Friday, February 14, 2020
So I’ve decided to build a cabin tomorrow. I’m not sure how much of it I will get done. Although I have done some building in my time, I’m self taught and figure things out by trial and error. Lots of error. It’s one of the reasons I use screws instead of nails. I do something, decide I should have done it differently, and then redo it. It takes a while, but I figure it out. 
Which means, my progress is usually pretty slow. But, I enjoy the process.
I’ve diagramed out what I want on paper: an 8’x8’ square using the quarter sheets of cabinet-grade plywood I salvaged from a construction site. I think I can minimize the amount of sawing I need to do by sticking with 8’x8’. And I’ve ordered 16 96” 2x4s and 24 92” 2x4s for my frame. (Yeah, yeah, I know! But, I am NOT building a house! I’m building a “shed.”) I’ve also ordered 12 cinder blocks to use as a foundation—three for each 2×4: one at each end, and one in the middle. I won’t be putting in any heavy furniture or anything, nor do I have to worry about snow load, so this should be more than sufficient.
My goal this weekend is to build the floor, frame in the walls, and frame in a rudimentary, temporary roof. When that’s done, I will cover it with tarp, making a TENT. Why a tent? Because I don’t have time to build the entire thing, and I want something NOW. I haven’t stayed out there yet because I haven’t had a chance to build anything, and I won’t for a while. So, a tent will provide a happy medium. I
’ll have a place to relax when I’m out there working on the weekends, and I can camp in it, if I want. It will work until I have the time and inclination to put in rafters and build solid walls and a roof. And with the structure tented, I can work on it a little at a time, maybe one wall each time I’m out there, or one part of the roof. I won’t be under any kind of deadline.
And who knows? I might just like having a tent and want to keep it that way!!