Jan,
your Little House is quite impressive, congrats and a fair amount of envy! The surroundings look simply gorgeous, I hope you and the family enjoy it immensely. We have 2 acres we plan to build on this fall and I purchased the Enchilada set from John, so I have a few questions for you specific to your pictures [on countryplans.com]

1) the holes you dug, did you use just a shovel? or was a pick required?

i used a shovel, about 10 min per hole. this will vary tremendously from site to site, though.

2) I assume there's no frost to worry about so your depth of 16" is ok? given that you did a pretty intense job of the insulation, how cold does it get where you are?

we live in the mountains and have had an all time record low of minus 40 some degrees (F), and for more than 4 months of the year there's several feet of snow on the ground. So frost IS a concern, but only if moisture is part of the equation. dry soil does not frost heave. therefore keeping the footers dry is in my opinion more important than digging deep. choose a well drained building spot, preferable with the ground sloping minutely away in all directions. the soils too, needs to be well draining, meaning able to absorb and percolate large quantities of moisture. high contents of sand and gravel in the soil is ideal, while clay spells trouble. if clay is unavoidable you might have to construct a building pad of trucked in sand. the 16" i dug down is a compromise to deal with the occasional small moisture infiltration. compared to a standard perimeter foundation of poured stemwalls, this pier block idea has everything well hidden and protected a couple of feet in under the house, so safeguarding against water is far easier.

3) what was the name of the pier block you purchased? or did you make them yourself according to John's plans? were the block and the beam saddle two separate products or one?

the pier blocks didn't have a brand name or anything, just standard off the shelf from the store. the block and bracket came as one.

4) how thick are the pavers? and how much gravel went in each hole? and did you cement the blocks and/or pavers or just relying on gravity?

2"x 8" x 16". two side by side makes 16" square, 2" thick. they also come 4" thick if you need to raise one corner a lot. i got 3500 lb of gravel from the yard (a ridiculous load for my ½ ton toyota truck), which cost $7.00 and easily filled the 8 holes, with some to spare. no concrete have been poured in any stage of the construction.

5) are the beams continuous 16 footers or two pieces spliced?

continuous.

6) what is the Reflectix resting on in the floor joists cavities? some kind of chicken wire or permeable screening of some sort? and the floor joists are 16" o.c. and I assume the Reflectix comes in a 14 1/2 width roll?

the Reflectix comes in various sizes. i got the one dimensioned to fit between joists with staple tabs along the edges that over lap the joists. simply staple them on top of the joists after the insulation is in but before putting down the subfloor. i used non kraft paper faced batts resting on 1/8 " peg board nailed to the underside of the joist. the holes in the pegboard offers ventilation but should keep rodents out. we'll see.

7) relating to the above, are rodents a problem and did you put something on the bottom of the floor joists to account for this?

see # 6.

8) what is the white band I see below the walls? did you trim the end floor joists before sheathing the walls and roof?

the white band is simply the rim joists that got a quick coat of primer right after building the floor platform. i also primed the plywood subfloor. this took just 15 minutes but protected it all against rain and sun until the roof got on.

9) is the diagonal wall bracing let into notches you cut in the studs?

no. that would be too much work and probably unnecessary. they are just nailed on to each stud and creates a 3/4" space between the walls. in a book i read about double wall framing (a long time ago, and i forgot title and author) he had it done this way. i liked the book and decided to do the same. a friend of mine framed his cabin w/o the braces at all.

10) it's not obvious if you put in any eaves and/or a gable overhang? any reason why you might not have?

i didn't. on the gables i could have but it would have been more work and the plans from john did it this way. on the side walls i plan to add on shed roof additions next spring so any eaves or overhangs would have to be torn down again.

Double Walls
1. How did you come up with the idea of double walls? I have not seen it in
any design books from the library.

i did find a book at the library, detailing the method. off course i don't remember the author nor title.

2. Why did you not put the 2 x 4 walls flush? It looks like you have a
board between the double 2 x 4 walls in the windows.

the 2 walls are spaced apart by 1x4's diagonally attached. they act as an easy way of connecting the 2 walls, and helps brace the inner wall. the book described it like that, but i have friends who have omitted this step.

3. Will normal windows fit when using double 2 x 4 walls?

no problem

Foundation Piers
1. Your foundation piers look much bigger than 8" x 8" x 12" Dek-Block Piers.

i don't know dek block piers. these were the ones available locally, and they are ca. 10x10 at the base tapering to 8x8 at the top. height is about 8-9".

2. What size are they?

see above

How high off the ground is your floor?

height varies with slope of ground. you start laying out at he highest elevation, with the desired distance from the ground, and then just accept that when the ground slopes down the floor gets higher off the ground.

What is the max height one could safely raise the floor off the ground? ( I was hoping for 2 feet).

2 feet should be no problem. the brackets on my pier blocks did not extend that far, but by stacking more pavers under the blocks you can achieve the desired height.

