of the insulation, paneling and deck stairs that still need to be installed. Unfortunately there are no recycled materials. The trex, metal roof and fiber cement siding are pretty expensive but there is no fire department and I don't want to bother with much upkeep on the place either.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2011 03:22pm
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Money well spent, MOB.
But, yeah, makes one shudder.
I'm thankful for Craigslist, as I saved approx $2K in purchases on our tiny cabin (doors, octowindow, insul, and other).
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2011 05:55am
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Mike-i love the cabin but cannt help and notice the wonderful quilt.very nice job.
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2011 02:42pm
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Gary, I need to learn to mine Craigslist more. It can be difficult if you need a specific item or are not sure what you are going to build until you start.
Cbg3, ah yes the quilt, I love it. My wife's mother or grandmother made that one. Wool top with a flannel back. It's a permanent part of our bedroll.
As soon as we get our shabin built this spring it will move up the ridge to our place.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2011 12:09am
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Quoting: MikeOnBike I need to learn to mine Craigslist more. It can be difficult if you need a specific item
So true.
If one has a place for storage, the good buys will pile up and can even be used for barter. But that's too enterprising for me, as I'm an OCD minimalist, and clutter drives me over the wall.
Oh the agony of a mental handicap
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2011 05:27pm
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Hi MoB
Your post on my thread got me curious to read through your thread again and relook at your habitat pix.
That is a sad little stream. It looks like it needs some shade. At least in the ecosystem(s) I am familiar with the natural condition would be well treed and shaded. I am not as familiar with terrestrial ecosystems in your part but from what you mention I can see it too needs some TLC stewardship too.
Are there any stewardship programs run by the state or fed's to assist land owners like yourself trying to return the land to a more natural condition? Maybe tax breaks?
You mentioned overgrazing. Is the land still being grazed?
For the past 6 years most of the research I have been involved with has to do with land use, riparian zone condition/use and the impact on aquatic community functioning, structure and biodiversity. We have similar issues (different ecosystem of course) such as over grazing, cattle watering problems and feedlot runoff coupled with large scale agricultural use and the related pesticide contamination and chemical fertilizer enrichment and, dare I say on this forum cabin/resort development and related contaminant issues and shoreline damage. It has been interesting work.
I hope you are able to restore your plot of land. It sounds like in its natural state it would really be something with a wonderful diversity of plants and animals.
Great cabin by the way. You are doing some fine work.
bugs
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2011 05:59pm
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Yes bugs, it is in sad shape. A classic case of allowing the cattle to run unrestricted access up and down the stream. Another problem with easy access to the stream is that the cattle tend to congregate here and badly overgraze the ground closest to the stream. They are reluctant to travel up or over the hill to better grass. They don't eat as well as they could and so don't put on the weight the rancher would prefer. A better method is to fence the stream and create a water gap for access. Even better in my mind is to plumb a water trough fed by gravity feed and keep the cattle completely off the stream.
There is no shade and a lot of erosion. We will have our 80 acres and the resulting 1/2 mile of stream fenced off this spring. Our land is at the head of the creek and unfortunately the water gets warmed very early. There are remnants of willow, blackberry and aspen along the stream. We have removed quite a few juniper from along the bank. Other projects have been shoring up some of the banks and slowing down some of the stream flow.
There is a lot of work left but it is a labor of love.
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Worst of erosion. spring in the middle of photo.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2011 10:27am
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Quoting: MikeOnBike Our land is at the head of the creek
Hey MOB
You probably already wrote it somewhere, but is that a yearround creek?
Does it help fill a lake, or dump into another stream?
Could it be a spawning bed certain parts of the year?
Just curious
GO'
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2011 01:20pm
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Gary, yes it is year round. The start of it is a spring just off of our property. It at least doubles in size from a spring on our property. Our creek dumps into another creek which dumps into the Owyhee river then the Snake and Columbia.
I think the Owyhee might have some history of salmon spawning but I'm not sure. We have pinky size trout in some of the deeper shaded parts of our stretch. Every trip up we do some work on the banks or knock another juniper across the stream. Getting the cows fenced off our land this spring will make a huge difference but will take a few years to see the results.
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RnR
Member
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2011 12:45pm
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Wow MikeOnBike, sounds to me like you are a true Steward of the Earth and not merely a Land Baron. That's awesome!
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:21pm
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Thanks RnR!
Land Baron? That implies wealth doesn't it? No wealth here. I grew up in this area enjoying what nature offers. My father was born not far from here. We are just very fortunate to be able to have a part of this and share it with our children and grandchildren. This is a joint effort with my mother, brother and I. It will go slowly because we will do all the work. This is NOT blog cabin. All three eventual cabins will be simple, respective of the land and combined will be smaller than a blog cabin.
