The Vanderveen House

  • About Me
    • Start Here
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Tour Our Homes
    • Current house – open concept raised bungalow
    • Tiny Cabin in the Woods
    • Rental House #1
    • 3rd house – 90s split level
    • Flip House #1 – 70s bungalow
    • 2nd House – brand new raised bungalow
    • 1st House – run down bungalow
  • Project Gallery
    • DIY Projects
    • Furniture Makeovers
    • Room Makeovers
  • Gardening
  • Info for Owner Builders
    • How To Build a House
    • How to Organize Your Finances
    • House Construction Schedule for Owner Builders
    • House construction schedule and budget worksheet
You are here: Home / Other Houses / Cabin / Cabin phase 1: Basement room, gravel pad, blocks, and beams for the cabin

Cabin

Cabin phase 1: Basement room, gravel pad, blocks, and beams for the cabin

The next step for the cabin after the trench was to build a bit of a basement, lay a gravel pad, level some patio stones and blocks, and build the beams.  

Basement Room

The “basement” room is approximately four feet wide, eight feet long, and five feet deep. This is where the electrical and water line come up from the trench and into the cabin. This will be where the water heater goes, and some other equipment that won’t fit in the cabin. It is right underneath the bathroom, and the plumbing will be housed inside the wall between the bathroom and the kitchen. There will be a little hatch on the back side of the basement, so if we need to we can crawl inside. We will also insulate this small room to make sure the water lines don’t freeze. 

Gravel pad

Tony scraped off the top soil around the cabin with the tractor and dumped several loads of gravel. We leveled the gravel as best we could so it was a uniform height. Then Tony used a tamper to make the gravel flat and packed down. 

Patio stoneS and cinder blockS

After the gravel was fairly smooth and level, we used a transit to make sure the nine areas for the supports were perfectly the same height. This took a bit of time to scrape down the gravel in a few spots, or add more gravel to other spots. We layed down nine patio stones, and then a cinder block on top.

 

Beams for the cabin

The last part of the prep work was to build three beams for the cabin. The beams are 16 feet long, so we used three 2″ by 8″ by 16 ft non-pressure treated lumber. We nailed them together every 16 inches using a framing nailer, and did that on both sides of the beam. Once the three beams were finished we carried them out to the cabin site and layed them on the blocks. Double check that they are level, but if you do the proper prep work the beams should be perfect. 

beams for a cabin beams for a cabin beams and basement for a cabin

The last part of the site prep and excavation phase will be to have the pond dug and the fill spread along the driveway. B Moore on Grade dropped off the equipment already for this, but we’re still waiting for him to start the job. After that the fun framing stage begins. 


CABIN DESIGN AND PLAN

PHASE 1: SITE PREP AND EXCAVATION

  • Trench for water line and electrical
  • Basement, gravel pad, blocks, and beams

PHASE 2: FRAMING

PHASE 3: CLOSING IN THE CABIN

PHASE 4: INTERIOR FINISHING

PHASE 5: FURNISHING

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related


Leave a Comment

Subscribe

Get the latest DIY ideas straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Cabin phase 1: Trench for water line and electrical
Next Post: Cabin phase 2: Post and beam cabin construction »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome! My name is Jessica Vanderveen. My husband and I, along with our four kids, are creating the home we love. We want to help you do the same! Read more about our renovation journey...

Looking for something?

Top Posts

5 easy tips to plant fall bulbs for a colorful spring display

Tips on how to install a subway tile backsplash

How to install a subway tile kitchen backsplash

get your home ready for winter

Tour Our Home: Open Concept Raised Bungalow

Our first single family rental property renovation is finished!

How to caulk trim: the amazing power of caulk

How To Build a House: Information for Owner Builders

shared boys bedroom makeover

How to make a built in bed with storage

Let’s connect!

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Sign up for email

Popular Categories

  • DIY Projects
  • Furniture Makeovers
  • Gardening
  • Room Makeovers

Explore the Archives

Footer

You might also like

How to make maple syrup

how to make a farmhouse clock from a wood cable reel

How to make a DIY farmhouse clock

how to built a cedar planter with rouch cut lumber

How to build a cedar planter from rough cut lumber

outdoor play structure makeover using semi-transparent stain

Before and after swing set makeover

Melt and pour soap making for beginners

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.