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Gone2TheCamp
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2026 03:24pm - Edited by: Gone2TheCamp
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In the past couple years we've acquired a property on a river and I've moved my cabin to it. (Had it moved, I should say...)
It's a slow lazy river, 60 feet wide or so, with grassy banks at about 45 degrees where it flattens out to the low section of the property.
The river is nice but the blackflies and mosquitoes are a thing, as expected. We want to 'build' a screen gazebo by the river, on the flat spot at the top of the bank. Catch is, in the winter, the river rises about 12' and the area where we want to have a gazebo to sit and see the river, normally has ice and water.....so building anything permanent with a view of the river is out.
The land slopes up away from the river and there's lots of room for my cabin and everything where the river doesn't reach.
So...I'm trying to decide some sort of a setup where we can have a screen house in the summer, but then move it to safe ground in the fall. I have a side by side for the moving, and a neighbour with a good sized tractor so that's good.
Ideas include:
Find someone scrapping an old camper and use the frame to build something on. Sounds good but will get heavy quick if it was to be an actual wood frame gazebo.
Build a patio floor that I can just drag with the side by side, block it level and put a pop-up screen house on it. Then drag it out in the fall.
And that's all I have for ideas...
Another thing to consider with a pop-up screen 'house' is that it would have to be put up and taken down when we come and go. There's a good breeze that comes up the river and if a typical screen gazebo was left set up, there's often strong enough winds that it would get torn apart. So, if I go with a put - up and take-down option...it would need to be something fairly painless to set up...or else it would be more trouble than it's worth.
So...has anyone already had to solve a similar problem? Tell me your story!
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gcrank1
Moderator
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2026 04:05pm
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How about making a set of tracks for it to 'run on' down to the riverside and back like some folks use for their piers and/or boats?
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philpom
Member
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2026 09:28am - Edited by: philpom
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I'd find a flat bed trailer of the size you want and build on that. You could easily extend 3' past the sides to make it larger. You could skirt it down near the ground so it looked nice. Carefully consider material and style to minimize weight. Add a grill, picknick table etc to the area and it would be a nice spot. Add some RV style leveling Jack's.
Look here for some lightweight building tactics. It's a diy camper building community https://www.tnttt.com/
A spot near us on the shores of 2 rivers/creek had their bathrooms and showers on a large trailer. Picknick tables, grills (old car rims) etc are chained to trees.
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travellerw
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2026 11:12am
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I think you are overthinking it.
Buy a quality 15X15 or 20X20 popup screen tent. Use the time you saved to enjoy the river view while drinking beer!
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gcrank1
Moderator
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2026 11:32am
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On a diy floating deck platform 'mini-barge'
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wiki21
Member
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2026 01:35pm
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Old camper frame or a deck on skids.Drag it up before the water rises. Pop-up screen tent on top. That's the play.
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