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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2010 01:42pm
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Hi, this may be considered a rant. If so I apologize, but I feel compelled to write this down and share it.
It seems that members of this forum aren't pining to build some kind of high falutin' mansion on a lake with a home theatre system and I find that so refreshing.
I am mostly prompted to say this after watching a show called BLOG CABIN on the DIY network, where viewers voted for the ideal log cabin via an internet blog, and then the show chronicles its building.
OK, it is really beautiful, but I thought it was too big, and I was getting really concerned when the high-end appliances and granite countertops went in, and then I totally lost it when they put in a home theatre with shutters to block out the daylight. It defies reason, to me anyway, that you would put in a home theatre when the outdoors should be the reason you are there in the first place.
Also linked with this, is that in the early stages of our property, the question was always "is it (or will it be) on a lake" and when the answer was no, there was often (but not always) this "oh" response, which really meant "well why bother" and "I'm not interested in hearing more".
Then when we explain there is no electricity or plumbing, you get two distinct groups: its either "oh well I don't think wife would want to go" which really means "*I* don't want to go", OR an enthusiastic "THAT IS SO AWESOME! can I visit?".
So, when the wife comment (above) came up, let's call it the group one comments, it was accompanied by, "my wife couldn't stay anywhere where there isn't electricity, plumbing and cable" and I spontaneously responded (without thinking too much) "well then I think your wife can just stay home". We both laughed, but he got my point.
Now what I meant by that was why bother going to a cabin or cottage if it is to simply live in the exact same way you do in the city, save for a different view out your window? Now to me, it's pointless. Now don't get me wrong, I do appreciate comforts, and you do need water and sanitation of some sort, and a way to store and cook food, but I can't help but think that these poor people of group one are missing something.
I think one of the pleasures of owning a cabin is the self-sufficient aspect of it, in terms of creating a functional kitchen without power or gas hookups, and getting things organized and functional, like when you're out camping, but in a more upscale manner. I know that I get a personal thrill out of the simplest accomplishments, like when the paper-towel holder finally went up. Finally! no more fumbling to use a paper towel. Making coffee in the morning is another one, where everything is in its place and organized. Even lighting candles every night is its own thing for us.
The few that are on the fence will ask questions, like "how do you get water?" and then I say that we bring drinking water and if I need water for anything else I just fetch a pail of water from the stream, and often, they go "no way!" in an amused yet fascinated manner. The conversation can either go up or take a nosedive from that point on.
So anyhoot, I have resigned myself to beleiving that this type of thing isn't for everyone and I can respect that, yet I still secretly think that they are missing out on something, and I no longer engage in justifying why I like it.
Rick
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ATB
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2010 02:22pm
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Rick
I am surprised you get that many people who dont completely wonder "what the X$%^ are you kidding!" I love the outdoors and roughing it but I work in a white collar professional job and while everyone is talking about tennis or golf weekends I am talking about hunting or fishing excursions. And now will be talking of the work I do on my land (if the deal ever gets completed!) and vacationing off grid. The killing and eating of my own food gets a lot of confused looks too at the office of "what meat doesnt come from styrafoam at the store?" Cool points and continue to enjoy what most of the "civilized" world miss out on!
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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2010 02:34pm
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Thanks ATB! keep me posted on your progress.
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bugs
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2010 04:38pm
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Hey R & R
We have heard similar comments as you while the eyes are rolling up. And the smirks, shaking of heads, etc. Thankfully I work at home and don't really interact with too many people. When I do mention our shed I say cabin and I know the people envision a lake side 600+ square foot cabin on a 1 acre lot surrounded by a gazillion people on the summer weekends. My wife has to deal with a varied coffee crowd at work that ranges from the 2,000 square feet, granite counter tops and stainless steel fridge stove and what ever else "cabin" to weekend grain farmers. When she first mentioned our property/acreage these same people were a bit shocked by the size of it (Some could not even comprehend an area of land more than 5 acres which is the going acerage size these days.) and we bought in the middle of nowhere (no lake, no fish, no swimming, no utilities, no etc.... Boring!!) She got the usual looks but slowly most people have written us off as totally loonie or accepted that she/we are different. But like the earth in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, harmless.
If you get a place too nice and comfy then it becomes a visitor magnet and everyone and their dog... literally shows up. One of the purposes of our place is to get away from people and our ordinary boring life.