3. What store did you buy them from?

local ace franchise

4. Should I just make my own at 2 feet high?

sound like a lot of trouble. if the right pier blocks are not available in your area, by all means use cardboard sono-tubes as concrete forms and standard simpson hardware.

Floor Subsystem
1. Did you completely encase the r30 insulation in the 2x 10 in the floor?
(i.e. is there plywood underneath the 2 x 10 to keep animals and insects
from getting into the R30 bats?

yes, totally encased. see here: http://www.fivenineclimber.com/misc/cellulose.htm

2. Would you have created a crawlspace with cinder block foundation instead
of piers if you did it over?

nope.

3. Did you do anything special too keep stuff from getting under the cabin?

not yet. 3 years out and it is not a problem here.

Windows
1. Who is the manufacturer of your windows?

jeld-wen

2. I know low e was one factor but was cost the other factor in which
windows you bought?

yes. these are the cheapest vinyl windows available. not great but they do the job, except esthetically.

3. Any tips on what to look for when buying installing windows?

waterproof the heck out the wall/window interface with caulk, expando foam and housewrap. most windows come with detailed install tips.

4. Did you install skylights? Is not, why?

good question. absolutely not. our roof have no holes in it whatsoever. no chimney, no vents, nothing. in snow country that can lead to bad leaks, especially when you're an amateur like me.

Fireplace:
1. Do you wish you had tried to create a fireplace?

no. bad idea. inefficient.

2. What type of wood burning stove did you use? How do you heat the loft?

smallest vermont castings. high quality. loft gets warm from leaky ceiling.

Loft Joists
1. What were the size of the loft joists? 2 x 10? 2' OC to match the wall
studs?

do you mean roof rafters? the main structural members that define the shape of the roof? 2x8 2' oc. floor joists in loft the same.

2. I want to bolt the rafter joists as you did to into the studs. When you
say you sistered 2 x 2 to the studs, does that mean you nailed a 2 x 2 x 6'
board to the stud and rested the bolted loft joist on top of it? It looks
like you used 2 bolts per loft joist.

yes to all

Roof
1. Who manufactured the metal roof components you used?

vic-west

2. I would like to do metal, but I think shingles would be much easier?
Especially for a first time builder.

no way. metal rules, both in easy of construction and integrity. design a roof w/o holes, and no hips, valleys or dormers and other complicated stuff, and you can, single handed install the roof on that 14x24 in 3 hours.

3. It seems the metal roof would go up much faster, if one new the secret of
installing it before hand? What do you suggest?

build a shed, ca. 8x12, with a simple shed roof as practice.

4. Aren't the metal sheets 4' x 8' so you don't have to install many?

here's how it works: you build the roof, complete with plywood and all. then measure the distance from eave to ridgetop, say 11' 4". go to the lumber yard and order as many pieces of 11' 4" length as you need to cover both sides of the roof, in the color you want. then wait a weeks time while the supplier makes all these 11' 4" pieces for you. voila. the pieces will be either 16", 24" or 36" wide, depending on type. there are a number of different styles available. all of them are screwed down with special fasteners with neoprene washers, directly thru the metal. you pilot drill for every hole, and there are a lot of them. this is the standard roofing type. there exists one special type, my favorite and the one i used thru out, that has hidden predrilled screwholes. no exposed fasteners that can leak. this type comes only in 12" and 16" wide pieces and snaps together like legos. good stuff but more expensive. don't skimp here!!

ask as many questions as you want and don't be afraid of the building phase. if you ever approach a standard construction crew with any meaningful conversation in mind, you will quickly realize your intellectual superiority. use this over strength and muscle to deliberately and meticulously put together your little cabin, using logical problem solving.

establish a good relationship with the folks at the lumberyard (and don't try to hide your inexperience behind arrogance) and they will become your greatest asset. there is usually one guy that has been around forever, knows it all and loves to help. avoid the morning rush when contractors frantically line up.

Hi, I ran across your web writeup about building your house. I am
thinking of building something similar at my place near Molson. I was
wondering if I could ask you a few questions.
Were you able to get a bldg permit based on the foundation you used?
What about not having a septic system or well, I thought that was a
requirement for a res bldg permit.

so far the structure is considered an outbuilding, since it has no plumbing (in the normal sense of the word) or electricity (solar power is installed and working, but nobody that would worry knows). the well was in before we built and the outhouse is a common sight around here. it also helps that we are in a totally private location.

What did you use underneath to enclose the floor insulation?

cheap 1/8" pegboard. just needed something rodent proof, and breathable.

Would you recommend the double wall 2x4 method?

yes, i really like the double wall idea. superior insulation with small dimension lumber is one of many assets.

Is there a 1 1/2" gap between walls?

3/4" gap is what i used.

What did you use for a top plate to connect both wall sections together?

doubled up 1/2" plywood ripped to exact width of wall.

Would you recommend gable and eve overhangs?

probably. the gable overhangs got scrapped because of expense and time constraints. oh, well... but the lack of eve overhangs are so i can add-on in those directions w/o having to take anything apart. btw, starting that this spring.

