Estimate of cabin SHELL square foot cost?

DougMD · 12-04-2002, 02:05 PM

Just curious. I want to have someone build a cinder block frame 5 blocks above ground and shell for a one story cabin (40 x 24) possibly with loft and curious about a rough estimate cost per square foot. I can do the siding and inside (including insulation) myself, and maybe even shingle the roof too. Any ROUGH ESTIMATES on what they might charge me and what it would include? Located in WV panhandle...

Thanks!

Edited by - DougMd on 12/04/2002 15:08:54

JimPic · 12-04-2002, 03:28 PM

I built mine myself.It's 20'x20',stick-built one-room,with a metal roof and I built it on 9-6x4 posts.I hope to add on another room for some bunks next year.I got about $2500 into it now-all I need to do is put a better ceiling and some floor tile and carpet.

CAPT BRAD · 12-04-2002, 07:05 PM

Doug, I'm in the process now in Northern Neck,Va. It's not as cheap as Jim's, but I have a wife and two kids to appease. 24x36, wrap around porch, 1 big room, with full bath, furnace, kitchen. A regular house with all the aminities. $49,000. That don't include the cost of the well or the road.

Good Luck. Capt Brad.

DougMD · 12-04-2002, 07:36 PM

JimPic, good job! Talk about cheaply done!

CaptBrad, I realize I will have quite a bit of money in the place when all is said and done. I was hoping to have the shell built and do the rest with friends. That way I would get the best of both worlds, getting the hard part done and saving money too. I also have a wife and kids to appease (wife at home, land payment, three vehicles including brand new minivan, expensive new house). It will also mean less hassle coordinating everything, and won't tax too much of my buddies' vacation time. I am awaiting estimates to see if I can afford doing it this way though.

Thanks for the input.

model722 · 12-05-2002, 08:55 AM

I live in ny so this probably won't be much help. My wife and i built a 20-20 cabin with an upstairs loft on our property. we did all of the work our selfs and had a lot of fun doing it. our property had a lot of pines on it so we used them for all of the frame work, saved us a bundle. I supported it on 4-4 and 6-6 treated lumber we are still doing inside work on it. We also have a family of 4 1 boy 1 girl they are getting old enough to help. We've had alot of fun building and it has been some good family time together. If you do it yourself you'll have a lot more pride in it and you'll always have something to show off.

Deer902 · 12-06-2002, 11:12 AM

The neighbors to our camp in Potter county just put up a new camp. From what I heard it was about 12,000 for the shell on 6x4's. 24'x24', front porch, wiring, and plumbling. My family is talking about logging out our 40 acres and building a new camp with the money. They were hoping to get around 15 grand for the timber and that should pay for most of the new camp.

BuckAlley · 12-10-2002, 11:06 PM

My 2 brothers, and I also built our own cabin in 2000, and just put the siding on it this summer. We estimated it cost us $5,000 when finished. Its a 20x20, almost full 2 story. We didn't want a loft, so went with 3ft upper side walls, and a 8ft peak. The angle gives you plenty of head room, and the single made beds fit perfect against the side walls. It sits on 6x6 posts we made from pressure treated 2x6's nailed together crossing the grains for strength. I"ve seen 6x6's crack before. The nailers are stronger. We too used hemlock logs taken off our fathers land, and had them sawed. Saved a bundle. Rough cut lumber is cheaper then plained boards, so look into that. We went with a metal rough, and it has a 6x20 open porch on the front. The siding is what we call adirondack siding here in Ny. Its basically 1" thick boards with only one side straight edged. The other side has the bark left on, so its often wavey just like the log was on the outside. It looks really nice. We went with the cheapest interior walls we could get at the time and that was tongue & groove pine. No electricity to our camp, couldn't if wanted too. We use all propane lights, gas frig, and gas stove. Wood stove to heat. I think its more of a camp this way anyways, no conviences of home, its all about getting away from home anyways! We have a outhouse for the john. We had to haul the materials 85 miles every weekend to build it from where we live. So just getting things together, and loaded was a good chore itself everywk. But I really enjoyed building it ourselves, think it means more that way. I love being there, and have spent several full wks there during hunting season. Good Luck!

DougMD · 12-11-2002, 07:18 AM

Congratulations, Buck Alley! Sounds like you're "over the hump" so to speak. I hope it serves you many great deer seasons.

I am getting bids in this week, so will know where I'll stand. Also, I haven't ruled out getting a log siding style stick built cabin. A guy about a mile away from me up there got one and a company from PA comes out and builds it at a reasonable price. The problem with that, though, is it has a pole foundation instead of crawl space, so isn't skirted, etc. to better keep the pipes from freezing...