WE BUILT OUR CABIN IN JUST FIVE DAYS FOR $1,000!
(Page 3 of 3)
March/April 1977
By Lester E. Harris Jr.
Also, we framed and built the front roof overhang, which employs two sheets of plywood cut as shown in Fig. 4.
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DAY FIVE
On the fifth day we set the windows, hung the doors, shingled the roof, painted the entire building with redwood-colored preservative, and put in the loft floor and loft railing. Our cabin in the woods was UP!
LATER ADDITIONS
Of course, we later made certain additions to the basic cabin: such as a 16' X 16' rear deck ... a 6'-wide front porch ... a handmade fieldstone chimney for our wood-burning stove (which took us the better part of a year to complete) ... and 1-1/2"-wide lat tice strip battens on the outside walls, to cover the gaps between the sheets of plywood and improve the dwelling's outward appearance.
I might add that since the cabin was built we've also put in a loft window containing an exhaust fan, and a back door (since we found the tiny lodge a bit "close" on hot summer days).
One addition we never did make was that of a bathroom. (We use the Biological Station's washhouse facility, which happens also to be our source of water.) Likewise, since we planned to eat our meals in the camp dining hall, we elected not to install a kitchen. The one thing our cabin does have, though, is lots of sleeping space ... which is all we really wanted in the first place.
WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING OF IT?
The fact that we decided not to install a bath, insulation, and other "necessities" in our cabin doesn't mean—of course—that you can't, should you decide (as a number of folks have) to build a replica of our modified A-frame lodge. The beauty of this design, in fact, is the ease with which it can be altered to suit individual tastes and needs. (Even the cabin's dimensions—except for the width, which was tailored to make the most efficient use of 4' X 8' sheets of plywood—can be changed relatively easily.)
Another thing I like about our modified A-frame "summer home" is its inherent durability. Unlike other, much less expensive log dwellings, this cabin—once completed and stained-can be forgotten for at least ten years as far as upkeep is concerned.
In short then, we love our $1,000 modified A-frame. We think that for ease of construction, durability, and sheer good looks, it can't be beat!
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