Cabins After we get to Maine....

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Going on the next thing -- after we get to Maine, what I hope to do is buy some land and build a cabin. Debating whether the cabin should be a couple of shipping containers side-by-side, or stick-built (which would probably run the property taxes up above what we can afford!), or ?

I probably won't be able to make a decision on what to do until after the land is purchased, and I know how much money I have left (we might have to build an Indian wickiup if there's no money left!), but it would be a fun and possibly useful topic for discussion.

Log construction is out, because I'm a mid-fifties female with a bad back, and will be working alone. Some things I can do, or maybe hire done, but I don't plan to build with logs. Cordwood, maybe, although I really don't much like how it looks (could plaster over it, I guess). Wattle-and-daub I could do, and it's likely that the land we buy would have the materials for that, since I'm going to be looking for cut-over and partly re-grown land rather than mature timber. Shipping containers are definitely on the list, esp. reefers, but no mobile homes! I really, really dislike them, and the older ones that I could afford will have a lot of things to fix. If we are going to live in something shoddy and temporary, it needs to be darned near free!

Other alternative construction methods -- straw-bale, earth-bag, and so on, are also under consideration, depending on what's available on the land. So, if you were a middle-aged female needing to build respectable but not fancy shelter for two people (but working mostly by yourself -- my DD isn't able to help with much of anything), off-grid, and with a short time to get it done before winter set in, how would you do it?

As I mentioned on my other thread about the trip, I can, and likely will, utilize the trailer for temporary shelter while building a cabin. If we get there really late in the year, it could be weather-proofed and heated and we could live in that for the winter.

Kathleen

 

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Several years ago in W. Texas, we used two of the 20' containers to build our lodging. Placed them side x side, with 10' between them, then built a deck in that space between them, and later roofed that deck, but left the ends open. That was the handiest lodging we've ever had. The deck gave an area to clean your boots (or take them off) without getting the quarters messed up. In hot weather, most of the cooking was done there also.

We never had any roof load, might require some thinking if there is much snow there.

 

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For a warm climate, I really like that idea. For Maine, might have to make do with porches. There's a place between here and town where the people have used two forty-foot containers for a front fence (the gate into their place is between the two containers), and I've noticed that they are building a porch onto two sides of one of the containers. If it was mine, I would put a roof over the whole thing -- they are just roofing the porch area. Anyway, in a cold climate, it would be a lot easier to heat the place if both containers were together and could be heated by one stove. I do like the containers idea, if I can find some that aren't too expensive -- I'd also like to build a barn with them, placing two of them about twenty feet apart, and roofing the space for hay storage. The containers would be enclosed, needing windows and doors cut, and the gap between them sealed, but pretty much usable as shelter without a lot of time invested.

Kathleen

 

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Well, the house here is listed and on the realtor's website. I've been in contact with a couple of people in Maine about property (a realtor and someone with a lot of parcels for sale but not a realtor). So things are starting to move. Just praying for a buyer for this place.

Kathleen