Cabin build 101

[Jessie]

I'm going to start a new cabin on my place and would love any input from the mass of knowledge here.
I currently have a 12x24' shed that's been converted and outgrown. I plan on using it as the kitchen and late night card playing shack with extra beds.
I'm planning a 20x20 or a little larger cabin adjoining through a breeze way/dog trot.
I have several treated telephone poles to cut and use as pilings for a foundation.
I would like to use timber from the property and make a 3 or 4 round high base log wall to window level and stick frame on up with board and batten.
Has anyone done something similar?

 

[arjay]

Before you spike the top log in place snap a level line on both sides and cut a flat about 4" wide for the frame to sit on.

 

[Jessie]

Before you spike the top log in place snap a level line on both sides and cut a flat about 4" wide for the frame to sit on.

Yep, I'm thinking of cutting a level flat on all of them to make things simple and level. Insulating between them.

 

[arjay]

Sounds like a fun project ��

 

[427mach1]

Watch "Alone in the Wilderness", a documentary about a guy named Dick Proenneke. In the late 60's, he left civilization and built a log cabin on Upper Twin Lake in Alaska. He documented the building of the cabin and life in general on 8mm and 16mm. It is an incredible video and well worth watching. The guy was seriously talented, ingenious, and resourceful. He lived there some 30 years until his health started to fail. You will learn a lot about cabin building from this guy!

 

[Jessie]

It should be a fun project. I really enjoyed doing the build on the shed and look forward to doing one from scratch.

 

[H Richard]

How cold does it get there? Keep in mind freeze and thaw ground heaving that could cause a problem with structure. Always best for a good poured concrete foundation.

 

[Jessie]

How cold does it get there? Keep in mind freeze and thaw ground heaving that could cause a problem with structure. Always best for a good poured concrete foundation.

18" is recommended and I will go 24". Foothills of the Blueridge with 10 degrees being the coldest for a short time very occasionally.
I will backfill the holes with 4" of gravel and a 2 or 3" flat rock then the pole.

 

[bigwheelzip]

My friend had a local sawmill take the trees from his property and plane them on two opposite sides. In hindsight, he wished he planed three side for the interior wall also because its easier to mate up to with cabinets and framed walls.
He scraped the bark himself. He Dado'ed the flats and installed continuous splines of a Masonite type product between each course. Lots of spikes, freehand chainsaw notches, and log chinking. Put it up in 1978 and it still looks good.

 

[Jessie]

I thought about doing that, making D logs, but they will only go up to the window sill height. There will be some fitting for any lower cabinets I may choose to do, but right now I don't plan on it.
It will be open plan with beds, couch and a wood burning stove.
I do plan on a small bath in one corner, but even with that, I think the half log wall will work.
I saw a show where someone did a cabin like this and it looked really nice and made the roof work very easy to do.

 

[dave holl]

cabin

Hi Jessie,
Your post brought back many memories for me, both happy and sad. I built a cabin almost like you described, but used old barn timbers instead.
This was back in 1971, I was married and owned 100 acres of southern Ohio Jackson county land. Even as a child I had visions of building a cabin, and here was my chance.

The happy part is, I finished the cabin. The sad part is we divorced in 1979 and she got the land and I got the house we lived in.

Here is a little bit of the saga. I located a truck load of hand-hewn barn timbers and had them flat-bedded to the property. There were enough to build a 25' x 25' structure, "L" shaped with a 10' x 10' inset. The power company had a large pile of telephone poles that were damaged in accidents and were giving them away. I rented a truck with a hydraulic lift and hauled them down.
One-by-one I dragged the timbers back to the site, laid out the floor plan, dug holes by hand, sunk the phone poles, plumbed them, and began to lay up the logs. I kept trees in position to use a block and tackle, later that year I bought an old, state-owned front-end loader to raise the higher timbers.

I cut a long ridge pole, used pole rafters, and wood from logs hauled to a local sawmill to cover the roof.....roll roofing over that. The ends were covered with board and battens (never had a chance to make the battens)
The floor inside was sawed by that same mill. I had a stock tank in the loft to catch rain water for washing, and a driven well for drinking. Plans were to build an open 3 sided fireplace but only got the foundation placed.

I was teaching school during all of this and worked on it during vacations, summer, and 1 or 2 weekends a month. Usually 2 students would come down with me to help, and of course several local people who pulled my old IH Scout out of the mud. I learned a wealth of knowledge from those folks and am still in contact with them.

There are more stories, triumphs, and tragedies. Send me a PM if you have questions. I found one picture of the almost finished cabin, and have not located yet any of the pictures of cutting the notches and raising the timbers. I'll post them later.

Dave

 

[boykinlp]

Please take and post pictures of your progress when you start.

 

[LittleCooner]

Started my 12'x20' cabin a little over two years ago. Making good progress now and enjoying building in the woods. I have spent the last three days working on siding in the nice weather. Very nice project in my retirement.