Little Cabin In The Back Woods

This is my place out in sticks of Indiana.





In the winter we move in to the old home place up closer to the road where the snow plow comes through.

It does have that "lived in" look

Ever consider vinyl siding? Maybe plant a holly bush or two?

We tried to put in a sun roof in the summer place a few years back but it didn't quite work out right.

Yeah I see that "sun" roof up there. By the way, that front door looks like it could use a little WD40 on the hinges?

That's a pretty good looking set of hardwoods in the background and it is bout deer season and all...you got a guest room in that place?

olcowman said:

That's a pretty good looking set of hardwoods in the background and it is bout deer season and all...you got a guest room in that place?

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Friendship Indiana Cabin

I'm jealous!

I'll take the guest house

Thats just nice, Real nice Clark!!

Nice lookin` little cabin. I like the way the corners are joined.

Jeff Raines said:

It does have that "lived in" look

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Needs new curtains though.

Nicodemus said:

Nice lookin` little cabin. I like the way the corners are joined.

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I like that too.

All kidding aside, that's why I took that picture. Some day when I have time I want to copy that cabin and build one.

I think you could build it for next to nothing out of slab wood from a saw mill.

Here's a couple better looks at the corner joints and the way they are cut



There are no vertical joists or anything. It's just built up like you see with essentially another set built up on the inside to correspond with the opening on the outside wall to make a solid wall. Then the rafters are put on and as you build up the walls, save out the planks with fewest knots to use on the roof.

Got any idea on how old this structure is, or any history? I would like to see the inside construction as you mentioned above if you have any pics.

olcowman said:

Got any idea on how old this structure is, or any history? I would like to see the inside construction as you mentioned above if you have any pics.

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10 years, probably 20 tops.

The National Muzzle Loader Rifle Association has a big place in Friendship Indiana where they have a rendezevous a couple times a year and shooting matches. This cabin is something that has been constructed in the primitive area where every thing has to be period correct but people lease the same space all year every year and they built a couple cabins in this manner.

They live in them a week or two at a time during the events. I looked them all over because I want to copy it and it really is as simple as it looks. These details are about the only thing I photographed because it is about the only "trick" there is to building them. They stay dry even in a rain storm and I believe about any one could build one with nothing but a saw, hammers and splitting wedges. It should be a one day cake walk if you live any where you can get cheap lumber. You can't be the slab sides of a log that are cast offs at any lumber mill for cheap.

That joint in the close up is easy to make. You want the top edge slanted away from the wall to make water run off and if you use rounded slab sides just put the flat sides together for rounded edges on either side of the wall alternating with the flat side from the outside construction.

After it's built nail the inside and outside together to tighten it up if you really need it but it will shrink like a log cabin. You just frame up like a log cabin around where you want a door or window and then cut out the middle with a chain saw just like you would a log cabin.

For the roof you just make it good and steep, then lap the planks you saved out and nail them down so the rain runs on to the next lower plank until it falls off the roof.

The inside walls really look just about like the outside walls and they are notched the same way, only to fit flush against the outside. If you only built "one" of the two walls you could look right through the building sort of like a corn crib or a log cabin with spaced logs and no chinking. These are just like a log cabin with "thin" logs and instead of chinking in the spaces there is another wall on the inside with the logs alternating to fill the space on the other half the wall right next to it.

They are always building something or making something and they know how to do it the old ways, simple ways, a way even a guy like me can figure out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Muzzle_Loading_Rifle_Association

Thanks for that info Jack. I`m really intrigued with that .

Is the first house for rent?

bwarren2 said:

Is the first house for rent?

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Make an offer.

The kids and wife got to nagging so we put up a new place this summer. The old home place is available.

I was going through old threads and saw this. It's a shame PB ruined the pics. All those old cabins were still up and in use last spring. Many of them have metal roofs now though.

What happened to the pics