Part 1

Chapter 13,838 wordsPublic domain

_Sunset’s_ CABIN PLAN BOOK

_Edited by_ RALPH P. DILLON

_Illustrations by_ NORMAN GORDON

_Cabin Renderings by_ CLEMENS FRIEDELL

PUBLISHED BY SUNSET MAGAZINE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

FOREWORD

Every Westerner wants a “vacation home”! Perhaps it is the nearness to pioneer days that makes us so alive to mountain forests and ocean sands. _Sunset’s Cabin Plan Book_ is primarily for those who are still in the “talking stage.” However, there is much valuable information in its pages for those who already are enjoying the pleasures of a “second home,” where they spend week-ends and vacation days, living comfortably though simply at any time of the year, while enjoying our Western heritage of the great outdoors.

The planning of a mountain cabin or beach cottage deserves just as careful and thoughtful consideration as the planning of a real home, though the actual construction is likely to be on a fairly simple scale.

The size of the cabin, whether it is built of logs, stone or finished lumber, depends upon what you intend to use it for—a week-end cottage for yourself and your family, a hunting lodge, a vacation home, or a little place where you can go off and examine the state of your soul in the quiet of the woods. You should consider the number in the family and the number of guests likely to be included, for “week-end cabin” should not be a synonym for active discomfort. Crowding may be jolly for a few hours or possibly for one night, but seldom longer than that.

The collection of cabin plans in this book is representative of what we believe to be the best in Western vacation-home designing. The floor plans embody features that may be shifted from one to another, since these are not necessarily working plans, but suggestions around which you and your architect or contractor-builder can create a cabin to fill your own needs. The same holds true of the cabin sketches themselves. You need not sheathe your cabin in bevel siding just because it’s that way in the picture. The same plan can be used for a shingle house or one of board and batten.

No attempt has been made to set down detailed instructions for building any particular cabin, since no two are exactly alike, but we have tried to present the information needed by an amateur who wants to build his own place or oversee the work of a crew of country laborers. In addition to the cabin plans and visualizations there are numerous pages of cabin lore gathered from many sources as well as from the practical experiences of the Sunset Staff.

Cost estimates have been omitted purposely, as there are so many factors affecting the price of materials, labor, and transportation in various localities. Figures based on one locality would not hold good in another. The distance from sources of supply is also an influence, because materials hauled only a few miles would cost far less than if they were shipped a hundred miles and then transported by truck to the cabin site. Really, the only satisfactory answer to the cost problem is to take your plans to a builder in the neighborhood of your locality and get his figures. Or if you plan to do some of the work yourself with local labor, your lumberman may be able to help you with cost estimates. If you want an individual and specialized design, the services of an architect should be seriously considered.

We hope the ideas in this _Cabin Plan Book_ not only be inspiring but also so practical and usable.

_Note: Working drawings of the cabin plans are not available. This is in keeping with the publisher’s policy to furnish ideas but not an architectural service._

CONTENTS

_Page_ Selecting the Site for Your Vacation Home 3 Your Water Supply and Sanitary Facilities 6 Cabin Foundations 8 Building the Cabin Fireplace 10 Building the Log Cabin 13 Building a Cabin of Stone 17 Frame Cabins and Beach Houses 19 Thirty Cabin Plans 21-48 Cabin Conveniences 49 Cabin Miscellany 51-63 Fireplace and Barbecue Ideas 51-55 Beds and Bunks 57-58 A Score and More of Cabin Ideas 59-63 Bibliography 64

SELECTING THE SITE FOR YOUR VACATION HOME

Since you have decided to build a vacation home, your first problem is to find a location. The whole family will have something to say about this—half the fun of building a cabin or beach house is the planning of various details in family councils. No doubt, by the time you discover the region in which you would like to build, friends will have told you many of the important things to look for. However, here are a number that should help you.

If it is to be a summer vacation home and you have a car, the distance from home isn’t so important, because the Pacific Coast’s network of fine roads offers easy access to almost every area. On the other hand, if you are going to be a “week-ender,” don’t choose a site too far away. It isn’t fun to spend most of your weekend traveling to and from the cabin, and your friends will avoid you—but perhaps that’s your intention!

Cost of construction is important. It’s all very well to build a place out in the wilds, but the farther you go from civilization the more it costs to transport men and materials to your cabin site.

