@assym2006 for us it was a couple of reasons... our floor plan is very open... lots of heat (two much at times :) transfer during heating season... we could have closed the second floor up and built a three bedroom but we don't need the space... but I think the reason lots of people add them to their cabins is it just looks good...regular houses never have them... we you go to the cabin everyone is closers and more involved... even when they are in their own space...
You don't need permits in my area, but you want to stay clear of any municipal water. The rual water suppliers just require approved septic. The municipal supplies will make you sleep with devil and pay for the room. Most wells are sulphur around me...
Building permits? All these Off grid Vids always show everything except the behind the scenes stuff, like building permits or ANYTHING they had to do with even getting started. It always seems they bought some land and started building. It just doesnt happen that way at all.
@Unsharpened we pulled a building permit... took about 15 minutes... drew a rectangle on a piece of paper that had the approximate setbacks from the property boarders... did the same thing when we built the pole barn... now we did not permit this place as a dwelling... that would have required a great deal more work... but in our rural area permitting out buildings is pretty easy...
@Unsharpened You won't see the permits in any of the videos as they are required to be in the nearest window to the road... the property has an official dwelling, an old mobile we put in for my father-in-law, not far from the road ... which is where the permits go... but we will be tearing that one down in the not to distant future and building him a real place... expect videos on that in about a year or so...
@TheIndustrialphreak don't really need one... the batteries are always full.... at our level of usage it's really plenty... now after I add a fridge I might need to add some capacity... so then it might be worth it
could the stove pipe have been extended inside for maximizing risidual radiant heat if one wished to use it in the winter? I know nothing of safety codes, but it i just thought having a short pipe is kind of a waste (probable pontential for leakage, so I can see why not) - just wondering...Great Job, I like the Amish aspect - very resourceful....:)
@brohmanski yes. The reason I didn't do it was that I was trying to minimize the possibility of leaks. fewer holes in the roof (none in my case) the better.
Now this did cause a problem. two winters ago we had a lot of snow (27 feet). The supports at the top of the chimney became tweaked from the snow riding off the roof onto the them. Last summer I replaced the tweaked supports w/ longer ones that I put at an incline and then put a couple of cleats on the roof above them. no more problems
@buffcleb - hey, thanks for the reply! it your place, you're the king of your castle, the reward is the work in itself...challenges will come, will be solved...I hope to use recyled material (actually, do a demolishion on a small barn or old brick home - get paid/reuse the free' material!) never the less, great job Brother ;), cheers
nice setup. I like the size of your cabin. Think I would have stayed at 12 volt to save cost -12v lighting, 12v fridge etc. Then use small step-up transformers on anything that requires larger volts.
@0urGaia Thanks.... Everything is 12v except from the panels to the charge controller... I have a MPPT charge control which steps it down... I did this so I could go with a smaller gauge wire... I was able to go with 8awg doing it this way... The wire still costs around $140
What did you do for plumbing? just curious as to what you are doing for septic and water. I have a similar project but, needs a bathroom before we can stay full time. We have water and a regular outhouse for the moment. I like your project. Very neat and well thought out ideas...Take care
The plumbing is still not in yet... my current plan is start with a rain water system that I can empty in the fall... I need to work out the filtering required still...
I intentionally did not put any plumbing in the walls... we do not heat the cabin in the winter so I did not want to have to worry about freezing...
On the discharge side I am planing on doing a gray water system and a composting toilet. My goal is to get that stuff going this year...
Thanks for sharing, I'm researching off grid living and find videos like these very informative and inspirational. I was wondering if you considers placement of the wood stove in the center of the cabin venting straight up instead of along the exterior wall?
yeah the center would have been better placement... but I wanted the catwalk from the front to the rear of the second floor to be centered... so i was kinda stuck....
I have been staying out there for the last couple of couple of weekends... nights to in the low 30's... cabin is warm and toasty... so not being optimal so far has not been to much of a problem
The outback fx-80 (black box) is the charge controller. The panels are wired for up about 50 volts and the batteries for 12 volts... the fx-80 is a mppt type charge controller and can convert these voltages finding the max power point.
I will be installing an insulated battery box with vent in the next couple of weeks... There is a roof vent but I agree there is a right way to do this and will doing it right.
Great cabin beautiful view, I didn't see a charge regulator between the panels and batteries. PV panels have a voltage output that can be erratic and even though they are 12VDC they can produce up to 21VDC this will damage the batteries, plus the charge regulator will shut off the charging when the batteries are full preventing an over charge. You may want to also consider adding a vent, when batteries are charging they give off hydrogen gas and... well remember the Hindenburg?
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rocket stove
Flashlax19 2 weeks ago
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rocket stove
Flashlax19 2 weeks ago
rocket stove
Flashlax19 2 weeks ago
@assym2006 for us it was a couple of reasons... our floor plan is very open... lots of heat (two much at times :) transfer during heating season... we could have closed the second floor up and built a three bedroom but we don't need the space... but I think the reason lots of people add them to their cabins is it just looks good...regular houses never have them... we you go to the cabin everyone is closers and more involved... even when they are in their own space...
buffcleb 2 months ago
You don't need permits in my area, but you want to stay clear of any municipal water. The rual water suppliers just require approved septic. The municipal supplies will make you sleep with devil and pay for the room. Most wells are sulphur around me...
