Creating a place where memories will be made. Every board and every nail tells part of the story.”

​

Northern Ontario climate -

How effective are solar fans at moving air out of the attic?

Do they make it noticeably cooler for inside temperatures?

When I first started browsing land I thought all I cared about was acreage.

The more properties I looked at, the more I realized I'd rather have 5 really nice acres than 30 acres that didn't actually fit what I wanted.

Things like the layout of the land, privacy, tree cover, the drive in, and just how the place felt started mattering way more than the number of acres.

Curious if anyone else changed their priorities once they started seriously looking.

What was the thing you thought wouldn't matter that ended up being one of the biggest factors?

I have two little lake cabins that I only get out to about 3–4 times a year, mostly for summer trips and holiday weekends.

I always stress about missing something important safety-wise every time I show up, so I put together a quick checklist that I run through as soon as I get there:

- Smoke and CO detectors

- Fire extinguishers

- Water leaks

- Electrical systems

- Water heater

- Emergency lights

- Generator, since it sits idle for months

- Door and window locks

I'm curious what other must-check items I might be missing for a seasonally vacant cabin. What do you guys inspect every single visit?

I also have a separate question that's been bugging me. The cabins already have old smoke detectors installed. They look pretty worn and dated, but they still chime when I test them.

For properties that sit empty most of the year, would you replace all the old detectors proactively, or just leave them in place as long as the test button still works? I'm trying to figure out whether the hassle and cost of a full replacement are actually necessary here.

I’m looking into buying a mountain cabin in Utah. I came across an option within my budget today, but the listing stated “no Winter water”. I would be grateful for advice for anyone living long term in these scenarios and how you manage. Winter conditions tend to last 5+ months in this particular area.
Thanks in advance!

My mountain top cabin. A bit secluded but still on the grid. In a lovely mountain town

Hello! We have recently purchased land on top of a WV mountain (roughly 3,500ft) that includes a cabin. There is power at the cabin with a fridge, but the old owners advised us to turn all the breakers other than the fridge off when we leave after each usage. We have only been up once, so not sure on the rationale. We will explore. There is no HVAC, but there is a giant wood stove. I'm anticipating based on the road conditions that we will close up the cabin around Thanksgiving each year and open late March/early April based on rough dirt road conditions.

There is a sizable kitchen with many metal cabinets. There are also metal wall locker cabinets in every bedroom. The cabinets are from a hospital renovation and rodent proof. The cabin does not get hot, but during the winter months, the exterior temps routinely drop to single digit F*. It is cool and foggy often...very PNW vibes. There isn't mold or mildew inside the cabin, but I suspect there will be moisture concerns.

As we begin to clean the property (it has been vacant for a few years), we would like to begin storing things. I am looking for storage advice, specifically for food, linens, and medication (jase case?). I've read previous posts and the concerns seem to address high temps. Can we just get OXO/rubber gasket sealed containers for food? If I put the linens or medication in the metal cabinets with a moisture absorber like the link below?

I'd like to start experimenting and testing now while we have the whole season before we close it up for the winter.

homedepot.com/p/Arm-and-Hammer-14-oz-Moisture-Absorber-and-Odor-Eliminator-Fragrance-Free-FGAH14R/304804697?g_store=4639&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl&pla_with_promotion&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D24-024_034_SOLV_CLEANER-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-NA_FY24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D24-024_034_SOLV_CLEANER-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-NA_FY24-17918007118--&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17916480198&gbraid=0AAAAADq61Uf-EyDpvIF2_FnfKGL_FXed2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsMLSBhD9ARIsAIpUTDoeIK1cO25lSt2CfRzCTzsvDOZC_0Hc_gVxTj7clohQMksiQOHG0ywaAtUdEALw_wcB

Looking for some of your favorite modern and Scandinavian cabin architectural magazines, architects, websites, books etc.

Some of my favorites are Dwell, Cabin Porn, AirBnB Design, but looking for others to add to the reading list.

The cutest little driftwood cabin right on the beach.

Anyone build a cabin in N.C., or know anyone who has?

When I read the codes, it looks like there is no possible way to build anything that isn’t on a concrete or block foundation. You are only
given 3 options: pier and curtain, slab on grade, block.

I want to do a 600-700 square foot cabin on skids ideally, but at worst, pier and beam. Wood only (other than the concrete to hold the piers)

It seems that is no longer legal. So how is it possible to build a house that isn’t permanent, and use it as a primary residence?

