FYI-Katrina Cottages from Lowes [Archive]

bookwormom

09-30-2007, 08:30 AM

will you need a slab or what will you set the building on? you have to add that to the cost. who will assemble it?
what about insulation and finishing the inside? plumbing etc?

not that my way is so great, but here is what we did. we had a slab poured and built a 40 by 50 strawbale house, loadbearing walls. It is a relatively cheap way of building. the roof and the slab are the most expensive parts. Of course I don't know those Katrina cottages. I have looked at some of the buildings Lowes has in the parking lot and I figured up the cost in materials for one, using material from their store. I am an old do it yourselfer and frugal is my second name. you asked for advice, so me, no I would not do that. but that is me. I find their labor costs are high. I found that they charge 7.50 per squarefoot for putting down backerboard and tile. so I did it myself and knowing the high price of the work I was doing I enjoyed it a lot more, especially since I got the tile on sale for 50 cents.
I also appreciate the fact that we save a lot on heating and cooling.
whatever you decide, best wishes and may it turn out the way you want it to.

Susan

09-30-2007, 10:21 AM

Thanks, bookwormom. I am currently camping out in a 15 year old RV (60 sq. ft.) in a friend's pasture. She has a smaller version of the storage building that I referred to in my first post. Hers is not on a slab, but pier and beam.

I don't have access to a septic here, I use a plastic bag and cat litter. I moved here 4 years ago and rented a propane tank that was filled with 120 gallons at $1.60 per gallon. I have yet to refill it.

I can't use the stove due to damage done by field mice. Ditto for the heater. So I use a portable propane heater, a crockpot, small microwave and electric skillet.

I'm looking for a shelter, not anything that would even remotely compare to a real house.

I am 55 and living in an expensive rural area where you can qualify for a low income housing loan if you are single and make less than $39,000 a year. That will get you the funds to buy a new/used home and land valued up to $141,000. I qualify, but don't want to go that route.

I had thought of getting a yurt, but we have broken records this year in rainfall. A yurt would have had a hard time dealing with the continual moisture.

Anyone on this board living in alternative housing?

12vman

09-30-2007, 01:21 PM

Do you own that R.V.? Do you plan to use it on trips? Could you put some piers under it and set it up like a mobile home?

Susan

09-30-2007, 02:38 PM

Hi 12vman. Yes, I own the travel trailer. It is not road worthy, and where it is now is its final resting place.

The shower leaks and multiple repairs have not helped. I was told it was due to a poor design. The manufacturer is no longer in business.

There are other problems with it as well which I why I have to make plans to get out of here sooner rather than later.

If I were picky, living in a storage building would not even be considered. But I like to think of it as an unfinished one person cottage with an open floor plan.

Certainly I am not the only one to look at one of those units and see the possibilities.

The company that builds them here is just a few miles down the road. They will deliver it for free. I'm sure they are open to making changes to the basic plan if I want to pay extra. A skylight might be good.

With some insulation and paneling, the walls would be finished. A cylinder camp stove would provide heat and hot water. A small window a/c would fit into one of the 4 windows. Propane appliances and a composting toilet would work and I already have a James Handwasher for laundry. Lehman's catalog has lots of other non electric essentials.

Is this do-able? How is it different than a really basic log cabin?

12vman

09-30-2007, 05:46 PM

Sumptin' to think about..

I lived for quite a while in a 20' camper. It got really cramped and I needed just a little more room. I bought a shed that was 8'x12'. (used)
The roofing material was really rough but that was OK, I was gonna change it anyway..

