Cabin 2

Last week I was talking about maybe building a little cabin. An important step for that done is getting my dad's old truck running. This is something I've been wanting to do anyway. With a new battery it cranks up but lacks the power to move. I've been ordering parts to do a tune up on it a little at a time. This week I changed the pcv valve and the spark plugs. It didn't fix it. The next step is changing the fuel filter, which is located underneath the truck and is designed to be changed while the truck is on a lift. Since I can't drive it to a garage, I'm not sure how I'm going to get it changed. I need to raise that side of the truck up, and I don't know if it has enough power to drive onto ramps.

I've been doing tons of research for the cabin. Financially, a pier and beam foundation makes the most sense. Nine to twelve piers at around $60 each would cost in the $600 to $700 range. That's 12" diameter piers on 2' by 2' foundations in three or four rows. Mathematically, nine should work, but I'm wondering about adding an extra row for greater stability.

Like I said last week, I have a disc problem in my back and would need a way to lift heavy things. I've found some tools. The big one is this 1-ton chain hoist. If I could rig up a cable or rope between two trees, it would lift anything I need including 20-foot beams. I'd never have to be trying to hold a long, heavy board while nailing or drilling. Another device is this material dolly for moving plywood and drywall panels. It holds up to 500 pounds. A companion device I might not need is a board lifter. Once the plywood or drywall panel was moved into place, a panel hoist would lift it up wherever I needed it, including up to the ceiling. I could make the ceilings and never have to lift anything except a drill. Same for the roof.

Something else I found was a miniature chainsaw mill. YouTube has videos showing how chainsaw mills work. What this mini device would let me do is make my own lumber. I don't want to make all of it, just certain parts like the beams. They would have to be 20 feet long. The only one I could find online was $97, and I need at least four of them. Too expensive. The mini mill is $25, and I already have a lightweight, electric chainsaw. The mini mill also solves another problem. With the doctor bills from January, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to afford to build even a bare bones structure. It finally occurred to me that I could use the mini mill to make boards like this for the siding. I was going to use cheap, vinyl siding that would cost somewhere around the $650 range, depending on the cabin's size. Making the siding would save enough to be able to buy these tools.

I still don't have it all figured out, but I'm getting closer.

Have a great weekend.