Building your own cabin

[surfver]

Do alot of people in Alaska build their own rustic primitive log cabins ? Something like a one or two room 350 square foot cabin with a wood stove is what I picture.
Other than anchorage and close to downtown Fairbanks, are there many zoning laws or building codes that would otherwise make that difficult ? Wouldn't such a cabin be more economical ? Such a cabin should keep your property taxes lower but in many places that's one reason they wouldn't want primitive camps etc

 

[SmokeRoss]

Mostly the zoning stuff is in the incorporated cities although there are some Borough regs in some places. I have put up about 25-30 cabins and currently own 2 out in the sticks. One is 450 sq ft, the other is 750. Mine are stick frame and T1-11 siding with metal over plywood on the roof. Easier to build than a 'log cabin' imo. Materials are easier to transport also. Lots of folks will buy or rent their first place until they figure things out.

 

[surfver]

How much does it cost to put up a 400 square foot cabin ? I would guess in Alaska you would need a lot of insulation

 

[iofthetaiga]

How much does it cost to put up a 400 square foot cabin ? I would guess in Alaska you would need a lot of insulation

Depends on where, how, of what materials, on what kind of foundation, cost of labor, etc., etc, etc. Regardless, plan on it costing a hell of a lot more than wherever you currently live.

 

[SmokeRoss]

How much does it cost to put up a 400 square foot cabin ? I would guess in Alaska you would need a lot of insulation

You could probably not be too far off estimating $100 per square foot for starters. Go up from there depending on building style.

 

[surfver]

if you did it yourself by gathering logs from the forest, it might not cost as much though it could take a long time. You might also think of it in terms of what if you were retired and the economic situation was really bad. I have studied modern survivalism ever since the 2008 crash because sometimes people think things could get bad

It's also interesting to know what is possible or easier based on building codes etc because in some places that could be an obstacle

 

[Hkrjohn]

What you want to do is not as easy as you may think. Of course it can be done, as thousands of cabins dot the massive Alaskan landscape. As someone who came up over a decade ago, I learned quickly that it takes much more land than you might think to get access to the resources you might need to build anything. Unless you are buying substantial acreage, you won’t have adequate suitable spruce on your property to build a cabin. So you will need to know if you will be able to a access resources on the adjacent properties if you plan to build a log cabin. Also, most of the lower cost property is off the road system, so you will need to have a way to access your property which adds complexity and cost. Again, it can be done, but it isn’t cheep or easy. Most of us living the Alaskan dream came up here and worked and took some time learning the land before figuring out where and how to build or acquire their dream property. I ended up buying an old homestead on the road system, but in the middle of nowhere.

As I said above about Alaska verses the lower 48, is that it takes a lot more land in Alaska verses the lower 48 to sustain yourself. I have about 19 total acres and I quickly used up all the deadwood on the property for firewood. Trees grow very slowly. You will need access to a lot of land if you think you will be able to build a cabin, have firewood, and enough game to sustain yourself. And it takes a lot of land to do this in most parts of Alaska.

 

[surfver]

What you want to do is not as easy as you may think. Of course it can be done, as thousands of cabins dot the massive Alaskan landscape. As someone who came up over a decade ago, I learned quickly that it takes much more land than you might think to get access to the resources you might need to build anything. Unless you are buying substantial acreage, you won’t have adequate suitable spruce on your property to build a cabin. So you will need to know if you will be able to a access resources on the adjacent properties if you plan to build a log cabin. Also, most of the lower cost property is off the road system, so you will need to have a way to access your property which adds complexity and cost. Again, it can be done, but it isn’t cheep or easy. Most of us living the Alaskan dream came up here and worked and took some time learning the land before figuring out where and how to build or acquire their dream property. I ended up buying an old homestead on the road system, but in the middle of nowhere.

As I said above about Alaska verses the lower 48, is that it takes a lot more land in Alaska verses the lower 48 to sustain yourself. I have about 19 total acres and I quickly used up all the deadwood on the property for firewood. Trees grow very slowly. You will need access to a lot of land if you think you will be able to build a cabin, have firewood, and enough game to sustain yourself. And it takes a lot of land to do this in most parts of Alaska.

