Want to build "drop out" cabin. Advice?

 

Guys......  I need your advice.

I currently rent half of a duplex and my income is
small.....so this rent puts a strain on my finances.

I want to build a small one person cabin/home whereby
once this thing is built it will "free" me form rent...
and then I can use that money to persue other endeavors
such as going back to college.. or WHATEVER I want to
do with my life.

Basically this cabin/house would be a "platform" from
which to "springboard" myself from the "slavery" of
being a wage slave. <G>

In essence it would allow me to "drop out" of society a
bit and like I said persue "living" rather than just
working to exist.

I currently have abt $40,000 in liquid form.  Id keep
at least 10k always liquid for emergencies....and use
the other 30k for building this "home"

So..... Id need to buy the land or lot and build a
small HIGHLY efficient cabin/home on it. This cabin
would be kind of like a loft apartment in a big city.
One big open rom for the kitchen and living room...
with only the bathroom and maybe bedroom walled off.

Main thing I want in the home is extreme energy
efficiency.  Ideally it would be somewhat south facing
with all windows on sides and front.... and no windows
on north side.

What methods of construction would you suggest to build
such a structure?  Im not a handy man... so would have
to hire out most of the construction. I could help them
build it.... but not do the bulk of work.

So do you guys have any floorplans or thoughts abt the
"design" of this home.cabin as far as materials,
floorp[lan, etc?  Im thinking abt 600 sq feet maybe

I live in a small town of 18,000 in north Missouri. Its
pretty rural around here so cost of living is low...
BUT so are the wages!  hence the need to eliminate this
rent thing.

I have more to say but will stop for now.

 


Structural insulated panels. As for layouts, visit a library, you should
be able to find numerous books of suggested layouts - not much to it
with a small cabin, if that is indeed what you are building - and on
your budget, it had better be. There are even books dedicated to small
house layouts, though the less "cabin" (few interior walls) and the more
house (more romms/walls) you make it, the more expensive it gets, and
the more cramped the smaller spaces inside feel.

--
Cats, Coffee, Chocolate...vices to live by

 



On 2005-03-20 me@privacy.net said:
   >Newsgroups: alt.energy.homepower
   >Guys......  I need your advice.
   >I currently rent half of a duplex and my income is
   >small.....so this rent puts a strain on my finances.
   >I want to build a small one person cabin/home whereby
   >once this thing is built it will "free" me form rent...
   >and then I can use that money to persue other endeavors
   >such as going back to college.. or WHATEVER I want to
   >do with my life.
   >Basically this cabin/house would be a "platform" from
   >which to "springboard" myself from the "slavery" of
   >being a wage slave. <G>
   >In essence it would allow me to "drop out" of society a
   >bit and like I said persue "living" rather than just
   >working to exist.
   >I currently have abt $40,000 in liquid form.  Id keep
   >at least 10k always liquid for emergencies....and use
   >the other 30k for building this "home"
   >So..... Id need to buy the land or lot and build a
   >small HIGHLY efficient cabin/home on it. This cabin
   >would be kind of like a loft apartment in a big city.
   >One big open rom for the kitchen and living room...
   >with only the bathroom and maybe bedroom walled off.
   >Main thing I want in the home is extreme energy
   >efficiency.  Ideally it would be somewhat south facing
   >with all windows on sides and front.... and no windows
   >on north side.
   >What methods of construction would you suggest to build
   >such a structure?  Im not a handy man... so would have
   >to hire out most of the construction. I could help them
   >build it.... but not do the bulk of work.
   >So do you guys have any floorplans or thoughts abt the
   >"design" of this home.cabin as far as materials,
   >floorp[lan, etc?  Im thinking abt 600 sq feet maybe
   >I live in a small town of 18,000 in north Missouri. Its
   >pretty rural around here so cost of living is low...
   >BUT so are the wages!  hence the need to eliminate this
   >rent thing.
   >I have more to say but will stop for now.
For starts, I would look into Structural Insulated Panels (in mid-
atlantic region I've heard them called stressed skin panels) for
walls and roof.  High R factor, strong, goes up fast, interior and
exterior surfaces already there.  Well suited to a simple box design
with shed roof slanting to north.  I like steel roofing - survives
hail very well, yields clean water from roof-harvesting of rain (my
sole water source in a place of 14" annual rainfall.
Solar gain windows on the south, be cautious of west windows (fierce
afternoon heating), use some east window to kick-start morning
heating.
Solar requires a bunch of thermal mass to control temperature ups-
and-downs with sun.  Out here adobe interior walls and insulated
(underneath) concrete floors work.

If you like reading, buy a copy of Energy Efficient Building Assn.
_Builder's Guide_, www.eeba.org, 612-851-9940.  Excellent, but costly
($45, IIRC).


Tom Willmon
near Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA

Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered

 



So you suggesting a one angle roof above right?  No V
shaped roof?  If yes why?


Good idea on the rain harvesting!!  Where do you live
where water such short supply?   Do you have your roof
plumbed so that all rain runs down into underground
storage tank?  Or is tank above ground?


Good idea on no west windows.  So I should only have
windows on south and east sides?   Definitely no
windows on north AND west side right?



Im not goinna worry much abt thermal mass.  Will
supplement heat with cheap electric baseboard heating.
And cool with cheap disposable window AC unit.  Good or
bad idea?

 

wrote:


Cheaper roof to build, better for solar gain (larger south wall).


Depends. You can get windows which minimize heat gain, and use some of
those on the west to get afternoon light without much heat gain. Depends
also if there's anything worth looking at in those directions. Lookup (&
download) RESFEN (you already paid for it) for some insight on window
effects on heating, cooling, etc. in your area


No such thing, unless electricity is _very_ inexpensive relative to
other fuels (sometimes the case, but not often). It may be cheap to buy
electric baseboard, but it's expensive to own/run. And if you are "not
going to worry about thermal mass", you want to keep the south windows
pretty small, too, or you'll cook.

Now if you really wanted to save on heat, you'd look at some of Nick's
older postings (his recent mouldy basement stuff being questionable) on
"thermal capacitor" collectors, but that does happen to involve a good
deal of thermal mass - and you're not handy, so you'd then need a
builder who could be made to understand it. It's simple, but not
"usual", and 99% of builders can't handle unusual.


If you're going to cool, might as well get a heat pump to do both - get
more out of your heating electricity that way, anyhow. An efficient unit
costs less in the long run than an inefficient one...

--
Cats, Coffee, Chocolate...vices to live by