# New Pics of my Landscape Timber Log Cabin!



## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

I wanted to re-open this subject, since many of you will be building something this spring. My "Timbers" were purchased from a local plywood factory. It took about 600 timbers to build what you see here. *Do Not Use Pressure Treated Timbers!! * They are too expensive, and too toxic to live in an enclosed structure with.

No, I don't know where you can get them around you. Lowes sells them according to their website, but they're pricey. Factory direct before they go out for treatment is where I got mine. You'll have to find a source on your own. 

I wanted to re-visit this post with some new, up-dated pictures of my landscape timber cabin. Be sure to read the beginning for advice and warnings before you build one!










This is a picture that shows how the cabin is situated on my 15 acre bottomland farm. I rent the crop out to a neighboring farmer and he tends the place and pays me with 1/3 of the crop. It usually nets me around $800.00 per year. Not much, but enough for the taxes, and not bad when you consider that I never have to touch any tools or equipment.










Salvaged front door, with no lock...I got good neighbors, and I figure if anyone wants in, a lock won't stop them...it will only destroy my door! JMHO










This is what you'll see when you enter...I usually sleep on the couch and let my guests have the beds...(Couch Sleeps Better...Shhhh.) The Propane tank is topped with a 2 burner "Mr Heater". Sometimes it gets very cold during hunting season, and if no one wants to put a log in the stove, it's OK. We usually run this only at night.










This is the primary heat source...a king wood stove salvaged from a buddy who went to natural gas. He was happy to have it hauled away...no charge.
Notice the vaulted ceiling. I used sissors trusses and decked the ceiling with re-saw decking like the kind used on roofs under shingles. It's unfinished pine. I think I'll leave it that way...I may polyurethane it after it seasons a few years. Don't let the light bulb fool you...I've got some rudimentary wiring (2 sockets and a string of lights) it's only run by a generator situalted about 500 feet away in a shed. At bedtime, the generator goes off and we use a deep cycle battery and power inverter to power a small TV and my C-Pap sleep apnea machine.










If you look left after you enter, you'll see the dining area. Cooking is done on a camp stove or the huge smoker/grill outside on the front porch. Coffee is made in an old-fashioned percolator on top of the wood stove.










This shows my "Water System" I catch roof runoff in 2 barrels that are joined by a pipe at the top. When the first barrel is full, the water runs out a pipe near the top which carries it to the 2nd barrel. This water is used to clean and flush the toilet. It's dipped up in a bucket and carried inside (Old-fashion style)










This shot shows the bunk beds, the gaming table (under a dust cover - foozball). Notice the water rack at the foot of the top bunk. This rack holds 2 - 11 gallon water barrels that are actually old soda-syrup containers. A spigot screws right into the top of these. and they're tilted for flow. This is CLEAN WATER. The mop tub underneath is where we wash dishes and take sponge baths. I've got a shower curtain that can be pulled around the mop sink. We stand in a large washtub, heat water on the stove, dump it in the mop sink and wash up. Cold rinsing is available if you need it from the barrels. Works good, and you can bathe with a room full if you have to. They can only see your head and feet. (Primitive ain't it?)










Here's a shot of the most important room in the house. Used only for #2 and flushes must be prompt, since there is no ceiling in the bathroom to contain the aroma. #1 is done outside off one of the porches. I know, Barbaric right? But we're usually just 4 or 5 guys out on a deer hunt.










If you walk straight through the main room from the front door to the back door, you'll see this out the backdoor glass. My backporch is still a work in progress, but you can see I wanted to be able to sit on the porch and fish in the pond. I can and do.

If these pics inspire you, please ask any questions here. I'll be glad to help. God Bless! By the way, my total outlay for everything except the land was about $5000.00. Lots of used/salvaged stuff.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Nice :goodjob: 

How long did it take to build? How many people took part in building it?


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Wolf mom said:


> Nice :goodjob:
> 
> How long did it take to build? How many people took part in building it?


It took me about 2 years to build it, but I live 300 miles away from it and could only work a few days at a time every month or 2. I did it all except the trusses by myself. I also had help with the tin roof. Otherwise, it's a one-man job.

I owned the land and wanted a place where I could stay while we visited friends and family there and where I could bring my buddies to deer/rabbit hunt.


