Nice

There ARE angels among us!

I knows it’s been a bit since I updated pics..... I did insulate the the roof and the loft. I put r19 in between the rafters in the loft then slid 1 1/2” foam board between the fly and canvas up front.

I also put the deck down in the front area of the cabin.  I used a weed torch and charred it, then scrubbed it down. I will be sealing it but I like the way it turned out. Attached File
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I am also going to look at a wood burning cook stove today. I decided I don’t have enough time right now to try the rocket mass heater as it will take a lot of trial and error so I will save that one for my next project.

I cooked on a Majestic wood cook stove for a number of years. The tastiest bread and biscuits you ever tasted come out of a wood cook stove.

Mine had the upper warming ovens and a hot water add on. The best part is I got it for helping a buddy buck 10 acres of hay bales.

It was really close to this:


You'll love having one. Be sure you get triple wall flue pipe to go through whatever ceiling or wall you end up going through. Needs a flue damper too.

My uncle tried to heat his cabin with a wood cook stove years ago. From what I noticed, the wood cook stove didn't have a very large firebox so it ended up not working very well to heat his house. It had to be fed small wood constantly and wouldn't maintain a fire for more than a couple hours.

With the ease of access to propane today, I'd go with a traditional wood stove since it'll hold a wood load for a long time compared to a cook stove and cook on propane.

Well, the wood cook stove, that I picked up for $250 on Craigslist has exceeded my expectations so far. It took me a day to learn it’s secrets and all I can say is wow! The small wood box is actually perfect for my cabin. It keeps the fire smaller and more manageable. As it is I have a hard time keeping the temp in the cabin below 75’ when it’s burning, and last night I loaded it at 9 pm, went to bed, and by midnight it Was a little warmer than I like. At 5 am it was 58 in the cabin ( 20’) outside and I still had a nice coal bed to start the morning......

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I put a layer of concrete backer board and the corrugated sheets have 1” air gap.

Dang, how did I not see this thread until now? This is great!

I'm envious of what you're doing, David. A lot of respect for you guys and girls who can do this.

Cool thread OP, nice work.

I hope the weather so far isn't the type of winter we are going to have.  Already had a dusting of snow here and several night's below freezing.  That is dang near unheard of in this valley so early in the year.

Hope your ready OP!!

Good to see that you are doing well in your new location, OP.

A proper stove in your cabin is a Godsend. It looks as though you did well.

Great thread OP, phenomenal progress.  I just read through it all.

I'm about the same age and although I did construction when I was younger, not sure I could do a lot of it now.

I lived in Oklahoma, so I definitely get your decision to head to ID vs Arkansas.  While I loved Oklahoma, I'll take the mountains over the plains every time.

Sounds like you've figured a lot of things out, but another great resource is tractorbynet.com  - basically the arfcom of homesteading, tractors, building, etc.

Finally got my DIY Berkey water filter put together.....

Bought the filters and spout on Amazon for $140 and the two 16 qt pots came from Walmart for $11 each....
So I basically have a 4 gallon Berkey filter ($350-400) for $150!!!

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Just a thought, you might want to consider getting one more of those pots to keep on your stove for both hot water and as a humidifier.

I found that adding a little humidity to the air makes the heat seem to go a little farther.

Even though my cook stove had a hot water jacket, I always kept a kettle of water on the top just because the added humidity always made my cabin feel warmer.

Id be interested as well, can you list the part #s, id liked to build one also

Ive read to keep cast iron pots ,etc on top of stove to help with heat as well, as cast iron holds heat well

List of material:

2 Mainstay 16 qt stainless steel stock pots ( with stainless steel lid) These are cheap and very thin stainless steel. They stink for cooking but are perfect for the water filter. About $12-15 each

2 Berkey replacement filters .... got mine from Amazon $120 With Prime....

Aqua crest filter  $74.99

Berkey filters $128.99

Stainless steel spigot.... $25 on Amazon with Prime

Stainless spigot $15.99

On the upper pot drill two 3/8” holes for the filters to go in.
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On the lower pot drill a 5/8” hole on the front of the pot for the spigot. Leave at least 1/2” below spigot to bottom of pot.
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Take one of the lids and while following the bevel, cut the center ( handle ) out of the lid using tin snips or a bubbler leaving about 1 1/2” to the outside edge. Using two sided tape affix the lid to the bottom of the filter pot so it can rest on top of the filtered water pot with spigot. I also used food safe silicone to seal the lid to the bottom of the pot.

I hope that gives you the info you need....

