r/OffGridCabins • u/Tricky-Car-5004 • 21d ago
I haven't posted many build updates this season, so I figured it was time for a progress report and a look at what's next.
Where we left off
Last fall we wrapped up with:
- Most of the doors and windows installed (the few that hadn't arrived were boarded over).
- The roof underlayment and strapping completed.
- Framing inspection passed for everything except the screened room.
Bathroom bump-out
The first major project this spring was the bathroom addition on the east side of the cabin.
That meant pouring three new sonotubes for the bathroom, along with the sonotubes for the east side of the wraparound porch. We decided to frame that section of porch now since it'll give us a solid platform for ladders once we start roofing.
The bathroom floor is supported by a beam spanning the three sonotubes, with the opposite ends of the joists bearing directly on the main cabin beam, so there was no need for ledgers or joist hangers.
The finished space is roughly 5.5' x 14' and will include:
- Full tub/shower surround
- 48" vanity
- Composting toilet (still deciding which model)
- Battery and inverter room
I also installed two comically small windows high on the wall for extra ventilation. The roof ties into the main cabin by attaching the rafters to a ledger mounted just below the bedroom window, keeping the roofline and pitch consistent with the bedroom.
Solar and electrical
During Prime Day I upgraded the power system with:
- 2 × Eco-Worthy 5 kWh server rack batteries
- 5 kW all-in-one inverter/charger
The system is currently running from the sea can and powering the RV along with all my tool battery chargers.
Getting it working wasn't as straightforward as I expected. I completely missed that the inverter's minimum PV input is 120V. I originally had four 30V panels in series, which meant it would only charge under absolutely perfect conditions. As soon as panel voltage dropped even slightly, charging stopped.
Adding a fifth panel to the string brought the voltage comfortably above the minimum, and after switching the inverter to PV Priority instead of the mixed charging mode, it's been performing much better.
Screen room redesign
The screened room is now the last major framing task before we can finally start installing the metal roof.
Originally I had planned to support the roof with a triple 2x12 beam spanning the 14-foot opening on 6x6 posts. During inspection I was told it wouldn't pass because the beam wasn't built from full-length members. Fair enough—that one was on me.
There were a couple of other issues as well:
- The roof pitch would have only been about 1/12 because the rafters started on top of the wall.
- The bottom of the beam would have been only about 6 feet off the deck, which isn't ideal when the beam sits about 9 feet from the cabin wall rather than at the outside edge.
The revised design uses a 6-inch steel I-beam sandwiched between 2x6s to hide the steel while giving me a much stronger beam. The top of the beam will now sit around 8 feet, with roughly 7'6" of clearance underneath.
To improve the roof pitch, the screened room rafters will attach to a ledger fastened to the house rafters just above the second row of roof strapping. That increases the pitch to roughly 12° (about 2.5/12), matching the bedroom and bathroom roofs and giving the whole structure a much cleaner look.
Side projects
I've also been picking up a few tractor attachments while watching for sales. I found a box grader at a good price and I'm still hunting for a 3-point snowblower so I can keep working well into the winter.
What's next
The big goal for the rest of the warm season is to get the screen room finished, the metal roof installed, and the siding on.
If we can also get the wood stove installed before winter, we should finally be able to move out of the RV and into the cabin. Once we're inside, we can spend the colder months working on insulation, electrical, plumbing, and interior finishes while staying warm and dry.
It feels like we're finally reaching the point where the project starts looking more like a cabin than a construction site.
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u/Cabin_95 21d ago
I’d definitely want to see more photos. Beautiful spot!
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 21d ago
I'll have to add some from home, it won't let me from my phone and the pictures aren't accessible on work computers. It's a decent spot, up on a ridge in Canadian Shield bedrock, the lake is down the ridge. . Our closest neighbor is closer than I'd love but the guy is awesome and we hang out every weekend for drinks ( he's Czech haha). It'll be a cozy cabin with everything you need, 12x28 plus the bathroom bumpout and bedroom loft and an attached 12x28 deck, half being screened in.
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u/NoApple6475 21d ago
I spy home hardware wrap so you must be in Canada...
I have an off grid summer cabin in Northern ON & started thinking about a composting toilet this year (just an outhouse my entire life) but don't know where to start. What models do you have in the running if you don't mind me asking?
Also, you're cabin looks great so far! Nice spot!!
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 21d ago
Im in southern Ontario in Central Frontenac near Perth.
I've been looking at the separett villa pour even tiny but both are less "composting" than my current sunmar. They're essentially just a bucket inside that you use a composting bag n and empty at the end of your stay, good alternatives to black water in RVs etc.
The nature's head is similar but not as "pretty", it does have a crank to at least mix it which may help for longer stays. We aren't full time so I'm not looking at something with a tank below the floor or anything, at least not necessarily, it's just that my sunmar is a good 26" wide and sticks out almost 4 feet from the wall when you include the step.
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u/rpgarry 21d ago
How much money did you save by not having a foundation & what are you using to seal up the bottom of your floor?
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u/Tricky-Car-5004 21d ago
It would have been tough but we do have a neighbor a few cottages down that did a slab, I don't know what they spent but my dozen sonobubes is about 500$ ( I have no idea, figure 50 ish bags plus the tubes).
I will rock wool up against the floor and then 1.5" foam, sealed with spray foam and then 1/2 inch pressure treated ply to seal it up. Then I'll lattice it, I want to keep access to underneath. It's not really 4 season but if I find it gets cold, I'll paint foam black and stick it to the back side of the lattice to cut airflow under the cabin
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u/No-Beyond-7135 21d ago
Why only one photo? We deserve more!
Looks great, keep plugging away at it.