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## NJ Rich (Dec 14, 2005)

You did a nice job. I wish I had a place like that. Fishing off the porch. I like that to. What state are you in? I saw previous posts but it is probably gone since the "attack".

Just a thought; How about making a rack outside for the water barrels. They can gravity feed the toilet. If the toilet has standard flow controls inside it will work the same way it would with regular pressured water supplies. With the right shut-offs and drain plugs for winterizing you wouldn't need to carry buckets through the house. No need to walk through with wet feet on a rainy or snowy day.

It looks like you have enough room for a shower stall, "from salvage", and the utility sink next to it.

Do you fill the wash sink barrels with a pump while running the generator?

Another thought: Hot shower water: I have a large stainless steel pot with a fuacet on it. It has regular pipe threads. I would pipe it with metal pipe to resist the heat from the stove or heating unit to a point where in would install an inline "Through Hull Pump 12 volt from West Marine about $40.00. www.westmarine.com This could pump hot water to the barrels by the bunks. You maybe able to find such a pot at a salvage yard that has used restaurant equipment. The propane unit would surley heat some water fast.

At a camping mail order place: www.campmor.com you can buy Camp Suds. It rinses off really fast and doesn't leave you feeling "soapy". You can wash body and clothes with it even in hard water. I showered with 3 gallons of water in the mountains of New Mexico. Wet body, shut off water, soap and rinse.

Maybe some of my thoughts will help. But it looks like you have done alot of thinking already.

Good Luck with your place. NJ Rich :goodjob:


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

Boleyz, i thought the first set of photos was great! i was wrong ,these show your cabin even better! :dance: now can you tell me how you can pry yourself away from the cabin to head back home?   fishin' off the back porch?! :grump: :grump: :flame: next thing you'll be tellin is the deer come right up too the front porch with phesant every other day! and ramps and mushrooms just up the trail! :angel: little garden for taters , carrots and other vegys you'll be set! :baby04:


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## jassytoo (May 14, 2003)

Are the timbers just stacked on top of one another? I don't see any uprights in the wall. What did you calk it with? Its a great idea and looks good.


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

NJ Rich said:


> You did a nice job. I wish I had a place like that. Fishing off the porch. I like that to. What state are you in?
> 
> I'm in Kentucky. I live in the southeastern mountains, and my farm is in the westernmost county.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the ideas!


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

ford major said:


> Boleyz, i thought the first set of photos was great! i was wrong ,these show your cabin even better! :dance: now can you tell me how you can pry yourself away from the cabin to head back home?   fishin' off the back porch?! :grump: :grump: :flame: next thing you'll be tellin is the deer come right up too the front porch with phesant every other day! and ramps and mushrooms just up the trail! :angel: little garden for taters , carrots and other vegys you'll be set! :baby04:


My life is pretty high-stress, and when I get out there (By myself a lot of times) I get the best, most restful sleep that I ever get. Sometimes I go out there just to rest. It truly is my Retreat. By the Way, I am visited by deer who drink at the pond nightly. So far, no shooters, but it's just a matter of time. No, I don't night hunt...I see em nearby in the early AM...


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

jassytoo said:


> Are the timbers just stacked on top of one another? I don't see any uprights in the wall. What did you calk it with? Its a great idea and looks good.


Yeah, they're stacked and nailed together with 6" pole barn nails. It's caulked with some regular log home chinking. I forgot the brand name, but just google "Log home building supplies" and go from there.


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## jnap31 (Sep 16, 2005)

WOW! Great job you have a great place there I hope you get to spend more time there. Really nice work....


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

I probably need to mention that my prices are about 6 years old. $5000.00 probably wouldn't go this far anymore. Still, if you by salvage and sawmill, I'd say it could be done for less than $10,000. The secret is keeping your eyes and ears open for deals. Also, If you're going it alone and slow like I did, bargains come up periodically.


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## Oilpatch197 (Apr 18, 2004)

What was the biggest cost?(besides the wood)


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Oilpatch197 said:


> What was the biggest cost?(besides the wood)


I'd say the trusses (2X6 trusses since they had to span 22'). I tend to overbuild, but I think the trusses were around $650.00. I put them every 2'.


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## QBVII (May 31, 2005)

Very nice.