I had the camper set up pretty solid on blocks. It wasn't going anywhere. I tore the roof from the shed and skooched it up tight against the camper as tight as I could. (the 12' length along the length of the camper)

Understand that the floor levels were different. The floor of the camper was around 12" higher than the base of the shed which was setting on ground level. I really didn't care how much it moved with the frost but you may not have to worry about that. I found studs in the wall of the camper, used wood screws through the siding that was on the shed and pulled the two together as tight as I could. Took the door off of the camper and made an opening the same size as the one in the camper in the wall of the shed. (had to do a little framin') Built a step to get from the room to the camper. Built the sill of the room against the camper to the level of the camper roof, rebuilt the roof to the outside sill which was around 12" lower. Made for a good water run off. I then flashed the area where the two came together so no water could get between them. Filled in the ends, insulated and finished and vala! Sunk in living room! I then gutted the camper and reorganized some. Just took some things out of it that I didn't need there. Kept the shower area and the kitchen in place. Used the area where I used to sleep as a dining area. (I now slept in the new room) Worked out well..

Susan

10-01-2007, 12:59 AM

Interesting solution, 12vman. My friend's husband built a 3 sided enclosure right across from the trailer's front door for my dogs. It's big enough so that they have their dog houses in there and I store my seasonal clothes, etc. in plastic trash cans there as well.

I guess I'm going to be the guinea pig/pioneer and see how it goes with turning a storage building (sow's ear) into a suitable living space (silk purse).

The storage building I want is small compared to the cabins I see, but they seem essentially the same. One is just cheaper.

I'd send a link or pic, but the company that I plan to use is run by Mennonites and they don't have a website. You ought to see the quality of their work. None better.

Off to work now........

12vman

10-01-2007, 01:20 AM

" guess I'm going to be the guinea pig/pioneer and see how it goes with turning a storage building (sow's ear) into a suitable living space (silk purse). "

It can be done.. ;D

Susan

10-01-2007, 03:58 PM

LOL :D

Ok, so it can be done. Gimme the hints and insights and warnings so that I don't make huge, dumb ass mistakes!

That's what I want, to learn from someone who has done it.

12vman

10-01-2007, 05:08 PM

My suggestion would be to go ahead and finish the inside walls the way you want them. (insulate, dry wall, paneling, windows.. whatever) Run all of your wiring, plumbing after the fact. (along the ceiling and drop straight down the walls to where you need things) Some furring strips and some slats from a few pallets can cover that. If you have enough ceiling height, construct a false ceiling about 2" or so (think drop ceiling) to hide everything that you run up there. This way if you have any problems with anything, you don't have to tear the place apart to do a repair..

Run your drains through the walls to the outside for the same reason. You're not going to have much room under it.. lol

Consider a couple of sky lights. A 13" tube style unit can produce as much light as a 700 watt bulb! You can reduce the need for windows..

Install a stack vent in your bathroom area. (important) This can do two functions.. Allow ventilation for your composting toilet without the need for a fan and help keep moisture issues down while taking showers/bath. There will always be air leaving the bathroom so the "stench" doesn't go throughout the rest of the place.. ;D

Keep your outside colors lighter shades so the place doesn't heat up like an easy bake oven.. (Think white roof material) Install vents in the attic area if you have any. The heat needs to escape from under the roof or it will cook you all night.. (and so it don't sweat in the winter months)

If you insulate good, a small vent less propane heater will work. You already have the air exchange because of the stack vent in the bathroom.. ;)

Just a few things that I can think of right now..

Susan

10-02-2007, 02:14 AM

Install a stack vent in your bathroom area. (important) This can do two functions.. Allow ventilation for your composting toilet without the need for a fan and help keep moisture issues down while taking showers/bath. There will always be air leaving the bathroom so the "stench" doesn't go throughout the rest of the place.. *;D

Now we're getting somewhere 12vman!
The composting toilet I am referring to is not a bucket. They run $1,000+ each. Also, if you are a vegetarian then no air freshener is needed.

I live in Texas, so heat is something I am dealing with at this very moment. I think I could find a skylight that is like the roof vents here in the trailer. Screened so that the bugs stay out but the fresh air comes in.

I don't plan to be there much (as in retirement). I have 1 full time job and 2 mini part time jobs.

