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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 02:13pm
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The thread about the phones got me wondering, how old are you guys? And at what age did you build or buy your first cabin? I am 38 and got started when I was 36.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 02:32pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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Im 68, built my 1st real cabin by hand at age 30-31 in '83-'84 after tearing down an 1896 barn for salvage about '78.
Just lost that one last Sept 1, 2020; it was on the folks place, after they died it became 'the estate' that had to be sold. 37years on and it is still a sound build, really in better shape than I am now but life is still good 
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 03:21pm
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60, bought my land when I was 44, built cabin at 46, bought 20 acres next to my 20 (40.52 acres now) at 54. After the shelter, probably settle down on the big infrastructure projects, plan on fencing back 20 in and then small stuff like log swing set for grandkids etc.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 03:24pm
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74 for another few months. I was invloved in all sorts of ranch building on our ranch or others in the surrounding area for as long as I remember.
I built a lean-to shanty when I was about 16 because I tired of carrying in a tent when I'd hike to a small lake on the ranch to fish and spend the night. Wood floor raised off the ground a little. I guess that counts as my first build.
My brother started a construction company after Vietnam and I have split time between working with him, ranching, family and travel since.
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Nate R
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 03:26pm
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35. Started building cabin this year, bought my land in late 2015.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 03:46pm
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66, lived in a mountain cabin for a few years in my 20's as did my wife. Moved to a small town where a spent 4 years building a 3000sqft log home (people called it a cabin... uh 3000sqft doesn't qualify as a cabin! ) During that era helped build several log cabins... 3 sided, 2 sided and notched. A few years ago I helped my SIL and daughter build a 2300sqft 3 sided log home... I just helped with the log work. We bought our present cabin January of 2019.... the building projects haven't stopped since!
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 04:03pm
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63. Bought my land in the '09 tumble, built the cabin around 5-6 years ago, mostly on this forum.
More to the story but it's my nap time now.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 04:26pm
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73 years old/young now.
Brought the property 7 yrs ago with Social Security and Agent Orange $$.
Growing up in Florida I always said I would be living on a mountain top. Colorado has those mountains.
Built the walls in the town driveway, trailered up and the rest is history.
This yrs project is a sunshade for the afternoon sun.
I am with Paulz, except I just got up from the nap.
Stay safe and live that dream?
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Peewee86
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 05:22pm
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53. Purchased the land four years ago and started building three years ago.
My family had a cabin on a lake with an additional 70 wooded acres near by when I was growing up so I have known the Cabin lifestyle. My older brother bought out my mother about 15 years ago so it’s still in my family, but it never felt quite the same when it was a siblings place rather than my parent. I get along well with my brother but it was time for us to find our own place.
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 07:36pm
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I'm 41, got started when I was 32, on my 2nd cabin now. Dad had (has) a cabin growing up, and that's how I got hooked.
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darz5150
Member
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2021 09:13pm
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I'm 56. Been around cabins, camps, and club houses my whole life. Been at the current place about 2 decades.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2021 05:47am
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I am 35 and I bought the land 2yrs ago. If plywood prices didnt go out of control we would have built our cabin this year. Now we are just improving the land and making sure site prep and driveway acess isnt going to be an issue.
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Eddy G
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2021 07:34am
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57 almost 58.....Bought our place 5 yrs ago...
Gutted it down to the studs and rebuilt the place bottom to top with help from my wife, this forum and the town dump...
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2021 10:23am
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Now we know why this forum tapers off around 8pm and picks up early the next morning.
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2021 01:13pm
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54.
Camped since youth, started cabineering 15-20 years ago (and this website since 2007).
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2021 01:42pm
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So I was 50 when I got my land. Started with nothing, spent days and nights right up until I couldn't seen the backhoe bucket prepping and getting a road in. I'm so glad I got the cabin built and livable before I turned 60 and have been able to really enjoy it, hopefully for years to come. I still try to get in a full days work but just can't like before, and I'm relatively healthy, friends are surprised I still work as hard as I do. Last year built my large shop, 95% alone, and it was all I could do at the end of the day to crawl into the cabin and collapse.
So, my advice is to get busy before father time starts hanging around.
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willywilly2020
Member
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# Posted: 21 Feb 2021 01:20am - Edited by: willywilly2020
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I grew up watching my folks build their cabin. My parents bought off-grid land when I was 10, and spent the summer camping/building together when I was 11. My family has since then turned it into a bit of a family compound (though nobody lives there full time due to lack of wifi access and our respective jobs). My identical twin sister built her cabin there when she was 27.
I built my cabin on the land last year at 31, lived out there for about 4 months building it. Feel grateful to get to do it now, because dang framing really did a number on my body.
Hopefully one day sat-wifi will let me live out there and work.
