I thought this video was a joke at first…
Greetings everyone,
I’m pretty sure this guy is serious. I’ve watched this vid and some of his other “solar cabin” vids and cringed (like watching a train wreck in progress). He has a internet connection and the correct/safe construction info is only a google search away, there’s no excuse for this.
YouTube video – How to build a 14×14 solar cabin
A Forest Gump quote comes to mind but I let you draw your own conclusions.
Bill
Replies
goofy idjit
Why? Care to expound on that?
If he really built the cabin for $2000, I wouldn't call him a goofy idiot. I don't even know why you think it's a waste of material. There's limited detail, but I think the porch protects the apparenetly poor window/door detailing. Looks relaxing to me.
Sure thing
He used heavy timbers for what he termed his major solid corner posts, but they did not sit on anything. They were merely lagged or maybe even nailed to the sides of the floor joist frame. That was a waste of wood to do what a 2x2 could do on that size structure.
And presuming that these actually were there to handle a heavy load, that joint will fail over time and the whole building begin falling apart.
green is not onluy about using less resource, butusing it smart - in a way that it all stays put together.
And on that subject of staying put together - the roof frame method will not handle a heavy snow load.
The insulatuion in the floor frame will fall to the ground as soon as the first cat starts going after the first mouse nest.
I could go on and on all day
I tend to agree with the “off the grid/sustainable/small house movement” and moderating “green building” with common sense, all of your replies bring up valid points but what's key here, at least for me is the soundness of the structure itself.
I watched this video and a few more of his other "cabin" videos where he shows off the interior & the "mechanical systems" (I’m being generous here).
Generally accepted, the strength of the roof comes from the rafters & ceiling joist being tied together forming a triangle.
I’m not a carpenter but here are some things that concern me after watching the video a few times:
At 2:26 on his video, the diagram shows the ceiling joist approximately 1 foot below the top plate of the wall (this on its own, maybe not so bad).
What is bad, is that he didn’t build according to his own plan.
At 2:51 on the video, it clearly shows the ceiling joist are installed perpendicular to the rafters (this is bad).
At 1:27 on the video, the top plates of the walls don’t overlap, they just die into the 4x4 post.
Design question:
If the attic is to be used as living space, why would you use the ridge board as a beam under the rafters and not as a ridge board? Why give up all of that headroom?
I’m trying hard not to nitpick here but the more I watch the more I see.
I guess I didn't look too close. No birdsmouth on rafters, no joists attached to rafters, the issues Piffin brought up etc. I just didn't get exactly what Piffin was thinking. Admittedly, I breezed through his picture show. And those piers are going to sink, they always do, and there are too few even according to the instructions that the manufacturer provides.
He didn't build it for 2000 bucks either. Price is without doors, or windows, or roofing nails, or framing nails. He shows $40 for metal connectors and screws, that's baloney, unless he violated his plans there too. And it's not a solar cabin, since there is no accounting for that either.
Song's not bad.
I didn't post it yoji
There is nothing green about building a shack in a way that it will soon fall down, while meanwhile wasting energy and growing unhealthy molds. That is a complete waste of resources. A tipi would be a wiser cleaner greener choice. That the guy would be so proud of his "achievement" shows the depth of his ignorance, and that others would praise him for it makes my head spin.
Don't most of your complaints depend on where he built it?
I don't see anything wrong with it myself. It's not the way I would do it but for $2K it looks fine. I doubt if anyone would intend on living in a house like this forever, maybe while they built their main house.
I worked with a guy in 1973 who bought property but couldn't afford to build his dream house or much of any house until he saved more money. So, he built a variation of this house, a little longer, a little taller but pretty much the same thing. When he and his wife moved in there were no windows, just screen and shutters made from the cut outs with sticks to prop them open. Tar paper roof and a ladder to the loft. Things changed and their dream house receeded into the distance. They added windows, a real door and he even built a beautiful circular stair to the loft.
In time he started building a very modified version of the dream house, one that included the original "shack" and here we are 38 years later and the "shack" is still standing, looks great and hasn't fallen down yet.
"I don't see anything wrong
"I don't see anything wrong with it myself."
OK
That's fine
You don't noiw much about buolding either
To the contrary, I know at least as much as you and possibly more. You don't have a clue what I know or what my experience is do you? All you know is that I disagree with you.
As i said, I wouldn't do it that way but for a novice for a few years I don't see a problem. I've got a 10 X 12 shed in my backyard that I wish were built half that well and it's 20 years old and has been through half a dozen hurricanes. It's had a few dents and dings but it still stands.
Don't most of your complaints depend on where he built it?
I don't see anything wrong with it myself. It's not the way I would do it but for $2K it looks fine. I doubt if anyone would intend on living in a house like this forever, maybe while they built their main house.
I worked with a guy in 1973 who bought property but couldn't afford to build his dream house or much of any house until he saved more money. So, he built a variation of this house, a little longer, a little taller but pretty much the same thing. When he and his wife moved in there were no windows, just screen and shutters made from the cut outs with sticks to prop them open. Tar paper roof and a ladder to the loft. Things changed and their dream house receeded into the distance. They added windows, a real door and he even built a beautiful circular stair to the loft.
In time he started building a very modified version of the dream house, one that included the original "shack" and here we are 38 years later and the "shack" is still standing, looks great and hasn't fallen down yet.
sounds familiar
.... a lot like my life's story.
