Building Made Simple

[dylanedwards843]

CAN YOU GIVE ME THE DEMETIONS ON THE CABIN ????

[Rhinoch8]

Now with hot days you will be able to breathe toxic vapors from the glue in the bound-crushed wood panels.

[angetodac]

beautifull job!

[dimebag699]

great job

[46ace]

Hi Westcliffe Colorado? Your view looks familiar..

[BigFishingShop]

Beautiful, the Baca Grande ?? Does the floor bounce much ?

[RESISTCONTROL2]

High, you are living the dream, nice property. Looks like all the right angles are in place. WELL DONE !

[Jakewelborn]

Thats why we have building codes.... I wouldnt let my family step foot in that.

[rico522]

Looks sturdy to me, what's wrong with it? I'm no builder, so I am genuinely asking to learn.

[Jakewelborn]

There is no down structure support for the second floor joist, they are just kind of floating above the window opening. There is also no lateral foundation bracing or tie in. This cabin probably moves all over the place with any kind of movement inside of it.

[dasenuff]

building codes? yeah..just what we need..more gove telling us how to do everything!

[adsense1]

They should be able to build it how they want...I hate building codes...Sure it isn't attached to the ground and the first wisp of wind will make it look like dorthy's house on the wizard of Oz. I say hang the codes....Let Darwin get back involved in the game....

[cedartree696]

Great job! Looks like a very relaxing place. You are in earthquake country. Since I'm building my own garage right now the earthquake issue is front and center. Based upon earthquake requirements in Washington state, Calif and most other states now, the way you designed and built your pier block foundation would be a serious problem and not stand up to a very large earthquake. You might want to take time & reset the blocks and brace the hell out of all the vertical posts and reset your blocks.

[tradogg333]

cool spot nice view there!

[73k5blazer]

good job man

[katiatomsk]

What a great job. I love to do things myself and enjoy seeing what others do. Down south we require more overhang because of our rain. But, I really like what you did.

You show people that it can be done and done well. Thanks.

[kamamootra]

Great video man! I'm looking into building my first home and this is just what I was looking for.

[megauti]

Wow! It looks cool! But, can it pass building inspection? If it does, I would like to build mine this way.

[Snooch1984]

God! only Americans would call a wooden box a building, thats why tornadoes keep blowing them away. Get some fricking foundations in the ground and some bricks then maybe you'll have something worth living in. Oh and you didnt 'make it simple', building an oversized wendy house was always simple, any man and his dog could put that up inside a week.

[MattMdx]

You're an idiot.

[rezofwar306]

the guy that made this video is fukkin weak,,,,lame song sukka

[Barnaulka]

Valid points I think but every method has its plus and minus sides, wouldn't you agree?

[okiemill]

Ever see housing in other areas of the world?? Concrete here is over $100 per yard. That aside, the area the building is in looks remote and possibly unreachable to a mixer truck. Also, say there is $40,000 in materials in this house, a similar home would sell for over $100,000 easy. $1000/month over 30 years is $360,000. If the home stands for 10 years he is way ahead of the game in money savings. Mtn Tracker, Bravo for what you did here. Well done buddy.

[Oody61]

Very impressive, Big respect.

[misi1977]

Yeah! This is what I need! :) Misi from Hungary

[al395]

I applaud you, sir!  This is very inspiring and instructional! Thank you for posting.

[smadarpopo]

bravo!!!!!

[JimmyRiotNY]

That's a great photo montage- thanks! I'm thinking of building an off-grid shack; 120 sq feet, so no permits required. Congrats to you!

[MtnTracker]

JimmyRiotNY - Congrats to you too! Building affordable living, this day in age is priceless and if you're going to be building off the grid, I strongly recommend looking at partsonsale (Dot) Com for the solar stuff! You'll get the absolute BEST deal with them! First, check out a local solar dealer in your area so you too will know this to be true!

[Lifan200]

Did you set in on blocks for tax purposes - since it's not attached to the land?

Nice work!

