Client Built Cabins

Just to show you it can be done by anyone here are a just a few pics of cabins built by ordinary people using my plans/ideas.

Daryl's cabin

This is Daryl's cabin in Northern Kentucky.

About 400 sq. ft. - 12x24 living area + 12x8 bedroom addition. Fully insulated, including the floor.

600 watts of solar panels. Over 600 amp/hours of battery power from deep cycle marine batteries. I've considered upgrading to more "true" off-grid batteries, but I've gotten great performance from this budget arrangement. 3 of them I've had over 7 years.  I'll replace them soon, but I think they've had a pretty good run.

3250 watt generator to run the AC on hot days. I heat primarily with wood, with a Big Buddy propane heater as a supplement.

I collect rainwater from the roof into a 500 gallon in-ground water tank.

Since I made this video, I extended the front porch 6 feet (pictured in the photo). I'm currently replacing my storage shed with a workshop constructed and painted to match the cabin.

This summer, I'm installing a small chest deepfreezer converted to a refrigerator with its own dedicated inverter and thermostat. I'll also be able to run a small microwave from the same inverter.

This Fall, I'm planning on building a root cellar nearby to store canned and dry goods.

I lived there for about a year in 2013-14 after I got divorced. My girlfriend and I have made many improvements since then, and we plan to move there full-time next summer. Simple, independent, debt-free life!

Thanks again for the inspiration, Lamar! I found your YouTube channel at a low point in my life. Around that time, I also read Walden. Since then, I've been on a different path - a path I only wish I'd discovered sooner.

Benny Peavey Wombat Camper Custom Design

Hello, I thought I would share these pictures of my Wombat built from your plans. Everything is solar powered except for the air conditioner (rarely used). I have 180AH of battery power with a 100W fixed panel and another 100W portable panel. All lighting is LED and I use the 2 head fan you recommended. I also have a 12 volt 19 inch flat panel TV/DVD Combo.

I found the windows at a mobile home supply warehouse and framed them in.Obviously I didn't opt for the kitchenette. I wanted tools, stabilizer jacks, wheel chocks, etc storage instead.

The portable 100W solar panel in the rear is in its stow position for road trip. It can be plugged in to supplement the roof panel when on the road if needed or moved within 50 feet of the camper when on site.

On the outside roof, side, front and rear panel joints instead of wood bondo I used the heavy duty wet/dry application Liquid Nails (grey color, not brown). It was easy to apply and none of the corner joints have ever cracked with 3000+ road miles.

By the way, the only power tools I used was a hand held circular saw and a jig saw. The rest was just common woodworking hand tools. I found your plans easy to follow.

And yes, I do get asked a lot to show it off in campgrounds!

Scott Wondrow 14x14 A Frame Recreational Cabin

Photos of my 70% finished A-frame, some construction pix and one of an Outbuilding that accompanies the A-frame on my 23 acre No central WI property.

It's just a recreational get a way.

The plans worked fairly well, we had to do little creative carpentry at times because I pre cut the gable walls based on prints and found we were a bit off but it went up alright.

We framed this last Nov.

Interior finish will happen next winter, ext door and facia need painting yet.

Nice size and design though.

Scott Wondrow

Blake Miller Columbia River 14x14 Cabin

'"I'm a 40 yrs old guy from Boston who found himself transplanted in Seattle 9 yrs ago. I was very inspired by your website and found a really good deal on 7 acres in central Washington state. The land had a very very old mouse infested rv...so rather than replace the rv...I built this cabin over a summer 1 year ago. I built it myself...with very little help. The only aid was I handed my wife a garden rake to hold the plywood on the rafters as I tacked the first row on.

Much of the lumber was from a local building supply store, but I found some killer deals on Craigslist for the door and windows...and some other things. All in it probably cost me roughly $6,000 with an aching back.

It's located in a very hot wildfire zone...and last summers fire wind swept up the ridge about a quarter mile from it. If a burning maelstrom takes it...I will definitely shed a tear as it is a beautiful cabin in such a naturally beautiful place.

As for the cabin...I left it unfinished....uninsulated....un-electric....and un-flowing water. Cabin has house wrap to keep the breeze out...and built as tight as I could to keep the critters out. It has a half loft and a quarter loft designed to let the light in.

You really designed a great cabin, and I definitely do see myself living full time in it in a few yrs. "

Wade McKnight 14x14 A-Frame Cabin

This is a 14x14 A-Frame Cabin built my Wade McKnight using my A-Frame plans.

A FRAME PLANS HERE: LINK 

Wade is still working on the interior but looks really nice. This is a two person project.

" Hello Lamar, I wanted to thank you for sharing your cabin plans. It's been a long time coming or so it seems. Will work on the interior next spring after the winter months pass. Anyhow, I thought I would share my work of art. Thanks again, Wade"

Peter Koch Cabin 

Hi Lamar,

I purchased your ebook about a month ago and started building your

cabin. It's been a fun project and your book was a lot of help. I did add

a few touches to the cabin but it's the same as yours. It sit's on 10

acres in North West Michigan. I have purchased 4 Renogy 100 watt panels

and plan on getting it all up and running before winter. I plan on using

the Cabin as a Vacation Rental and putting it up on the VRBO website

along with our 2 bedroom Mobile we rent now. Just thought I would send a

couple pics of the cabin for you to see.

