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cabingal3
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# Posted: 25 May 2011 19:40
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If u could change something about your cabin building experience-what would it be??
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 26 May 2011 18:46
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I love pretty much everything about our place. We spent years planning it, so I guess I'd better love it. *S* I suppose the only thing I wish was different is our greenhouse. I wish it was bigger. I LOVE that room. Of course, we don't have room to make it bigger, but I suppose if we did, that is what I would change.
We've been picking cucumbers, peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes, onions, and beans. Tomatoes are just starting. Our outdoor season is so short here, the greenhouse is a blessing.
back wall of the greenhouse
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 26 May 2011 18:55
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lets see! If i had it to do over...i would have started sooner on getting the land cleared.We did not really get serious till after it was almost paid off.We loved it so ...but when we almost had it paid off,thats when it became more real to us.
Our vision became clearer.
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fpwf
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# Posted: 26 May 2011 23:20
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We have a hobbit door. I built the cabin without a plan should have thought this through better and installed the door in the gable end.
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 27 May 2011 23:08
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Quoting: cabingal3 If i had it to do over...i would have started sooner on getting the land cleared
Between the tractor and the Gravely Li, I've spent enough this year on land clearing equipment to put together a decent little cabin with a solar power system.
I don't regret the decision. My soil drains poorly and is not well graded so I end up with a sloppy mess of slimy mud and standing water every time it rains. Once I get a box grader for the tractor I can start filling in the low spots and grading it all so the rain will go where I want it to. Lay some seed in the fall, and I will have a nice area to build a little cabin next year.
I don't have much love for my travel trailer, but I can deal with it for another season or two. Like hattie, I have time to plan my build and I want to get it right the first time
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dvgchef
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# Posted: 29 May 2011 09:39
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I would skip having the second story. It is lovely to have, but the amount of work and added expense was not equal to what I ended up with. :(.
And now I want to add gutters!
http://catskillcabin.blogspot.com/
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Gary O
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# Posted: 29 May 2011 10:45
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Hey David
Enjoyed your blog.
Personally, I really like your second story.
Looks like the view is tremendous.
Ever consider a deck?
I could imagine sippin' a cold brew up there on a warm summer day.
Of course storage underneath.....
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mgc
Member
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# Posted: 29 May 2011 10:49 - Edited by: mgc
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Wear a safety harness and rope if I get more than 2 feet off the ground, I fell off the roof the first day of our building the second story and broke 4 ribs in five places. That set us back about 2 months and hurt for about one year. Dumb move and I was very lucky.
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dvgchef
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# Posted: 29 May 2011 11:22
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@Gary - I love the view from the second floor too, but having to spend $700 on ladders, (The first was too short) and assorted safety equipment, and finally hiring someone else to install the roof... ugh! Plus simple engineering (which i didn't know) a building taller than wide sways. Its not too bad, but a bit like being on a ship in the ocean.
Decks are the plan for this summer/fall - work and mud permitting! I think I posted a plan on the web site.
@mgc -Ouch! Thanks for the warning. I did buy one and used it whenever I was in a tricky spot. Glad you're healing!
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PlicketyCat
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# Posted: 31 May 2011 23:25
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I would have held off leaving civilization until I'd bought a small tractor with a good FEL and hoe. You can do a lot by hand and with an ATV and off-road truck, but sometimes you just need something a little bigger with enough power to move almost anything.
Now that I know how our insulation performs, I probably would have designed our gambrel second story to extend all the way out over our wraparound porches. I was just concerned about having cold under the floor, but with 12" of blown cellulose at R60-ish, that's really not as much of a concern as I'd thought. Yes, we would have needed to figure out how to get longer rafters out to the bush so we didn't sacrifice too much of the additional floor space, but it would be worth it not to have the more complicated roofs for the added on porches.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 9 Sep 2012 21:40
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I love our place but isn't there always some small thing we all would want to change or add? I never felt this way until last weekend when we had 4 large coolers to dance around but now I wish we had a "cooler" room!!! 
I thought our mudroom or under the kitchen counter would be where they would end up getting stored but now I realize that really doesn't work. Front porch during the summer days works, but they need to be brought in at night so the bears don't feast...in the winter I don't mind the front porch at all-ice doesn't melt and the bears are hibernating!
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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:29
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I had to think a lot on this subject. The cabin and property is what it is and I adapt to it. But I do wish I had more opening quality windows. I used a couple old fixed picture windows my Dad had.
Owen
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Dillio187
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 08:00
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2x6 or 2x8 walls for additional insulation, and I wish the clearing were larger (can always fix that though!)
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Sustainusfarm
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 09:18
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I planned our cabin to be able to be added on to as we get older or our parents get older to be able to sleep on a first floor bedroom...what I really wish I had planned for is some sort of "basement" or under cabin "rootcellar". For three reasons..one easier to run plumbing, two a place store food that could freeze while we are not there in winter and three a place to hide during our frequent tornado warnings in the spring and summer ( one was to close for comfort last year and we had now where to hide)!
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bobbotron
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 10:13
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I wish we'd built a low slope non cathedral ceiling, done a shed roof instead or possibly a low gable roof. We'd be done all the roof nonsense by now if we had and it'd be way less dangerous to work on.
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 10:41 - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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I would make my cabin's walls few ft higher, with an A-frame roof, and make a loft for additional sleeping space and storage.
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TheWildMan
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 11:01
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can't think of anything
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idahocabinrat
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:03
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I could do without the mosquitoes!
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dstraate
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:17
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When the weather turns to -20 and there's feet of snow, I really wish I had a restroom. Never notice otherwise.
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steveqvs
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 12:41
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Great tread. Especially for someone like me who needs to replace the camper with a cabin!
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 13:32 - Edited by: Just
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 [quote=CabinBuilder]I would make my cabin's walls few ft higher, with an A-frame roof, and make a loft for additional  CABIN .WOULD NOT TAKE MUCH TO TAKE THAT ROOF OFF CABIN
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 17:11
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If I only knew then what I know now!!!You know how that old story goes?I,d a never bought that camper trailer with the intentions of using the stove,frig,heaters,lights.Ultimately,I wound up buying all new anyways.Gave the camper to one of my young co-workers so him and his family could enjoy going camping.I'm quite content with the cabin lay out.When all the work is done and I have the time to play with the solar system and windmill and get back to my music and painting hobby's,I'll be a happy camper!
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 19:29
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I wish we had built a storage building first or even better bought a container.Lack of storage is a big problem in a small cabin. So are the mice so everything that can get ruined by mice is stored in rubbermaid containers or trash cans in our loft. I don't like that cluttered look.
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ErinsMom
Member
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# Posted: 10 Sep 2012 20:13
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Great subject. As I haven't started yet, I just like reading all comments.
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Jeremy165
Member
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2012 07:40
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My foundation is 18x18x4" concrete pads with L-shaped rebar coming up into my 8" sonotubes. Everything is solid, but looking at the cabin now, I think I should have done 8 pads/sonotubes instead of just 6. I don't know if it is needed or not, but it would have given me nice peace of mind.
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larry
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2012 21:37
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i would have insulated the floor at time of construction. when the wife and i were in the planning stages we thought that when hunting season was over we would close it for the season. what we didn't anticipate was our huge addiction to the cabin. so now we have to plan our visits around the temperature because it is difficult to keep a comfortable temp when the night time lows are single digits.
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