How to Build a Cabin Foundation in a Remote Location: I'm not an expert construction worker, but I worked with my father and uncle (both of whom have built a few houses) and my mother, to construct a foundation for a cabin. This documents my learning experience for one way to build a foundation. The ma…

A remodeled log cabin in Quebec, Canada, received additional interior living space and a screened-in porch.

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

Immerse into the make-believe Wave Cubes of Mousarris. The brand new re-edition boasts a slimmer line and stylish mat black finish.

The Rubble Trench Foundation is cheap, simple, effective and a favourite among natural builders.

Your favorite tiny house just got an upgrade (again) We redesigned our most popular style with twice as much space and the same high design we're known for. Elevating the distinctive Den tiny house design with a gabled and sky-high ceiling, we added skylights, a galley kitchen, and walkaround decking for a more luxurious experience in nature. In this set of plans, we're offering our customers two options for how to approach the gabled end. Go with all glass for an expansive view of the outdoors, or opt for the original style with the only door at the bottom.

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

Every spare second of my time over the last week has been spent moving around pieces of concrete. I wore holes through the fingers of my gloves, and then wore my fingertips raw. When I laid the l…

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

With the foundation beams up, it was time to start on the floor. Floor Joists Given the approximately 8 foot spans, I chose to go with 2x8s for the floor joists, which I planned to overlap on each beam, spaced 16 inches on center. (I had originally thought I would need the entire piers under the floor; but in looking back, given there is planned to be a porch, I probably would have brought the ends of the floor to sit right on the beams.) I started with the ends, which I decided to double because they were going to support the gabled walls; and I staggered them, similarly to the built-up beams. Also, since I would be overlapping the joists as they crossed the beams, this would offset the joists 1 1/2 inches off from the 16 inch on center layout, which would cause problems with being able to lay the subfloor down evenly centered on joists. However, having these end joists doubled would allow for shifting the subfloor boards to once again end up sitting evenly centered on the joists. The final subfloor board in a course would end up 1 1/2 inches off the end, which I would cut off and put back on the other side, which had been shifted 1 1/2 inches away from the end: After putting them up on both sides, I ran a header string from each built-up joist... ...which would be used to line up the internal joists with each other: Once a joist was in place, I toe-nailed it to the beam.... And finished them by hammering them in further. Being right-handed, it was fun to learn and practice hammering with my left hand: And here is one side of the joists all set in a line: This is the overlapping of the joists. With any warped boards, I would sometimes have to clamp them together to be able to nail them together properly: I added spacers between the joists to straighten them and give the overall floor more stability. Also, I put them on the beams, again, for more stability: After getting the joists in place, I added the header boards: Because we are planning on having an inner wall down the middle of the house, and the middle of the house is in between two beams, on every other joist on the middle row of joists, I doubled the joists to give extra support to that wall. I doubled joists for another inner wall that's to run parallel with the joists; and in this picture, I added several doubled joists in a row, which is where we are planning to put our wood burning stove: To help against wind lift and to better secure the joists to the foundation, I attached each joist where it crossed each beam with hurricane clips: And here are the joists completed... ...facing South... ...and facing West: Subfloor For this, I chose 3/4 inch tongue and groove plywood; the tongues and grooves fit together to make the places where the boards span floor joists much more stable. I also heard it was good to glue them to the joists and use screws, so I used external Liquid Nails for the glue and 3 inch deck screws to secure them, placing screws 8 inches apart on the board edges and 1 foot apart at the internal points on the joists. The board would be fastened down short end to short end across the whole platform, making a "course"; and each course would be staggered from the previous one by half the board. When I first started, I didn't really think through which long end type I should place against the first outside corner, the tongue side or groove side of the board. Well, I chose groove side, because it didn't seem right to use the tongues side. Well, this stroke of genius started me on a path where with each subsequent course I was trying to fit the groove into the tongue. Needless to say, it was quite difficult, although I finally did get into a pattern where I'd loosen the screws next to the tongue of the previous course and use the mini-sledge hammer to knock them up and loose from the glue so they would flex better when I was trying to slide the groove onto the tongue. I also learned to clean out the groove and clean the tongue so nothing was in the way of them coupling. All of this worked ok until I learned from those much smarter than me at Ranchfest that you could hit a board against the opposite site to force the tongue and groove together. I thought I had tried it before; but when I tried it again after Ranchfest, it worked great. Of course, by then I only had about a course and a half left. :) At any rate, given how long it took to get the floor on, I figured it was going to be a while before the house is dried in, so we painted the subfloor with water sealer, tinted cedar color (just to make it darker as a personal preference). Notice the stagger pattern of the boards from course to course: Here is a course where the boards were shifted 1 1/2 inches to accommodate the overlapping of the floor joists, and I cut off the other overhanging end of the last board of this course and brought it over to this end to fill in the gap: And here is the platform finished. Thanks to Sue for all of her helping me get the boards in place, and for painting the rest of the floor and repainting my terrible painting job! Even though it took several months, it's finally done; and we thank the Lord for the continued progress on the house. -- David

Setting a tiny house foundation doesn't need to be a daunting task. These easy instructions will make the necessary steps clear and manageable.