Watch the Distance

With the whole Pacific Coast to choose from it shouldn’t be too hard to find an area that suits all the family. You will be smart to pick a spot not more than an easy day’s drive from home. If it is only a few hours away, so much the better. Within less than one day’s drive from most points on the Pacific Coast you can lose yourself in a paradise of forests, lakes and mountains, or stand on the ocean shore and hear the breakers boom.

Naturally, you’ll want to invest most of your money in the cabin or beach house itself. That being the case the best place to go for low-cost mountain cabin sites is the United States Forest Service, which controls millions of acres of the finest timber and mountain country in the world. Beach property, on the other hand, is largely a commercial proposition, and you’ll more than likely have to consult your real estate dealer.

The National Forests offer cabin sites to suit every taste and every purse. However, certain areas are not open to settlement, and all cabins must conform to standards set by the Forest Service. You can’t buy the land, but you can occupy it under Special Use Permit. You get low cost, freedom from crowding and assurance that the area will not be ruined by commercialization.

The Forest Service opens new tracts for summer cabin sites when those opened in previous years are filled. Cabins are not crowded together as they are in some commercial tracts.

Many Sites Available

There are eighteen National Forests in California alone and dozens of others in the western states offering a diversity of climate and natural conditions. Of course, not all of the forests are available for cabin sites, but there is a large group from which to select. Most of the tracts available in National Forests are in groups of from six to one hundred lots or more, each lot averaging about ⅓ acre, depending upon topography and cover.

To obtain a cabin permit from the Forest Service, write or call on the Supervisor or nearest Ranger of the particular forest in which you think you’d like to live. Ask him what areas, if any, are open in his National Forest. If he has a forest officer available, he will arrange for him to visit the property with you. A personal visit is desirable but not absolutely necessary before applying for a permit.

Application for permit may be made in writing to the Forest Supervisor, or Forest Ranger, specifying the location of the property, the use to be made of it (summer cabin, hotel or resort) and the estimated cost of the improvements you intend to make.

Permits are granted strictly on a “first come—first served” basis. The cost—and this will amaze you—averages about $15 per year for cabin sites, depending on the size and location of the property. Each permit is renewable annually. You may sell your cabin at any time, but the transaction must be approved by the Forest Service.

Don’t depend on your own knowledge of the outdoors when you pick a cabin site. The local forest officer knows more about his particular locality than anyone else, and he’ll be glad to help you.

When seeking information about a particular forest, be sure you write to the officer in _charge of that forest_, because he is the only one with a complete file of data on it. If you don’t know who your nearest forest supervisor is, write to the nearest regional forester. Here’s a list of offices:

_Region No. 1_ (Northern Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Western Washington)—Federal Bldg., Missoula, Montana

_Region No. 2_ (Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Eastern Wyoming)—Post Office Bldg., Denver, Colorado

_Region No. 3_ (Arizona, New Mexico)—Federal Bldg., Albuquerque, N. M.

_Region No. 4_ (Colorado, Southern Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Western Wyoming)—Forest Service Bldg., Ogden, Utah

_Region No. 5_ (California and Western Nevada)—Phelan Bldg., San Francisco, Calif.

_Region No. 6_ (Oregon and Washington)—Post Office Bldg., Portland, Oregon

_Region No. 7_ (Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia)—Victor Bldg., Washington, D. C.

_Region No. 8_ (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico)—Glenn Bldg., Atlanta, Ga.

_Region No. 9_ (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin)—Federal Bldg., Milwaukee, Wisconsin

_Region No. 10_ (Alaska)—Federal Territorial Bldg., Juneau, Alaska

When you apply for a permit, you must agree to install permanent improvements costing at least $500, including labor. Only one residence may be constructed on a lot, and in order to prevent the erection of unsightly “shacks”—some people’s ideas on cabins would surprise you—each permitee must submit his plans for approval _before_ a permit will be issued.

All buildings and all roofs must be painted, oiled or stained. If paint is used, the color must harmonize with the forest background, and be approved by the Forest Supervisor. That does not mean that everything has to be brown and green, but the forest is no place for a pink stucco cottage.

Permanent construction must be completed by the end of the second season after the permit is issued.

Cabins built under “special use” permits must be occupied at least fifteen days each year by the permittee or his family, unless special arrangement is made with the Forest Service.

The principal requirements of the Forest Service regarding cabins are that they be built in a workmanlike manner with substantial roofs, floors, doors, windows, brick or masonry chimneys, toilets and garbage containers of a type approved by the Forest Supervisor. The general ensemble must be in harmony with the forest background. You don’t have to build your house just like your neighbor’s, but all cabins do have to be of an approved and attractive rustic style.