I gather that this project will be more about what I want and less about "have-tos." That's what I needed to know. I am resourceful and flexible. I hope to attend the next home and garden show that comes to town and pick some brains there as well.

12vman

10-02-2007, 02:45 AM

:o "The composting toilet I am referring to is not a bucket. They run $1,000+ each. " :o

DON'T DO IT!! I made that mistake myself! The store bought ones are not what they say they are! Believe me..

Get one of these (http://www.ecovita.net/privy.html) and build your own..

nancy1340

10-02-2007, 06:24 AM

:o *"The composting toilet I am referring to is not a bucket. *They run $1,000+ each. " :o

DON'T DO IT!! I made that mistake myself! The store bought ones are not what they say they are! Believe me..

Get one of these (http://www.ecovita.net/privy.html) and build your own..

Cool! I have never seen these.

machinemaker

10-02-2007, 07:24 AM

you might want to look at the book series from Micheal Reynolds the architect that designs the earthships. I think that it is in the earthship III book he talks about an affordable "temporary" shelter that is cheap and energy efficient. It is built out of straw bales, earth sheltered for keeping your cooling costs down and there are plans in one of the books for a "solar" toilet that can be built on a south facing wall. Kinda like pooping in a vented solar oven that dehydrates the waste for instant composting. If you don't need the solar gain for heating this straw bale structure could be turned to not heat up from the sun be even cooler.

Susan

10-03-2007, 02:46 AM

I've read that straw bales have an R-value of around 50. So that brings me to my insulation question: If regular rolled insulation is R-19, can I double it inside the walls of the storage building? I haven't done any investigating on this, but I would prefer the most insulation I could get. Blown insulation is what we had in an old fixer upper (in my other life) that we had. It settled and we had to add more. Unsatisfactory in every way.

12vman

10-03-2007, 03:28 AM

Quote..
" If regular rolled insulation is R-19, can I double it inside the walls of the storage building? "

You could.... But the walls would have to be 12" thick! R-19 is made to be used in 6" walls. You can not/should not compress insulation. The "fluffiness" is what makes it insulation..

10-03-2007, 03:39 PM

I once read an extensive test where a wall was measured for the R factor. Then fiberglass insulation was added and another check for R was done... Then more was added ect.. ect... ect...

Once the wall was full with the recomended amount, the R was at what it was suposeto be for that amount of insulation. BUT, they added even more compressing the fiberglass and kept measuring.

As the insulation was compressed, the R factor "did" go up, BUT double the amount of insulation only raised the R a few points, so even though it went up it was a huge waste of $$...

The best way to hold the heat in, is to keep the air flow from going through the wall, and for a southern state that means using house wrap on the bld. "under" the sideing.... House wrap allows moisture "vapour" to go to the outside, but NO water can get through into the inside...

Seal well around the windows with calk and low expanding foam, and make sure your doors have good seals... These things make a big difference.

DM

Susan

10-04-2007, 02:58 AM

I am learning from you guys, thanks.

Now I have a question about plumbing. In this RV I have a 6 gallon water heater. A friend's husband told me to get a 30 gallon heater and hook it up outside the trailer. As it is, my water comes from the neighbor's outdoor faucet through a RV hose that is hooked up to the trailer. Where it goes from there, I don't know. But is it possible to do a similar simple hookup to the storage building?

Txanne

10-04-2007, 03:35 AM

Hi, I'm thinking of buying a 14X32 storage building with 4 windows to live in. It will cost $7,690 plus tax.

Has anyone done this kind of thing or know anyone who has?

I plan to get a one acre lot and get off the grid as much as possible.

Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Susan--I looked into this very building--but the one I looked at--with the windows and door i wanted wasnt but [[ 2750.00]] A 500.00 non-refundable deposit--pays for the moving of said house---

These i looked at are made by the amish i believe[[Dirksen ?? ]]

Look else where thats too high--for an unfinished cabin.

annie

Susan

10-06-2007, 02:20 AM

Thanks for your comment, Annie.

