/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1770543
What part of the country as seismicity could change answers. Also how faulted is the granite? Keep in mind that actual granite isn't going to be easy to drill but if it is solid, limited faulting, and no seismic it will be a virtually perfect mounting point. Floating won't be a great option as it won't bond to the granite, so you are going to have to drill it anyway. That all being said for a structure that small I'd just use crushed gravel and set beams directly on top.

>>1770550
California, unfortunately. Something like 75% chance of >7.0 seismic activity occuring. Granite on site is mostly buried/not exposed - and I haven't seen evidence of fracturing.

Between bullshit permits, fire insurance, and earthquake risk; I'm not really planning on anything more complex than a simple A-Frame meant for a nice weekend and occasional bonfire.

Travel-wise, it takes about an hour to get to from a town where I would get supplies like gravel, a mini-bobcat, etc.

Dude go with the granite. Shits already there, solid as fuck.

Bad as polished granite floors. Look up falling water by frank Lloyd right. He did basically this in New York. They describe heating the obviously cold floor in a few documentaries. It's a beautiful home.

OP here, would one basically go with a pier/post and beam foundation, with the pier/post anchored into the granite with stainless steel redhead wedge anchors? I do like the idea of a clean looking granite surface the cabin/deck rests on.

>>1770742
I would treat it like a concrete slab. Why use piers at all?

>>1770744
I guess I'd want some separation between the floor and beam for melting snow, rain, etc. I should mention the parcel is sloped pretty aggressively. The road is 20 feet below the "pad" and the adjoining parcel is about 50 feet higher. So there will be some water runoff during the melt.

>>1770784
Oh yeah well in that case Piers make sense. I would use cinder blocks. I would attach them by embedding rebar into the granite 8 inches. I would use anchoring cement to do that. Then place the blocks over them and fill with concrete. Obviously you'd want your first course level.

Anyone have any construction plans for an A frame building?

>>1770909
Look up LSU Ag "A" Frame Cabin. They have a 24' and 36' pdf plans. I'm using them as a template scaled down to 120 sq ft to avoid permits. University North Dakota and Maryland? or Massachusetts? have plans in pdf form available too.

>>1770907
Good stuff. Thanks Anon.

Another interesting thing I've been reading is that if you build an A-Frame the square footage is calculated from a "useful height" of 5 feet due to the sloping roof. So potentially could get a bigger cabin than a 120 sq ft footprint. Not sure on that though.

>>1771229
I suppose thats true. However unless your only 4'6" tall 5' wouldnt be the correct number, if your an average 5'9" Id say the usable minimum height would be minimum 6'4". then anything above 6'4" could be made a loft space. you would have to crunch some numbers and do some drafting to see if a loft in a tall building would use less material than just a shorter fatter building. also you would would have to consider snow loading, if your building is short and fat it wont shed snow. Something else to consider would be that erecting a short building is easier than erecting a tall building.

>>1771229
Depends entirely on how you manage the insides. Usually people put low-level beds (or sleeping mats) next to the walls, so the useful space is maintained

>>1771277
A-Frames already have steep roof pitches. I guess there is a ANSI standard that for the area to be "livable" you measure 5 feet down from the roof slope to the floor and that is the start measurement of "living area" in rooms like attics and lofts.

But that's also for residential sale. Doubt it will work for permitting purposes. I'm betting it's 120 sq ft footprint.

>>1770721
Seismicly, you are much better founding directly into rock. Imagine shaking a bowl of Jello vs a bowl of pudding. Theore solid it is the less shake.

If it's an exposed rock outcrop, rent a jack hammer and make some diy rock sockets about 6" deep. Build your pier forms right over the sockets and drill a few rebar holes.