I salvaged the screen door off a old Mobile Home they were tearing down on my street. I picked up some tile and things like that this summer in a garage sale. The heat will be wood and propane wall unit like yours. My property where the Cabin sit's is in the heart of the Manistee National Forest in Wellston, Michigan.

Thanks again! Pete

Raymond Smale Off Grid Cabin in Arkansas!

Raymond Smale is building his off grid dream cabin in the backwoods of Arkansas. The cabin is a 16x16 complete with rain harvesting system, solar power and outhouse. 

Jeremiah Biard and Inu build the Vestport Micro-Camper!

Jeremiah and his dog Inu built the Vestport micro-Camper from my plans and really did a great job.

Vince Martino 16x16 Cabin Debt Free

Vince sent me this video of his 16x16 cabin in progress. He used a 3 foot knee wall for more room in the loft and a second storage attic for a great modification. He also explains how he got good land cheap and his use of many recycled materials.

Way to go Vince!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjvT9V2pZE0 

Bob in West Virginia Off-Grid Cabin

"Lamar,

Just wanted to send you a short note to thank you for all your inspirations.

After watching your videos for several years, I decide to buy some property in West Virginia and build an off grid cabin. (12x24)

I learned to install solar after watching yours and other videos on YouTube and installed a large battery backup system on my house in Virginia.

It only seemed natural to go 100% off grid at my new cabin.

With the help of my brother on weekends it was built in about 30 days.

I went with 2x6 walls, and 2 inches of exterior Rigid Foam Insulation Board.

Tin roof and propane heater.

I am almost completely done. A little drywall left, propane installation and installing my rainwater tank with gutters and filtration system.

All paid for and no debt!

I attached a few pictures from a couple weeks past.

Thank you again for all that you have done to inspire and teach."

Bob in WV

James Lackey 18x20 Mortgage Free Off-Grid Cabin

I'm James. I'm currently 28 years old. My fiancé and I have been living in our cabin for just over a year now, we moved in with plywood floors and exposed insulation and have been finishing it out ever since while living in it. When I first started the cabin Memorial Day weekend, 2011, I was single and doing it out of necessity. I had been divorced for a couple years, moving around and trying to find a place I could afford to live and still have money to have a life. I was working 40-70 hours a week just to be broke, giving most of what I make to my ex wife for child support. I had to give up my house because I just didn't make enough money to pay my rent and utilities and other necessities AND pay my child support. I moved back in with my parents for a little while, did not like it. I was watching television one day. Some show about RVs was on. That's where I saw my first "tiny home". A tiny home on wheels, like a camper, but more personal. I thought this was brilliant. A way to have my own, mortgage free place. As I started researching into it, I started learning about "small homes". Basically a slightly bigger version of a tiny home and non-mobile. This was more practical for me because I would need a big truck if I planned on towing my tiny home and that equals more gas and more money. In my searching, I came across LaMar's book on homesteading and thought this would be perfect and is actually what I referred to when I got stuck. I'm a chef by trade with about 6 months of carpentry experience that I got when I decided I wanted a break from cooking for awhile. Luckily I have an uncle who lives next door and happens to be a carpenter, so he helped me get the shell of the house built and decked, but other than that, it was LaMar's book and "How To" Youtube videos that helped me finish my cabin. Of course, I did have a lot of help from my dad and friends. When I finally decided to go for it, I had an IRA that I hadn't put money in for years, decided to cash it in and get a jump start on it. When I first started, the idea was to reuse, repurpose and recycle as much as possible to be eco conscious and to help save money, a lot of stuff in the cabin was salvaged and ultimately free and everything,down to some of the framing boards, tells a story. So far, the total cost for the cabin,from start to finish, is around $11,000. I don't consider that too bad for a place that you don't pay a mortgage on and you can truly say you made it your own. I worked on it approximately once or twice a week for 7-8 hours a day for two years. We moved into it when it was a bare, insulated shell. We have now been living there for just over a year and in this time, truly transformed this small space into a beautiful place where we can be happy and comfortable for years to come. This entire process has been very educational and fun, to say the least. I've learned a lot, grown a lot and have an entirely different view on the world and life. I have met the woman who, next month, will be my wife. She's come into it and been very helpful and insightful through the process, We've learned to live and make do without a lot when we had to. We lived there with no toilet for a couple months and then when we got one, that and a spigot outside is the only running water we had until a few months ago. We had to leave and come up to my parents to shower every night up till about 3 months ago. just got a kitchen sink and stove in the last month and a half. We made do with what we had and made it work. The cabin is setup on a gas/electric combo. The cabin does run on electricity, but in the event of a power failure, the stove, instant water heater and heat are gas. I also have the ability to back feed power into the cabin with a generator if needed. We have added a small building out back, which is also salvaged. Its a defect detector box from the railroad, but it serves as our storage shed and houses our washer/dryer. We are still in the process of finishing the cabin 100%, but have plans to build a large work shop once we are done.