Is the diagonal bracing in the walls necessary or just extra insurance?

basically a spacer. and they did help in squaring up the building.

How did you provide ventilation in the roof?

eve and ridge vented as per countryplans.com

What did you do for plumbing and grey water? Did you end up with a
composting toilet?

this is all yet to be worked out. the plumbing is currently a 50 gal tank inside (frost free), that we fill from the well every couple of weeks.

saw your project pics on countryplans.com and have a couple of questions for you regarding building regs in WA state. I have property in southern WA just a few miles across the Columbia river from Hood River, OR that I'm planning on moving onto (from CA) and putting a cabin on this summer. I looked at yurts and some other alternatives but kept coming back to the idea of building something inexpensive & simple as the best investment, and that's what led me to the countryplans.com website.

My plan is for a 16x32 cabin with a shed roof, sitting on a low-impact foundation similar to the one you used. Also, I'm planning to build a composting head & a greywater system & avoid the septic route altogether. I'm also off the power grid, and will be using a combination of wind/solar/gas generator for power.

Since I'm planning a similar structure to the one you built, I'm interested in how you approached the issue of building codes. I'm in Klickitat Co, and the general mode of operation for the county building dept is that although they have some pretty stringent requirements, they don't enforce them unless somebody complains about your lack of a building permit. I've got few neighbors, and the ones that are there are unlikely to complain for fear of raising a red flag on their own projects. With that in mind, I'm pretty sure I'm just going to build & take my chances on getting caught. The only thing that really concerns me is that if I do get caught & get forced to bring the cabin up to code, the foundation won't pass muster. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Chris Bastian

hi chris,
your story so far is very similar to ours. everything you speculate about is what we went through, including yurts (charming but too expensive).
like your said the bldg department wants you to follow the rules to the point if confronted, but historically, at least here, have been able to turn their blind eye to low key projects of this nature.
i guess we just decided to go ahead and not worry too much about the consequences. what helped in rationalizing this act of defiance was 1)the cabin is way small, in fact barely noticeable, 2)we kinda know we have the ability to build something safe and sound, 3)a belief in the good karma of being light on the land and 4)naively thinking that if you don't bother anybody they won't bother you.
the foundation is pretty straight forward and clean looking. it's likely not to pass any code requirements but from a purely practical standpoint it's a very sound design. access is good, nothing is hidden and the materials are standard. i believe i can defend this type of construction against possible questioning from various officials.
we have solar electricity and generator, very simple greywater treatment, composting toilet modeled after the humanure principles and wireless phone/internet. we get no official bills or letters to this address, can't be seen from any public road and stay friendly and helpful to the neighbors. we applied for and was granted a well permit and a permit for the driveway project. this posed no problems and no inspector ever showed up.
here's the one thing we didn't think about: a piece of property across the creek recently sold and will probably be built on sometime in the future. when this happens the bldg inspector going there will be able to see our cabin...

Jan

[lost dean's letter, but this is what i replied. i think it was about being intimidated by doing it yourself]

hi dean,

thanks for bothering to look at our tiny cabin. yes, i did 98% of the work myself. it was not difficult at all, from a technical standpoint, just slow and physical. the pros do in a week what i did in 3 months. settle to that fact and you're halfway there. don't start rushing. use your head more than muscle, double check everything and do a good job, cause it's your own house and you'll live in it.

i had very little construction experience before, maybe two days worth of being told by someone better what to do. i have lots of fine woodworking experience, but that was hardly useful at all during framing and roofing.

take one step at a time. read books. the plans from john are pretty good too, with lots of step-by-step style narrative. maybe practice on a small $6-800 shed first. they are very useful, so its not a waist of time to put one up. that way you'll learn everything you need to frame and roof.

finish work and all the other interior stuff really takes time if you want to have something good looking, but it's not structural and therefore less critical.

i don't know where you live but don't skimp on the insulation if it gets really cold or butt hot. that's super important to me, and very hard to change later.

the countryplans.com forum is excellent for answering all kinds of questions, too. once you start you can always go there with any problems, especially if you got the small house plans.

one last piece of important advice: buy the nicest piece of land you can afford. make sure above all that there's reliable water. wars will be fought over water in the future. if necessary spend your entire funds on it and then build when you make more money. you can never change that land. its gotta be right. the house you can always add on to or tear down.

let me know if i can help w anything else.

later, jan

[I also seems to have misplaced michaels letter. obviously it concerned itself with energy efficiency]

hi michael,

good luck with your project.

yes, we did a lot to make the cabin energy efficient. paradoxically, it appears to be of far less importance in 400 sf than in a full size home, at least in the winter. our cabin is actually so simple to heat, that even on sub zero evenings we have a window or two cracked. in the summer season we seem to need more thermal mass (we have basically none) to really take advantage of the cool night air.