I agree that this whole process has been satisfying when we construct something ourselves or clear a new trail, etc. You must be extremely pleased the way your cabin has come along. You have transformed what appeared to be a dank dark cabin into something warm, inviting and restful.
ATB I agree there is nothing like "getting" your own food whether it is huntin, fishin, or gardenin. (Even tho I only do the latter. I was raised on a small mixed farm where we grew what we ate even occasionally if it was the pet calf, pig or chicken.) It keeps a person in touch with their surroundings and I think a person appreciates their food more.
bugs
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ATB
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# Posted: 2 Jun 2010 10:26pm
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"I agree there is nothing like "getting" your own food whether it is huntin, fishin, or gardenin. (Even tho I only do the latter. I was raised on a small mixed farm where we grew what we ate even occasionally if it was the pet calf, pig or chicken.) It keeps a person in touch with their surroundings and I think a person appreciates their food more. "
Right on bugs I hope I can get my land deal done so I can start my own apple trees, blackberry and blueberry bushes to add to the meat and fish. Heck I may even grow some veggies!
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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2010 12:17am
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thanks bugs, I really appreciate your insights, you guys had the right idea getting so much land... the peace, the quiet, the wildlife, where can you really get that today? I mean really?
I have a small herb and vegetable garden in the city, and I am sure we all could totally have a separate thread about food and how you don't take it for granted when you realize how much goes into getting it in the first place....
ATB, you keep that dream alive. I hope that the issues around the property get resolved or that you find another dream property and live the dream.
but isn't it amazing how 'roughing it' hardly feels like it? I somehow feel like we are all getting more value out of life or a richer life when we can take some time to admire all the stars at night and actually see the milky way, and watch wild animals, feed fish in our stream, or watch a woodpecker on a tree nearby, take a breath of fresh air and actually smell real pine, and not that christmas tree shaped car air freshener pine, I mean REAL pine... and not be distracted with tv and the internet, and I think we are richer for it.
R&R
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bugs
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2010 09:23am
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Ah conifers.... We have to satisfy ourselves with balsam poplar smell and the farm smells of cows and horses (we consider it a plus to be able to smell and hear the horses and cows from the neighbour's farms). Still have to get out into the ponds and get that wonderful H2S smell that I have learned to appreciate, even enjoy, over the many years studying ponds and what lives in the muck in the bottom of ponds.
I forgot to mention that I used to , emphasis on "used to", bring up the "small cabin forum" during boring social conversation at parties. I would mention the principle(s) behind it and the fact that our "cabin" is less than 100 square feet and most of the people contributing to the forum have cabins less than 600 square feet and many are off grid etc. The eyes really start to roll then. And I learned early not to bring up or elaborate on composting toilets.
People just can't comprehend the fact that some are downsizing/trying to do with less in their lives, getting off the treadmill and away from the omnipresent cell phones rather than following the consumerism crowd and waiting hours in line for the latest ephemeral technology, movie or music. After all, most people in this world have a living space of less than 200 square feet I suspect and seem to be surviving.
Maybe I am just on the wrong side of 50 like islandguy
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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2010 12:11pm
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Ha! well yes, I think this whole monster home thing is going to blow over. There appears to be a real movement towards smaller more manageable houses, and like you, we didn't want a second house that requires as much maintenance as the city house which is liberating. I totally agree about the presence of cows and horses...
I hear you about the composting toilet/outhouse subject. We bought a used composting toilet (that has been sanitized) to give it a try, but it hasn't been installed yet. We get different reactions when we talk about it. While some people find it fascinating and are all for it, others kinda freak out, and start bringing up all kinds of wild scenarios to which I responded "well if that's how you go to the bathroom I think you should see a doctor!" :D. But fortunately alot of our friends are campers and nature lovers and they really love the whole idea and even envie us, which almost makes up for the nay-sayers. After a while you know who to talk about it with and who not to.
I am beginning to wonder if it helps to have positive early childhood memories of life outdoors to be into this as an adult. I think you also need a streak of pioneer in you. I remember when I was very young my mother rented a cottage from a coworker and it had a water pump and outhouse and I remember the smell of outdoors so much and the lake, and how my mother was finding the whole thing really hard and I thought it was funny and was enjoying myself. I bet she doesn't even remember that, I was under 6 years old for sure because it was definately prior to a tumultuous relationship she got into. R is nostalgic about some early childhood memories as well. Were you introduced to anything like this as a child? or are you just a bit of a rebel?