In large colonies you may be required to install a chemical toilet or septic tank, a piped water system, or other improvements to safeguard the general health of the community. Ask about these things.

If you build in a colony of summer homes, you must agree to abide by any rules and regulations agreed upon by a majority of the permit holders if they have or organize a cooperative public service group.

Choice of the actual site for a mountain cabin depends on drainage, view, shelter from storms, sunlight, ease of access, and so on. Probably the best location is one on a gentle slope, which assures that rain and snow will drain off, with the front of the cabin facing the center of interest and the principal windows placed to catch the prevailing breezes.

A slope is somewhat more difficult to build on than flat land, but in wet weather you won’t find puddles in front of the door and the floor won’t get damp. Remember, you don’t have tile sewers to carry off the water. Too steep a hillside makes building even more expensive, calling either for excavation or extra foundations. While a hillside site is attractive, it’s pretty tiresome lugging supplies up hill.

If you build on a slope or hillside, find out about the normal rainfall. You may need a watershed at the upper side of your lot to keep the run-off from trickling down into your cabin. A shallow ditch or a low wall is enough protection—but a necessary one. (See Fig. 1.)

Here are a few other details to think about: How near is the lot to a good road? It doesn’t have to be close to a main highway, but is it possible to reach your lot with a fair amount of convenience? Can you get supplies or help in case of emergency without too great effort? Next, how’s the water supply?

Water is one of the most important considerations. The forest officer can tell you what the stage of the water table is at your location, and you can decide what kind of well you will need. Above all, don’t plan to use the local trout stream or lake for drinking water. It may be a lovely lake, and the stream may ripple over pretty stones like tinkling bells, but pretty water isn’t necessarily pure water.

There are in the National Forests a number of associations of Special Use Permittees. These associations are formed partly for the advantages of collective bargaining and partly for the installation of certain facilities on a tract basis. Many of these associations have installed water systems, financed by assessments against the lot owners.

The winter climate is an important factor if you build in the snow country. In the mountains you may get snow ten feet or more in depth—and ten feet of snow weighs a lot. That requires extra sturdy construction of the cabin roof.

Actually, in a National Forest you’ll find that a good deal of the selection has been done by the Service for you. About all you have to do is to find the particular one that is most pleasing to the whole family and offers the greatest possibilities consistent with the money you have to spend. You can be absolutely sure that you will get the lot you pick out. Nor need you worry that after you get your pet cabin built someone else will build “Ye Olde Hot Dogge Shoppe” across the road.

In selecting a site for a beach house don’t be led into buying too close to the water. Remember that ocean storms often send the waves far up on land, so be sure to get expert advice on the safety of your location.

RETAINING WALL CABIN MASONRY OR CONCRETE WALL, OR DUG DITCH TO DETOUR THE SURFACE WATER

YOUR WATER SUPPLY AND SANITARY FACILITIES

One of the first major problems that confronts the city dweller starting the construction of a summer home is the water supply—or lack of it. Not only is water hard to get, comparatively speaking, but it is not always safe to use when obtained unless care is taken to see that its source is pure. Water cannot safely be declared fit for human consumption unless the surface of the well or spring remains permanently above the level of all nearby sources of pollution. Tight well platforms and casings, clean grounds and wide separation from probable channels of impure drainage are the best safeguards.

Power Pump Most Convenient

If you are content to pump your water by hand and do without a flush-type toilet and bath or shower, then a dug well with a bucket and windlass or one with a hand pump is sufficient. On the other hand, if you are wise you will install a small power pump—the cost is quite reasonable—and a storage tank, which can be either in the top of the house or on some nearby high ground. In estimating the amount of water you’ll need figure that the average bath takes 30 gallons, one flush of a toilet 4 to 6 gallons.

Government experts estimate the consumption of water per person in 24 hours is 4 to 8 gallons if only a hand pump is provided; if one faucet is installed, domestic uses require 7 to 15 gallons per person; if the house is equipped with hot and cold water in kitchen, bath and laundry, the consumption rises to 20-25 gallons, a family average of 100 gallons every 24 hours. That’s a lot of water to carry in pails or pump by hand.

If you build your cabin in the mountains, you may not have much success digging a well because bedrock may be close beneath the surface. If you build in or near some community of vacation homes, you can find out what method others employ in the neighborhood. In the more established communities you may find a co-operative water system in existence. Many of the privately developed summer home areas are served by local utility companies.

