As I spelled out in the first article in this series, Spice and I purchased a prefabricated cabin for The Place several years ago.
Now that we are further along in the project, we have learned a few tips and tricks that may help you learn from our experiences and mistakes if you decide that you want to go the prefab route yourself.
Here’s a podcast we put together with some observations:
Pay attention to the pad you are sitting the cabin on.
A prefab cabin really needs to sit on a pad of some kind, not the ground, to keep the wood from rotting out from under you. There are several ways you can do this including the following:
- Put in a gravel pad. The good side of putting a cabin on a gravel pad is that it’s quick, easy, relatively inexpensive and it does work. The down side, however, is that the gravel compacts into the earth, which throws the cabin off level. We generally have to level the cabin at least once a year so that the door closes correctly. It’s not hard to do if you have a bottle jack and know how to use it … but you’d better have that bottle jack.
- Put it on a cement pad. Cement pads are great to put cabins on, the cabin stays level and is protected from the ground. The downsides are mostly twofold. First it’s the most expensive way to hold up the cabin. Second, it’s a lot of work to either pour the pad yourself or (as most people who buy prefab cabins do) hire a crew in to pour it for you.
- Put it on leveled cement footings. This may be the best choice for many people. It’s either a “do it yourself” job for some, or a fairly inexpensive and quick contractor’s project for those who want to pay to have it done.
Pay attention to the exterior finish.
Cabins come in all kinds of finishes. Here’s a photo showing several different trim packages available from our cabin’s builder:
Of course, it’s entirely your choice what you want, but we chose (and would recommend) an all-steel finish for durability and fire protection purposes.
Pay Attention to the details… the “fiddly bits”.
There are many, many “fiddly bits” that you have to pay attention to. For example, if you are doing plumbing, you need to plan where exactly the pipes will come in from. Additionally, running the pipes under the cabin. Other fiddly bits include placement of electrical wires, finding any tiny holes that flies, wasps and other insects can get into, etc.
Pay Attention to the airflow.
If it gets hot where the cabin is, you might be very glad to not only have flow-through window placements, but also have these oriented to catch the best summer breezes.
Pay attention to the sun.
Are you considering putting in solar power? We are, so we had them set the cabin down with the angled roof looking directly south; the most efficient position for rooftop solar panels
Pay attention to steps / ramp.
None of us are getting younger and all of us can get injured. A few steps that are a nothing in normal times become a giant pain in the rear during times of limited mobility. Also consider the most bulky and heavy things you’ll want to get in or out of the door. We purposely set ours so it’s a single step up onto the porch; a very easy thing to ramp.
Pay attention to the trees.
Near trees gets you shade, wind shield, camouflage — all of which are only seasonal for deciduous species. Less near trees gives you better breezes, no blocking of solar panels, more visibility both inward and outward, and the bonus chance of having limbs fall on your cabin during high winds. Some species of trees are more splintery than others. Some species also scream “I was planted here by humans!” to people who know the local territory.
