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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / Why are 20x30 1 1/2 story cabins so popular?
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jesse977
Member
# Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:41
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Hello new guy here I was just wondering why these cabins are so popular?

Tarmetto
Member
# Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:14
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For us...it was the smallest size for a main level bedroom and a loft bedroom. We wanted 2 bedrooms, master on the main due to our age (not too old to climb yet...but old enough to consider the future).
We are considering a smaller footprint now (16 x 28), full loft with both bedrooms upstairs...."if" it will accommodate a standard set of stairs and a Murphy bed 1st floor option.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:43
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Sounds like a good plan. I'm building two 20 x 30' right now. One has a 12/12 pitch roof and a covered porch and two lofts. The other is a single floor 4/12. the 20' wide has two feet more headroom at the peak than a 16' wide. After deducting for rafter and loft floor joists thickness, it's nice.

Owen

VTweekender
Member
# Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:59
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Some good points made above.. To add to it, most towns/counties have a size limit when the build is considered/permitted to be a recreation seasonal cabin. That size seems to always be around 700 sq.ft. In my town a cabin is limited to 720. So a 20x30 would probably be what most would do, 600 on the first floor and a loft with 120.

turkeyhunter
Member
# Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:40 - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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my southern camp is a 20' x 30' with nice GUEST bedroom upstairs....so 1 1/2 story so to speak. 12/12 pitch metal roof and I really love the 19 foot ceiling in the den/kitchen area.

perfect size for my hunting camp.

2 --110 window AC units keep the temps in the lows 70's on a hot high 90's day....and my Fisher wood stove keeps it warm in the fall & winter

got to build my 12 x 30 front porch on mine next spring.

LastOutlaw
Member
# Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:41
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My last addition to my cabin was 8 feet x 12 feet. The 12 feet was to match as closely as possible the width of the cabin already built and the 8 feet with minimal cutting of lumber.

paul8511
Member
# Posted: 17 Sep 2014 17:41
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My Dad always built on the 4's, so 20 x 24, 24 x 36, etc.

Our biggest cabin was 24 x 36. 3 bedrooms and a bath down one 36 foot side, and kit, din, living down the other and a deck out front. It was 1964, I was 8 years old. The siding and floor and roof were 1 x 12 tongue and grove boards. Built with no electricity. Was on one of the finger lakes in upstate New York.

There was not enough scrap wood to build a small fire.

beachman
Member
# Posted: 17 Sep 2014 17:54
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Build as big as you can, or at least provide for expansion. You may be sorry later. We started planning a 18 x 20 an ended up with a 20 x 26. We have a bedroom and a bath on the main floor with open concept kitchen-living room. We pushed out the wall in th kitchen 4ft which I do not regret. It is nice and open and "feels" big. The loft over the main bedroom is about 10 x 11 and plenty of room for a queen bed. The loft area over the bath holds the water tank and pumps, pipes, etc.. Now we are thinking another bedroom on the main floor would be nice for guests OYE!

jesse977
Member
# Posted: 19 Sep 2014 17:34 - Edited by: jesse977
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Hey Paul why did he build on 4's?

paul8511
Member
# Posted: 19 Sep 2014 20:07
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3 blocks at 16" is 4 feet, sheet goods are 4' x 8'. in the 60's in upstate New York most lumber was 8, 12 or 16 feet long.

2x lumber could be had up to 24" long as one piece, at times you could get 28 footers!!!!

When building stairs up a long hill they were a welcome solution.

The 24 x 36 cabin i mentioned above has the original pine board siding today. 50 years later. on one corner it can be seen where several short pieces were fitted together to finish the job.

and the cabin was built with my older brother and cousin hand cutting boards to length as the measurements were called out!!

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