Building half of a cabin

[john70t]

BK, that mountain is waiting to destroy your dream home with the next major flood.
I should have said that more diplomatically, but this stuff happens every year in the papers.
It will be a nice place when it's done, but take care of the basics now.

[A930Rocket]

I'm with John. Wet heavy dirt will do amazing things.

I'm surprised you only have rebar every 2'. We install that on a foundation with no dirt against it and 36" tall, plus ladder wire, a header block with horizontal rebar on top and fill the foundation cells with concrete.

Roofing paper will last weeks if not days and will not be waterproof, with all the button caps needed to hold it down from wind.

Originally Posted by john70t

(sorry to be the party pooper but..)

If that is really a 6ft wall of unsupported dirt..
With mountain of dirt uphill..
And the wall is not triple thick with rebar and poured centers and 5 layers of of rubberized barrier and internal steel pilings and every other imaginable reinforcement again mudslides and water infiltration..

stop right there and take care of it while it's still just a bunch of blocks.

Those 100 year floods are just about every other year these days.
Plan for the worst. The future. Build 10x over.
Then you can rest easy.

It looks like you'll need a retaining wall on the right side of the foundation. I'd also clear behind the foundation and grade the dirt to force water away from the foundation and maybe around to the low side on the left. You'll probably need a retaining wall as well there to hold the dirt back.

[dad911]

1) I would use epdm not rolled roofing. Flat seamed EPDM should last years, and not leak.
2) Don't backfill the wall if you don't plan on completing the structure. The weight of the building makes the block wall stronger. Stack 3 cinder blocks, you could push them over easily. Park a car on top of those stacked blocks, and you cannot move them by hand.

[BK911]

I took your advice and decided to build the upper levels.
Here are some pics from yesterday:






Nothing too fancy, just enough for me, wifey, and two baby girls to spend weekends.
Has bedroom, full bath, kitchen and family room on main level.
Bedroom and full bath upstairs.
And half bath downstairs.

Havent decided on siding yet, but probably going with white vinyl. Cheaper and almost maintenance free. Dont want wood and cant afford hardy plank.

Should have windows and doors in today and roof done tomorrow.

Then going to start roughing in electrical once I can lock the place up.
Have a toilet downstairs but not hard piped yet. Using a hose.

[GWN7]

Just got a message on a local group I belong to. A couples remote cabin was robbed. It's under construction and the thiefs removed the windows (installed) and took all the vinyl siding off it. Pealed it like a onion.

[mepstein]

Congrats on your progress. I would go with a darker shade of vinyl so it blends into the surroundings. Just google whatever description your wife thinks of when she imagines a vacation home and you will get plenty of pics and ideas.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Thanks for posting

That looks great, glad you didn't go with temporary top floor, will save you money and hassle in the long run

[VincentVega]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Thanks for posting

That looks great, glad you didn't go with temporary top floor, will save you money and hassle in the long run

x2

well done, looks great to me

[rfuerst911sc]

Smart move on your part you will be better off in the long run . And don't rule out metal siding it can be installed horizontally or vertically . Lots of colors to choose from and economically priced .

[A930Rocket]

Congrats!

It's looking great!

[Zeke]

Just saw this thread. As a contractor I try and do nothing 2wice. I think you did the right thing by going ahead with the 2nd floor framing and roof. You will now not be duplicating any labor which in the long run cost you less.

The Tyvek could last a year. The felt on the roof, well secured could last 6 months. It will have to be gone over when you get to the roof if that time spell has occurred. The Tyvek will be questionable.

Put in an alarm connected to the Net as well as an external web cam surveying access points. You can also put in a Ring doorbell/camera/speaker and 'answer' the door. This can all be powered by a battery backed up with a small solar panel, a good downstream investment.

Another idea: don't want your windows stolen like the post above? Don't use screws and nail the shict out of them with longer roofing nails. Put some jamb screws in as well. Use square drive everywhere. Google NRP hinges.

[BK911]

Update:

Havent done too much over the past month or so, waiting on funds to magically appear in my account!
Cabin is all dried in.
Have power; 3 power circuits and 1 lighting circuit so far.
Have a functioning toilet!!
Inner walls framed in.
Soffit, fascia, and gutters were installed over the weekend.

Next steps:
Frame in glass in gable above sliding doors.
Have glass installed.
Siding.
Then chip away at the rest of the electrical and plumbing to get final inspection.








Framing for glass:




View out the sliding glass doors:

[BK911]

And the reason all this started, having a place to poop!!

[masraum]

Excellent! Looks great.

[drcoastline]

Well done.

[rfuerst911sc]

Looking good and coming along nicely . Can you take a pic of where you have been throwing the wifes clutter ?

[Rich Lambert]

Excellent!

[BK911]

Some progress:
Got the siding installed.




Also worked on the kitchen a little bit.
Notice the indoor plumbing?




And the dining room:

[rfuerst911sc]

Indoor plumbing in Tennessee you must be in the top 1 percent ! Kidding of course well kinda 😜

[dad911]

Claw foot table clashes with the rest of the brutalist/industrial design.....