Saskia and son build their cabin in Saskatchewan Canada!

Hi Lamar,

Thank you.

I’m right in the middle of building my Tiny house of 16 by 24 feet. My son (almost 19) and I have put up the exterior walls on two sides.

I’m building this cabin inspired by your video’s of your cabin. It’s build a little different because of our really cold Saskatchewan winter weather but it’s still tiny. But it will be solar and wind powered too! With a woodstove for heat I should be able to live here all year round. My challenge is that I have to haul water. During summer that is ok, but winter could be tricky, because I also have to water 2 horses I have.

Here a few photos of how far we are right now with building.

Thanks for being such an inspiration!

Friendly greetings,

Saskia

You can follow their progress on this blog: http://lpinemeadow.weebly.com/lpine-meadows-blog

Jerry Brown and crew build 3 cabins for an expanding family

I bought a couple of your books after finding your YouTube videos. Inspired by what I saw, I built these to assist with spreading our growing family out from our main cabin. These are only dried in so far. I think they are going to be great. Each will have a full bath, queen bed down stairs and three twins up top. Not off the grid but a lot of fun. I could live in one and be very happy.

We have a cabin on 37 acres in Georgia. It is large enough to hold our immediate family which is growing. It has become a meeting place for our extended family several times a year, some traveling from Tennessee, Virginia, & Florida. We needed more room for the three extended families and your cabin design will work great. So, they will be guest houses. We did not have access to "repurpose" material and had to purchase everything new. I keep a spread sheet of all costs and currently have slightly under $2,600 in each cabin at this point. Projections show the finished cabins right at $5k. They will include individual 100 amp panels, small fridge, full bath, 220V hot water heater, kitchen counter, and rough open cabinets.

The concept of off the grid, mortgage free living is very appealing. Life is not about material things and the debt required to have them. You have a great idea and I hope it continues to catch on.

The crew in this picture dried the third cabin in in two days. The first one took five days with two people, the second one 3-1/2 days with five men. Note: that is Jerry 3rd from the left.

Thanks for your work. -Jerry

 Pictures courtesy of Jerry Brown

Update: "A few pics of our finished cabins. Fun project. The interior walls are of fence pickets. They are $1.25 each and are approved for interior use. We're under $5k each total including fridge, heater, AC, furnishings (except for mattresses). "

Tina Pettry's Cabin

Tina Petry with father, husband and sons built this cabin in just 5 weekends!

  This cabin was built by Jesse Mcvey. Check out the great interior work. Fantastic job Jesse!

Heater and cabinets in. The stove runs on a 20 LB propane tank when we are camping. Notice the cabinet handles, they are deer sheds found on the property!!

Natasha's Cabin BC Canada

Hello Lamar, My name is Tasha, I purchased your e-book last winter after doing some research on how to build a small cabin. I wanted to show you the pictures of my progress so far, since you were a big inspiration and a main source of information for me. The cabin is located in Southern British Columbia Canada on the Arrow Lakes, it measures 16x20. I started my foundation in April of this year, using a garden hose as a water level for the cold climate concrete footings. This has been a wonderful experience for me, and I am so glad to have had it. Many people laughed when I had the idea for this project. How can a 32 year old women who has never hammered a nail build anything?? My father built a cabin on the same acreage in 1976 when he was 21, and he raised 2 children there until they were school aged, so he was more than happy to jump on board right away. His cabin sits about 4 acres away from mine and although there is no electricity, he has propane lights, fridge and stove, as well as a full septic and hot water on demand. My cabin is now my greatest accomplishment to date. It has a loft over half the floor space, and a tiny bedroom on the main floor(because my husband is crippled due to an accident and can't manage a ladder) I also purchased a 60 watt solar system and can't wait to hook it up next spring! There will be a propane heater eventually as well. I built the whole thing with around $5000.00 CAD, the inside is about half finished so far. I wanted to thank you and to tell you that was the best $5.00 I have ever spent. You have inspired me to do things I never believed I could! Thank you.

Natasha

Daryl Poe's Cabin In The Woods

Lamar, This entire project was inspired by your youtube channel and e-book I bought a couple of years ago. I'm currently living in it full-time, and happy to report that I'm not only surviving these record-cold winter days, but I'm THRIVING. This Spring, I plan on doing a walkthrough video that shows the interior features. When I do so, I'll send you an update if you're interested. Feel free to share this video anywhere you want. -And THANK YOU for helping people to escape the rat race and live more deliberate lives (as Thoreau would put it).

-Daryl

Click the pic to watch the video please

Mark's (Fritz e) Cabin On Rolling Hills

Mark is a good friend that has been following my work for awhile and he is in the process of building his cabin and homestead and is doing a great job. Watch his channel for updates and say hi!

Click on the pic to watch his video please! 

About Us:

Simple Solar Homesteading is a Not-For-Profit social and cultural service organization dedicated to producing affordable off-grid housing designs and projects so that everyone everywhere can have a safe and sustainable home.

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