8"x8" Timberframe Cabin

[Ben.MN/WI]

If I were you I'd leave the school out of the adult class and teach it privately at a good profit. Maybe make a building with the adult students during the class and you get to keep that too!

If your buildings are selling within 30 minutes of getting posted on Craigslist you should raise the price!

That sounds like an awesome class. There are old barns around here that have similar construction and they stand forever or until the roof starts to leak.

What kind of wood do you use with your students buildings?

 

[Callingalldeer]

Interesting,I have a 12 x 16 camp but think it’s too small. Hoping to make it larger in the future.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

If I were you I'd leave the school out of the adult class and teach it privately at a good profit. Maybe make a building with the adult students during the class and you get to keep that too!

If your buildings are selling within 30 minutes of getting posted on Craigslist you should raise the price!

That sounds like an awesome class. There are old barns around here that have similar construction and they stand forever or until the roof starts to leak.

What kind of wood do you use with your students buildings?

You make great points. We use white pine for the sheds we build. And yes, a 10x10 on CL will sell for $1500 within the half hour. Might try $1800 next time and see.

If I get 10 students at $300 a pop, that will gross $3k. The wood will cost me $1000. I'll pay two students $250 a piece? That would allow me to take home $1500 for about 20 hours of my time. The shed we build I would then either sell for $1500 and put the money back into my timber frame class, or even just donate it to a good cause...another school, church group, civic group, youth sports league, etc. Everybody wins. Good PR for my school. My TA's make a few bucks.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Your plan sounds like a good one and your buildings look great. It's not surprising they are in such demand. are they most used as hunting cabins?

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Your plan sounds like a good one and your buildings look great. It's not surprising they are in such demand. are they most used as hunting cabins?

They are used for a lot of different reasons. One was a hunting cabin. A few were garden sheds. One was purchased by my home town and is a concession stand at our local Aggie Fair Grounds. Another was purchased by a local business that runs an outdoor adventure ropes course. The one I am doing right now I've already sold...it's going to be ab 8x12 3 sided wood shed.

 

[mtholton]

I think the timber frame cabins are awesome. My neighbor has one very similar to what you’re describing and it’s very neat and very cozy (he has a loft in his). I am in the process of deciding what to build on my place and was considering something similar to what my neighbor built......until he walked me through the maintenance requirements. Holy hell there’s no way I could keep up with all the stuff he has to do. My non hunting time at the farm is limited as it is so the extra maintenance for me was a deal breaker. I will be building a (mostly) maintenance free metal building instead. The wood looks incredible but just too much for me to keep up with. I’m going to finish the inside like a cabin so it’ll feel like his inside but the outside won’t require the maintenance.

Thomas

Did he mention what is required from maintenance? I'm in the same boat.. I have enough to do aside from maintaining a cabin. I was hoping by going small and simple I could avoid major work. Also, by avoiding plumbing and keeping heating to a simple electric heat option (and perhaps wood stove) I wouldn't have a ton to do over time... Could be way off. I still need to drive up to see the Amish builder to get a better idea of what to expect.

 

[Dukslayr]

Did he mention what is required from maintenance? I'm in the same boat.. I have enough to do aside from maintaining a cabin. I was hoping by going small and simple I could avoid major work. Also, by avoiding plumbing and keeping heating to a simple electric heat option (and perhaps wood stove) I wouldn't have a ton to do over time... Could be way off. I still need to drive up to see the Amish builder to get a better idea of what to expect.

It was the exterior sealing and maintenance required from that perspective. Anywhere that sunlight hits it and that it’s exposed to weather there seemed to be a lot of work required to maintain it (i can’t remember how often...but enough to turn me off).