the number one building tip to make your place easy to heat is this: keep the ceilings low so the warm air stays down where you need it. abstain from the temptation to do the classic open ceiling clear to the peak of the rafters, however good it may look. instead make a loft with a full floor.

also these double 2x4 walls we use are probably worth the trouble.

at this latitude with our inclement winter weather, passive solar design matters little. instead we acquired high quality windows with low e glass to cut the heatloss and keep the 100 degree summer sun somewhat at bay. still we put the bulk of our glazing facing south for spring and fall solar boost.

kill the drafts. this is paramount to winter comfort. even though we were diligent about sealing all cracks and pumping bottle after bottle of expanding foam in every crevice, i still regret not doing a better job. the wood stove gets combustion air from the outside to further eliminate the drafts.

in our valley all homes have metal roofs, so we took advantage of the many colors and chose a very light tan instead of the ubiquitous dark green or red to help reflect the sizzling summer sun.

small, small, small. a cabin this size gets warm in midwinter from cooking pancakes sunday morning. we can heat entirely with cut up shipping pallets discarded from the local lumber yard, getting us the only hardwood available out here.

i have hundreds of images. let me know what you're specifically interested in.

let me know if you have other questions.

jan

Hi jan!

we have been planning our move from arizona to oregon for about two years now. we got fed up and quit our high paying stressful corporate jobs (way too soon by the way), bought 4 ac. in southern oregon (impulse buy), sold the house (took way too long/ ate our savings), found cheap'?' shelter in an old airstream camper that we will live in while we build (in the end put way too much money in it), trying to save enough to leave for even more uncertainty/ still spending way to much).

All this stuff going on and every time we try to get information out of the county about what we can and cannot do with our land we either get bad news or the runaround. for example:

1) can we use a composting toilet? NO! need a 1000 gallon septic. $3500 plus permits.
2) can we use a post and pier foundation? NO! need to be a concrete insulated perimeter. well
there go's the other half of the budget for our cabin.
3) can we build a shed? NO! not until you have an ENG. approved building permit and then not
over 10 ft. high.
4) can we use solar? NO! not if you are within 300ft. of a power pole. there is a pole at our
property line $3000-5000
5) can we heat with wood? NO! you need a primary source of heat other than wood. $$$$?
6) can we live in our camper while we build? NO! not until you have permits for 1-4 and then you
need a temporary use permit. $$$$?
7) can we forget about the whole thing, stay in arizona and never think about oregon again? YES!!!

This is all the information we have received from endless phone calls and the two visits the planning dept. my conclusion is that they don't want anyone to more to oregon!

I first saw your little cabin over a year ago and it gave me hope that our dreams of a simpler life could be fulfilled just as yours have and then the above transpired. i can deal with delays due to our poor planning and preparation but the added expense of the counties politics is exactly what we were trying to get away from. not only was the added expenses too much for our planned budget but they are trying to make us live their way not ours.

we wanted to live softly on the land, to just enjoy it without demolishing it. we wanted to use compost instead of septic, solar instead of power grid, wood instead of gas, pier instead of concrete. our dreams of simplicity as a way of live are fading into the arizona sunset. thoughts of the corporate world are coming back not by desire but by desperation. we don't want to go back. we either need to deal with the county and it's regulations or find another piece of land that we can live out our true dreams. we have resisted the thought of finding another piece of land because of our investment in this one and the fear that we would encounter the same thing elsewhere.

my question about your building codes, schools, and work are based on our specific dilemma. basically how did you do it? where is it still possible? how do you make it? is it worth it? what does it taste like?

everything we know is still in a dream state and not a confirmed realization. like i said we don't want to give up but we don't want to compromise beyond our limits either.

any correspondence of insight would be gratefully appreciated.

keith/silva/alex

hi keith, thanks for your letter.

here's my rambling thoughts on the issues you're raising:

you're touching on the true crux of most peoples back-to-the-land dreams. it's not do i have the strength, skill and vision to carry on thru, but rather ironically am i allowed the necessary freedom to succeed?

and you're not. there might on or two backwater places in the country where it is actually desirable to raise a family and the authorities fully comply with the ideals of low impact living, but on a whole you simply have to go your own way and realize that low impact really mean that: stay fully below the radar, out of sight and hidden.

to do this in a way that combines the needed infrastructure to raise kids and nourish ones social side you can't be hidden deep the woods of SE Alaska or way out in the lonely Mojave. those options would certainly be my m.o., being a lone drifter, but my wife knows better and have firmly vetoed any bush plans i have coined in the past. so one immediate obstacle is locating a good neighborhood.

money: we didn't have to quit the corporate life style (never were there in the first place) to make the adjustment. our background is in outdoor recreation as, respectively, park ranger and mountain guide. throw in a fair bit of woodworking experience and a lucky real estate transaction in California and we were well underway.

