When it comes to living simple and with ease, we are excited to announce our latest project we are building on the farm this year, our single floor cabin house we will call the Timber Stone Ranch Cabin.
When we decided to open up the farm to accommodate overnight stays, we were somewhat overwhelmed with the response for those who wanted to stay in our original 600 square foot cabin house in the woods.
In fact, overwhelmed might be an understatement if that is possible! We certainly love having guests get to experience the farm and walking trails. And knowing we still had a bit of space for one more “cabin in the woods” – we decided to create another space for visitors to enjoy that would have a new take on living simple.
Creating A Place For Everyone – The Single Floor Cabin House Project
As much as we love our little two-story cabin house, we realized it might not be perfect for everyone. After all, with the only true bedroom on the second floor, it can be difficult for those who can’t climb.
In addition, although there is a pull-out couch, having an option for a second small bedroom in the new project might be a great added feature. So, with all of those thoughts in mind, we thought it might be the perfect time to add one more “perfect” little cabin to the mix.
We spent most of last winter and spring looking at hundreds of one story cabin designs. As we did, we knew there was a short list of things we really wanted to include to make it just right!
Check Out The Progress Below – The Framing Is Up!
Creating A Plan That Works
For starters, we wanted a small footprint, but one that could still have two bedrooms. In addition, we wanted to add some comfort and cozy features like a fireplace and screened in porch.
Last but not least, we wanted a unique design with lots of low maintenance features, but all in a cabin house style that still fit the woodland space backdrop.
With that in mind, here is an in-depth look at the plans and specs for our latest project. Once again, Weaver Barns will be assisting us with finalizing the design and with the build. As always, we can’t say enough about how much we love having them help us bring our vision to reality!
Now – here is a look at all of the details of our latest project, The Timber Stone Ranch Cabin!
The Single Floor Cabin House Project
One of our favorite building designs on the farm is our shower house. It features a raised roof in place of a traditional peak top. In fact, we loved the look so much, we repeated it to build the farm’s garage/pavilion last summer.
So when it came to figuring out a design for the single floor cabin house, we figured, why not put two raised roof structures together at opposite angles?
Not only does it give a unique look to the cabin house, it also allows for the interior spaces to seem open and large. Even better, it lets us add extra windows at the top side of the larger raised roof section to let light from above fill the main room.
Creating A Low Maintenance Exterior – The Single Floor Cabin House Project
As with all of the buildings on our farm, low or no maintenance is a must! We once again used stone and our metal board and batten siding to clad the exterior. Both are timeless. Both hold up for forty to fifty years. And most importantly, they both match everything we have on the farm already!
For heat and hot water we are once again using on an on demand floor heating system. The cost savings and efficiency are simply out of this world. In addition, the comfort level of the heat is wonderful, and endless hot water? Well, you can’t beat it!
We will install a mini-split AC unit to cool the cabin. A single unit will be more than enough to do the job. What really makes the split units nice is that they also have auxiliary heat functions if ever needed.
For water, we will have the UV light and water cistern system once again with a rain collection system powering it all. If the cabin wasn’t in the woods, it could easily be completely off-grid if a solar package was added to it.
The Floor Plan – The Single Floor Cabin House Project
The floor plan for the main area is wide open. The L-kitchen design and the island open to the sitting area, with double doors from the kitchen that lead out to the screened in porch and patio area.
For the kitchen, we kept all of the appliances full size. Having full size appliances really makes a small space still seem big. Whenever we travel and stay in rental homes or cabins, we love having full size cooking appliances!
The porch and patio was a must. Just as with our other cabin house, it really makes the space seem even larger. It also happens to overlook the woods and a ravine below. One thing is for sure, it will be a perfect place to enjoy a dinner or evening, and bug free!
The two bedrooms, small bath, shower and laundry room all fit into the opposite raised roof section. At 12 x 10, the bedrooms are not huge, but why waste space in a sleeping area? They both have small closets that have a clothes rack up top, and double drawer dressers in the bottom.
The laundry room holds a stackable washer and dryer along with additional storage space. Having the bedroom closets and a bit of extra storage space in the laundry room is a must. It keeps the small, single floor cabin house from seeming cluttered since items can be put out of sight.
Let The Building Begin – The Single Floor Cabin House Project
We have already cleared the space in the woods and hope to have the pad poured in the next month or so. From there, it’s building time!
We will be updating the progress with a few videos on our YouTube channel in the coming months. Once complete, we will update with an article and final walk-through video. Hopefully, by early next spring we will have another space to stay and enjoy the farm! Happy Building – Jim and Mary.
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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