The hunting cabin

[Ruttin1]

I was able to buy an empty lot that backs up to my woods earlier this year. I first planned on putting up a shed to store my tractor and UTV.
That quickly turned into a full fledged cabin.
Permits are had and digging starts soon.

 

[Ruttin1]

It will be nice to walk out ready to hunt and head for the stand.
LMK if I’m missing anything.
It will be a 2 bed, 1 bath with a kitchen, living room, and a mechanicals room.
Living space is just over 1,000sf and garage is about the same.
Covered patio facing the woods
Washer/dryer in mechanical room
Slop sink in garage
Small overhead door on side of garage for UTV entry/exit and air flow.

Couple things I’ve been thinking about. Do I want a wood stove or pellet stove? Anyone have and regret or not have and wish they did?
Also, I will hang some hooks and a power pulley for hanging deer. Do I need to consider anything else for deer hunting/ hanging?

 

[356]

It will be nice to walk out ready to hunt and head for the stand.
LMK if I’m missing anything.
It will be a 2 bed, 1 bath with a kitchen, living room, and a mechanicals room.
Living space is just over 1,000sf and garage is about the same.
Covered patio facing the woods
Washer/dryer in mechanical room
Slop sink in garage
Small overhead door on side of garage for UTV entry/exit and air flow.

Couple things I’ve been thinking about. Do I want a wood stove or pellet stove? Anyone have and regret or not have and wish they did?
Also, I will hang some hooks and a power pulley for hanging deer. Do I need to consider anything else for deer hunting/ hanging?

Wood stove with glass. This is a hunting cabin, and the ambiance is part of the experience, plus the enjoyment of heating with wood from your own property;

Our cabin is a similar size 2BR, 1 Bath, open kitchen/iiving with a small mechanical room. We do great with four to five persons. The futon couch makes a comfortable bed. Leather and wood furniture help preserve the rustic look. We have a stackable W/D in the BR.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Mine is very similar. This is a simple thing and probably not an issue but something to consider. My garage was apparently supposed to be just a covered carport initially but the owner must have decided to enclose. Well he broom finished the concrete and now it’s a giant pain in the ass to sweep cause of the grooves. Make sure yours is a smooth finish

 

[swat1018]

I'd make sure you have floor drains, especially if you'll be gutting or cutting on deer in there. I don't know what kind of climate you're in, but I keep my cabin pretty warm with a cheap EdenPure infrared heater.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

When I bought my property it had a cabin and separate garage. Neither building was very good so I tore them down and started over.

New building is 24x48, cabin part is 24x32 and the garage part is 24x16. Sometimes I wish the garage part was a little bigger. I've got three bedrooms, living area, and eat in kitchen, mechanical room with shower.

The old cabin was built on a slab and cold as heck for the first half of deer season until the slab warmed up. The new cabin is on a slab, but I put in treated 2x4 sleepers with 1 1/2 inch pink board in between and 3/4 inch subfloor over that. I had the cement contractor pour the slab with a curb on it. It's easier on the feet and way warmer. We heated the old cabin with a wood burner, Ashley style. Thing was noisy a heck to load and a pain when you had to empty the ash pan. We thought about a pellet stove for the new cabin so we could leave for a day, Thanksgiving, and come back to a warm cabin. So we went shopping for a pellet stove and promptly got talked out of it by a pellet stove sales person. Maybe they're better now but he told us of all the down falls of a pellet stove. We ended up with a propane stove with a glass front and love it. It's controlled with a programmable thermostat just like at home. No smoke, no ashes to empty, it's quiet, requires no electricity to run, no bark or pellet dust to deal with. Just fill our 250 gallon tank once a year and we're happy and warm, for about the same price as pellets.

We tiled the kitchen and shower/mechanical room with a product that's not made anymore but was easy to put in. It was called Snap-Tile. It's durable and easy to clean. The rest of the cabin has carpet.

 

[Foggy47]

I'm making plans for a new "on slab" deer cabin to be built next summer. Maybe 24x 50' in size?? I need low-maiinance and low costs...but will pay for the right features. It's cold here....but I will not heat often in the dead of winter. Perhaps keep it to 50 degrees or so in the coldest months....and dial up the heat if we stay in mid winter. I want a decent bathroom with a shower, a good kitchen with a stove, sink and refrigerator, and a mid-size living area with a decent place for six to hang out. Maybe a couple of bunks to sleep 4 or a few more in a pinch. I'd like a small "garage" to hold a UTV and a good floor drain in that same area so we can gut deer and an adjacent coo ler / closet that would cool via a small window A/C unit. Perhaps a trolley into the cooler room. I'm tinking and epoxy floor and area rugs. Maybe a heated floor ...it it's affordable. Not sure....but it has to be well insulated and a vapor barrier.

Also planning for a decent patio area with a large roof overhang to stay out of the rain....and do some outdoor grilling and a fire place of some kind.

I'd like a Hardi Board type exterior and a shingled roof. Maybe 9 foot ceilings and builder grade vinyl windows. What am I missing?

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

I'm making plans for a new "on slab" deer cabin to be built next summer. Maybe 24x 50' in size?? I need low-maiinance and low costs...but will pay for the right features. It's cold here....but I will not heat often in the dead of winter. Perhaps keep it to 50 degrees or so in the coldest months....and dial up the heat if we stay in mid winter. I want a decent bathroom with a shower, a good kitchen with a stove, sink and refrigerator, and a mid-size living area with a decent place for six to hang out. Maybe a couple of bunks to sleep 4 or a few more in a pinch. I'd like a small "garage" to hold a UTV and a good floor drain in that same area so we can gut deer and an adjacent coo ler / closet that would cool via a small window A/C unit. Perhaps a trolley into the cooler room. I'm tinking and epoxy floor and area rugs. Maybe a heated floor ...it it's affordable. Not sure....but it has to be well insulated and a vapor barrier.