I built a partly passive solar heated shack in 1978 for $400 and some other bartered materials. The plan was for a trophy house in the future...
Reality was that it was such a success that with a few additions over the years I still call it home, comfortably. Psycologicaly, aesthetically, financially a complete success.
The american dream home went haywire a long time ago.......
What a bunch of sheep we have become.
Is this a potential new way to make money, building these small houses? An ad on craigslist with photos would be a good way to get started.
I guess your competition would be used recreational vehicles.
They could be built on site or on a trailer.
Selling price, who knows, maybe around $10,000
Is this a potential new way to make money, building these small houses? An ad on craigslist with photos would be a good way to get started.
I guess your competition would be used recreational vehicles.
They could be built on site or on a trailer.
Selling price, who knows, maybe around $10,000
Deja vu all over again.
Looks like amateur hour to me. Pretty danged poorly built.
funky solar shed
I built something similar in 1973 in the back woods of British Columbia. My wife and I are stiil married afer living in that house for six winters. Three to five feet of snow every winter, a wood cookstove I made from a 50 gallon drum, melted snow for water. You could not buy that expeirience from me, but you could not pay me to do it again. The house is still standing, still inhabited. I think my peeled pole workshop is a growshow now. Jim
That a bunch of "builders"
That a bunch of "builders" would consider this laughable shack to be acceptable says a lot about the state of the industry and why there is so much repair work to be done on fairly new homes. Di you notice how the roof "girder" was two or three feet too short?
Giggles abound
"Did you notice how the roof
"Did you notice how the roof "girder" was two or three feet too short?"
Nope. It was so bad I couldn't stand to watch the whole thing.
My shed in backyard has no ridge beam at all nor any kind of girders, just single 2 X 4 bents 24 inches on center. I don't see where anyone here has suggested it's great construction or even good construction. What it is is adequate for the money and skill levels of anyone who would build it.
In Haiti and other third world countries people would line up to live in it.
Do you seriously think this "shack" is in any way comparable to a real house?
Perhaps some of us are a bit more pragmatic than you.
"Do you seriously think this
"Do you seriously think this "shack" is in any way comparable to a real house?"
Not at all, but the builder of it seems to think so.
and what stands up for a shed in florida will collapse easily in the north.
As long as we are agreed that this is just a "Shack" and not a safe STRUCTURE regardless of what it is used for, we are completely in alignment
that was such an epic fail.. :)
The problem with how this got built it that it will work perfectly fine... until it doesn't. Then what happens?
I would argue a cardboard box is a MUCH greener structure, and perfect for about a couple dozen spots around the world. Unless it rains. Or there is a fire. Or wind. But like I said, there are places I presume around the world with none of these.
I'll give this guy the benifit of the doubt. He built it somewhere in Utah, were there is little wind, no rain, and no snow. His shed might last 30 years, or to the end of his life. Then what happens - it gets knocked down and burnt for scrap. OR - some poor family buys it, it falls down and kills a couple of them, then it's burnt for scrap. With just a little more attention to detail, that shack could last for centuries. Right now it's as disposable as a styrofoam cup.
Look, there are building basics that have been in use for centuries that this guy missed:
Triangles are strong at keeping things together, and levers are effective at forcing things apart - don't confuse the two. He THINKS he built a triangle, when in reality he built a lever, with the hinge point being at the peak. Nothing is keeping the rafters from speading apart but good luck.
Stacks of things will stay together, while butted ends come apart easily. This is why you stack a top plate across all your vertical supports.
Water will get into the structure, it needs a path back out again. There has been a revolution in building in the last 40 years - it's called "Flashing Details". Not so important when you house leaks air like a screen door, then it can dry to both sides. But when you start introducing details like plastic wrap directly under the floor joists, he made a very nice bathtub to hold water IN. All those doors and windows need proper flashing to guide water back out.
Not in Utah
"He built it somewhere in Utah, were there is little wind, no rain, and no snow."
Uh, Paul, in Utah where because of snow several of the best ski resorts in the world are located, and the wind and snow built Arches National Park and Bryce Canyon? I'll leave out Zion's and Dead Horse since they had help from snow-fed rivers.
I'll grant you the little rain, but I'd offer a slight correction to your statement about where he must have built it :)
good intentions may need guidance too
For about the same money and labor investment he could have had a very liveable shack that could last a very long time.
Pole frame foundation, conventional wall and ceiling framing.
I admire the small and simple concept but that doen't preclude using prudent existing science....
Personally, I am tired of green weenies pushing their "religion" down my throat. Its no more welcome than Moorman Missionary's interupting my football game to shove a Watchtower in my hands. In fact its less welcome in my book because those missionary's are doing this in voluntary service too their church versus the green weenies doing it (often times) in self service to their wallets.
Secondly, I'll just note that this country didn't need building inspectors to establish itself. Have never seen the code section dealing with sod houses. Anecdotally, it sure seems we have more problems with modern homes constructed under the inspectors watchful eyes and supposedly to code than we ever have with structures 100/200 years old that were built by the seat of the pants. No engineer stamp required.
Third, I would love to see the news items of the epidemic of wood frame structures that are suddenly collapsing and killing all these people. Save for an occasionally deck that gets grossly overloaded by druken idiots, you don't ever hear about sudden and catastrophic collapse of wooden buildings.
Sure its unconventional and simple changes could have made it better. If he is just posting this for enjoyment, thats one thing but if he is trying to sell his method, I would be opposed to that.