Cabin Fever II - My Cabin

Last month I mentioned in Cabin Fever that it’s not worth the effort of letting envy take hold of you. Ironically, I’ve since done exactly that in the most literal of ways.

I watched dozens of hours of men building remote cabins in remote corners of Wisconsin in one of my latest YouTube binges. This guy @Bushradical has got me particularly jealous. To be fair, I know nothing of the rest of his life, but the pieces he publicizes look positively serene.

Not surprisingly, I now want a remote cabin of my own to spend time reflecting at. As any other man on a budget who grew up building with Lego sets, I want to build it myself. Is this nuts? Maybe, but a little planning and a can do attitude go a long way. Worst case scenario - I ordered duct tape from Costco that one time. I’ve heard that the tensile strength of duct tape is pretty much on par with concrete so no problem (MechE’s out there - I’m kidding!).

From here on out I’m going to post progress updates on my designs and plans. There are a couple separate stages, but for now I think it makes sense to start with a very basic cabin design alongside some basic criteria for the land on which to build. With these two sets of plans in mind, I’ll actually be able to search and implement.

Location

I’d like it to be close enough to go for a weekend trip, but far enough to be inconvenient for a casual non-emergency day trip. Maybe 2-3 hours driving from Manhattan, NYC. That leaves the Hudson Valley and maybe some areas of Pennsylvania near the Catskills/Adirondacks.

Base Characteristics of the Plot

• Size - I grew up on a quarter acre in the suburbs. I currently live in a 750 square foot apartment. I’m leaning towards between 5 and 50 acres. The wildly large range should allow flexibility for availability. Sometimes there just aren’t plots available for sale at a reasonble price for the value.
• Slope - There needs to be at least 1 flattish section, and ideally enough flat areas to provide a long driveway to a secluded clearing for the cabin.

Utilities

Needs to be accessible to electric or solar. Gas would be great. Must be able to do provide clean running water and plumbing, whether well+septic or public services.

The Vibes (Characteristics of the Plot)

I love the fall colors and the privacy that tree cover provides. Therefore the space should be wooded with ample full grown trees. A mix of maple and some native evergreen types would be conducive to keeping the plot sustainable, but I’ll need to consult with local forestry organizations.

I could use a small stream to power some primitive tooling while figuring out longer term power. The stream could also just be purely cosmetic, I’m not too picky.

Budget

• Land - I haven’t thought this far ahead. For now, it’s just a pipe dream. Some rough math suggests that the land alone is going to be between $10k and $50k per acre. For the sake of argument let’s pick $20k and say that nets to $200k for 10 acres.
• Materials - expecting between and $100 per square foot, but I’m going to complete my design and actually cost out every piece with overages to get a proper budget.
  • For a very rough 200 sq. ft. cabin (10’x20’), I should expect at least $20k in materials cost.
  • For a 1200 sq. ft. cabin (30’x40’), therefore, I should expect to spend $120k in materials alone.

Endnote

I’ll probably need a pickup truck at some point. Never thought that would be the first car I’d buy, but it would be pretty funny so I’m writing it down for posterity’s sake.