Looking for a cabin to put on my property

[Chrismahosky77]

Hi everyone,
Was looking at getting a prefab cabin delivered to our property in Indian Lake and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on where to look? Although currently looking at small prefab for now, ultimately would like to put something a little bigger and would welcome recommendations for a builder or Modular Log home installer. Thank you in advance

[Wldrns]

I recently put up a large custom cabin and storage shed from North Country Storage Barns, out of Philadelphia, NY (near Fort Drum). A family run company with many local contacts. You can visit their demo models at their shop. They will do anything from chicken houses and sheds, to massive homes.They were very pleasant to work with from the sales and planning guys, to include the job site guys. They will build either pre-fab (delivered on a trailer), or stick built from scratch, which was my choice. They will go to build anywhere.
https://ncsbarns.com

[MTVhike]

Have you checked with Garden Sheds, at exit 16 (I think) of the Northway? They will deliver and set up a shed or log home on your property. Or, contact one of the several Amish builders. The ones near me in the Champlain Valley will construct the building in their shop, and an "English" driver will deliver it (they won't go far because their primary means of transportation is horse and buggy!

[JimVroman]

Is there (wasn't there) a lumber supplier in Warrensburg that sells log cabin kits?

[TCD]

Originally Posted by JimVroman

Is there (wasn't there) a lumber supplier in Warrensburg that sells log cabin kits?

Lincoln Logs.

https://www.lincolnlogs.com/

About 12 years ago I bought one of their Lean To kits, and assembled it on my property. It was good quality, and they were easy to work with. (Of course that's a very old review...)

[montcalm]

I forgot about Lincoln Logs. They have been around forever. I feel like they were one of the first modular kit cabins around NY.

I think maybe a stick build is cheaper and more efficient (I'm doing some estimates now). But these probably go together easier for someone who isn't a full-time carpenter.

[Wldrns]

I choose stick built rather than a distant factory prefab segmented build (pieces that would be bolted together on site) because prefab requies a rather large crane to assemble the segments. The crane would have requied a much larger treeless footprint on site to make room for the opration. With stick built I could preserve many more immediate area shade trees, and the whole project turned out to be overall less expensive. Plus it put the hometown local build crew guys to work for a whole summer. I had more custom interior size and other optional layout choices with stick built rather than with the factory layout as well.

[montcalm]

There's tradeoffs for everything. I feel like you kind of concede a lot for looks with a log cabin.

I mean, I much prefer the look of timber frame or log, but in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, it's not great. Unless you use trees from the site you clear. But if you use a mill and cut them up, you can get probably a house + barn/garage for the same timber you'd use for just a house for log.

[montcalm]

This is one of my favorite little cabin builds. I believe it's all stick but they also use steel rod to take the tensile loads and keep the interior open. No beams.




Probably a bit on the small side for a camp, but a great little build.

[chairrock]

One problem with shade trees close to a build is that they get big, get old, get sick, and fall on the build. Removing problem trees close to a build can be expensive. I know it is a time thing...but...

[Wldrns]

I did in fact last spring remove four what I considered "danger trees" next to my camp that I had not taken down when clearing my camp plot footprint prior to construction. Today, as I now sit here after last night's temperature of -28F, I am enjoying the warming fruits of having removed those very trees as they are put to good use in my wood stove.

[montcalm]

Boy let's really steer this thread into the ditch...


Anyway, there's totally different philosophies on keeping trees near the house and removing them. I think of them as "eastern" and "western".

Eastern is where you look at your site and design AROUND the trees as best you can to disturb them the least. You do the same with the topography of the land. It's a bit of an architectural feng shui. The trees then become part of your house and your design. And of course, you'll need to maintain them like your house.

Then there's the western idea of just removing everything that could be a potential issue around your site, and terraforming the site to your design.

It's a fundamental concept of working with nature vs. overpowering nature.

[TCD]

Even in the east, the same difference shows up in suburban housing developments vs. rural "single home" builds. (Housing developments tend to start with fully cleared land; it's the easiest and cheapest approach.)

Also see that difference in "woods areas" vs. "farm areas." Farm area houses often are on land that's already cleared; or, in order to get a "view lo" on flat terrain, they clear it.

[montcalm]

Yeah - our influence has changed their perspective as well, although someplace like Japan where they have very little land able to be developed, the situations tend to be extreme to us.

I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong, just different. I tend to think there's some balance between the two that can be met in most situations, but obviously not on the radar for big developers, and many others just don't care.

[St.Regis]

Originally Posted by Wldrns

Today, as I now sit here after last night's temperature of -28F, I am enjoying the warming fruits of having removed those very trees as they are put to good use in my wood stove.

Nice. What are you burning? Here the stove is eating black cherry, white ash, and Norway maple. A few were danger trees along a service line and a couple got cut down because of the EAB. The NM were cut down because of their non-native status and invasive tendencies

[Wldrns]

Most of the trees on my property are maple, birch (some with chaga), and cherry. Looking for another -20's night tonight. Never got above +5 today, now at -4 and heading down fast. A walk on the lake in bright sunshine today discovered slushy wet overflow under 6 inches of fluffy snow. Had the same happen last year all season. Sad, that stuff doesn't work for skiing very well.

[Buckladd]

I'm a fan of log homes over pre-fab modulars. They're simple, as long as you keep them that way, and lend themselves to post-and-beam interior. I've lived in one made of cedar logs for 24 years with absolutely no regrets. Although I've never exorcised them, there's are some workable addition opportunities.

[DSettahr]

Originally Posted by Buckladd

Although I've never exorcised them,

What do you do with all of the evil spirits, then?

[tenderfoot]

In my fuzzy mind in between stick-built and kits, where you may need a crane to erect a whole wall, is SIP (Structurally Insulated Panels). A lot of design flexibility and some companies offer panels that can be manhandled into place. I even thought of prefabbing my own "panels" and loading them into a trailer.

Please note I have little in the way of construction experience - just looking into different ways to escape to the ADKs. A <500 sq ft cabin on helical piers keeps popping into my mind. Along with a "Escargot" canal boat and a "Vardo" trailer...

[billconner]

If you're diying it, hard to beat the simplicity and efficiency of stick framing, especially with the availability of rough sawn lumber in Adirondacks. I like the pier foundation concept, would have to compare helical vs sonotube vs pt wood (UC-4B rating). Sheath with rough sawn one-by, and so on. Utilities are the tricky part. Well with hand pump at sink still works. Composting toilet or moldering privy. Regrettable gray water disposal not allowed.