[MtnTracker]

Lifan200 - I only set it on blocks to be able to access the plumbing and keep it off the ground. If there were any tax breaks, I didn't notice them because I pulled a permit for a cabin rather then for a house based on the square footage.

[Fire4FX]

Do you have building experience? Also is that fibre cement sheeting on the outside? I don't know much about building materials so I'm guessing it's also water resistant to a certain point & the backing board also helps keep out the moisture if I'm right.

[MtnTracker]

Fire4FX - I owned a remodeling business for years but never built an entire home prior to this one. I didn't use "Hardy board" or cement sheeting, it's a composite of sorts with a 75 year warranty. I then used TyVek to wrap the house as a moisture barrier. I caulked every nail and every seam which was probably over-kill but I didn't want issues later.

[KCAASE]

MtnTracker seems to be knowledgeable in what he is talking about in regards to the law and building codes.

[MtnTracker]

KCAASE - The building codes are fairly easy enough to follow and I found it even easier when I asked each inspector what exactly it is that they want me to do to pass inspection the first time around. Asking questions is always the best way.

Thanks for the comment!

[MacBooksToHandrail]

see we need more people just to ask questions, people have some kinda fear

[mishman30]

What do you do for work? How can you get income there?

[MtnTracker]

mishman30 - I work on the internet and while it probably will never make me rich, my life does.

[survivalaccount]

where is it legal to have a cabin like this with no city water/plumbing, electrical, etc.?

[MtnTracker]

survivalaccount - It's perfectly legal anywhere outside the city! If there's no city water or sewage lines, you are within the law to put in a septic system with the required permits and drill a well with the required permits.

Beyond that, EVEN in the big bad cities, you can install Solar Power and SELL the excess back to the power companies for a very small profit. Legally, you, as a land owner, have the right to build your own home/cabin if you follow the building codes in your area

[survivalaccount]

I didn't know that, thank you sincerely for the information :D

[IanTaylorUK]

How Long did it Take to Build This Log House ??

[MtnTracker]

I built it in under 2 weeks consecutively, Ian.

[benwhite024]

whats the dimensions and if you dont mind how much did it cost ive got 12 acres in mo. and want to do the same thing how far apart are the blocks and does it sag at all thanks keep up the good work brother i like it thumbs up to you dude

[MtnTracker]

Ben, the part of the house in the video was 20x24 feet. When I was adding the top plate to the walls, I saw the views and added a 9x10 room upstairs. The blocks are 8 feet apart in the video but I've also added concrete blocks every two feet in all directions, under the house. I've since added an electrical room that is 10x10 feet and a laundry room that is 8x10 feet. The next step for me is to add the breakfast nook of 12x10 feet and the front porch/deck.

[MtnTracker]

It never sagged at all but I was worried about that so I added the additional blocks.

Also, this house has been through 90+ MPH winds and never moved or vibrated in the winds.

Thanks for the comment!

[MtnTracker]

I honestly do not know the total cost of the materials because I included the septic system and the 510 foot well and pulled all the permits so over-all, it was costly. $78k+

[benwhite024]

awesome im jealous i luv it what state is it

[MtnTracker]

I'm in Colorado, Ben White.

[seveprim]

Nice but no internet no phones no cable ... Opps thats right ya want peace ..lol

[MtnTracker]

seveprim - I have satellite internet, a cellular phone and I watch DVD's and internet television when I even have the time to watch the TV. Not too bad for being off the grid and having no bills.

[justaguy123456]

This is a cabin? It is bigger than my house!

[maw1111]

I commented on our SLVOB site, but I just warched it again, & you know what I really like? - you just 'grew' your house right up from the ground, right in among the trees. So cool. We did the same thing down in NM with our cabin. You really did a great job. I haven't been able to make it down there yet this year, but when I do I'd love to swing by & see how it turned out if you don't mind. m.a.up in idaho

[MtnTracker]

maw1111 - Of course you can stop by when you're in the neighborhood. "Neighborhood", that sounds kind of a strange word for out here.

Thanks for the comment!

[maw1111]

I guess by 'neighborhood' I meant everything within the ranges ringing the valley... pretty nice back yard.

[MaineRhino]

Nice view!