As of now I only have a cord of burns me wood, however, I have plenty of standing dead to get me through the winter.... I can cut and spit about a weeks worth of wood in a day so I will be busy, but able to keep my wood stocked. I also have about three cords of fresh cut wood at the moment curing for next year, and plenty more to cut as well.

I also found some great compressed sawdust logs that fit my firebox perfectly and burn for a about 4-5 hours for $1.19 each so I use them at night or when I am gonna be away from the cabin.

Well, spent the day doing the worst job EVER! Trenching around the cabin with a very finicky Ditch Witch on ground, that was probably still a little too wet, for a French drain. I went around all sides of the cabin, then went down the south side of the property to help divert some of the Spring thaw drainage away from my direct area.....

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Still have to haul in the gravel and tile. Hope to get that tomorrow, unless I’m too burnt from today’s workout......

Love the stove and it sounds like it burns efficiently! Up till this year, wood burning fireplaces and stoves have been our source of heat. We bought a new house and all it has is a VERY efficient wood pellet stove and two propane fireplaces with blowers. We're going to try them for the winter and replace the main propane fireplace in the dining room with a wood burning fireplace more than likely. It works but we want at least one wood burning source of heat in the house. The pellet stove? ROCKS.

Any news?

He died and the hogs ate him.

Nah, I’m still here.... I have been helping my neighbor with the foundation for his new home build the last week....there is a small quarry adjacent to our properties that we have been getting rock/ gravel from for it.

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When not helping the neighbor, I finished my shower basin...... a 4’ water trough that I tiled to help drain better. I also re purposed the ramp from my trailer for a front porch on my cabin.
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I also have been clearing trees around my cabin. Any tree that is within striking distance is coming out. The big logs are being stage to go to the neighbor mill ( board and batten siding) and additional lumber for future projects. All other wood is being buck up for fire wood.

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I also started my back deck and generator house on the back of my cabin as well. Although I don’t have pics of that yet.... will edit them in later.

Look forward to it.

Keep living the dream, I live vicariously through you.

Considering the density of the forest in those pics, and that wildfires are a clear and present danger in the Intermountain West I'd take a look at clearing things off more using the Defendable Space recommendations in these docs, references, etc.

Defensible Space - FEMA

Wildfire Defensible Space Checklists

Defensible Space - What is a defensible space?

Defensible space is the area between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and to provide an opportunity for firefighters to effectively defend the house.

The Three R's of Defensible Space
1) Removal: This technique involves the elimination of entire plants, particularly trees and shrubs, from the site. Examples of removal are cutting down a dead tree or cutting out a flammable shrub.

2) Reduction: The removal of plant parts, such as branches or leaves, constitute reduction. Examples of reduction are pruning dead wood from a shrub, removing low tree branches, and mowing dried grass.

3) Replacement: Replacement is substituting less flammable plants for more hazardous vegetation. Removal of a dense stand of flammable shrubs and planting an irrigated, well maintained flower bed is an example of replacement.

FIRE ZONES FOR WOODLAND HOMES

ZONE 1: 5 FEET FROM THE HOUSE

This area, closest to the house, is the most critical for fire protection. Have nothing flammable next to the house, including tall grass, evergreen trees and shrubs, trees that overhang the house or deck, leaves, brush, firewood piles, bark, mulch and other burnables. Clean gutters, roof and deck of flammable debris. This zone does not have to be barren. Maintain a well-kept lawn, or use crushed brick or river stone gravel instead of mulch. Use raised beds, large decorative rocks, stone walkways, patios, or other features to create visual interest while maintaining a fuel break for forest fire safety.

ZONE 2: 10 FEET FROM THE HOUSE

Maintain a well-kept lawn and avoid evergreens that catch fire easily and burn quickly. Occasional trees and shrubs should be at least 10 feet from the house. Space trees with 10-15 feet between tree crowns and prune trees 10-15 feet up from the ground.

A pond or swimming pool can act as both a firebreak and an emergency water supply for firefighters. Freshly tended flower beds, herb or vegetable gardens, rock gardens, stone walls and driveways can also act as firebreaks. Avoid "fire ladders" that allow fire to climb from the ground into tree branches. Do this by pruning trees, spacing tall trees away from medium-sized trees and by using ground covers or small plants under tall trees.