I think that this thread is really important because anyone thinking of doing the cabin thing will face these types of reactions from at least some people, to possibly alot of people, and I hope that if they know what to expect they will be better prepared and won't let anyone rain on their parade.
Its like anything else, everyone has an opinion, and you have to not let yourselve be ruled by what others think.
In the meantime, we'll be enjoying our slices of paradise.
R&R
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bugs
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2010 12:56pm
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R&R
If everyone enjoyed this type of stuff then there wouldn't be any room for us!!! That is why we essentially quit camping and back packing. Too many ignorant people and those that think rv'ing in bus sized mega campers with exterior flat screens etc...... That is another topic I suspect.
R, I think I am trying to return to my roots rather than being a rebel. The pix are of my great grandparents tar paper "house" around 1905 to 1910. Can't help notice some similarities to forum cabins! They homesteaded from England from what I understand. (This land was in the family for over 100 years before being sold to a mega farmer.) And the house of my grandparents circa 1920's. I remember crank phones, no indoor plumbing (dug my share of outhouses!!), intermittent electricity (no solar or wind power generators around then in our parts), cistern water, fresh baked bread from a wood stove, going to the neighbours to watch Hockey Night in Canada because we didn't have a tv, horse sleigh rides through the snow, etc, etc. Ahhhh pretty soon I will be saying that I walked to school up hill both ways with two broken legs alas Monty Python.
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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2010 03:27pm
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Wow! and yes, it absolutely does resemble some of the cabins we see.
It reminds me so much of a documentary I saw on a guy in the Gaspé area of Quebec who basically salvages old Acadian houses that are slated for demolition that look alot like that, dis-assembles them and makes repairs, and re-sells them assembled as actual homes to a new site. He was talking about how these houses actually breath (he and his family live in one of course), and about the heritage we are losing especially because all available monetary incentives for homeowners relate only to new home construction. His web site is piecesurpiece.com. Lots and lots of photos if you want to check. It was really inspirational, and i totally forgot about this til I saw your granparents house. I bet those houses are fantastic to live in.
R&R
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Gary O
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# Posted: 3 Aug 2010 10:44pm
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R&R/Bugs-
You guys are right on.
Thank you!
The wife and I built our cabin last summer.
Showed some pix to my work associates. Gawd, what reactions.
But yes, I'm very glad most have lost touch with what a cabin realy is; one very small room for shelter, heat, food, and a bit of comfort.
More room for us.
We just built the privy this week end.
That bit of comfort sure beats trudging off to a clump of trees, shovel in hand.....
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RickandRandy
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# Posted: 4 Aug 2010 09:15am
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Congratulations to you and your wife Gary O!
I absolutely love your cabin. It looks no less like a little sanctuary within nature.
I'm glad this thread was of interest to you and perhaps even helpful, and thanks for writing, I find it just further confirms that we should not be surprised if not everyone sees what we do. Please keep us updated on your next additions and improvements!
R&R
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Gary O
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2010 08:13pm
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Well, as some of you mentioned, I too am on the wrong side of 50...ahem make that 60. Taking this summer to piddle around this structure doing little things like privys and picnic tables.... and saving the ol' back for a spell.
Used the warped 2 x 6s left over to frame the privy and make the table. Beats dining precariously (as shown).....
Planning on the main structure next spring though.
Not going with such a severe pitch (the cabin roof was 58°).
Looking at 16 x 14, in that area. Still a one roomer, but the little woman will have more of a chance to play hard to get when I chase her around the place on a cold winter night...........
If you want a chuckle, and a tip how not to make a video, you can see us on youtube. Just poke in 'Gary and Denises cabin'
Happy Trails
Gary O'
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structure design
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wildwood
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# Posted: 24 Aug 2010 03:53pm
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While on vacation this week, I have my first exposure to DIY channel (love it) and the BLOG Cabin.... Doesn't look like my idea of a cabin.
Now I will say, I do want running water and an indoor bathroom as until I turned 10 (?), we had only outdoor facilities. Hate going out at 2 am to potty... Hated washing up in a wash pan. I can, however, do with the woodburner in the winter (our only means of heat).