Montreal-based architecture practice Nature Humaine has designed a cabin for a rocky mountainside in the Eastern Townships

Winners selected from Belgium, the USA and Japan

This tiny home in Asheville, North Carolina is completely off the grid. It's eco-friendly and fits in with the very free-spirit community.

Riversong Truss Wall Section This is my Riversong Truss wall, which is built with full-dimension rough-sawn lumber – 2×4 inner load-bearing wall and 2×3 outer skeleton. The two walls are …

Slow and steady wins the remodel race.

Frank Lloyd Wright's signature style and ongoing influence have long inspired architecture around the globe, and continues to today. In the current issue of the Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly magazine, "UNESCO World Heritage: The 20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright," Foundation President & CEO, Stuart Graff, shares more about this influence.

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

Ever wondered about a screw pile shed foundation? This detailed guide will explain everything you need to know about using screw piles on your next project.

The foundation of a house or other building is the most important part of the entire construction. It assures that the structure has integrity and that

An unconventional, gravity-defying cabin will evoke one of your favorite games from the late 1980s. NYDE Studio, a London-based design studio founded by Nicos Yiatros, has created an eccentric luxury prefabricated cabin called the Diagonal Dwelling—and the very architectural foundation of it will remind you of a Tetris block. The Diagonal Dwelling has an unorthodox and, well, diagonal shape, but the abode is fully functional and even accommodates quite a few luxuries. (Hello, hot tub!

Zecc Architects and Roel van Norel show just what can happen when great minds work together.

A few months ago we raised a strawbale roundhouse with a reciprocal roof as part of our first Natural Building Workshop at Milkwood Farm. Now that we're

Our most stunning design to date Unique roof geometry creates soaring high ceilings within a 325 sq. ft footprint that sleeps up to 4. Clever window placement creates a nice cross breeze which carries cooler air on the ground floor up and over the loft, with a full wall of glass which can be configured as either a premium curtain wall or custom mulled units. A wood burning stove, full bathroom, and kitchenette provide a feature rich experience in your Outpost in the woods. Designed with sustainable architecture practices, The Outpost optimizes for passive and active solar performance. We envision orienting this space to accept prevailing summer breezes, while guarding against harsh winter winds. The low operable openings on the ground level and the loft window would encourage natural ventilation through the space. Equally suited for a single build, a number of these cabins could also be collected in small clusters around communal spaces. These types of configurations would encourage chance encounters and facilitate gathering together outdoors.

Dig deep into the options and materials available to ensure your home is built on solid ground.

Modern cabin situated in Canada, designed by Naturehumaine [architecture+design].

From van and bus conversions to trailers and tiny homes, discover the best in small living and find out how to downsize your own living space.

A digital overview of FOUNDATIONS - Houses by JLF Architects published by Rizzoli in April, 2022

Pouring a concrete slab on top of a thick layer of rigid foam is an effective way to create a super-insulated foundation.

A look at the back of the A-frame, which includes an entrance to the basement level. Here, you can see the detailing of the seamed metal roof, as well as the concrete foundation. Tagged: Exterior, A-Frame RoofLine, Cabin Building Type, and Prefab Building Type.

Buying real estate can be a fraught, hair-raising ordeal: After all, a house is likely the most expensive thing that you'll ever purchase, yet it's somethi

A digital overview of FOUNDATIONS - Houses by JLF Architects published by Rizzoli in April, 2022

Edith Cowan University is allowing its students to talk, eat and even sleep in the library, installing two high-tech 'energy pods' on the Joondalup campus.

A sill plate is a wood framing component that lies between a home's foundation and the first-floor frame. It anchors the floor and the rest of the house frame to the foundation.

Adding a layer of rigid-foam insulation to the outside of a poured concrete foundation saves energy, but it raises a key question: What's the best way of protecting and finishing…

While this looks like a poolside cabana, these tiny house plans could work as a compact single-level home for someone. They include a ground-floor queen bedroom, a 6x6 bathroom, and a living room/kitchen, so you

3D visualizer and architectural designer Thilina Liyanage conceptualizes remote, escapist hideouts and villas stationed in rugged rainforests and off the sides

The space-age designs can be dropped into place and connected to utilities in a matter of hours, according to the company.