One of the best types of shelter to build affordabely off the grid is a log cabin. I have personally heard of people who have built their own log cabins and lived in them for over 50 years.
If your homestead or your off grid dwelling is located in a soft wooded area you can just chop down the logs and use them to build your cabin. Otherwise you may have to purchase the logs and that will make the project more expensive, but most likely faster.
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
- pine, fir, spruce or tamarack logs
- stones
- cement
- anchor bolts
- sill sealer or a termite shield
- draw knife
- wood nails or screws
- hand drill
- roofing felt
- asphalt shingles or cedar shingles
- hemp and pine tar
- household bleach
- linseed oil
- milter saw
- circular saw
- windows and doors
- chain saw
- roofing felt
- asphalt shingles or cedar shingles
- turpentine
- roofing boards
The best time to fell your trees is in winter. This allows them to dry slower, preventing the wood from cracking and splitting. Apparently it is also easier to carry your logs during the winter. Logs should be air dried whilst elevated from the ground for at least 2 years. All the bark should be removed just before the building project begins.
The foundation is the first step of this project, then the flooring and sub flooring. The walls can then start to come up. Special joints and notches are recommended for beginners and advanced craftsmen to ensure the cabin is sturdy. Don’t forget to cut out the windows and doors as you build your walls. The roof goes on last, before interior finishings.
You can follow step by step instructions by Harry Schaare, here…
DIY Log Cabin Plans
You can watch the video below, on how to build a log cabin…
You can watch the video below, on how to build a $500 log cabin...