I don't,however, need a big house with all the extras. Give me a few hundred square feet home back in the hollow and I will be OK. My uncle is upset about giving up the eleven round bales of hays, however.
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bobrok
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# Posted: 3 Nov 2010 10:03am
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Quoting: RickandRandy Hi, this may be considered a rant. If so I apologize, but I feel compelled to write this down and share it. .... So anyhoot, I have resigned myself to beleiving that this type of thing isn't for everyone and I can respect that, yet I still secretly think that they are missing out on something, and I no longer engage in justifying why I like it.
ditto ditto ditto! Well said!
Quoting: RickandRandy Then when we explain there is no electricity or plumbing, you get two distinct groups: its either "oh well I don't think wife would want to go" which really means "*I* don't want to go", OR an enthusiastic "THAT IS SO AWESOME! can I visit?".
an extra special ditto for this because it is sooooo true.
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danny
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# Posted: 6 Mar 2012 06:25pm
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Hi
We have built a small 16x24 cabin with the help of a few family members. We started as a shed and got a little carried a way. We dont have all the comforts, but we do have a fridge to keep the beer cold.
We have electricity but no running water. We are trying rain collection because a well is too expensive.
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nicalisa
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# Posted: 6 Mar 2012 09:03pm
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Well, we are on the early side of 40 and started our adventure on the late side of 30.....I have one woman I work with that has a 400sq ft cabin and we have our 150 sq. ft. cabin. Both off of the grid, though she has an old septic system and is on a lake, while we have a composting toilet and are on the ocean.
Her husband and I have had many a chat about getting our solar running, how much line loss he has for where the panels are located, and about our run ins with the local wildlife....we are usually the two chatting at work related parties as we have something in common besides work....everyone else thinks that we are a bit touched I am sure.
All in we wanted to raise our kids loving the outdoors, connecting with the family, respecting the world around us and learning that there is life beyond electronic games, and that imagination is far better than anything.
Our place may not have granite, and room to spare, but we have a deck out front as big as our cabin and a deck being built on the side two times the size as our cabin. The whole point to us is the outdoor experience, and a warm dry place for those showers!
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wakeslayer
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# Posted: 7 Mar 2012 11:01am
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Love this thread.
Almost no one gets our off-grid choice for our cabin. Particularly being so far from home. We get a lot of people saying how cool it is, and how they would love to visit, etc. In reality, most of them would not be able to handle one day, let alone a week there. People do not realize how whacked they are on the conveniences of the overly-consumerized world we live in today.
We have had a few friends visit us there. I can think of two that were genuinely comfortable and enjoyed it thoroughly in the summer. Only one in the winter. One girlfriend of a friend got so crabby and upset that it damaged our friendship. For years.
While our place is small, it isn't like we are truly roughing it like some choose. Warmth, dryness, hot water, solar. it is perfectly enough.
NO TV's, no cell service, no internet. But yes music, and lots of it. We cook outside. Outhouse and a PET toilet for the ladies at nighttime, when it is cold.
I do have to admit that we did buy a remnant slab of granite and used it in two cabins, our cookcenter, and have a piece left over for a small table some day. it was not expensive.
I came to this site after someone at work saw a photo of our cabin and recommended it. I feel most here are on the same page as we are, and I love to see what people come up with for their own little slice of the world to escape to.
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jrbarnard
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# Posted: 7 Mar 2012 11:27am
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I try to talk about my cabin build at work and the land etc, but all I ever get is how I must be rich. I work for the State Government.. no way in the world ya get rich doing that! .. lol
My cabin will be large, by most standards, being 32x24ft.. but to make it smaller would be crowded, to me..but that is just me.. heh.. to make it larger would just be too darn much to build, for a state employee.
Would I LIKE to have a huge house etc with a home theater? maybe.. if it was free etc.. lol.. but my goal is a deck, covered, and large enough to sit on even if it is raining and not get wet. 30x15 is the size deck I have on my home, and I am going to have at least that when I sit down and drink my coffee and watch the animals :P
I like roughing it just as much as the next guy, but the level of roughness can mean different things to different people. I no longer care to sleep in a tent, so if I am going to build something, I am going to build the biggest thing that I can afford and that will fit my ranch.
This seems, to me, to be the best fit. To each their own.
Oh.. but I WILL have a home theater system... I got it for $25 from a garage sale and daddy loves his Bob Wills in the evenings ;)
Russ
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