Building a cabin

[hootchi]

Hey chaps,

Myself and a friend are planning to build a cabin on the north devon coast. Being a pebble beach it doesn't lend itself well to bivvying and a small cabin would be much more confortable for extended periods of time. The place is ideal for fishing, shrimping and searching for lobsters, crabs and shellfish.

The main obstacle is finding enough suitable wood, driftwood would be ideal but there is not enough of it so I was hoping you had some ideas as to where I could find some. I was thinking broken pallets, from which the slats could be salvaged but I'm not sure where I can get them.

If you're in the area I'm more than happy to let you where it's going to be and if anyone has any experience they would be willing to share in building such a thing I would be very grateful.

Thanks for your help.

 

[maverix]

I took a long walk along a stretch of the coast by me last week. There are a few spots with an absoloute abundance of timber. Enough to inspire me to return and build a small shack. I figured if i built it well enough it would easily survive the summer or at least till the big September tides.

There are still a fair few trees left over from the flotsam and jetsom washed up after the Boscastle floods. The timber seems to collect in certain spots so its worth walking a bit i found heaps of the stuff every 1/2 mile or so. plus with the weather as it is and the grockel season about to open a lot of it is allready being burnt, nearer to the access points and beaches.

 

[running bare]

you say its a pebble beach , does it have largish rocks as you could make a cabin partly with those and whatever timber you can source for the roof and rest of the structure, depending on how big you want/need it

tom

ps. good luck and let us see the finished cabin

 

[pierre girard]

I've built a number of log buildings over the years. These have run the gamet from palisade (vertical) log, to French post and lintel, to a two story chinkless saddle notch house.

The simpler ones have been built with logs with the bark on, and chinked with moss and a birch bark roof. Good enough to last for one or two seasons. The more elaborate ones will probably outlast me.

Most often however, if I wish to put up a quick cabin, I just find a garage or old out building (never bid on a house) that someone wants removed and bid less than the going rate with the understanding the owners will pay for the dumpster (skip) and will clean up all the excess debris (old shingles, etc.). I get the building materials I need, plus a bit of pay, and they get a deal on removal of their old building. Going rate for removal of a small garage (say 16' X 20') around here is about $1000. I bid $250, plus they do the clean-up, and pay for the skip.

Taking down a small building with an eye to salvaging the materials takes four or five days with two or three people. If you choose to do this, take a very close look at the building before hand to be sure there is enough salvageable material to make your efforts worth while. I once endeavored to remove a garage that had been "insulated" with sawdust. Sawdust attracts moisture, and the whole things was rotten.

Transporting these items to the building site is often the hardest part of the whole process. My brother and I once hauled in all the materials for a cabin 1/2 mile down a very winding foot path, including three creosoted oak beams, 18" X 6" X 14'. Very hard on the back.

PG

 

[Nemisis]

If you plan on using pallets you'll need a good long wrecking bar or nail puller as most are assembled with an air powered gun firing a threaded nail and they are a devil to remove without splitting the timber. One tip if you can find them look out for euro pallets they are made with oak. Also enquire at an engineering factories in your area they often have machines delivered in wooden crates a good sorce of panel sides for the cabin/doors etc.
Dave.

 

[benjamin.oneill]

One tip if you can find them look out for euro pallets they are made with oak.
Dave.

NO WAY!!!

In a place I used to work rougher ones of these went on the bonfire! I'll see if I can have them next time. Oak seems a way to precious resource to use on pallets...

Ben

 

[Nemisis]

You try lifting one when its wet lol. Originally the Euros were built from oak they were designed to fit two side-by-side across a shipping container. No one owned them to use them you brought in for an allocation is how it was explained to me years ago we used to use them to ship to germany.
Dave.

 

[Mooney]

this may be of some help,
Shelters shacks and shanties

its full of complete designs, from scout type huts to full blown two story log houses.
also thers plenty of great little ideas like a candle chandellier and door locks using natural materials.

 

[hootchi]

Thanks for the help. I was thinking four big posts, which should be salvagable from the shoreline, buried into the pebbles with a sloping roof, slatted and covered in a tarpaulin, with the sides clad in planks. Big hooks in the inside for slinging hammocks, removable during the day, maybe a bench seat sort of thing, a table on one wall and shelves. Big chairs outside, made from nets slung on A-frames, around the fireplace.

I haven't been daydreaming about it, honest....

 

[jdlenton]

hootchi that sounds great let us know whe your taking booking

mooney Shelters shacks and shanties is a great little book theres allsorts in it the door catches a very nice i like the cahces it describes.