Ok, end of blog cabin rant.
When I was in high school my brother, a friend and I renovated an old sheepherders stone cabin and used it for quite a few years. It was just a simple dirt floor and a fireplace but it was ours for awhile.
I really like what you have done with your place. I would have loved to restore an existing cabin but all we found were about a half dozen rotted boards and a few rusty tin cans at a site just off our property.
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RnR
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:36pm
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Please rant about Blog Cabin all you want... I guess it's hard for some people to imagine being at a cabin without just transposing their hectic suburban lifestyles and all the distractions and bells and wistles to another location. The simplicity of the place is part of its magic. I do occasionally daydream of escaping there full time, especially around income-tax time (now) when life just seems more complicated than it needs to be.
The sheepherders stone cabin sounds incredible... almost like a Biblical story... wow it must have been something... when you build new you know exactly how everything has been done, and you can do it YOUR way which must be really nice. When working on an existing place, while you do have something to work with already, you have to figure out how things were done first.. and there is some extra work in hauling out old material that you are replacing. Like old insulation for instance, and you may recall all the junk from our main thread. So each has its merits.
Thanks again. It's nice to know there are other like-minded people out there... As the spring approaches I'm getting so anxious to spend more time there and advance some projects... sometimes it's all I can talk about. Am I weird? probably.
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Erins#1Mom
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2011 07:14pm
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RnR
You are no weird.... I really enjoyed your postings with the remodel. Did an awesome job. I'm not sure which I would like the most: working with an existing place or starting from the drawing board. At this point, I have started neither but am anxious to begin the process with either.
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2011 08:51pm
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Hey Erins#1Mom...I disagree...you have started the process!
Like most of us when we started out... your connecting with like minded people,you're gathering as much information as you can to create your vision of your cabin, you're asking questions and asking for ideas...you are looking at what others are doing...comparing notes...you are in the process.
Just because you don't have a physical structure yet...doesn't mean the cabin doesn't exist...it all has to start with a dream.
Lots of folks rooting for you!
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ERin's#1Mom
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2011 08:54pm
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bushbunkie,
Thanks for the kind words... Bless you.
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honusbam
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2011 11:46pm
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Hey Mike,
Been able to get to your property this year? I appreciate your postings, as I can only go as big as yours in my area, so I have many ideas now that I have seen what you have accomplished.
I have a question about the pier foundation. Are you concerned about critters moving in underneath? Some good friends lost their cabin several years ago to a family of skunks that moved in underneath their pier-foundation cabin. Any thoughts of addressing this concern? I am practically ready to do a full foundation if only to keep the critters out.
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2011 12:10am
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honusbam,
No, I have not. We still have 30" of snow. If I'm lucky we will be in by the first of May this year.
Not too worried about vermin. We did have a packrat in this shed before we got the door on. He died from lead poisoning. If I have problems we will enclose or better seal the bottom.
My frost line is 3' down so it was much easier to dig the piers down until I hit solid rock. If you have a deep frost line I think it would still be easier to do the piers and then enclose the underside with corrugated metal, rock, block or something.
This shed will just get more paint, insulation and plywood paneling. My real project this year will be the other shed. It will be quite different from this one. We are now planning 10x14, shed roof, 6x10 deck w/pergola and a hot water shower just off the deck.
Sorry to hear about your privy problems.
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honusbam
Member
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2011 12:39am
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Quoting: MikeOnBike Sorry to hear about your privy problems.
Sometimes it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Our frost-line is 40" (6,000 ft elevation) and we have a 15% grade, so piers are definitely more appealing from a cost perspective. I do like the idea of doing something with rock to enclose underneath. One thing about this state, you certainly come to realize why they call them the 'Rocky Mountains'; there would be no shortage of large rocks to use.
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2011 01:43am
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we sure do need a loft n our little cabin too.
so the little boys can sleep up there.and for storage when they are not with us.it would be so handy.even if the boys did not sleep up there...to toss up some ply wood for storage would sure be handy.good job.looking good and sure handy.
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honusbam
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2011 12:17am
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Quoting: MikeOnBike The construction is concrete piers, 4x6 beams on the piers with a 2x6 deck. Walls are 2x4 and the rafters are 2x6. In mid-June we set the piers. They are 16-24" deep. We dug down until we hit rocks too big to clear and then set the 8" piers with 3-4 pieces of rebar.
Hey Mike, as always, I enoy reading and re-reading your topic here. What I have planned is very close to yours.
What spacing did you use on your piers? My shed will be 10'x10'. I am also curious to know what your frost line is.
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