150grnballistictip 5 months ago
Building permits? All these Off grid Vids always show everything except the behind the scenes stuff, like building permits or ANYTHING they had to do with even getting started. It always seems they bought some land and started building. It just doesnt happen that way at all.
Unsharpened 5 months ago
@Unsharpened we pulled a building permit... took about 15 minutes... drew a rectangle on a piece of paper that had the approximate setbacks from the property boarders... did the same thing when we built the pole barn... now we did not permit this place as a dwelling... that would have required a great deal more work... but in our rural area permitting out buildings is pretty easy...
buffcleb 5 months ago
@Unsharpened You won't see the permits in any of the videos as they are required to be in the nearest window to the road... the property has an official dwelling, an old mobile we put in for my father-in-law, not far from the road ... which is where the permits go... but we will be tearing that one down in the not to distant future and building him a real place... expect videos on that in about a year or so...
buffcleb 5 months ago
I hope you have a lightning rod of some capacity. Looks like you are higher then most everything you will need it sooner or later.
SidneyBou 5 months ago
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Check my comments for information about the Pre-January 8th dvds of Inception.
jamestargetedindiv 6 months ago
Why not build a tracker for those panels?
TheIndustrialphreak 8 months ago
@TheIndustrialphreak don't really need one... the batteries are always full.... at our level of usage it's really plenty... now after I add a fridge I might need to add some capacity... so then it might be worth it
buffcleb 8 months ago
Love your cabin! I'm looking at getting something similar built. Just for reference, what are the dimensions of your cabin?
Murderball9 9 months ago
@Murderball9 the cabin is 20x32... that includes the front porch which the front bedroom cantilevers over...
buffcleb 9 months ago
very nice...lot's of enjoyment to come...i'm jealous :}}}}
frankie2234 1 year ago
could the stove pipe have been extended inside for maximizing risidual radiant heat if one wished to use it in the winter? I know nothing of safety codes, but it i just thought having a short pipe is kind of a waste (probable pontential for leakage, so I can see why not) - just wondering...Great Job, I like the Amish aspect - very resourceful....:)
brohmanski 1 year ago
@brohmanski yes. The reason I didn't do it was that I was trying to minimize the possibility of leaks. fewer holes in the roof (none in my case) the better.
Now this did cause a problem. two winters ago we had a lot of snow (27 feet). The supports at the top of the chimney became tweaked from the snow riding off the roof onto the them. Last summer I replaced the tweaked supports w/ longer ones that I put at an incline and then put a couple of cleats on the roof above them. no more problems
buffcleb 1 year ago
@buffcleb - hey, thanks for the reply! it your place, you're the king of your castle, the reward is the work in itself...challenges will come, will be solved...I hope to use recyled material (actually, do a demolishion on a small barn or old brick home - get paid/reuse the free' material!) never the less, great job Brother ;), cheers
brohmanski 1 year ago
nice setup. I like the size of your cabin. Think I would have stayed at 12 volt to save cost -12v lighting, 12v fridge etc. Then use small step-up transformers on anything that requires larger volts.
0urGaia 1 year ago
@0urGaia Thanks.... Everything is 12v except from the panels to the charge controller... I have a MPPT charge control which steps it down... I did this so I could go with a smaller gauge wire... I was able to go with 8awg doing it this way... The wire still costs around $140
buffcleb 1 year ago
What did you do for plumbing? just curious as to what you are doing for septic and water. I have a similar project but, needs a bathroom before we can stay full time. We have water and a regular outhouse for the moment. I like your project. Very neat and well thought out ideas...Take care
jeffa989 2 years ago
The plumbing is still not in yet... my current plan is start with a rain water system that I can empty in the fall... I need to work out the filtering required still...
I intentionally did not put any plumbing in the walls... we do not heat the cabin in the winter so I did not want to have to worry about freezing...
On the discharge side I am planing on doing a gray water system and a composting toilet. My goal is to get that stuff going this year...
buffcleb 2 years ago
Thanks for sharing, I'm researching off grid living and find videos like these very informative and inspirational. I was wondering if you considers placement of the wood stove in the center of the cabin venting straight up instead of along the exterior wall?
ReactorRat 2 years ago
yeah the center would have been better placement... but I wanted the catwalk from the front to the rear of the second floor to be centered... so i was kinda stuck....
I have been staying out there for the last couple of couple of weekends... nights to in the low 30's... cabin is warm and toasty... so not being optimal so far has not been to much of a problem
buffcleb 2 years ago
thanks for your comments...
The outback fx-80 (black box) is the charge controller. The panels are wired for up about 50 volts and the batteries for 12 volts... the fx-80 is a mppt type charge controller and can convert these voltages finding the max power point.
I will be installing an insulated battery box with vent in the next couple of weeks... There is a roof vent but I agree there is a right way to do this and will doing it right.
buffcleb 3 years ago
Great cabin beautiful view, I didn't see a charge regulator between the panels and batteries. PV panels have a voltage output that can be erratic and even though they are 12VDC they can produce up to 21VDC this will damage the batteries, plus the charge regulator will shut off the charging when the batteries are full preventing an over charge. You may want to also consider adding a vent, when batteries are charging they give off hydrogen gas and... well remember the Hindenburg?
RogerJolly123 3 years ago