Dear James: I have some rustic land located by a pond. I would like to have a small weekend cabin built for my two children and me. What is the best construction method?—Stefan H.
Dear Stefan: You shouldn’t have any problem finding a reasonably priced builder for this type of project. Most would consider this to be a fun project and a welcome change from typical house construction. You might even get a discount if you offer it to them for weekend or two.
With two children, it would be wise to build a cabin large enough to sleep four people. Either you or your children will probably often bring a guest along for the weekends. Since beds take up a lot of space, plan on a minimum size of 20 feet by 20 feet, not including porches.
For construction simplicity and the lowest cost, plan a single-story cabin. Even if you are in a Southern climate with little chance of heavy snow fall, build it with a steeply pitched roof. A pitch of 9/12 (9 feet vertical for each 12 feet horizontal) will provide enough height at the peak for a loft area.
Although it will cost a bit more for materials, build it with a 9- to 10-foot high ceiling for an open feel. Adding a skylight will provide natural light in the day and ventilation and a view of the stars at night. Install a real glass one with thermal low-emissivity panes and argon gas in the gap.
If this cabin is near a major city and has good road access, choose one of the newer, more efficient and superstrong construction methods: structural panels, concrete foam block, steel framing, etc. If you are building it in a woods with limited access for delivery of materials, use conventional stick-built lumber framing construction.
Before you actually start construction, it would be a good idea for you and your children to spend a weekend at a cabin in a park. This will give you an idea of how much space you will really need and the amenities that you need or at least want. You will probably be surprised at the learning experience.
People often forget to include enough storage space, such as closets, especially if they have children. If you plan to spend many weekends at the cabin in the summer, you will find that you need a lot of things that you did not need on your single weekend test stay in a cabin. Consider storage under beds and in the loft area. Also, do not scrimp on the kitchen area.
Since you will not be at the cabin all week long, you have several options for security. Using strong locks will not help. If someone wants to get into a remote cabin, they have plenty of time to break down a door. It is probably best to leave it unlocked and install a battery-operated security alarm. Although the system will not dial up the police, the vandals will not know this, and they will most likely run.
It doesn’t make sense to hire an architect to design a small cabin. There are many sources, including some for free, for building plans and kits for simple cabins on the internet. A kit that includes all the metal hardware simplifies construction.
Definitely install a space heater that is large enough to make it toasty warm. Since you probably will not have all the amenities of home, such as a clothes dryer, you will want to keep it warm enough in case you get wet in a storm.
If you do not have electricity at the cabin, consider a battery- or solar-powered wood pellet stove in addition to a fireplace. A pellet stove will supply heat within minutes. A single 40-pound bag of pellets will provide plenty of heat for a day or two.
