Build this Cozy Cabin
(Page 11 of 12)
June/July 2006
By Steve Maxwell
I’d make the cabin bigger, easier to heat and slightly more comfortable. I randomly chose The Shed’s 10-by-20-foot dimensions based on no building experience whatsoever. Now I know that making the cabin just 5 feet wider would have greatly improved the amount of useful space. Also, I would spend more money to add insulation, running hot water and a small sink with a drain. By doing so, I could have extended my home-building season longer into the spring and fall. Furthermore, I would build the base on a deep foundation.
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These days, The Shed is looking old and sits a little wonky as its base moves a little more with each year’s frost. But I don’t suppose our children would ever let us tear it down. For them, The Shed is a place of legend and a tangible connection to the stories we tell them about how their family came to set down roots on the land they’ll inherit.
You Can Build One, Too!
If you feel drawn to the simple cabin lifestyle, I say go for it. Someday, I look forward to experiencing the cabin lifestyle again, even just as an occasional retreat. Something about the tiny size of a cabin puts me at ease. Some of my best cabin memories go back to cool fall evenings — tucked into my sleeping bag, I’m dog-tired as the warmth of our antique woodstove wafts across my face. This lifestyle gives me the kind of deep-down satisfaction and enjoyment that is only attainable when you mix hard work with a compelling dream and your own piece of land.
Cabin Kits
Many people dream of building a cabin or cottage in the woods, beside a lake, along a bubbling brook or on top of a mountain with sweeping views. But cabins are not just for wilderness living. They also can offer cozy space as a guest room, an artists’ retreat, a craft center or a small office.
The cabin kit manufacturers listed below are divided into three construction categories: log, frame and panel. Most kits consist of the necessary materials for the exterior walls, interior wall studs, roof and floor, and include windows, doors, fasteners, trim and construction manuals. The kits do not include foundations, insulation, or electrical and plumbing packages. The base prices listed below do not include shipping costs.
To find the cabin that best fits your budget and construction experience, read each company’s literature carefully and then ask lots of questions before you buy a kit.
Log Cabin Kits
Appalachian Log Homes
11312 Station West Drive
Knoxville, TN 37922
(800) 726-0708
“Yukon Trail II”
$28,000
18 by 24 feet; 432 square feet
Conestoga Log Cabins
246 N. Lincoln Ave.
Lebanon, PA 17046
(717) 306-4490
“Heritage”
$24,595
14 by 27 feet; 378 square feet
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