THE OFF GRID TRIBE

DIY CABIN PROJECT NAME: SUNBEAM HILL

Week one of my DIY cabin build has now come and gone. I didn’t get quite as much done as I would have liked but there is a LOT to do on the property up here in the mountains. My brother is starting his DIY cabin build too, and we also are tearing down an old cabin that was here before my parents bought the land. We’re juggling all three massive projects at once and fighting a lingering winter so some weeks will be a lot slower than others. 

We rented an Auger to drill holes, bought the pier timber and the basic foundation boards for each side, along with some hardware. I already had quite a few tools and such, and I won’t be including what I already had, or what the family already owns in my weekly budget tracking updates. 

With week one over I have the entire site completely cleared (Huge thanks to dad for his epic chainsaw work!) and all 8 post holes dug. Week one’s purchases pretty much cover my foundation and front-to-back support beam structure that the floor will be built on. 

I bought 5 6x6x12 treated timbers that will be cut to serve as my eight piers/posts acting as the primary support legs for the entire structure. In total my foundation costs for week one are at just under $400. 

After working on my brother’s piers today it became apparent I’m probably going to need a couple more bags of cement. So that will be included in the next update. But all in all the foundation should come in at about $430-$450 total. 

In my opening post I discussed the basics of what I’m up to and why. If you haven’t read that yet you may want to start there. 

Now I should say up front this is a family blog and many stories may end up being posted/journaled here. So we’ll all use first names and build site labels/names to help track who is doing what. We’re a tribe up here on family owned land. Multiple projects are all happening at once and it’s going to be a lot of fun to journal here on this blog. We won’t give out last names and actual location because that kind of defeats the purpose of getting out here in nature and away from society with privacy that we so heavily desire. 

My mom hand crafts amazing soaps, chapsticks and all kinds of stuff from the land out here, for example. She also farms an incredible salsa garden. My dad is a very handy jack of all trades. My better half will be working on some nifty DIY projects around the land and my brother’s family has a lot in the works too. We may al jump in here to give anyone who might care occasional updates. 

So this past week my brother and I began our DIY cabin builds. We’re both planning multiple stages but have a basic simple layout/floorplan in place for phase one. His will be 12x24 and is being built over a ravine in a style almost like a large treehouse. Mine will utilize a 12x36 footprint and be a little more traditional. 

My site will from here on out will be called Sunbeam Hill. I call it this because during the evening “magic hour” the way the sun cuts through the trees is incredible and leaves a lasting impression. It’s one of the most peaceful visuals I’ve ever laid eyes on and it’s beauty simply can’t be described in words. I’ll capture some good stills and video in the coming weeks once the weather gets its act together. 

But for this post I wanted to just post up a basic shot of the build site for Sunbeam Hill. Again, this will be a 12x36 modern yet rustic “off grid” cabin. 

The cell phone pic above doesn’t quite explain the site make up. It has a lot of challenges that builders in other parts of the country may not run into. The first six inches are absolutely saturated with tree roots. The next foot or so is filled with rocks. At about 16-18 inches, which is also the frost line, it becomes clay. 

Additionally, this site is not at all level. And it would take tremendous work to level it. So we’re building it on 8 “piers.” Each of these piers are 6x6 12 foot treated timbers. The back end will sit about two feet off the ground and the front end will be about 7 feet high. That gives you some idea as to how unleveled it is. 

Another difficulty, although I actually kind of like this, is that there is no road to the actual site. The road ends down the side of the hill and there is a pathway for about 50 feet from the road to the site. This means there is a LOT of work to get supplies, materials and tools to the top. And it’s a grind climbing the grade to the top. Yesterday I carried 12 treated 2x6x12 boards up and I have to say... I’m feeling it! 

But what we lose by not having a road we gain by having 360 degrees of trees and views. Over the last weekend I carved out a firepit area and it is beautiful because it isn’t surrounded by roads or open spaces. It’s right smack in the middle of the forest and has a feel of a primitive camp site that money can’t buy. 

The start of the 8 holes has begun. All are at proper depth and now we just need to get their diameter proper (10 inches is the target). So ground is broken and we’re off to the races. In the next post I’ll talk about week one materials purchased, what they will accomplish and what costs are so far. Along with initial planned budget (which we will inevitably exceed). 

Let the DIY cabin build begin!

39 years. 39 freaking years!

I’ve been on this amazing planet for 39 years. And sadly it took me 39 years to realize that modern American society is a sham. It’s all a shell game jam-packed with sheep who work to pave the path to their own slaughter. 

I spent decades working to achieve the almighty American dream. When I achieved it all I felt was more responsibility. More demand for my time and labor. More financial obligations, more social obligations and more obligations to the very machine that promised the American dream would bring about freedom. 

It was nonsense. No freedom comes from accomplishing the American dream. Unless you’re blind and willing to unknowingly follow the pied piper off a cliff. 

For me the opposite occurred. The six figure salary and high rise condo simply meant I was now trapped. I had to work even harder, give up even more of my life and become deeper entrenched in the rat race. 

That’s only half of it, though. You see, the rat race, the matrix-like machine, if you will, is only half the pain I found myself enduring. The more difficult side is people. 

I hate to say this because it makes me sound like an isolationist, but most people suck. I’m seriously baffled at how terrible many people are. People who call themselves friends. People who make you believe they’re trustworthy. People with apparent good reputations. People with good work histories. People who, by all appearances on the cover, are “great Americans.” 

I can’t count the number of knives I’ve pulled from my back over the past couple of years. But I can count the number of actual “true friends” I have on one hand. My 39 years have taught me that the world is a vampire. It’s all dog-eat-dog. And if you’re not willing to be a vampire yourself it will chew you up and spit you out. 

For decades I thought that was just the name of the game. It was all just a part of the process. The world is a rough place and you have to learn to be rough in it to survive... so I believed. And look, I’m not opposed to fighting hard for survival, but not if my fight involves others fighting against me. I have no interest in that. 

For years I’ve seen the memes about dreaming of being in a small cabin, candle lit at night for book reading, peace and fruitful soul searching. And while the memes were certainly attractive, it didn’t seem realistic. But when you reach a point at which time you’ve had enough... that small simple cabin quickly becomes more and more appealing. 

So, today marks my journey to begin building my own cabin in the woods. With minimal funding, minimal help and minimal knowledge of doing so. I’m going to do it with my own hands. I will be responsible only to myself and family. And I will not in any way rely on people who claim I should trust them. 

Nature is a miracle. A healing environment. And when you’ve had it with the modern world, nature is one of the few things that bring about true peace and freedom. 

The land is secured and the build site is ready. I plan to document the journey here for anyone who cares to come along. 

-Eric