our first real attempt in 1998 looks like a mirror image of your Oregon venture and goes like this:
naivety, poor planning and inexperience was all present in large quantities back then.
we bought a small piece of land in the Owens Valley, a dream location for climbers and mountaineers, and built a 8x12 strawbale shed in 4 weeks of commuting from our Moab home. upon returning with a 3 months old boy and a uhaul in the depth of winter we glanced at the many notes pinned to the door. among the numerous questions from strawbale enthusiasts was an order from the Mono County officials to remove the building immediately. we had exceeded the minimum size for an unpermitted structure due to the 2' thick walls. no amount of pleading (no plumbing, no electricity, just for storage, etc) changed the order. we ignored them and started working on obtaining a permit for a full size strawbale home while squatting in the shed.
the property being just over 1 ac and in a rural neighborhood of sorts, made it difficult to go about the daily routine like showering, pooping, managing greywater and so on, without feeling like an outcast. the building/health officials were the backwards thinking types representing an extremely conservative county and dismissed all attempts towards alternative waste management. the building permit itself was an incredible struggle. an engineer had already signed off the plans, but the idea of building out of straw was apparently too much of a threat to their tunnel vision style of operating. the needed reengineering would create a metal support structure within a timberframe within bale walls, which projected the house way beyond a do-it-yourself undertaking, not to mention being entirely besides the point of utilizing straw in the first place.
to make a long story manageable we eventually gave up on the land, and mortgaged ourselves into a house in town.
this proved to be a blessing, besides the fact that i needed to work 2 jobs to stay ahead. the real estate market in Bishop went literally out of control during those years so by the time i had had enough of retail and sold the house, we walked away with almost 100 G's in cash. a once in a lifetime event for somebody like us.
we put our stuff in storage and drove around the country for many months, visiting friends and looking for a place to burn our money.
eventually we returned to the PNW, where i lived in the early nineties, and settled in a mountain valley near the North Cascades.

so what did we learn before even starting to realize our homestead? probably what you all picked up on too in southern oregon:

1) it is never too late to change your mind.
2) travel extensively with an open and eager mind before settling. even if you end up back where you started.
3) the choice of land is a far more important decision than anything else.
4) don't bother involving any authorities.
5) have confidence that the free flowing creativity of a reasonably intelligent and handy set of people will result in unique and well founded concepts.

but the importance of being able to do exactly what we wanted, without permits, inspections and restrictions was the primary lesson. it became clear that two factors were necessary to attain this: a supportive community and the right property. we have the community. hippies have settled here since the sixties and all kinds of experimental buildings and lifestyles are already in place. the county certainly don't like these enclaves, but leave folks alone if they're low key and out of the way. in our search for a property we knew that, besides reliable water, privacy was the number one criteria.

other considerations re land:
>not ever in a subdivision, please.
>bordering public land if possible. nothing like shouldering a pack and start walking from your back door.
>seasonably and regionally attuned: winter sun or summer shade?
>building site not visible from public roads. even when the foliage drops.
>be prepared to spend more on land than all the other developements together.

am i concerned about the renegade nature of our homestead? i probably should be, but are not. i have confidence in the integrity of the cabin. if anything it is over built. the lack of septic is not uncommon around here, where lots of vacationers just camp on their property.
we're only paying taxes on raw land, and about that i don't feel entirely good, since we use the public school system. we have discussed options to remedy this issue but haven't figured it out yet. so far we donate an equal amount to th the school funding alliance and oxfam.
our driveway is steep, damn close to 4x4 only, so the casual visitor is discouraged. often one of our vehicles is parked at the bottom making walking up here your only option, something average americans avoid at all cost, and lazy, out of shape officials in big shiny trucks in particular.
the county people will probably not come here on their own. but they will come if someone complains, making it paramount to stay on good terms with your nearest neighbors (and all people in general), despite whatever moral or political differences you might have. make yourself a pariah and everything better be straight.

often during our countless highs and lows, ill conceived plans, speculations and real estate searches this whole thing seemed impossible. we gave up many times. sometimes i never wanted to be a property owner again and just live out of our truck, drifting with the seasons. an option that remain altogether tempting.

but when things finally worked out and i started digging the footers one march day it all felt pretty good.

don't give up, keith, but it sounds like your place in Oregon need to go back on the market! spring is the time to sell...

that's it for now, jan

Hello,

I really enjoyed reading on countryplans.com about your experience building your 16X16 house! My wife and I and our 1.5 year old may be traveling that same route this spring (or this fall if I’m feeling particularly motivated!). Our design will likely be a shed roof, however, but the dimensions will be the same.

I’m eager to learn more about your experience, see a floor plan, interior photos, or a general description of what life is like for you in there. We are excited about taking up less space, but we are bit nervous about being too cramped. Any suggestions about this fear are welcome. We plan to build this little place on our land and live in it until we can build the main house, at which point the little house will be the guest house, shop, teenager’s getaway, whatever. The main house we are planning is only 20X30, but a mansion comparatively.

If you have the time, I’d love to hear from you and see more photos! Thanks so much for all you’ve shared already.