The company I will go with is run by the Beachy family. There are Morgan wood storage buildings available in this area and they are more like the one you described.

The flyer the Beachy's provide says the following:

Standard building features:

Floor: 4x4 treated runners on 6x8 and 8x8
4x6 treated runners.
2x4 treated floor joists 16" on center
3/4" tongue and groove plywood

Walls: Height: 4' or 5'
Studs: 2x4--16" on center
Siding: 1/2" plywood siding
Cedar trim

Roof: Roof trusses: 2x4--24" on center
Roof sheathing: 1/2 CD plywood
Shingles: 20 year 3 in 1 fiberglass

The buildings are hefty and solid, so I think the cost is justified. My neighbor's unit has been through more than 5 years of Texas weather and still looks great.

DavidOH

10-06-2007, 06:02 PM

Sounds like my neighborhood. ;D

http://www.beachybarns.com/

Yup, Big Darby runs through Plain City. 8)

If I don't know them, I know someone who does.
There are quite a few of these around. just down the road a ways I pass a dealer with several finished.

I'd be happy to check any details for you if these are the folks you are looking to buy from.
I don't see any listed larger than 16 x 24 ... 6'6" walls.

Susan

10-07-2007, 02:33 AM

I'll bet the Beachy's in your area are related to the ones in mine.

I went to the website you provided and the units in my area have more exterior details that make the units look more like little cottages and less like mini barns.

10-07-2007, 03:12 PM

I don't know how long you want it to last, but for me, i'd pay more and get better shingles.

DM

Susan

10-08-2007, 02:09 AM

The shingles offered are 20 year 3 in 1. What's better than that?

12vman

10-08-2007, 02:15 AM

Wonder if one could be ordered with a metal roof? Maybe white? That would be great for collecting rain water.. 8)

Susan

10-08-2007, 11:10 AM

I'm sure I could provide the metal roofing material and they would install it. But with the amount of rain we have gotten just this year (20 inches above normal so far), I could collect it just as easily by setting large containers outside. It has looked like Ireland around here at times. :)

10-08-2007, 03:28 PM

The shingles offered are 20 year 3 in 1. What's better than that?

30yr, 35yr, 40yr, even 50 yr.... I put 40 on everything of mine, as what ever is there now needs to be replaced, so i won't ever have to do it again in my life time... I'm just getting ready to put 40's on my shop, as i just finished my little cement "aproach" project that's in front of it done...

I wouldn't even consider a metal roof, unless it's a standing seam, and around here that's more expensive than 40yr shingles...

DM

jen_in_southtexas

11-14-2007, 02:35 PM

I like your idea of housing in a storage shed. I have thought about doing that myself. I have a 32ft camper trailer with NO hookups what so ever on 10acres that i just purchased. I still have yet to install my 45watt solar panel. But I do have a deep cycle 12v battery that i use together with the charge indicator and adaptor outlets along with the power inverter if i need it. I can cook and have heat if need be as i have 2 portable propane tanks like the ones you can exchange in the stores. I dont stay there much because of the distance from there to work. For now its Its sustainable if it came down to it. Im just not quiet ready yet to live there full time. I have lots of improvements I'd like to do to make it easier on myself. I think any shed can be live-able just depends on how you plan it out. They have the really cute barn looking ones with a little porch out front and a loft inside for around 5300.00. I really like it and have thought about purchasing it in the near future.

What area in Texas do you live? Im in south texas closer to corpus christi area.

-j

SKB

12-05-2007, 01:57 PM

Hi Jen. I'm SE of Austin and I just found a Mr. Fix-It who has experience in finishing sheds and making them suitable to live in.

I forgot my password this morning and discovered that it was much faster to just register again. Anyway, I am the woman whose posts/questions about living in a storage building you read earlier in this thread. :)