Also planning for a decent patio area with a large roof overhang to stay out of the rain....and do some outdoor grilling and a fire place of some kind.

I'd like a Hardi Board type exterior and a shingled roof. Maybe 9 foot ceilings and builder grade vinyl windows. What am I missing?

My brother built his cabin with in floor heating. He uses a water heater to heat the floor and has a wood stove to bring it up to 70* or so. Only problem with the in floor heat is if the power goes out the pump won't run and the liquid in the floor could slush up and cause problems.

I keep my cabin at 40* all winter with the propane fireplace.

 

[Foggy47]

My brother built his cabin with in floor heating. He uses a water heater to heat the floor and has a wood stove to bring it up to 70* or so. Only problem with the in floor heat is if the power goes out the pump won't run and the liquid in the floor could slush up and cause problems.

I keep my cabin at 40* all winter with the propane fireplace.

They usually put antifreeze in the floor heat here….but that does lessen the effectiveness of the heating. Likely a small price to pay on a small building. I’d like to do in floor heat. Gotta discuss more.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

They usually put antifreeze in the floor heat here….but that does lessen the effectiveness of the heating. Likely a small price to pay on a small building. I’d like to do in floor heat. Gotta discuss more.

He's got the antifreeze but it will still slush up. Don't know where you are in MN, but we're about 80 miles north of Green Bay at our cabins.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

One more thing I did to save floor space in a small building was to use pocket doors on the bedrooms. You don't lose any wall or floor with swinging doors.

 

[Foggy47]

He's got the antifreeze but it will still slush up. Don't know where you are in MN, but we're about 80 miles north of Green Bay at our cabins.

Good to know....we are likely north of you (and colder) by a hundred miles or so. I am thinking propane for a backup source to electric, at this time. Still on the fence. May use a mini-split for HVAC in the summer (electric) and in floor hear via a propane gas boiler for heat and stove? Maybe a fireplace? Dunno. I do not want to make wood to heat. Too old and too much work.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

Good to know....we are likely north of you (and colder) by a hundred miles or so. I am thinking propane for a backup source to electric, at this time. Still on the fence. May use a mini-split for HVAC in the summer (electric) and in floor hear via a propane gas boiler for heat and stove? Maybe a fireplace? Dunno. I do not want to make wood to heat. Too old and too much work.

You up by the Iron Range?

 

[Ruttin1]

Great suggestions. So, I do have a floor drain planned. The living quarters will have a forced air furnace and AC. The place will be heated year round just turned down in winter to 50 ish. My need for a wood burner or pellet stove is strictly supplemental heat and enjoyment.

 

[keets]

always handy to have trusses modified for a bigger overhang to keep stuff out of the rain, but still outside

 

[Foggy47]

You up by the Iron Range?

Not quite that far north. More Central in MN. - Which is still a long ways north!

 

[Ruttin1]

always handy to have trusses modified for a bigger overhang to keep stuff out of the rain, but still outside

Are you talking all the way around the building, or as a porch? There is a 10’ porch with overhang facing the woods.

 

[Foggy47]

It will be nice to walk out ready to hunt and head for the stand.
LMK if I’m missing anything.
It will be a 2 bed, 1 bath with a kitchen, living room, and a mechanicals room.
Living space is just over 1,000sf and garage is about the same.
Covered patio facing the woods
Washer/dryer in mechanical room
Slop sink in garage
Small overhead door on side of garage for UTV entry/exit and air flow.

Couple things I’ve been thinking about. Do I want a wood stove or pellet stove? Anyone have and regret or not have and wish they did?
Also, I will hang some hooks and a power pulley for hanging deer. Do I need to consider anything else for deer hunting/ hanging?

Sounds like you have a plan VERY similar to what I plan to do next summer. I do want to drill a wel with a submersible pump and have the water come into my mechanical room....and into the garage to wash down the deer skinning area with a drain in the middle of my multi-use garage / deer hanging/ gutting / skinning area. Thought about that dairy barn siding in the garage as that can be washed down without deterioration (and it's affordable in place of sheet rock). I want a decent sink and a SS table for butchering / grinding / debone. Gonna put a closet size room off the garage for a cooler, and use a window AC unit or a BOT (?).

Not sure if I will do a septic and djainfield or a holding tank?? I suppose that is price driven. I need to find out more on heated floor too. Also need an outdoor faucet area for sprayer filling and want to keep that area away from my well.

I like your planned overhang / porch ideas. Gotta incorporate that too. I'm thinking of expoxy floors or possibly polished concrete (but I fear that gets slippery in winter.

Do you have a plan drawn for your place yet? Gonna work on my ideas soon. I'd like a decent concrete pad outside the garage door.....for an outdoor gutting area too. Choices are good. Not sure about an outdoor drain.

 

[Foggy47]

^ As an after-thought....I suppose it would be nice to have a lockable, secure "gun closet" to store some guns. These ideas are all good....and all drive up the cost.....but may as well plan for such. Sometimes buying a safe or a "wardrobe closet" is a cheaper alternative and provides more flexibility.

 

[swat1018]

The floor heat has quite a bit of lag time to get up to temp. It wouldn't be great to keep at 50, then show up and turn it to 70 and think it's going to get there quickly.