Happy in Maine,

Khalif, Amy, and Ezra

Dear Khalifs,

We have now lived in the cabin in its original size for a year or so (an addition is underway!). It has worked out better than we had hoped for, even though our expectations were very high. There are reasons why such a small space is ideal for us, and why we wouldn't want it any other way.

It is obviously important that all members of the household will groove together under these conditions. Sonja, my wife, is especially into this way of living, and is the one who has taught me to depend less on possessions and more on experiences. We are both longtime climbers and adventurers and very accustomed to, and sometimes revel in, basic physical discomforts in exchange for intense outdoor journeys. We have lived on the road for years at a time in a small pick up truck or out of a backpack in remote mountains. Having this cabin is a tremendous step up in creature comfort, bordering on decadency, and being wondered at almost daily. Other folks coming from a different background may view it as impossibly cramped, with no personal space or privacy, and no room for a lifetime worth of collected treasures. We own very little of bulk expect for 2 cubic yards of state of the art mountaineering gear and a fully equipped wood shop. The latter doesn't go in the cabin and the gear is easily dispensed with under the built-in couch. Being a minimalist or, even better, an avid anti-consumer with a green streak, is probably key to making this sort of cabin feasible for full time residency.

So we have about 220 sq ft of effective floor area in the main room. This is kitchen, eating area, and den. Here we cook, play, read and work on the computer. The loft is about the same size but the slanted walls make it seem smaller. We all sleep up there.

The big new thing coming up this fall is the forecasted completion of our eastward expansion. Sonja wanted Bjørn to poop inside on minus 10 degree mornings, and I, honestly, could use a little more space to spread out and tinker with the stuff that guys get absorbed in. This space of about another 220 sq ft (one level, no loft this time) will house that much talked about bathroom, in addition to mud room, gear cache and another sleeping space for guests, or Bjørn when he's ready. We planned the original cabin to easily and aesthetically handle additions, since we knew that this is our permanent home and not a stepping stone to something else.

Our cabin is very easy to heat, needless to say. We used far less than half a cord of wood this first winter. In fact, we could probably heat entirely with old discarded shipping pallets from the local lumber yard, a scheme we will likely pursue next winter. It gets so hot in there that we often have windows wide open in the dead of winter. We are not in Maine, but the east side of the Cascades gets pretty cold with plenty of snow. No problem. We make a fire in the morning and stoke it once or twice and by bed time it is still in the 70's. Our bedroom is in the loft above the living space. It is completely sealed off with a full floor and trap door. Unfortunately this floor is uninsulated so it still gets kinda hot up there if we have a roaring fire in the evening. Clearly a design fault, but you can't think of everything I suppose.

A whole chapter in itself are our various 'systems'. In this category falls the challenges of dealing with waste of all kinds, providing water and electricity to the cabin, heating the H2O, cooking and refrigerating food, and so on. None of these mainstream aspects of life are simple when you want to create the least possible impact, are doing everything yourself, are dealing with an extreme climate and have limited financial backing. I won't elaborate here, since I don't know your interest, but drop me a line if you have questions.

Dear Jan & family,
My wife and I were very impressed with your little house and the quality of materials that you put into it.
We live in Ontario, Canada and have recently been looking at the prospect of building a little house farther north in Ontario, though presently we live at roughly the same latitude as Washington state where your little house is.
At this point I have a couple of questions for you:
(i) In the photo where you show the roof rafters and then some lateral strapping of some sort onto which the 2x4 sleepers are attached, what did you use for the strapping and how have you attached the 2x4 sleepers to it?
(ii)When you say in your commentary that the 80% complete cost is $6000 and not big city Home Depot prices are you meaning that you purchased the materials through a home center or building supply center that was more rural and closer to where you were building and therefore the costs were higher than they would have been than if one purchased materials at a home depot or other big-box store?
(iii) I did say a couple of questions but this one occurs to me as I'm writing...indoor or outdoor toilet?

thanks very much, look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Larry

Hi Larry,

Thanks for the praise and good luck with your own project.

re your questions:

(i) I'm not entirely sure I understand your question. What photo? Which sleepers?

(ii) Yes, higher. But convenience and the need to support local businesses are important to us. Currently, with the addition complete, and a deck and awning, and some other welcome changes, we're probably closer to $15000.00!

(iii) Outdoor/indoor actually. Precisely as described in the book 'Humanure'. Highly recommended reading if you want to avoid the cost and environment el impact of a septic system.

I've included a few more shots showing recent progress etc. Please clarify (i) so I can help you out.

Jan,
thanks so much for getting back to us...we really appreciated hearing from you, and the extra photos and updates were great as well.

