Up grading my off grid cabin to a 5 star rating

[cabinguy]

Working on a 4 x 8 out door shower currently we hang a shower bag in a sycamore tree using a pallet platform behind our cabin. I used some 4" x 6" x 8' pine dunage for post and pickets from home depot. Ill use 3-4" gravel for drainage and work on some kind of flooring. I'm thinking of utilizing a zodi extreme for the shower has anybody used one?

 

[cabinguy]

CR I cant wait for camp weekends the best part is my DW loves it as much as I do. Its been a long journey to get it to the state that its currently at. Ive had the property for 10 years and had to get a road excavated into the bottom land that the cabin sits. I started with
restoring a 1963 Avon 23 ft camper ( looks like an Airstream but anodized aluminum ) and pulled it in, now its my tool shed. the cabin was built two years ago and im still working on it. I expect ill complete the shower this year I know its a slow but i like to play also and im not there full time. Next years project will be collecting water off the roof into a cistern ,a small creek runs around the cabin but it muddy from the red WV clay. Currently I need to haul 10 gallons of water for showers and dishes each trip and bottled water for drinking. After the cistern comes solar system I currently have a small portable fold able 60 w panel that connect to a small solar generator. It hard to balance work and play at the cabin cause the work is fun.

 

[CrealCritter]

My son gave me a old log & timber framing book to read. It's by far the best one I've seen yet. There is a ton of great ideas in this book that honestly I never would have thought of. It's quite obvious the author has build a few timber frames in his day.

 

[cabinguy]

It's a good idea... I like it. I really like the pressurized water idea and being in a stainless container you could warm it up on the camp fire like you said.

Kind of a shame you don't have running water or you could do a copper coil hot coal water heater kind of setup. But then again taking a showing in creek water would take some getting used to. You might smell worse after the shower than before

Critter, I need to keep reminding myself of the KISS principle because my mind keeps on wanting to get more complex and better. Once I get gutters and and cistern and then a small 12v solar system installed I really can start dreaming and improving maybe something like a 12v RV water pump a thermosyphon and small insulated tank however time is limited. DW wants a water tower like Petticoat Junction I try to explain that shes more like Ellie May because she wants 1 of each Critter she sees.

 

[Mini Horses]

Born in the hospital @Parkersburg, been 70+ yrs ago Prob not same hospital now. Dad was from there & mom out at Wirt county...Elizabeth was the small town. Still have a few relatives there but haven't been to visit in years & years. Just a couple cousins, one aunt still around. We do correspond. It is some pretty but often rough country.

Both Large families of 7 & 8 kids. Dad had 6 bro & 1 sister...all now deceased. But boys all went into the service and with that, dispersed to all parts of the country. Not a lot of in person visiting as back then driving was about it. Most times only a couple siblings could get there at same time. Such is life. But I have great memories from the grands and our visits over the years.....their lifestyles were sure off grid.

No electric, outhouses, wash tubs, well with rope & bucket, horse to plow the garden. Yep, been there!

 

[cabinguy]

You mind me asking where the cabin is? We are starting to look for property, no need for specifics just general area, and the shower looks awesome, I want one now. I took a look at the Butterfly stove. Butterfly #2487 10k BTU 16-Wick Kerosene Cook Stove. These are still used in canning to do large canning outdoors. And then get the
Zodi Outback Gear Extreme Shower without Stove. When Puerto Rico got hit with the hurricane in the aftermath the Butterfly stoves sold out, the cost efficiency and ease of use made them really essential for boiling water, I recommend the Butterfly products highly..

Our camp is in Ritchie County WV . When we first built the cabin we used a 3 burner perfection kerosene stove that was purchased at a Amish auction. The Amish use these in the summer often because their large wood stove gets their house to hot. We found that the kerosene stove created a smell that penetrated all our food and clothing even sealed in plastic Rubbermaid containers or sealed bags. The food even tasted like kerosene probably because the cabin is small. We since upgraded to an old Dangler 4 burner stove vintage 1930/40 that we found in a Amish appliance store . We converted it to propane and its in amazing condition (attached a pic of a similar stove I found on internet ) . The Zodi came with a burner that uses small Colman propane cylinders I'm thinking my stove is more efficient and if needed I could use the camp fire.
similar to the Dangler stove

 

[cabinguy]

I think im done with the shower finished railing and self for zodi ...........

 

[cabinguy]

Thank You Bay Snazzy makes me smile as its my 13 year old grand daughters favorite expression of the summer

 

[cabinguy]

the cabin after I stained it
the bones post and beam

Its really just my off grid camp where I spend a couple w/e per month love to ride the hollers and ridge-tops in the SXS
No utilities no cell service for 5 miles 1 mile from black top road 1/2 mile from gravel rd.
Wish I had your sawmill Critter

 

[cabinguy]

Critter I love your wife's style and dream cabin its beautiful. I bet you have a 3D rendering I would love to see it. I understand exactly what you mean regarding insurance. My full time home is a small log cabin that I moved into 8 years ago. It was built in 1986 I'm the third owner. When I went to insure it thier were 101 questions and not all insurance companies would deal with log cabins or inside wood burning stoves. One of the first questions they asked was it a professional kit. Even the insurance company that insured the previous owner required me to get the wood stove inspected that's been in the cabin since 86 prior to insuring me. My off grid cabin is only 16 x 24 I trusted the Amish guy with years of experience to design it, and I would be willing to bet in comparison to a Home Depot shed kit its over designed. I'm a Mech Eng by trade and didn't run a single calculation it may be foolish but its stout in comparison to traditional building techniques.