How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods: The Ultimate Guide to Building and Maintaining a Backcountry Getaway

by J. Wayne Fears

Overview

Now, everyone can have the refuge they want—a getaway beside a trout-filled stream, near a bass-laden lake, or by a mountain trail with a breathtaking view.

This ultimate resource includes photos, blueprints, and diagrams, and covers the steps to constructing the cabin you've always wanted such as:
 

• Selecting a site
• Gathering construction materials
• Deciding on a design that is right for you
• Managing your property
• Building add-ons, including shooting ranges, an outhouse, or an outside fire ring
• Installing cabin security
• And more!

For generations, nature lovers, writers, and sportsmen have found an escape from their day-to-day world in living closer to nature. J. Wayne Fears offers a complete guide to building without the hassle of a construction crew or outrageous costs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510759688
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

J. Wayne Fears is a wildlife biologist by training who has organized big-game hunting camps, guided canoe trips, and run commercial getaway operations. Former editor of Rural Sportsman magazine, he has written more than more than twenty books on a variety of subjects ranging from cabin building (including How to Build Your Dream Cabin in the Woods) to survival (The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide) to cookbooks (including The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking), and more than four thousand articles for major outdoors magazines. A member of the International Dutch Oven Society and an accomplished writer and skilled outdoorsman, Fears lives in Cross Creek Hallow, Alabama.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Dream-A Cabin in the Woods 1

You Are Not the First to Dream 2

The Purpose of This Book 4

Chapter 2 Selecting a Site 7

Solitude, Is It for You? 9

In What Region Do You Want Your Cabin? 10

Buying or Leasing? 11

Should You Have a Partner? 12

Finding Land-Be Patient 13

Searching on Your Own 14

Working with a Real Estate Agent 15

Looking at Property 15

To Buy or Not to Buy? 16

The Cabin Site 18

Closing the Deal 21

Chapter 3 The Look You Want 22

Logs-The Ultimate Building Material for Backcountry Cabins 23

Log Siding 24

Board-and-Batten, An Old Favorite 25

Reverse Board-and-Batten 26

Protecting the Exterior 27

Roofing 29

Chapter 4 The Simple Adirondack Shelter 31

The Adirondack as a Cabin 33

Building an Adirondack Shelter 34

Chapter 5 The Alaskan Trapper's-Style Cabin 37

Building a One-Room Trapper's-Style Cabin 37

Adding On 46

More Space 47

A Movable Trapper's-Style Cabin 49

Chapter 6 The Appalachian-Style Cabin 52

Building a Two-Room Appalachian-Style Cabin 53

The Traditional Appalachian-Style Cabin 55

A One-Room Appalachian-Style Cabin 57

Chapter 7 The Family-Size Cabin 62

One Bedroom with Sleeping Loft 64

Large Family Cabin 67

Chapter 8 The Hunting/Fishing Club Cabin 68

Appalachian-Style Hunting/Fishing Cabin 69

Self-Sufficient Hunting/Fishing Cabin 69

Individual Cabins with Group Center 72

Log Cabin Kit for Hunting/Fishing Groups 72

Chapter 9 Building with Log Cabin Kits/Packages 74

Advantages of Log Cabin Kits 74

Disadvantages of Log Cabin Kits 76

Choosing a Log Cabin Kit Company 77

How Much Does A Kit Cost? 78

What a Kit/Package May Include 80

Designs and Floor Plans of Some Popular Log Cabin Kits 82

Log Panel Kits 88

Log Siding Kits 89

Chapter 10 The World's Best Outhouse 91

Building Cross Creek Hollow's Outhouse 92

Maintaining the Outhouse 94

Waterless Composting Toilets 95

Burning Human Waste 97

Options 98

Chapter 11 Keeping the Cabin Warm 99

Fireplace or Stove? 100

Tie Right Wood Stove for Your Cabin 102

Locating and Installing the Stove 105

Stovepipe Selection and Installation 107

Stove Safety 109

Wood Wisdom 110

Sources of Firewood 111

Splitting, Stacking, and Seasoning 112

Chapter 12 Lighting Options for the Remote Cabin 115

Gas/Diesel Generator 115

Central LP (Propane) Gas System 118

Propane Lantern Light 119

Liquid-Fuel Lighting 121

Battery Lighting 122

Chapter 13 Sleeping Accommodations 125

Chapter 14 The Outside Fire Ring-A Must for Any Cabin 129

Commercial Fire Rings 131

Custom Benches for Your Fire Ring 132

Chapter 15 Cabin Water Supply 137

Types of Wells 137

Springs 139

Creeks, Streams, Lakes, and Rivers 139

Water Pumps 140

Haul It In 141

Making Water Safe 142

Including the Kitchen Sink 143

Chapter 16 Planning the Remote Cabin Kitchen 144

Keeping Perishables Cool 144

Cabin Cooking 145

Propane Camp Stoves 146

Cabin Camp Stove Ovens 147

Cooking on the Wood Stove 147

Fireplace Cooking 148

Moving Outside-The Dutch Oven and Fire Ring 148

Reflector-Oven Baking 152

Bean Hole Cooking 154

Organizing the Kitchen 156

Chapter 17 Cabin Security 159

Securing Your Property 159

A Watchful Eye 161

Foiling Troublemakers 162

Personal Safety 162

Chapter 18 Managing Your Property 165

Put Your Land Management Team Together 165

Road Siting and Development 167

Landscaping Around the Cabin 167

Managing Your Woodlands 169

Wildlife Management 170

Fisheries Management 172

Chapter 19 Develop a Shooting Range Near Your Cabin 174

Planning 174

Layout 175

Developing the Range 176

Standard Operating Procedures 178

Chapter 20 Cabin Living 180

Easy In, Easy Out 180

Biannual Cleanups 181

Pest Control 182

Liability 183

Special Gatherings 184

Time Alone 186

Preparing for Downtime 187

A Cabin Name 189

Appendix 1 Sources 190

Appendix 2 Chain Saw Safety 199

Appendix 3 Ratings for Cabin Firewood 203

Appendix 4 Liability Release Form 206

Appendix 5 Cross Creek Hollow Standard Operating Procedure 208

Appendix 6 Cross Creek Hollow Departure Checklist 210

Appendix 7 Soil Testing the Cabin Yard, Wildlife Food Plot, or Garden 212

Appendix 8 Average Wattage Requirement Guide 214

Index 216