Property Development

[Carl_NH]

Morning Ray,

Thanks for sharing the update on your project and road development. Land clearing takes time and there's another couple here on TBN doing a similar project in Calais Maine 26 acres building an off-grid cabin you might find an interesting read too. Moving and need to buy a new TLB next year.

Do you need to finish the road before you start your cabin build? Then what is your plan on the build - stick built etc? Do you have power access on the property too? I know that can get spendy to run poles!

On heating oil, it's running $6 USD/gal here now, we pre-bought at $4 this year so feel fortunate and supplement with wood and mini-splits and 7,2 KW solar. Electricity here has nearly doubled to .35$ a KWH from last year due to cost of fuel too.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Morning Ray,

Thanks for sharing the update on your project and road development. Land clearing takes time and there's another couple here on TBN doing a similar project in Calais Maine 26 acres building an off-grid cabin you might find an interesting read too. Moving and need to buy a new TLB next year.

Do you need to finish the road before you start your cabin build? Then what is your plan on the build - stick built etc? Do you have power access on the property too? I know that can get spendy to run poles!

On heating oil, it's running $6 USD/gal here now, we pre-bought at $4 this year so feel fortunate and supplement with wood and mini-splits and 7,2 KW solar. Electricity here has nearly doubled to .35$ a KWH from last year due to cost of fuel too.

Thanks for the reference to the other interesting posts.

To answer your questions I don’t really have to finish the road but the original thought was a log home or cord wood. Putting the road in gave me access to some decent wood for the cabin. It may or may not be enough wood but when making the roads I uncovered a lot of big flat rocks so now I’m thinking part rocks part cordwood. I have been procrastinating the cabin way to long. We have a house so the cabin wasn’t a need but sometimes I wish it was because it would be done by now.

Power is not far away but i don’t want it. With power comes a wife with a tv and that defies the purpose. Lol. I will use a generator, solar and wood stove. Kind off self reliant and peace and quite is the train of thought. You would think a simple goal of peace and quite would be easy but it seems very hard to find the time I need to get it done.

The energy prices is bad. You done well with your energy decision.

Thanks for your comment.

 

[Carl_NH]

Building foundation with rocks is a good plan but takes time and work to accomplish. Getting a footer likely at least 3' down with a crushed stone base is a minimum for frost in your area I would think.

Doing this with rocks and one person with your BH is not easy as you need to shim each one level as you build the foundation but is doable. Then chink and backfill with stone and cement to level. But as you dig up rocks you would be able to build over a few months - or stockpile the rocks at the site then place them.

Do you have enough larger trees 6" plus to build the cabin walls or have them milled square? Might be easier to use PT on top of stone then stick build your walls - for a 24x24 cabin would not take a lot of lumber.

Looks like an interesting project for sure!

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Building foundation with rocks is a good plan but takes time and work to accomplish. Getting a footer likely at least 3' down with a crushed stone base is a minimum for frost in your area I would think.

Doing this with rocks and one person with your BH is not easy as you need to shim each one level as you build the foundation but is doable. Then chink and backfill with stone and cement to level. But as you dig up rocks you would be able to build over a few months - or stockpile the rocks at the site then place them.

Do you have enough larger trees 6" plus to build the cabin walls or have them milled square? Might be easier to use PT on top of stone then stick build your walls - for a 24x24 cabin would not take a lot of lumber.

Looks like an interesting project for sure!

I think you might be right. I am flip flopping back and forth. We had an Asian bark beatle kill most of the good trees on our property so I got to thinking maybe a cord wood style or rock and cordwood combo.

One of my next step is what you suggested. Stock pile the big rocks and get the ready. My newphew is great with building with stone. I’m a bit concern for safety when dealing with 1000 maybe 1500 pound rocks.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Beautiful property and looking forward to following your project. Want to get up Cape Breton area way one day - closest I've been is Amherst NS.

Just a little ways farther to gods country.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

About a month ago hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc on East Coast Canada. Right where we are located we didn't fair out to bad. We lost power for a week and we had some blow downs. I have it all cleaned up now. Thanks Hurricane Fiona for the firewood but now I need a wood shed. I needed a shelter for tractor implements anyway so I decided I would make one building to shelter the wood and tractor implements.

I wish I could be starting the cabin but I need the wood/equipment shelter now. I am quickly running out of good weather so I scuffed off and levelled an area for the wood/equipment shelter.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

oops . this is a test for some technicial difficulty I am having.

 

[Carl_NH]

Great video - thank you - beautiful spot to for a cabin on the water. I guess the "utility/woodshed" is going where you cleaned up the trees and rocks?

Also its really pretty interesting watching you on the BH and FEL feels like i am running it as I do the same.

Anyway, winter is coming fast and if you can get the posts/frame up you can make a temp shelter/top with a tarp for the winter. Here's a pic of my 16x20 temp shelter for the oak and pine I milled for a screen porch next year.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Great video - thank you - beautiful spot to for a cabin on the water. I guess the "utility/woodshed" is going where you cleaned up the trees and rocks?

Also its really pretty interesting watching you on the BH and FEL feels like i am running it as I do the same.

Anyway, winter is coming fast and if you can get the posts/frame up you can make a temp shelter/top with a tarp for the winter. Here's a pic of my 16x20 temp shelter for the oak and pine I milled for a screen porch next year.

Yep. a temp shelter is what I was thinking but more importantly I love your wood shed build. Sounds like you are a man after my own heart. Do you have more pics of your property?

 

[Carl_NH]

Here are some pics - we're on the "shelf ledge" of glacial till and ledge on the coast of NH about 1/4 mile as the crow flies to water. That's our 24x36 barn.