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 21 Feb 2021 07:59pm
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paulz.....
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jsahara24
Member
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2021 09:39am
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Currently 38, bought my cabin property at 28 and built the cabin a few years later....Put in a lot of work the first few years, now things have slowed down a bit and we are taking some time to enjoy it.....
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WILL1E
Moderator
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2021 08:31am
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Currently 41.
Bought our first piece of land in 2012 and put a camper on it..sold it a few years later. Wife didn't like the hilliness and i heard the BI was less than ideal to work with.
Bought a vacant waterfront parcel in 2016 and put a camper on that, sold it a few years later. To many people around and the premium price for waterfront wasn't worth it.
Fall of 2020 we bought our 3rd piece of vacant land and hopefully the last. Our 5th wheel is on it already and I have hopes of building this year if i can afford the outrageous material prices!
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snobdds
Member
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2021 02:06pm - Edited by: snobdds
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I'm 39. My dad was a contractor and I grew up on job sites. I ran a broom and just watched and observed. Learned a lot from the carpenters over the years. I have help build more stuff than I can remember.
My dad wouldn't let me become a contractor, he said the job is fun, the employees make it miserable. Still had the itch and when he semi retired, we decided to build a cabin...just the two of us.
Built the cabin when I was 35, and still working on it.
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cjm
Member
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2021 03:00pm
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interesting thread to hear a different part of people's stories! i'm 35. we bought our land 2 years ago.
i did some carpentry work in college, mostly fine stuff like cabinets and custom commercial remodeling, but also a little framing and basic roofing. now i'm on a computer all week, so the working on the cabin is always a nice change from the week.
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gwindhurst
Member
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# Posted: 24 Feb 2021 11:02am
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Turning 59 this year. Tent camping since I was a kid but it was always a dream of my Dads to start a family compound. I'm fulfilling his dream, and mine. Purchased land July 2018, started building September 2019. My story, and the 10x12 Shabin
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 24 Feb 2021 03:39pm
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Quoting: Brettny I am 35 and
Brett, you are wise beyond your years. (compliment) and I am basing that off of reading your replies. I'd pegged ya much older. 
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 24 Feb 2021 05:59pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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Maybe its not the years but the mileage, lol 
Yeah, yer welcome around my fire anytime, youngster.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2021 09:30am
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Quoting: gcrank1 Maybe its not the years but the mileage, lol
Actually true. By the time I was 35 I knew most of what I know in my field. Unfortunately none of it was in construction and off grid living. 
Brett has helped me many times.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2021 10:04pm
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Quoting: paulz Now we know why this forum tapers off around 8pm and picks up early the next morning.
Been building cabins since 12 or 13 yrs
The last one around 2010 or so (age 50 something)
Whew...
That was a lot of typing
now I need a nap
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Curly
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2021 10:19pm
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I’m 62. Old enough to know better, but too tired to try.
Bought a handyman special 11 years ago. Made some mistakes and plenty of compromises but have no regrets. Well . . . no regrets about the cabin. There are plenty of non-cabin related regrets.
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Aklogcabin
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2021 11:15am
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61 . We staked our land. 20 acres 20 years ago. Built our 16x24 log cabin always with my family in my mind.
Since it is remote with non frozen months we charter a bush , land on a lake 2 miles from our cabin. Frozen is snogo access.
Had to spend many trips hauling freight in the winter before I could build. But nothing like cruising across the snow with the northern lights above.
I've built several houses but building remote it a difficult situation. I enjoy going out for several months at a time most.
Having our cabin so our family can be together there, for generations to come was my primary driver. But having a cabin to base out of while hunting or trapping is great. Our son harvested a 58-1/2" non typical bull moose recently that I called in.
But just being able to hang out in wilderness Alaska is wonderful. Especially with my beautiful wife by my side.
Most blessed man in the world !
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2021 12:14pm
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I'm 50, been going to a small off grid cottage since I was 6 months old. Helped my parents build a houseboat (I probably wasn't that much help) when I was 6 and we used it until about 15 years ago.
Wife and I bought a little fixer upper on the same lake and completely gutted it and made it pretty nice. No electricity or water though. Just propane. That little lake that I had spent 44 years of my life on just got too damn busy for my liking and everyone needed to run their generators from dawn to dusk, so we started looking for something more remote.
6 years ago found a place that was 3km from the nearest gravel road, with a bush trail (4x4 drivable in the dry months). It had been abandoned for 4 years and sure showed it, but the bones were good and solid. Being a 7 hr drive from home I wasn't sure we could tackle that large of a renovation, but Mrs Fishie was all in, so we did.
We busted our butts for the first couple years, completely gutted the place added solar and running water during the warm months. We are the only cottage on it, so its very private and I love the quiet.
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