>>1771277
>>1771299
So the 5' is the actual number for sloped ceilings in MN building code R305.1, 7' for flat ceilings.
This is important if you're going by choose because the habitable floor space decides how big of windows ("glazing area") you need as well as how much make up air and habitable room areas. However if you're not getting it inspected, dont worry about it, build something with as much room as you need, grab a decent sized window, and leave it as a loft and not wall off the bathroom (just curtains or something) would be my suggestion.
There is code, and then there is what works and it's up to you where you want to take it

>>1771528

This is what I'm working with:

>106.2 Work Exempt from Permit:
> 1. One-story detached accessory >buildings used as tool and storage >sheds, playhouses, and similar uses, >provided the floor area does not exceed >120 square feet.

So I can get water service to the place, but not electricity. So anything like that would be solar. I'd probably do an outhouse/compostable toilet as well.

Why not at least have 2 sides with a wall a few feet high?
Seems like a waste given how much space would be useless.

>>1772629
>outhouse/compostable toilet
check with your county health department, these are prohibited in many areas

>>1772708
Well from materials standpoint, I like that the roof and supporting structure is all one - especially since I have to transport everything in. A stone/mortar foundation would be nice as you describe, two feet tall.

>>1772718
Good point. It's a mountain community so I'm sure there's something.

>>1772861
>It's a mountain community so I'm sure there's something.
There are steep grades and hard rock which is not great waste disposal, hence why outhouses might be illegal there.

>>1770739
that molds
Any reason why OP? Why not a camper or something more mobile?

>>1772861
from a materials standpoint, it would almost be better to put in 3-4 feet of vertical wall, since you would need less roofing material and your roofing timbers would be shorter.

>>1772990
Mainly long-term permanence. This land is pretty cheap by CA standards. So I'd like to get something permanent I can keep in my family for a long time. On the other hand work may take me out of the state but I like knowing that no matter what happens, I'll always have that little cabin in the mountains.

I *think* I can get the whole cabin foundation set, framed, and enclosed for around $3000.

>>1772994
True. I think the other reason was the wording about being a single story. So I would be "sneaking" a loft in the top. But I suppose one could still do that with 3-4' of vertical wall too. I wonder what ptich the roof has to be before you have to truss it?

>>1772986
>Cant shit in the woods
Truly the land of the free

>>1773068
Since this is just for weekend use, I'd wager a portable toilet for $150 will fit the bill and meet the needs of any guys and gals staying.

>>1773117
incineration toilet

>>1773054
The idea of "always" won't be very relevant when you're gone and it falls into disrepair. you can always buy the land and have a camper. It is your money though, and building a house when you leave sounds like a stupid idea unless you're using it for something. You could make it into an airbnb I suppose. Don't just abandon a house you just made though.

>>1773271
For sure. Alot of the cabins up here aren't year-round. They get sealed up in the winter and used to escape the heat in the summer. I envision using it as a permanent vacation spot.

>>1770909

>>1774979

>>1774980

>>1770739
>Fallingwater
>Frank Lloyd Wright
>Pennsylvania

>>1774979
Those are the plans I mentioned in
>>1770962
Thanks for posting then. Pretty neat repository of building plans from livestock sheds to full single story homes.

>>1770543

Take a look at this family, these guys built their A-frame from scratch and documented it all for videos. Once they are fully done with their house I'm going to archive all of their videos.

>>1775033

forgot link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX49PVlb4bpvee5mZe1LIyA/videos

>>1770543
What are the pros of doing an a-frame compared to a regular cabin with regular walls?

>>1776627
You only need 4 walls, no ceiling

>>1776627
Heavy snow won't accumulate and damage the roof.

>>1776627
bitches love ski chalets

>>1776627
max comfy

>>1776627
They're cheap, easily constructed and extremely weather-resistant. One man by himself can build a small one in a weekend and a team of men can build one in a day.

>>1775045
I was about to link them as well, side note dude is punching above his weight.

Holy shit how have I never heard of these houses? In 15 years when I retire could i build one of these in the UP in Michigan and have a beautiful house? I guess at that point I wont need 3 bedrooms, just 1.

>>1778384
A-frames were majorly popular in the 1970s and originally designed for snowy areas. Buy your land now and build it early. My uncle lived in Harrietta and his first shed was an A-frame. He later built a Dutch roof house that was much larger but he had many offspring.