This week we started building our budget friendly sugar shack. The main materials are shipping pallets scrounged from around our town.
So far the only thing purchased are the pressure treated 4×4 corner posts. In the end we will also be purchasing Amish 2×6’s for the roof rafters and maybe some steel roofing if we can’t find enough laying around the property. Total budget for the project should be under $100
The shack is going to be 10×10 and only a little over 6 feet tall at the peak. We located it next to the wood pile and our easy to access maple trees…
We will be installing our cinder block arch similar to the one we used last year. When we re-install it I will post a new video going over the project.
So this week I only had six hours at the cabin… Had an Octoberfest to go to that night and needed to take care of some business in the morning…
When I got there we went right to work. After having our trailer tip several times last week we improved our trail. We removed some of the high spots and filled in the low spots. As this is a new wing on our trail system it is still very much a work in progress.
After the trail improvements we brought the tools and building materials up and started. First we framed the roof and added bracing. After we installed the pallets on the roof.
These pallets came from a winery and were heavy. The structure had no problem supporting me on the roof so I hope it holds up.
lastly we installed tar paper on the roof… we will be laying some branches up there to help keep it in place…
So for the well under $50 we have a nice ground level hunting blind to keep us out of the weather… maybe next year we will add a raised on up the hill… maybe…
This week we finished up the ceiling at the guest cabin. This is the final major project on the guest cabin. There are always other projects but now we can start moving equipment and tools out.
Its funny when you remove a tool from someplace something else always takes it place. So the second half of the day we started cleaning out one of the sheds. We build a new work bench so we can store things under it. Next week we plan to build 20 feet of shelving. After that, and throwing away junk, we should have enough space to clean out the guest cabin.
Once I have the guest cabin cleaned out I plan to do an overview / completed video. For anyone who has been watching since the beginning it will be a little redundant. I hope to use it to attract new subscribers (who can then watch the whole series start to finish 🙂 )
We finally got back to work on the guest cabin. The loft ceiling is about half way installed. This is the last major task to be done.
Behind the scenes we have been doing a couple of small jobs getting ready. We shiplapped all the boards and applied poly to most of them.
The boards were purchased from a local Amish sawmill last year and allowed to dry over winter. We had them custom mill them 1/2 inch thick as we were concerned about weight. This cabin is not set in the ground but floats on 4×4 posts set on pre-cast concrete elephants feet.
Today we framed in the knee-wall with some left over 1×4 stock we had. This wall not being structural we didn’t want to waste 2x4s.
knee wall framing
We left access to the area behind the wall on both ends for storage.
After that we installed the shiplapped boards. hopefully in a week we will be done. Then we just have to clean the cabin out and its ready for use…
Our Off the Grid Cabin, Projects and what ever else I feel like putting here