As to clarifying my first question about 2x4 sleepers...on the country plans website where I first discovered your little house, one of the pictures shows an interior shot in the loft of the
unfinished ceiling...this photo shows (going from exterior to interior) the foil-backed bubble wrap, then 2x8 rafters with the denim batt insulation between, then some sort of lateral strapping fastened to all of the rafters (it looks in the photo like maybe a 1x4 but I'm not sure) and then there are 2x4's (referred to as sleepers somewhere in the narratives I thought) on edge at what looks like 24"o.c. but staggered from the centers of the rafters...it looks in the photo like fairly large holes maybe .75" or 1" are drilled into the edge of the 2x4's to insert some sort of fastener into the "strapping" and then you were going to stuff more insulation batts into these 2x4 cavities, and then as in other photo's fasten your strawboard loft ceiling to those same 2x4's...hopefully this gives enough detail so you can recognize the photo...assuming this helps the questions are what did you in fact use for what I've referred to as strapping? and what did you use for fasteners to fasten the 2x4's to this strapping?
Your pictures of the whole building with additions and the whole site were neat, as well...your workshop looks like it will be very comfortable. What is the smaller structure to the left of the
workshop in the photo? and What do you plan to use the addition on the east side for?
thanks for all your valuable help and insight...I'll have to locate the "humanure" book you've referenced, as well.My wife Lynne, and I have talked as well re the similarities in our households...although we appear to be a bit older than your wife and yourself from the photos we have a 5 yr old son Andrew at home.We are in a preparation phase in many ways and expect to be in our current setting for about 4 yrs. I've just turned 45 and have had the dream of living in a little house/home/cabin in the wilds since I was about 13 or 14. In our current area we have much wildlife: black bears, whitetail deer, moose, fox, wolf, as well as the many
varieties of small animals and birds...how about where you are?
Take care... bye for now,
May God's richest blessings flow to you and your family.
Larry

hi larry and family,

sorry about this delayed reply.

you're right on with your interpretation of the dual insulation layer photo. the rafters are 2x8, horizontal strapping 1x4 and sleepers 2x4. i did indeed countersink some 1/4" carriage bolts to fasten the sleepers. the whole thing was designed on the fly, as we moved along. it seems to work, wasn't a huge amount of extra work, and gives us a nice fat insulation layer.

the small shed in the picture is in fact just that.
the east addition is a much needed mudroom/transition area, plus it houses a large dining table for occasions, that can sit 8-10 people, something impossible in the original cabin. also crammed in there is a very small bathroom with a 5' tub and a sawdust toilet.

we're 41 and 42 with a 6 yr old boy. this cabin project was conceived in frustration over rising home prices and the crushing reality of over-the-top mortgages. we have paid the whole thing with cash out of the pocket, for only twice as much as a decent down payment would be. living without monthly payment or any bills (except the cell phone, which i'm currently using to get online with), has allowed us to pursue more important things other than fast paced careers

our environment is a transition zone between the semi arid and mountainous conifers. on the southfacing slopes are brush and scattered ponderosa pines, while any shady area is thick with douglas fir. we get about 40cm of precip mostly as snow during long winters. summer is short, dry and brutally hot, while we have beautiful long spring and fall seasons.

as i write there's two mule deer behind the cabin less than 20 meters away. that's almost trivial as our county has the densest deer population in the country and hitting one with your car is very likely. i guess that constitutes some sort of needed population control, now that mountain lions are losing habitat on the valley floor. here's also abundant coyotes, the occasional bear, raccoon and an annual moose sighting. definitely no wolves (lucky you) and grizzlies are long gone.

our valley, with a population of 4-5000, is shaped by the river which run 150 km from the rugged mountains to the dammed and tamed Columbia. we're not a bedroom community for some nearby metropolis (there aren't any), but sustain local economies based mainly on tourism, thriving organic farming and skilled artisans. many people here admittedly are independently wealthy, but the most are leftover back-to-the-land hippies and old school country folks. lately a proliferation of second homes has sprouted up, bringing money and construction jobs, but also all the unpleasantries of excess and opulence.

enough for now, jan

Dear Jan,
I love you cabin!!! That is a neat story about it on www.countryplans.com.
I am interested in finding out where you got your strawboard paneling with
battens for the ceiling of your cabin? Does it come in various colors? We are
finishing up our 18' x 24' cabin in the high desert of Central Oregon and I
like the looks of that product. I am not to thrilled about the time it would
take to install 1 x 6 t&g boards. I only have weekend to work on this thing so I
like products that work well and do not take forever to install. I would
appreciate any help on this. Thanks a bunch, Rob

hi rob, thanks for the praise.

i got my SB's in seattle at the environmental home center (on the web) for around $17.00/sheet. shipping is cost prohibitive. no color choices. to look decent they need to painted or stained. the battens on the pic at countryplans.com is also SB ripped into 3.5" strips, and left unfinished. SB comes in the odd size of 97"x49". something to do with cabinet making i've been told.
i've used them on all wall and ceiling surfaces in the cabin that doesn't have wainscoting. it is impossible to hide the seams with drywall compound. i've tried but it doesn't look good. corners on the other hand are much simpler to mud than drywall. the solution is to apply vertical battens every 2'. see pic. those are 1/4" x 2" spruce battens.

