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catia
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# Posted: 7 Mar 2015 14:24
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Hi all, I joined because this forum seems a bit closer to what I am am doing, as opposed to the 'tiny house' or the 'cottage living' type forums, where people are using a lot of expensive new stuff.
There is a lot of overlap, so not sure where I really fit in.
My story:
I purchased a small, very cheap house, on a country road, in a sort of rural area, with a tiny 1/3 acre lot.
It is not a cabin, & it is not a "tiny house", it's closer to what I would consider a cottage, but most of the cottage sites are new construction or very big expensive places.
My house about 600 sq ft, is sort of like a cape cod style.
3 rooms on the 1st floor, 1 room attic. Just a very plain small house on the side of the road that no one in the area wanted, since the house was small & old & the lot is small. Most of the area the people have acreage & big houses & $$$. I got into a great area way cheap.
95% of everything in the house is original, nothing special, just untouched. Not even insulated, so all of the wood is dry & in great condition. The woman who owned it lived to be 97 & lived there for the past 70+ years.
Most of the house was in very good condition, but a plumber 40 yrs ago really hacked through some supports when fixing plumbing, so I am currently fixing that, which required me to gut 1/2 of the house to fix it properly.
Anyway, I am looking at putting it back together as soon as the weather breaks. Most is DIY. I'm not currently living there, but want to be in the house by the end of the summer 2015.
I'm on a tight budget, but am pretty resourceful.
I'm looking into creating a low maintenence & functional/comfortable space.
Also wanting to add a wood stove as a secondary heat source, & figuring out now what type of insulation I want to use for the areas I have gutted.
I prefer to live 'cash only', so am not taking out loans & etc to repair, which is why it is slow going. I prefer to repair beyond code, a bit of overkill lets me sleep well at night.
I won't be doing anything extravagant to the exterior, or landscaping, I want the house to just sort of blend & fly below the radar of rising property taxes.
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 7 Mar 2015 14:43
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Welcome to the forum ! Have fun, enjoy and don't be afraid to ask questions and bounce ideas around.
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Pookie129
Member
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# Posted: 7 Mar 2015 14:45
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Good luck and welcome, you will find a lot of great information and help here.
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thetick
Member
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# Posted: 7 Mar 2015 23:47
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I built my cabin/house all DIY and on a cash flow basis. One big suggestion I have is patients when possible. Do your research and make a list of everything you will need. I mean everything. Then scope the classifieds, the local trader, and my favorite craigslist. With your list in hand look for the deals. I saved thousands off my build and outfitting. Example? I got my fisher papa bear wood stove for $125. All the pine batten wood for the inside walls for .38 sq foot. Queen Murphy bed (for the in-laws...hehe) $200. (80) 2x12x14's for $75...kohler shower pan, bathroom sink, kitchen sink....you get the idea. Make a list, check retail, and start grabbing as you can.
Welcome to the board and I look forward to hearing about the progress!
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2015 03:46
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Welcome!
I love old houses and love the fact that the same person lived there for 70 years.
One thing I've done to give myself ideas on finishing my cabin is to go on Pinterest and Google images to see the amazing things other people have done. I have quite a portfolio (along with magazine clippings before the Internet was around) thirty years of ideas many of which are being utilized in my cabin.
It is taking awhile to finish because as you,I am on a cash basis. Good luck. Looking forward to seeing before and after photos of your progress.
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catia
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2015 16:58
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The minute I walked in the door, I swear I could feel the soul & spirit of the little old lady who lived there for 70+ yrs.
She raised 3 children in this very small house, before her husband passed(young), there were 5 people living there.
It was the most BASIC of places-almost everything was original- No bells or whistles.
Aside from the damage a plumber did 40 yrs ago, that no one knew about until I pulled some old floor up in the bathroom-everything was in good condition & well maintained.
It was the stark basic-ness that spoke to me. It made sense to me immediately. It said "all you need right here".
It also said I won't be ripping out a bunch of someone elses hokey remodeling...
I too love old houses, it used to be victorian with all the bells & whistles in the details & gingerbread type of stuff. Now I just want basic function, basic comfort & low maintenance.
Don't get me wrong, I still love old victorians, but let it be someone else's!!! They can keep the maintenance & utility bills, & I'll just admire from afar.
I wanted a cheap & small place where I could LIVE, instead of a house I have to be a slave to, so that's my goal for this place.
I offered an insanely low price, cash, & quick close, because it was what I had saved & available, & they countered by only 1k, & I accepted.
I couldn't believe it--yes it's tiny, & a tiny 1/3 acre lot, most people's outbuildings in this area are bigger than my house- but I'm in this great township with farms, acreage & history, & a 15min walk to the youghiogheny river & historic trails & sites, but high enough up to not have to pay flood insurance premiums.
It kind of feels like I will be living in someone's guesthouse. I get to enjoy the views of their land & not have to maintain it LOL.
I wish I didn't gut 1/2 of the place due to the plumber's decades old destruction--I could have ripped out MUCH less, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to insulate & run wiring & plumbing at this point. Plus I got to check out the bones & know what's behind my walls. It's too small for me to live in & work on, so I figured get it done 1st.
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Nirky
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2015 18:16
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Sounds like you got a great deal. Imho 600 sq ft is not small unless you have children.
For the insulation I wish I had gone with spray foam in my walls. It's a little more expensive than pink fiberglass but it insulates better and since the cells are closed you do not need a vapor barrier. Can get it at Home Depot/Lowes/etc. Lots of tutorials on YouTube how to do it. For the roof I'd go with either spray foam again or sheet insulation.
Welcome to the forum. looking forward to seeing some pictures!
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catia
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2015 20:27
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Thanks for the welcomes.
I'm on the fence about sprayfoam-i like everything about it except that some people have reactions to the off gassing.
Apparently foam panels & poly-iso panels (the 4x8 sheets)
also off gas but only over the 1st few months, so if they were stocked for a bit, not a worry.
There's a product called AirKrete that I'd LOVE to use, but few installers in the tri-state area, & it is not DIY--but it is totally INERT. Goes in like spray foam, only doesn't expand as aggressively, has just about the same R value per inch.
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Nirky
Member
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# Posted: 8 Mar 2015 22:43
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Polyurethanes out-gas diisocyanates. Do you know if you have been sensitized to them? The good news is, most people have not, and the better news is diisocyanate levels in freshly sprayed poly goes down over time.
I know this because I paint cars (two-part clearcoat off-gasses diisocyanates) and did research. Iso levels in freshly sprayed clearcoat goes down to about 0 after about 2 months.
I have to wear a positive pressure breathing system & full hazmat suit when spraying poly. Since spray foam is DIY, unlike EPA regulated automotive spraying, and so many people do it without incident, the iso levels have to be far lower.
Yet, if you're one of the few who have built up a sensitivity, even a low level exposure would cause you to be permanently unable to cope with being in an area with even a low amount of iso off-gassing.
I don't know if there is a sensitivity test for iso.
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