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cabinfun3
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# Posted: 25 Jan 2026 11:51pm
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More a curiosity question. For now!!! Just looking for any positives or negatives about either. Thinking in a two story or loft situation.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2026 04:52pm
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What size footprint?
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cabinfun3
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2026 10:35pm
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10x20 or 12x24 area. Does one or the other seem more roomy or is the single slope easier or cheaper to build?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2026 10:47pm
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Fwiw, my 1st build in 1983-84 was a 12x24 and I originally intended to do a shed roof, high side to the front, and get it 'livable' then in the future build a 12x24 front deck and finish off with a roof over it meeting at the peak, or with a row of venting windows above the meet line. Seemed like a good idea at the time but the deck and roof never got done.
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DRP
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2026 11:33pm - Edited by: DRP
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With that narrow of a building, a monoslope should be easier to build.
Think about the height of this narrow building. 2 stories it going to be ~22' tall from the underside of the bottom floor + whatever height it is out of the ground. The "aspect ratio" is not great.
Thinking about a loft above to lower it and framing economy.
Balloon frame it with full height studs in all the walls.
If the tall wall is 16' including floor heights, then sheathing covers nicely. At 12' building width you can use 2x8 floor joists. If there is a 8" main floor, 8' room height and an 8" loft floor the height under roof at the tall wall is ~80" and if the roof slope is 4/12, then ~32" tall under the roof at the lower wall.
If it were framed as a gable roof, if the loft walls were in the 60-80" height range then a gable roof with rafter ties 1/3 of the way up in the roof would be structurally correct and then you have above head height pretty much the full 12' width upstairs. It's getting tall but now with rafter pairs the width is easier out to 16'... the slippery slope 
An interesting question to ponder.
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paulz
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2026 01:49pm
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Aside from the structural aspects.. kind of wish I’d done a slope. More windows to let light in, more wall area for shelves, furniture.
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cabinfun3
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2026 10:29pm
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Yes DRP described the picture I was imagining in his 3rd paragraph. With a 18 to 20 foot tall wall and the 14 to 16 foot tall short wall. Some cabins it seems the landscape they are set in, make them work with the windows lined up on the tall side aimed at a "view" they have. For whatever reason they always look more open or roomy from the outside. Triangle roof style generally seems to look more cabinish to me. So a question could be, is a monoslope in this size more roomy inside than a traditional roof?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2026 08:37am
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To me a cath ceiling creates the visual 'lift' to seem more roomy, and so would as you describe. But the real roomy comes from the sf of floor space and 'body space'; ie shoulder and head room. If you have been in a small storage shed or an A-frame or pyramid cabin you know what I mean.
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cabinfun3
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2026 10:55pm
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I agree with the sf comment but as cabins go, more is less or is less more!!!
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DRP
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2026 06:14pm
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I've built houses where a typical ceiling height adjoins a very tall cathedral ceilinged greatroom. And then watched where people gravitate to. We kennel up too . So now pay attention, I think that point is around 12'. To me a monoslope feels best as a single level without trying for a loft. 8' at the back to 12' at the front. That is totally subjective.
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rpe
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2026 06:25am
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A shed-style single slope roof directs all precip (rainwater and sliding snow) off in one directions. In some situations this could be a benefit.
We built a 14x24 workshop with shed roof. There is a small loft area at one end primarily for storage, although I do picture grandkids (that don't exist yet!) bunking down up there for a fun getaway from the main cottage. Loft ceiling height is only about 4ft max and tapers down, so this is not normal livable space.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2026 09:43am - Edited by: gcrank1
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I agree totally with a small loft for 'off season' storage of the inevitable stuff that shows up. Our 1st build 1983-84 had a designated 12x12, stand up sleeping loft in the floor plan of the 12x24. When illness, injury and age made up/down the ladder dangerous (no room for a decent safe stairs) it became storage and we had to re-figure our living areas. Over 30+ years we often wished we had made that 12x12 a part of the 1st floor. After losing that cabin and getting a 'new' 16x24 we found that size was great for the 2 of us. Sadly that shack was poorly built and we had to replace it a couple years ago. The pre-built log cabin is 12x28 and though a bit less sf than the 16x25 it is fine for us with defined living spaces. We wouldnt really want to go smaller.
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