James

 

[benjamin.oneill]

Hootchie, where are you thinking of building it?

A friend and I really wanted to hang out in some of the fantastic spots on the North Devon coast. We were thinking of going and slinging some hammocks up around Heddons Mouth but we weren't sure what the National Trust would think - havn't checked it out.

We went along to woody bay too, amazing country but STEEP!! set up your hammock, and get in and the drop on the other side would be 60ft! Shame you couldn't use some of the discarded lime kilns around there, handy size but too near people's path so stink of pee!

If you need a hand.......

Ben

 

[Adi]

Hoochie where in North Devon are you? I'm from the Porlock on the coast of Exmoor and i know of loads buildings that already exist, build below the cliff face in many of the coves. Many can still be made habitable with a bit of time and effort. Have a search in your area you may find something.

But, be aware of you surroundings, like tide and rock falls and landslides.

 

[benjamin.oneill]

Hoochie where in North Devon are you? I'm from the Porlock on the coast of Exmoor and i know of loads buildings that already exist, build below the cliff face in many of the coves. Many can still be made habitable with a bit of time and effort. Have a search in your area you may find something.

But, be aware of you surroundings, like tide and rock falls and landslides.

Hi Adi,

Like I said to Hootchie a friend and I are really keen to spend some time on the north devon coast. What kind of places do you recomend? My only real experience of more wild places are as mentioned in the post above and some of the beaches.

Ben

 

[hootchi]

Sorry for the delay chaps. Basically somewhere on the coast between Westward Ho! and, say, Bucks Mills but probably not that far because ideally it needs to be within cycling distance.

Ben,

There is a few places where you could pitch a hammock along towards Clovelly more but it is all Natural Trust so don't get caught but is all really nice woodland. The only problem being it is all quite steep and near the paths. Down on the beach away from where the path meets the beach can be quite quiet but unconfortable on the pebbles with no trees.

Adi,

There was a cabin on the beach a couple of years ago for a few years but it was quite busy sometimes and a bit cliquey with reagrds to who could use it. Now it has gone. Tides and rockfall is probably the main limiting factor but a few places are usable.

Cheers

 

[Adi]

Hi Adi,

Like I said to Hootchie a friend and I are really keen to spend some time on the north devon coast. What kind of places do you recomend? My only real experience of more wild places are as mentioned in the post above and some of the beaches.

Ben

Hi Mate

I have not lived down there for years now and Hootchi has said many of the building i remember have probably gone now thanks to cliff falls and tides. When we were kids we cleared out all the rocks from an old house under a cliff to use as a den only to go back the next day to find there had been a land slide over night covering the entire area with tons of rock and soil.

The areas i am thinking of are all on private land and involve long walks often over very difficult ground and long unprotected descents over cliffs. That in mind I am unwilling to share the locations with anyone unfamiliar with the area especially on the internet. Sorry mate it is a very isolated and dangerous environment down there.

 

[hootchi]

Hi Mate

I have not lived down there for years now and Hootchi has said many of the building i remember have probably gone now thanks to cliff falls and tides. When we were kids we cleared out all the rocks from an old house under a cliff to use as a den only to go back the next day to find there had been a land slide over night covering the entire area with tons of rock and soil.

The areas i am thinking of are all on private land and involve long walks often over very difficult ground and long unprotected descents over cliffs. That in mind I am unwilling to share the locations with anyone unfamiliar with the area especially on the internet. Sorry mate it is a very isolated and dangerous environment down there.

Have you ever been to shipload bay? Its a lovely place, sand beach, really quiet but for the reason that has been described by Adi. It involved a traverse down steeper than 45 degree ground that has recently slipped hanging onto a rope someone found on the beach and wrapped round a tree. Not sure what it's like now- probably worse.

 

[Adi]

Yes i have, a lovely place although much further west than my normal stomping grounds.

not my image but a great one.

Selworthy Sands off Bossington Hill is very similar but is only known by the locals as it is not on any footpaths and is at least 2 miles from very quiet country lanes.

once again not my image

 

[benjamin.oneill]

thank you for the ideas guys.

look like some great spots

Ben

 

[Nemisis]

Hootchi one idea why not build just a platform base and four large support posts and a roof? if you already have tarps they would make adequate walls for the time you were in the cabin and when not there less material for the odd storm to batter if its on a beach. A couple of sturdy cross beams to both support the roof and give a place to tie the hammocks to. Also in this day and age less to vandalise when your not there. Just a thought.
Dave.

 

[hootchi]

Thanks a good idea. Thanks Dave. I could build it in bits and pieces as and when I get the materials.