hope this helps and let me know if there's something else i can do.

jan

I just saw your house on the country plans site. I would love to see how you have done your floor plan. We are getting ready to build a small home like yours and wondering how we can really make this work as our full time home.
Thanks a bunch, Robyn

hi robyn,

floorplan? not much of one, i must confess. loft upstairs has standing headroom barely (i'm 6'2") and will serve as bedroom for my wife and i, and our four year old son for now. it's about 15' x 14', so pretty good sized on the floor.

the rest is in the 250 sq ft downstairs. and it will be a bit crammed until future additions are realized. kitchen/dining gets 50%, couch/lounging 40%, and the remaining is a small bathroom for showers only. solar electric stuff is in the kitchen, and the dining table doubles as work/laptop area.

the first addition on the east side will be 220 sq ft and home to a bedroom and small potty. the dining area will move into a corner here as well.

beyond this everything is kinda open.

hope this basic spiel is helpful to you. if not pls ask more. glad to help.

jan

[don't know what the questions were or who they came from]

hi,

we have now lived fulltime in the cabin for 8 months. systems work good.

greywater is a surface pipe from sink and future bath to a gravel filled bed with willows 40' from the back of cabin. the plants love it! pipe froze only once last winter when it dipped down to minus 17 degrees. we simply undid it and put a bucket there instead for a few weeks. something to be said for the convenience of fully accessible plumbing.

composting toilet is straight from the humanure book by jenkins, in other words a collection device and a compost pile out back. the pile is always steaming hot, so presumably it works. no odors, just as promised in the book. buy it!

the zodi shower has not been purchased yet and may or may not be the one (www.zodi.com). now it's warm enough to use the outdoor shower stall with a cheap camping style solar hot water sack. very little plumbing there too to be messed up, in fact only 18" of half inch tubing.

our well have a handpump and a solar direct 24 v electric pump. both are capable of about 2 gls/min, which goes into storage tanks.

as permits go I don't really don't know. this is all a little too progressive (or regressive) for the average narrow minded official and we didn't even bother trying.

so it might sound like we're almost just camping and generally roughing it. on the contrary. i'm a hopeless perfectionist and takes forever to build everything just right with the appropriate materials and decent craftsmanship. we chose to live simply for both ideological and practical reasons. first we wanted to be easy on the earths limited resources and second, with only 550 square feet to build we could take the time and money to do it right. our various systems are in balance with this approach.

jan

Hi Jan,

It was such a surprise to find the website countrycottages, as it was exactly what I was looking for.

I was particularly interested in your project, and that of Troy Cleghorn, as it is in eastern Washington that I plan to build such a cottage. I am at the planning stage, have yet to decide on the land purchase, and have many questions. But first, could you tell me where
you built?

I have found on the web very desirable (based on photos) properties around Oroville, Republic, and especially Bonaparte recreational area. Oroville would be a 5 to 6 hr drive from Blaine, where I live. In March I will be able to take the drive and hopefully select a property. By
that time I would like to have thinned down the list of prospects. If you have any tips on areas to look at, and what to look for, I'd appreciate it. Around 20 acres would suit me fine, more would be nicer but as with you, the larger the property, the smaller the cottage.
Privacy, views and accessibility is what I'm looking for. The primary purpose is for weekends or summer weeks. Maybe winter cross-country skiing, though I've not done any yet. I'm hoping my 7 & 13yr old daughters will not be bored out there for a week at a time, but I'm
betting not.

Your costs at 80% for $6000 greatly encouraged me. I'd be doing all the work myself, with the help of wife & daughters. I am hoping to come out below $15000.
Some more questions:

What did you do for accommodation during the construction?
Where did you buy the materials?
Any problems with the county over permits (footings, septic {I know you haven't installed one, but is it not required?}, plans etc.)

That's all for now, but I would like to leave it open to many more that will inevitably arise.

Regards, Tony

hi tony,

we're in north central washington. we are passionate about climbing and mountaineering, so the this location real close to the north cascades is ideal for us.

it is generally a bit more expense pr acre here than the in the okanogan proper, or further east. we also had friends here prior to moving and like the community for raising kids.we're maybe an hour+ south of oroville.

20 ac, of which there are many fine pieces, will cost you upwards of $65.000 here, which is quite a bit more than the okanogan proper or further east locations.

there's a lot going on here all spring summer and fall. a regionally famous farmer's market, arts, music, festivals. hiking, biking, horse stuff and so on. for kids the river is a great place to spend hot summer days.

the prices stated in the profile on countryplans.com reflects the barebones minimum. just the structure finished inside and out. to that you can add solar electricity, appliances, furnishings, well, driveway, woodstove, water system, etc, etc. all these items add up to far more than the cost of the structure.

we rented during the 6 months it took to find the property, built and finish.

we got practically all materials from the local lumber yard, except certain items, like cotton insulation, which we went to seattle for.

permit issues have been no problem, so far.

let me know if there's anything else i help with, and good luck with your project.

jan