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claypat11
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2011 20:11
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I'm in beginning phases of designing my cabin and I have kicked around the the easiest cabin size with the least amount of waste. I'm looking for a fairly small cabin and it appears that the best / most efficient size would be 12x12 or 16X16. Is this correct? Basing that off of the size of standard cut plywood.
I'm definitely a beginner and would love to see what you all think based on your experience.
Thanks in advance.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2011 20:53 - Edited by: MtnDon
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When we planned our cabin We first made a list of the things we wanted in it. By that I mean the items of furniture, the kitchen, etc.
I made paper cutouts to scale. Then we moved them around on a sheet of paper that was also to scale. We enlarged the plan. We took a few months to nail down what we needed.
The next step was to draw the outline out on the driveway. It was also warmer than it had been during the winter planning stage. Some of the counters and large furniture were drawn with chalk also. We used cardboard cut outs for others. I'm sure the neighbors were amused or puzzled. We enlarged the plan some more.
We are very happy with the resulting cabin size. 16x30, bigger than what you are thinking but more or less just twice as long. I don't believe I had any more waste than if I had built it 28 or 32 long as multiples of two work out well in my experience.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2011 22:43
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Quoting: MtnDon I made paper cutouts to scale. Then we moved them around on a sheet of paper that was also to scale. We enlarged the plan
Man, that's the trick.
Saved the firm I work for a lot of angst in doing just that, and it worked when my peers re-configured their offices.
Danged if I haven't done it with cabins, but will surely do it with the next one.
Thanx MD
Clay-
Welcome to the most rewarding aggravating self discovering hobby you'll ever encounter
You might even consider building a scale model. It's helped me on the last build
Gary O'
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maine_island
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2011 09:36
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claypat, you asked about materials efficiency of 12' or 16' square design.
YES, a square (as opposed to rectangular) floor plan - in fact a cube shaped house - is theoretically the most efficient stick built design.
you want to maximize the empty volume enclosed vs. the surface area. the empty volume costs nothing and is where you live - so the more the better. the surface area costs plenty since it is composed of materials such as walls and roof, and it loses heat in winter and admits it in summer - so the less the better.
if you dislike a flat roof for aesthetic or practical reasons (leaks) then a square floor plan with either a simple classic 2-plane pitched roof, or a four-plane hip roof would be the next most efficient.
square design also is convenient for heating by a central wood stove as no point in the house is too far from the source of heat.
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