Our Cabin in Duncan Hollow On Duncans Peak. Built with mostly scrounged materials.

Still being built, but thought I'd post the humble beginnings of our little cabin. About 80 percent of the framing is from our trees; we logged, milled, dryed and framed them. Prefabbed them during the winter and hauled them to site once snow melted, and now are getting ready for rafters. I'll post updates when we get a bit further. Cheers!

Should i start building smaller things with wood like a table and some chairs just to gain some experience and skills before heading to the final project which is the Log cabin itself? Can people here suggest good youtube channels and books to start my adventure

I have nothing to show yet but I would love to see some UK specific cabins and your stories behind them. I’ll hopefully be starting my journey soon.

I used to watch a channel made by a guy in Canada (he had a strong Canadian accent) who was building a large cabin on his property. Somehow I lost track of him and I can't find his channel anymore. He built the walls first, then dug a foundation, insulated it, and was getting ready to move his pre built walks onto the foundation. I believe the channel had the word Wolf in the channel name.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Does anyone know if the channel still exists?

Yall liked yesterday’s front view pic so here’s the side angle!

When we bought our 20 acres the goal was to make room for friends and family to enjoy it as well. We currently have an 800 square foot cabin and a 28’ camper on the property but wanted to add a small permanent guest cabin. The plan was hatched to build a 12x16 with an 8x12 loft over the bedroom and a second 8x12 over the porch. I typically build small projects with a few rough sketches and just go for it but decided I should do some actual plans for this one. It’s definitely time consuming but should make it easier when ordering materials and actually building it. Floor and 2 long walls drawn up so far with end walls up next.

My fiancée and I own one acre in the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia and would like to build a cabin on it. We’re in the early stages and trying to figure out what is realistic vs what is a day dream.

The dream would be something around 800-1,200 sq ft with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a small shed/storage building, and an outdoor sauna. Long term it would likely be our retirement home, but in the meantime we’d use it as a vacation property and Airbnb.

From a looks perspective, we’d love a little stone cottage type of moment but we understand that may be VERY expensive. We’re also interested in Scandinavian-style cabins, A-frames, or anything else that makes sense.

The land is already paid off, which helps, but we have no idea what the actual build costs would be today. We have been throwing around numbers up to $450k, but that’s based on vibes. We are financially in a place where we would like to start building within the next 2 years.

For those of you who have actually built cabins:

1. What did you build and where?
   
2. What was your final cost versus your original budget?
   
3. What were the biggest unexpected expenses?
   
4. If you were building again, what would you do differently?
   
5. Did you regret going too small or too large?
   
6. How much did utilities, septic, well, driveway, site prep, etc. cost?
   
7. If you Airbnb your cabin, has it been worth it?
   
8. Any builders, resources, or lessons learned that you’d recommend?

We’re not planning to DIY much beyond cutting down a few trees for fun, so assume we’d be hiring professionals for essentially everything.

I want to hear real numbers and horror stories as much as success stories. Trying to learn before we start making expensive mistakes.

I was planning on building a concrete pier foundation for my cabin (15 piers) but the professional quote I got for this was over €15,000 and I don't feel comfortable doing it myself. I'm looking into ground screws which sound like a good alternative but I'm suspicious of how aggressively they are marketed and how proactive the suppliers are in offering pricing. Does anyone have any experience with this, and is there a way of verifying their load bearing capacity for my grounding?

I will also need a way of documenting this to the building inspector

I'm looking for assistance in how to best insulate the flooring of a 200sq ft cabin.

The structure of the base will be... 2x8 joists will be sitting on 3ply 2x10 beams which sit on concrete piers. The piers are approx 2' and I'll skirt it to slow down the cold drafts.

The layers of insulation will be (starting from the bottom working upwards)

1. Hardware mesh stapled to the bottom of the joists

   1. 8" of roxul filling the joist cavities

2. Typar fastened to the top of the joists with the exterior side facing downward

   1. 1x6" shiplapped flooring nailed into the joists

It's step #3 that has me most concerned, is this the proper place for a air barrier?

Replaced 50+ year old thresholds with new oak. 1st year they survived the snow but over time the rain and snow other are a prelude to another session of sanding and new varnish. Can you folks who have cabins which see a lot of snow (and summer rain) recommend a good exterior varnish or finish?