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## NJ Rich (Dec 14, 2005)

Hello again,

If you can get the bottom of the outside water barrels 3 to 4 feet above the toilets tank's top you should be able to gravity feed the toilet. A pitch of only 3 to 6 inches should still provide a flow to the barrels from the gutter. I don't know how high your walls are but it looks as if you could make this work. You could use a bucket and hose set-up to make a test run without going to all the work of a new set-up. This may not give you the water flow you need but will let you know if this system is workable.

What ever you do, I like what you have already done and wish you all the best. You have worked hard to accomplish this much mostly by yourself. What a great job.

Happy Easter. The Lord is Risen!


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## Qwispea (Jul 6, 2005)

Do you have blueprints, drawings, or sketches showing dimensions..? 
I'd be very interested in something that I can use to follow along and do my own. 

What are the foundation and flooring materials?


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## MoonShine (Mar 17, 2003)

That's nice,Boleyz....beautiful place.


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

its a beautiful place you should be proud of all your hard work


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Qwispea said:


> Do you have blueprints, drawings, or sketches showing dimensions..?
> I'd be very interested in something that I can use to follow along and do my own.
> 
> What are the foundation and flooring materials?


The Blueprint was in my head...The floor measures 22X34. The cabin sits on 32 4X4 treated posts set in concrete. Probably not an eternal foundation, but it should out last me. Kids may have to do some jacking. So far it hasn't settled any that I can tell. It's about 6 years old.

The floor is some salvaged 3/4" particle board laid over sawmill poplar plank subfloor. I painted it with exterior deck paint...it's worked so far...


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

NJ Rich said:


> Hello again,
> 
> If you can get the bottom of the outside water barrels 3 to 4 feet above the toilets tank's top you should be able to gravity feed the toilet. A pitch of only 3 to 6 inches should still provide a flow to the barrels from the gutter. I don't know how high your walls are but it looks as if you could make this work. You could use a bucket and hose set-up to make a test run without going to all the work of a new set-up. This may not give you the water flow you need but will let you know if this system is workable.
> 
> ...


I might see if I can make it work by catching the runoff from the cabin, instead of the cabin porch (which is lower than the cabin roof) (See picture 1)


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Someone asked what I used to *****...here's the best stuff I've found...pricey, but good...

http://www.loghomecenter.com/index.cfm?ap=12


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## Qwispea (Jul 6, 2005)

I can't get the thought of building my own out of my mind..so.......could you provide a couple more details? I would like more information about the foundation and floor. What do you mean when you say that the cabin sits on 32 4X4 treated posts set in concrete. Are these laying down flat on edge lengthwise, or are they buried up/down into the ground? How many inches of cement? Did you frame the perimeter with posts and lay more posts perpendicular to the longest sides...or what? 

The walls you say were nailed with 6" spikes, but how did you keep the walls straight and square? Its pretty windy where I live and I'd hate to see a wall start to sag inward or outward. Do you think drilling holes and running rebar up and down the wall from bottome 'log' to top 'log' would provide a more stable structure..or would that not be necessary. 
If you could help me with the above questions..I think I might be able to figure out the rest of the construction on my own. Thank you.


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Qwispea said:


> I can't get the thought of building my own out of my mind..so.......could you provide a couple more details? I would like more information about the foundation and floor. What do you mean when you say that the cabin sits on 32 4X4 treated posts set in concrete. Are these laying down flat on edge lengthwise, or are they buried up/down into the ground? How many inches of cement? Did you frame the perimeter with posts and lay more posts perpendicular to the longest sides...or what?
> 
> The walls you say were nailed with 6" spikes, but how did you keep the walls straight and square? Its pretty windy where I live and I'd hate to see a wall start to sag inward or outward. Do you think drilling holes and running rebar up and down the wall from bottome 'log' to top 'log' would provide a more stable structure..or would that not be necessary.
> If you could help me with the above questions..I think I might be able to figure out the rest of the construction on my own. Thank you.


I didn't want to get a backhoe or bulldozer to level a spot and dig a footer and pour concrete. I didn't want the expense. What I did was set up batter boards and pull strings until I got square diminsions of 22' X 34'. I then went into this string rectangle and dug an 18-24" post hole at each corner. I measured 8' from the center of a corner hole, and dug another hole, and so on, all the way around the perimeter. Then I went down the center of the rectangle lengthwise, from one short side to the opposite short side, right down the middle, with a row of post holes, again, spaced 8' on center.

