I’m Building an Off Grid Cabin in my Woods! Part 1 - Foundation and Floor

In this video I kick off the build series on building a cabin in my woods. We live on a 90 acre piece of property in Michigan and always thought it would be neat to have a place to get away from everything right here on our property. I hope you enjoy this build series as much as I enjoy building it.
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Skidding logs for the cabin:

Saw-milling the lumber:

You may also like my camper build:

FINISHED CAMPER TOUR:

[ronnieelmore]

Your one of the few builders that goes to the trouble to notch the posts so that the weight of the building rest on the foundation posts. Other builder just nail everything to the side of the posts and the nails are the only thing holding the building up. I see in the comments that other people agree. I guess it is true that great minds think alike.

[jshepard]

Your notched posts look good. Thanks for doing it the right way. I'm tired of watching people on YouTube nail their beams to the side of the posts and have their entire cabin supported by a few nails!

[butopiatoo]

WELL Can't wait to watch all the other videos!!

[raycaster]

There are waterproof sleeves to put your foundation posts into to prevent rot.
I like putting a layer of 1/4 inch hardware cloth underneath your floor joists during construction, easier than after.

[alainvosselman]

I like how you made a cut in the piers so the casement boards rest on those piers rather than what you often see, the boards just being nailed against the piers where the weight of the structure is poorly distributed. I often had my doubts about the strenght of such building in strong winds, or how it deals with aging.. if these things come lose....
I have yet to start my first project and it's these little details that worry me as the devil is in the detail.

[wchdb]

A suggestion from a Construction Forensics Engineer. (I investigate why buildings fail)
I would have recommended sticking 2 layers of 4" thick Owens/Corning pink foam insulation tight up to the floor joists filling any gaps with spray foam along with not enclosing the bottom. Michigan has lots of humidity. Enclosing the bottom and installing regular insulation will cause the insulation to sweat since there is no vapor barrier installed at the cold side of the floor and will eventually rot and mold.
I would also recommend installing lag screws or thru bolt the rim joist to the post.
Nice job.
What type of trees did you mill the lumber from? It looks like you have a lot of hardwood on your property.

[MW_Builds]

Thank you for adding insulation. I see so many weekend builders not adding floor insulation, even in the far north. Nice build. I have a 12x20, just built an 8x20, and getting geared up for a 16x28 - can’t wait

[palusisko]

Greeting from mountains in Czechia :-) You did simple but powerfull foundation!! I suggest just only one change - to do concrete pilots of foundations with some asphalt isolation on the top. I did it before 16 years and wood floor is still ok! :-)

[centsworth]

Set the floor on concrete footings. Do not use treated wood in ground if you want the building to stand for more than forty years. A little extra work, but worth it.

[rayw]

Great hole digging and post placing.
Ideally your concrete level should have raised above ground level, and be rounded off to a dome to shed water.
Wood should never contact (moist) soil.
There are water proof sleeves that can be placed over your posts before burying them.

[abd]

Looks great the only thing id add to you build is rot wrapping you posts in your footers. AND adding footers in the middle. The rot wrap is like a rubber wrap that you put on your posts. Other than that i love it

[wildforestman]

Hello my friend I enjoy watching your outdoor video and I am outdoor person like you too even cold winter. Your new friend

[superiorhandyman]

Very nice build, live just across the boarder north, with same snow and a little colder. I see a small problem with the foundation ( 1/2 century repairing same type of thing ) your building weigh's more than the sq, feet of the posts can support (no pad at the bottom), end result you cabin will sink over time. The nice thing is if this happens, your on sand so a pad on grade works fine and in most cases will not move up or down with frost. For others reading this, pads don't work well for clay, just gravel or sand.

[SWAMPHUNTER]

I suggest you enclose the base of your platform to keep out porcupines, rats, chipmunks, racoons, possums, snakes and other critters. We used it as a tent platform and wrapped the tent and base in plastic. Made a big difference in keeping the tent warm and dry and reducing condensation.

[raymondrodriguez]

You scared me for a moment. I thought you installed the joist hangers upside down! Goofy me!🤪😜

[doogiek]

I buiilt a similar 14 x14 bunkhouse up behind my southern Vermont home. Insulated the floor with rocksol in a similar fashion. The rest of the building is 3 season, not insulated but I did the floor now in case we decide to insulate and heat the bunkhouse. My adult kids, husbands and 5 grandkids love sleeping up there when they are here in the spring, summer and fall.

[dubemccready]

You have a beautiful site & I can see what a magnificent sight in winter it will be.Lovely

[johnbrowniv]

Very good documentation. I am thinking of a similar build on my property in Ohio and so far, this looks within my skill set. The roof is another matter!

[OverAndOverAndOver]

I love how you specified 'my' woods, I haven't seen that in other videos, and it's interesting to me because they are YOUR woods, I've just never seen it so proudly used, great video man!

[jcee]

In my American Dream, since 1964, I'm visiting Karst.
Because it allows me to locate caves, Cool chambers
back into prehistoric periods. In Permian Age stone
with marine fossils inside. Saved for my senior citizen
years. Its a 2 hour highway hike to the nearest public
bus route stop and as a senior I ride with no charge,
All I do is groom the trail and wear bear bells. The cave
water was piped out early in the previous century by a
farm family. An old car of theirs is in the woods.
Tested the water. Safe. Just some silver and calcite.