Srollins
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2017 06:53
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Hello all,
Headed to our 25 acres in a few weeks to finally decide exactly what we plan to do, issue is we live and work 5 hours away from the land so ideas are spinning in our heads build a cabin using logs from the property, build a cabin using milled conventional lumber , use conventional lumber and a few exposed logs from the property as architectural features, buy a pre built shed/ cabin? I know what I want the end result to be but time is the issue, I don't want to bust my butt and strip logs and or buy lumber, start building , run out of time , leave and come back to twisted or bowed walls, floors, roof etc. my question ? Is there a process of building a cabin using standard wood from a mill or lowes that won't get destroyed if you leave the site unattended for numerous weeks?
Again we live 5 hours away and I'm ready to make the commitment but my job may prevent me from making trips every weekend, I am a commercial builder but don't really know wood that well, can I leave the treated post supports and perhaps the treated floor joist with bridging of course sit for an extended amount of time until say I get all the wall material together, roof material together, tin roof etc. then take a week or so off to get her under roof?
Any advice out there would be greatly appreciated , I don't think I can stomach a pre built cabin and besides at 10k plus I can build a pretty nice cabin for that.
Thanks all cheers
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2017 07:44 - Edited by: Steve_S
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A few questions all rolled together here. Well, can you build, leave exposed and come back to it for finishing later ? Yes. The key is how long will that take to finish and how to protect it while under construction.
Using your own wood and such sure is romantic and sounds good but it is a huge amount of work and you've identified most of those shortcomings. Do not despair as you can still use your own logs for details, finishing, building porch etc... Although if you want to use your own wood, spring cutting is best, stack it off the ground and bark it early while fresh and let the wood dry while you do what is important.
You have not mentioned what kind of foundation / base your going with and that would affect how you build your structure & prep it for "long haul build". Whatever it will be, you'll have it done first and ready to take walls.
Assuming your floor / base is done, all flat, level and straight, this will be exposed to elements so you must consider that 1st. IF wood / osb / ply you will have to protect it from water. IF concrete slab, then no problems (as long as you have it properly sealed when poured & finished).
You can build your walls in modular sections, preferably keeping them in 8', 10' or 12' sections. 2x6 walls 24oc with single top & bottom plate and sheathing will need 2 people to lift and adjust while 1 person secures it down. Past 10' length and it starts to get quite heavy.
Build your wall section flat on the floor, all nice, squared and flush then you can stack them up and cover with a GOOD TARP not those cheapo $4.99 specials but a real decent tarp to keep water off. You can build all your walls and store them flat like that and they won't warp ort twist significantly. Maggie & I lifted our wall sections and stacked them up till we were ready to set them, so it's not that hard. Remember to keep the Sheathing Face oriented properly as the external face of OSB is treated differently to prevent moisture issues.
Few Essentials ! Well cordless tools are a given, I love my DeWalt 20V tools, work hard & never let me down. (IF you haven't got them yet) NAILER ! I used an Air Nailer with a 20 Gal 3hp Compressor running off my genny... Hand Nailing 1000 nails get's a tad rough on hands, then the next 1000... Paslode's are great but expensive to buy & keep fed with fuel. You need to be able to drive 3-1/4" nails and not all nail guns are equal, I personally like stick nailer's myself.
Once your walls are built and set into place on the perimeter, you'll have to decide get the roof up reasonably quick, so best to figure out how you will roof. Preassembled Trusses can cost a bit but save a heap of time & effort but you'll need hands on deck when getting them up. Alternative roofing structures can be done differently, some of which is not as labour intensive as others. It all depends on how many hands will be available to you when your building.
Leaving Joists, Rafter's, Framing exposed will certainly result in warping & twisting over time. The more radical the temp & humidity changes the more twist you'll get. Best to stack and cover in modular mode if you are working over an extended time period. I've seen PT wood twist & warp worse than untreated #1.
Things to consider pre construction. Get your floorplan and drawings worked out. Go out in the yard and lay it all out on the grass and "walk through it" and get a feel for the scale. Figure out plumbing, heating and mechanicals. If your getting Radiant Heat or anything else that needs provision / allocation, figure out how you want the material setup.
Suggestions for optimization & efficiency.
Leverage the Sun & Shade on the property to get the most natural effects to your cabin. Install your water heater as close to the taps as possible, reducing pipe run length. (On Demand rocks) Heating System should have a way to circulate air around (regardless of heating system type) to keep even temps in cabin. Air Exchanger / Ventilator should be considered, especially if this is high use, year round. Consider using a "Texas Cool Roof" type of design to cut cooling & heating costs making the inside space much more comfortable and cheaper to heat & cool.
** Insulation Options come into play as well, depending on method chosen to build. For example, installing rigid insulation like PolyISO or EXP/EPS Foams, is best done during the framing stage while the walls are being assembled. (basically a diy SIP) as there is no flex, forgiveness or anything BUT cut at 22-1/2" (for 24oc) or 14-1/2" (for 16oc) slipped between the studs = strong, square & tight walls. Next Best is Rockwool / Roxul which will fill cavities and hold place properly, bug & critter resistant and moisture neutral (unlike fiberglass which will wick moisture). Cellulose fill and other's are possible but as for rural, critter filled areas I just dunno.
$aving$
Your into commercial building, check with commercial roofers for take off PolyISO & XPS (RoofMate tm) insulation for your cabin. I LOVE ISO ! Light, Easy to work, water proof and R6 per inch. 2" 4'x8' ISO in Big Box = $25-45 2" ISO from roofing company (treated paper faced) < $10. I bought many lifts of 2", 3-1/2" & 4" ISO as well as EPS-II and XPS which I used on my place at far less than even the cost of fiberglass (which you could not pay me to use ever again).
Hope it Helps
EDIT:
Gee I though this was vaguely familiar... Low & Behold I answered some of this back in your post from November LOL....
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