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ivannajean
Member
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2016 17:22 - Edited by: ivannajean
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Hey guys!
First off, I am new to this forum as well as new to the idea of cabin building.
A little about myself, I am a 20 year old introvert female, I live in Kansas and ranching has been a hobby and job a majority of my life. Currently I live with a roommate and friend of mine inside a small town, I've had temporary jobs most of my life. My main priority right now is finding a career or job for a consistent income. Next June, I will be signing off of my lease and moving into my sisters house until I can find a farmer willing to sell two acres for me to build my small cabin on.
SO, that brings the questions about building, a realistic estimate of the total cost of a kitchen + living area with a loft, running water, septic etc.. All I really care about are a toilet and running water in cabin and out for the animals. My goal is to accomplish this as cheaply as possible using the resources that are available here in Kansas and alone at that. Any advice, tips, tricks and ideas that you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated. I am ignorant to cabin building, keep that in mind. The only way I can learn is by doing it. 
Educate me guys!
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2016 19:34 - Edited by: DaveBell
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Welcome Ivannajean!
Quoting: ivannajean as cheaply as possible
That is what I am planning for in WV. Not only cost to build but also cost to own (recurring bills and maintenance).
One thing I refuse to do is ignore the law and building codes. I don't want fines, insurance problems, and courts. WV code allows for a privy (outhouse). That would be cheaper than a septic system. I can do a grey water system that is 30% of the septic system requirements for the shower and kitchen sink (as long as there is no water piped into the cabin). I can do a rain water harvest from the metal roof into a 3000 gal barrel. That would be cheaper than a well.
Many folks can tell you what they did but that is not what you may want to do. Test drive the search function on this web site. There are many smart folks here that share really useful information. I keep reading, planning and re-planing and each time my design gets better.
I have a spreadsheet on the PC I use to keep designs and have tabs for plat, foundation, walls, roof, etc.
Some questions cannot be answered until you have a property and know what conditions you have.
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deercula
Member
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# Posted: 19 Nov 2016 20:25
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Best to read thru old posts and topics. Then ask specific questions. Start with land purchase research.
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95XL883
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2016 21:50
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Check your county requirements. For example, Linn County appears to require 10 acres for new construction if not in city limits. They don't have a building code but they require a building permit and will require a septic system or large holding tank, no privies allowed. The septic system/holding tank requirements are pretty onerous and appear to make doing a small cabin impractical. I understand it somewhat. It's a poor county and they are trying to rein the anything goes and don't care about groundwater contamination some might display.
Another thing to be mindful of is some areas, like Linn County, have expansive soils. Those soil types play h*** with foundations. For my cabin, I'll be building a skid shed, basically no foundation. That entails its own set of problems, namely avoiding rot, varmint infestation and wind protection.
Another problem is rodent control/intrusion prevention. Pack rats are a huge problem near my ground. The only two ways I know of to require them are either a cat or cats on site full time or a quality shipping container. I should get some control by using a coarse gravel base under my shed and a couple of layers of heavy hardware cloth with particular attention to sealing all penetrations and joints. That still leaves any outdoor vehicle vulnerable.
Good luck.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 21 Nov 2016 10:31
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50K will do it nicely. You can certainly cut corners and still be code complaint and do it for even less. I'd guess 25K would be rock bottom if labor is free. Does not include land cost and assuming utilities are in place. Do you need a well or on a water system already, power at the property? All utilities in place makes is much cheaper.
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