Test Your Water Frequently

If you are lucky enough to have a spring on your property, the water will probably be good—but test it first, and test it periodically thereafter—at least once a year. Then build a tight covering for the spring to keep out dirt and wandering animals and pipe the water to your house. (See illustration below.)

In some localities sub-surface conditions may be satisfactory for a dug well. It takes at least two men and a lot of work. One digs the earth out and the other raises it by a bucket and windlass. Such a well should be lined with concrete or vitrified pipe and should have a tight covering. The best covering is a concrete well curb and a concrete or heavy wooden lid through which the pump pipe passes. A man-hole must be built, too, to allow entry for cleaning the well occasionally. (See Fig. 2.)

MANHOLE COVER HOLE FOR PIPE TO PUMP CEMENTED JOINTS CONCRETE OR CLAY MANHOLE COVER

A driven well, which is successful in some locations, can be made by two men also, although it’s not an easy job. The point, a special length of pipe with a sharp steel point and screened openings to let the water in, is driven into the earth with a heavy maul or with a weight on a block and tackle. It is not practicable to sink such a well over 100 feet—a drilled well is easier and less trouble.

The ultimate source of your water supply should be definitely determined before you buy or lease a summer homesite. Before you start a well of any kind you would be wise to obtain the best available local advice.

Sanitation Important

The average city dweller is likely to overlook the important part sanitation plays in his daily life. Therefore, many summer homes are equipped with meager facilities for disposing of sewage. The old-fashioned “outhouse” which plays a rather comic part in song and story favored by such humorists as the late Chick Sale and James Whitcomb Riley, can hardly be considered an asset to the health and sanitation of a summer home community.

If such a building is necessary, at least follow the instructions given by the Department of Agriculture (see Farmer’s Bulletin No. 1227) so that it will be sanitary, fly-proof, easily cleaned, and as little of an “eye sore” as possible. A better type is the vault-privy with a watertight concrete vault, wide and shallow. It should have a trap at the rear to provide access for cleaning. A metal container may be substituted for the concrete work. This should have an airtight lid and must be removed frequently for cleaning.

There are a number of chemical septic tanks for sale, all of which dispose of waste matter by the action of bacteria and chemicals. They are not difficult to install. Further information may be obtained from the previously-mentioned Government bulletin.

Garbage Harbors Germs

Even though your cabin has running water and a regular flush toilet, the danger of waste disposal is not entirely eliminated. Garbage and refuse of all kinds are harbors for germs and flies can quickly spread disease germs gathered from such sources. The location of the water supply in relation to sewage disposal is of greatest importance, and it is not enough that the water source be above the distribution field of the sewer. It is a good idea to consult the nearest forest ranger, or some other person who is well acquainted with the locality, before making any such installations.

For sink drainage and kitchen waste a line of small sewer pipes, laid as shown in the accompanying diagram, is fairly adequate. Garbage and other refuse that cannot be drained away should be buried in a good-sized pit. This hole should be as nearly fly-proof as possible, and each fresh lot of refuse should be well covered with dirt or sand or sprinkled with a chloride of lime solution.

CESSPOOL WELL WATER TABLE ROCK

CABIN FOUNDATIONS

Foundations are the backbone of your cabin. From the structural standpoint they are probably the most important part of the building. So, just because they are going to be hidden, don’t skimp or hurry through with them because you want to get started quickly on the cabin itself. If the basic framework is out of line, the whole house will sag and tilt at odd angles. As one cabin expert says, “Wear out your spirit level and try-square—don’t save them for another job.”

One of the simplest foundations for the amateur builder is made by resting the sills on supports made of two large somewhat flat boulders. If your cabin site is on solid rock, then all that is necessary is to bed the bottom boulder securely on the rock. But if the terrain is ordinary earth, you should dig down past the “forest floor” of black humus until you reach rock, sand, gravel or other solid ground below the frost line. Then you pour concrete piers to the grade level and seat your boulders thereon, as shown in Fig. 3. _Do not_ use any mortar between the two boulders. Dampness will creep up past the first boulder, but if it is not bonded to the top boulder with mortar, the dampness will stop there and not reach the post supports or sill timbers of your cabin. Of course the concrete piers themselves, if built above grade, are perfectly good supports for the sills. But the boulders have more of a cabin “look.”

FLAT TOP BOULDERS CONCRETE PIER FOOTING

WOODEN FORM FOR PIERS

The number of foundation supports or piers will be determined by the size of the house. “Not less than seven feet on centers” is a good rule of thumb.