I had asked in some other forums if I could get wood or resources from other lands as 60% of Alaska is federal land, there is state land, national forests etc. Maybe you could pay someone to allow you to cut some suitable trees

 

[cdubbin]

Google 'Dick Proenneke'.....

 

[SmokeRoss]

Google 'Dick Proenneke'.....

That is an interesting story, but it took him quite a while to build that cabin and call it finished.

 

[ChugiakTinkerer]

You can cut logs off state land, but each DNR management area has different rules. Last time I checked you could harvest house logs for free in the MatSu area, but in the Copper Valley you have to pay a nominal fee for the logs. Cost really isn't an issue, so much as availability. Generally of the land is subject to property tax it is subject to building codes. You'll want to know before you buy what the jurisdictional authorities are. Living in a crappy hovel can save you a few bucks in taxes, but you'd be living in a crappy hovel. If you end up paying for a heating source, it's much better economically to invest in a well constructed insulated structure. You could probably end up paying ten times as much extra in fuel oil as you would save in taxes by going cheap.

 

[cdubbin]

That is an interesting story, but it took him quite a while to build that cabin and call it finished.

He started on May 25th and finished the cabin, outbuidings, furniture, and utensils, all with hand tools (which he also made the handles for), by August 15th....speaking as a professional contractor, 99.9% of people could not come close to that.....

 

[martyv]

I'm documenting a log cabin build on my youtube channel There are three installments so far. Here is the first one: This is similar to what you are talking about. This will be a vertical log cabin in that the logs will all be vertical not horizontal.

 

[DRIFTER_016]

Been building my off-grid shack outside Yellowknife NWT for 6 years now.
I've done 99%+ of all work singlehandedly. I'm still not finished but still have 7 years before retirement and I move out there full time.
Land is leased from the govt for $800/yr and taxes are $250/yr.
I'm heating with pellets as it's much less work than chopping wood. I have a cart that I roll outside and fill up with 11 bags of pellets and roll it back inside where it gets stored under the stairs. Good for a week and a half of heating before refilling.
The amount of work to put it up by myself has been monumental and has taken a toll on my body. I now have 4 degenerating disks in my back from all the hauling of materials but it has been very satisfying to build my own place. I have R40in the floor, R21 in the walls, R32 in the vaulted ceiling and R80 in the flat ceiling. It's warm.
24' x 36' with a 1/2 loft.

 

[Big Bend]

Drifter , Have been following your build for years and it looks great . Many years of pleasure will come from this .

 

[DRIFTER_016]

Drifter , Have been following your build for years and it looks great . Many years of pleasure will come from this .

If'n it don't kill me first.

 

[Yukoner]

Been building my off-grid shack outside Yellowknife NWT for 6 years now.
I've done 99%+ of all work singlehandedly. I'm still not finished but still have 7 years before retirement and I move out there full time.
Land is leased from the govt for $800/yr and taxes are $250/yr.

You're leasing from the GNT I assume? So how does that work? Is your lease subject to review every year? 10 year/20? Curious how you folks go about it.

 

[DRIFTER_016]

You're leasing from the GNT I assume? So how does that work? Is your lease subject to review every year? 10 year/20? Curious how you folks go about it.

5 year renewal until land claims have been settled.
So forever because Govt. works as fast as molasses on stuff like that.

 

[hunter1951]

Been building my off-grid shack outside Yellowknife NWT for 6 years now.
I've done 99%+ of all work singlehandedly. I'm still not finished but still have 7 years before retirement and I move out there full time.
Land is leased from the govt for $800/yr and taxes are $250/yr.
I'm heating with pellets as it's much less work than chopping wood. I have a cart that I roll outside and fill up with 11 bags of pellets and roll it back inside where it gets stored under the stairs. Good for a week and a half of heating before refilling.
The amount of work to put it up by myself has been monumental and has taken a toll on my body. I now have 4 degenerating disks in my back from all the hauling of materials but it has been very satisfying to build my own place. I have R40in the floor, R21 in the walls, R32 in the vaulted ceiling and R80 in the flat ceiling. It's warm.
24' x 36' with a 1/2 loft.

is there air circulation for your foundation structure, the picture is a little unclear, maybe there is no permafrost where you have built.

 

[hunter1951]

Drifter , Have been following your build for years and it looks great . Many years of pleasure will come from this .

yes it looks fantastic, he will certainly enjoy the fruits of his labor