ZONE 3: 30-100 FEET FROM THE HOUSE

Rake or use a leaf blower to remove leaves and twigs at least 30 feet from the house and up to 100 feet on the downhill side. If you live in a pine forest, maintain a safety zone at least 75 feet on all sides of the house. Firewood and other burnables should be stored at least 30 feet from the house to help keep fire from spreading to or from your house. It also provides a space for firefighters to defend your house from fire.
Prune and thin trees so there are no dense stands or tree tops touching. Keep shrubs small, maintained, and free of dead materials. Control brush and weeds annually. Steep areas can be terraced to slow down wildfires. A stone wall can also act as a fire barrier on very steep slopes.

THE HOUSE: BUILD WITH FIRE IN MIND

Build your house on a level location. Houses overhanging steep slopes are very vulnerable to forest fires. Enclose any open space underneath decks with screen to prevent embers from entering. Use fire resistant building material for both the siding and the roof. Avoid wood shake roofs for woodland homes. Make sure firefighters can find and reach your home.

The Firescape - A home in a woodland setting is usually surrounded by forest fire fuel and is in real danger if a wildfire is on the loose.

Firewise - Landscaping can create a line of defense against the threat of wildfire by creating a safety zone or defensible space around your home.
The goal is to break the chain of flammable fuel between your home and the forest. Examine your yard. What can catch fire and carry this fire to the house?

Be Guided By Nature's Patterns - You can landscape for fire protection while maintaining a natural look to your surroundings. Work with the plants native to the site, using the pattern found in nature. Also, consider hardiness zones when choosing new plants. The placement of plants and trees is just as important as the species when planning fire safety.

All Plants Burn!

There are no fire proof plants, but some plants are more fire-retardant than others.

You truly are living my dream right now OP. If it weren't for my wife, I would be right there with you. Good luck and keep us posted!

That sounds so fantastic. Don't give up and godspeed for all of your dreams.

I REALLY like the trailer ramp put into service as a porch! Clever!

And if you scrape your muddy or snow covered boots, it all just falls through - that's great!

With 25 years of Wildland Fire experience in the west, and a very good knowledge of conditions in the eastern half of the country there's a distinct difference in wildfire risk in different parts of the country.

Conifers are much more likely to burn (with some exceptions depending on species) than deciduous trees. But some deciduous shrubs are very volatile.

In the humid east the first "fire" season is typically in the early spring before vegetation green-up which essentially fire-proofs most forests in the upper mid-west and NE. However, wind-driven events during droughty conditions can cause big fire events in the upper mid-west, especially in the fall season ( 2nd fire season)when deciduous trees have dry leaves and before any snow fall.

The SE US is a whole different ball-game since that area rarely gets snow that sticks and stays all winter, but a few years ago there were the infamous large fires in the Kentucky/Tennessee ?? area, and Florida can have large wildfires.

West of the 100th Meridian (noticeably less humid to very dry) every bit of vegetation from a blade of grass to trees have a fire cycle, which can vary from short to very-long timelines depending on the ecosystem. Some trees actually need fire to reproduce. Some trees/shrubs have volatile fluids (like the chaparral areas in the CA that burn like living gasoline. Some trees are fairly fire resistant (especially if fire can be kept out of the canopy/tree crown) due to thick bark or sparse crowns.

People like to live with trees around them, and if you're in fire-prone areas without defensible space those that don't prepare get burned out when a large rapidly moving fire takes place.

In my locale in 2017 I watched a 50,000 acre fire blow up over 3 days, and was 1/2 mile from the evacuation zone. When I moved here I knew where to live to greatly reduce the risk. It was an interested watch over 3 days watching a mountain side blow up, but I knew I was basically 100% safe based on the behavior of the fire.

Based on the posted pics the OP is in a high risk area (which I'm very familiar with), and has relatively high fuel densities on his property (and likely the surrounding property also). Hopefully he and his neighbors will manage the vegetation to reduce the risk of getting burned out if one (especially wind-driven) gets started in his immediate area.

My .02

Thanks for the info..... we are on the same page. Currently I am clearing ALL trees within 50 ft of my cabin, moving further out with one that are within falling distance. I plan on laying gravel out to the 50 ft area and using raised garden boxes for my garden and herbs..... over the winter I will be thinning down all the tree on the lower section of the property as well as cleaning up the ‘dog hair’ branches of all trees. In the spring I will be getting goats and hogs to help begin the clean up of the brush on the upper part of my property....

My neighbor has a bulldozer and we are already planning on reclaiming the fire break lines that have grown up over the years.

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Pics of my back deck and generator house...... as promised👍

How much snow ya get ? Id keep as much off ground as possible, generator looks good for temp but id find a better home if it were me.