This video shows how to build a simple tiny off grid cabin in the forest for use as a hunting base cabin or even a permanent off grid cabin to start your homestead. The coolest part is that they use a portable sawmill to mill their own lumber from the trees they cut from the land. This is one of the techniques I originally wrote about in my article in my Off Grid Living magazine November 2014 issue, titled “Building a Cabin on a Budget” where I go into detail on how to build a cabin using exactly the same techniques these guys use in the video below.
They selected a parcel of land with the natural resources to build a cabin, fell the trees needed for the lumber, and used a portable sawmill to cut the lumber they needed to build the tiny cabin. It’s a great example of what can be done with a little creative thinking and wise investments in tools and equipment and having will and the skill to build it yourself.
Technically speaking it’s not a difficult process. Fell the trees you need. Setup your portable saw mill, tune it in to the right thickness of boards and planks, and start cutting your lumber. I would rather invest $5k to $10k in a portable sawmill than spend an extra $1ok on materials you can only use once. At least when you have the sawmill you can build even more cabins.
In my opinion this is about creativity and making your log cabin budget stretch as far a possible. Why spend money on lumber when you can INVEST that money in good quality tools and equipment to make your own lumber? It makes more sense to me to invest that m0ney in the tools and equipment rather than spending it on materials/
Of course you have more labor involved on your part, but this is about building your own cabin, not buy one. Anyone with money can buy a cabin. It takes a special kind of person to build their own cabin.
Cutting your own lumber might seem a daunting task for some people, but it’s not that complex or difficult. This isn’t to say it’s not hard work. The process itself is simple, the concept, the idea, is simple. The work is hard and you have to be willing and able to do it.
I really like the cabin. It shows what can be done and how quickly you can build a cabin in the woods when you have a good team and the right tools and equipment to get the job done.
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