I then went to the lumber yard and bought 16-4X4X8' pressure-treated posts, and 30 bags of quick-crete cement. I cut the posts in half and stood the posts upright and square to the string. I used a level to plumb each post as I poured a bag of quick-crete into the post-hole. The next day, my cabin looked like 32 match sticks sticking up out of the ground.

Then, I bought some pressure-treated 2X12's and began on the front side (See Pic) where the land was rising, and screwed the 2X12's to the posts with lag screws, leveling it as I went down the long side. At the corner, I started where the other 2X12 was and went down the short side, again, leveling the 2X12 as I went. I went all the way around in this fashion, making a wooden "Box" around the perimeter posts that was level. I also built a double girder out of 2X10's down that center row of posts, putting a board on each side of the center posts. This divides the Span of the floor joists from 22' to less than 11', making the floor much more solid.

The result is a level platform to lay your joists and subfloor in. The ground falls away toward the pond, so the back of my cabin is actually about 2 feet in the air on that side, but that doesn't matter...the house has to be level, no matter what the ground does. My cabin is 4" off the ground in the front, and 2' or more off the ground in the back.

As far as the nailing goes, these "logs" are not rounded, but flattened on 2 sides. Therefore, they stack well and true. If you want a guide, after you get the subfloor and joists on the platform, make 6 right angles out of 8' 2X4's and nail them to the floor, leaving room for the log to lay to the outside of it. Then, simply stack your logs, making them touch the guide boards and nail them together. My cabin has seen some horrific storms, and the walls have never flexed an inch. Indeed, once they're all nailed together and the trusses are holding them at the top, they really can't move too much...unless a tornado blows the top off. 

Anyway, good luck, and use your own imagination...my way sure ain't the only way...and if money is no object, a traditional foundation and block girder would be better. I was building a camp, not a home...


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

mtman said:


> its a beautiful place you should be proud of all your hard work


Hey MTMAN, 

Haven't seen you in a ***** age...

Hope all is going well!


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## Qwispea (Jul 6, 2005)

Boleyz: THANK YOU..VERY VERY MUCH. I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT FROM THERE. I will be taking pictures as I progress. But first..going to zoning on Monday to see what kind of permit I need for such a structure.
I HOPE YOU DON'T VANISH INTO THIN AIR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS..AS I MAY NEED MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED. BUT AGAIN..THANK YOU!


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Qwispea said:


> Boleyz: THANK YOU..VERY VERY MUCH. I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT FROM THERE. I will be taking pictures as I progress. But first..going to zoning on Monday to see what kind of permit I need for such a structure.
> I HOPE YOU DON'T VANISH INTO THIN AIR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS..AS I MAY NEED MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED. BUT AGAIN..THANK YOU!


I should be around here, unless some of the commune-ists on the other thread knock me off...


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

Nice pics and a great little get away you've built.

are you okay with the lp tank in the buliding? I can't ever get right with that. I set the tank outside and run copper to a heater rated for inside burn. 

I can't ever sleep with the tank inside with me, but I might just be a worry wart. I even set the 20 bottle outside of my wall tent on hunting trips.


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Rockin'B said:


> Nice pics and a great little get away you've built.
> 
> are you okay with the lp tank in the buliding? I can't ever get right with that. I set the tank outside and run copper to a heater rated for inside burn.
> 
> I can't ever sleep with the tank inside with me, but I might just be a worry wart. I even set the 20 bottle outside of my wall tent on hunting trips.


We always keep a window cracked and there are always places where the chinking ain't perfect, so I don't worry about the tank. The Mr. Heater is all we run with it, and it burns very efficiently and safely.


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Thought maybe a newbie or 2 might want a peek...


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Just thought I'd mention that I will be building one of Obsers Picnic Tables for this cabin. It was really nice of him to provide the info to anyone who asks. Thanks Obser!


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## Boleyz (Sep 7, 2004)

Qwispea said:


> Boleyz: THANK YOU..VERY VERY MUCH. I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT FROM THERE. I will be taking pictures as I progress. But first..going to zoning on Monday to see what kind of permit I need for such a structure.
> I HOPE YOU DON'T VANISH INTO THIN AIR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS..AS I MAY NEED MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED. BUT AGAIN..THANK YOU!


Thought you might be able to give us an update...Good Luck!


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