Budget: I still pick up spare change on the floor. Sometimes I'll brave putting my hand down the back of the couch to see what treasure might emerge. I’m laser focused on building the cabin as inexpensively as possible but still clean, durable and nice. All that said, I’m willing to spend a little more on key areas so they are durable, solid, and as maintenance free as possible.
Architectural Style: The entire design of the cabin was targeted to be simple to build and durable, but still have some “modern mountain” personality. My targeted aesthetic is modern, industrial. I want to celebrate, not cover up the cabin’s structure. The cabin will be a gathering place for family and friends. It’s just a mile from the Stevens Pass ski area, and we plan to spend more time there during the winter than during the summer.
Structure: The exterior walls are framed with 2x8 dimensional lumber. It’s “overbuilt” to allow for better insulation and the additional structure necessary to carry a heavy roof load. Interior plumbing walls are framed with 2x6 dimensional lumber to allow for easier routing of pipes between floors as well as insulation to dampen the noise in adjacent spaces. I avoided plumbing on any exterior walls to prevent pipe freezing.
Snow: The winter snow pack averages 8 to 12 feet accumulations on the ground. The county requires us to design for 320 lbs per square foot on the roof, and 400 lbs per square foot on the ground. Access to the cabin during the winter is by snowshoe or snowmobile. During the summer, there’s a paved road to the property.
I’m anxious about protecting the siding and foundation from moisture and providing ample drainage to the foundation, especially during snow melt in the Spring. Snow stacks up pretty deep, and homeowners who don’t plan adequately end up having to dig down to get into their front doors. That’s why the entry is covered and placed about 8 feet above ground. My target was a simple, durable, low-maintenance exterior that can handle significant precipitation and 10 feet or more of snow on the ground during the winter.
Recognizing there could be forest fires during the summer, I also am hopeful that the exterior finishes will provide some fire protection, if needed.
Orientation: I oriented the cabin North/South and angled the windows on those sides to take advantage of the mountain views. The key view is to the North to Lichtenberg Mountain. There are no windows on the East and West sides -- this was for practical aesthetics and to reduce glazing costs. The lots are narrow, and chance are good there will be neighbors on both sides. Those walls will be taking the brunt of the weight from the roof, and we’d rather look at the mountains than the cabins on either side of us.
Interior finishes: On the interior I’m planning for wood (including plywood), metal and concrete finishes, mixed with dashes of drywall as needed and aesthetically helpful. I’m planning to use radiant heating in poured concrete floors on all three levels. The floors will be poured, natural concrete, perhaps stained.
Utilities: There is ready access to reliable power, phone and Internet in the road. There is no natural gas available at the site, but I will put a LP storage tank on the property to power a cooktop and possibly a generator.
Water: The public water system is available in the road, BUT there is a restriction on new hookups that has been in place for a number of years with no end in sight. That is why I designed the roof as a rainwater collection system. (More on all this in other posts.)
Roof: My initial plan is to retain the snow fall on the roof with snow fences and allow it to melt slowly into the gutter. But that’s A LOT OF SNOW to keep on a roof. If the building engineering can handle it without blowing out the budget, there is ample rainfall during the year to supply the cabin with adequate water if it’s stored in underground cisterns. I planned to engage a firm to help design the snow/water catchment, filtering, storing and purification systems. The slope of the roof was a guess on my part as to what would allow for reasonable runoff and snow melt, but still be somewhat “flat”. It’s approximately 4/12 slope in the original designs.
My biggest concern with the roof was to keep it as free as possible from ice dams. It’s designed as a cold roof with ample ventilation between insulated layer and the upper layer. My design is to use SIP panels (for their thermal efficiency) on top of LVL rafters to provide a nice underside aesthetic but also to protect the roof from vapor infiltration that could damage the SIPs and cause the ice dams I’m trying to guard against.
Deck: The backyard, North-facing deck was purposefully designed to be small and under the eaves to reduce the snowpack resting on it during the winter.
The entry/mudroom on the first floor was designed as an airlock.
HVAC: The utilities (water heating, water treatment, electrical panels, etc. are all intended to be mounted in the SW corner of the small garage area so they are kept warm and accessible. With a very airtight cabin, I will also need to be able to put fans on all three levels to exchange air. Don’t want a “sick house.”
Plumbing: There’s essentially one main, interior wall for all the plumbing running through all three floors. Although the sink in the powder room is against the exterior wall, my intention is to route the plumbing lines through the interior side wall so there’s no chance of freezing. The laundry area will be in the basement on the other side of the garage space next to the wet wall.
Smarthome: I will be installing a security system and cameras so that I can monitor the exterior and interior of the cabin remotely (via Internet). I plan to be able to control the heat, water and lights remotely as well. Basic smart home stuff.
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