Cabin?

Not far back I mentioned transcription as being a possible side gig I was looking into. There turned out to be a catch. The hourly rates are based on how long the audio files are, not how long it would take to transcribe them. It could end up paying something like five dollars an hour, depending on the job. It could be higher or lower than that. I'm keeping it in mind, but it's on the back burner.

 

I've been needing to move for a long time. My ideal house would be some kind of Victorian with awesome finishes. Not being rich, I've been looking into another possibility. What if I could build something like a cabin? I call it a cabin. It would be a small house kind of like a tiny house but bigger. I decided to see how much it would cost for the bare minimum.

This week I created a spreadsheet and started putting materials costs into it. I can type in the dimensions of the cabin, and it calculates the cost of the roof, foundation, walls, etc., and adds them up. Some of it is surprisingly cheap. I have two columns. One calculates for a one-story and the other for two. It's looking like I can build something in the 500 square foot(46.45sq m) range for somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,500. The spreadsheet is only an estimate and still needs tweaking.

Keep in mind that's a bare minimum cost for something the size of a small apartment. That's for a foundation, sub flooring, exterior walls and a roof. It wouldn't include water, electricity, insulation, drywall, plumbing, wiring and all the things like lights, light switches, flooring, sinks, appliances, etc. It also wouldn't include the cost of a building permit. I need to visit the office in my county that processes those and see how much it would cost to get one. The internet tells me it's between $100 and $1,500 and is usually based on the cost of the project. I'm pretty sure I'm at the bottom end of the spectrum. :)

I'd mostly be working on it myself in the evening. There's a problem. I have disc problem in my back. I can't be lifting heavy things like boards and beams. I would have to rig up a system of ropes and pulleys and a counterweight to lift things for me. The build sites I have available have trees, so that shouldn't be too hard.

If this gets past the planning stage, I'd put it on YouTube. It would start within the next few weeks. The plan would be to build the minimum and add the finishes over time. Where I live, if you generate your own electricity, the electric company has to pay your for the extra. A solar farm is a must. No electric bill, plus they'd be paying me to finish the cabin.

Have a great weekend.