Catskill Cabin: An Addition

Been planning this for years and finally have time for it.

Spec - 10 by 12 butting off the south wall of the cabin, with a 4' deck lining up with the existing deck. The entry will be from the interior of the existing cabin. The space will have grey water plumbing with space for a kitchen area and sink, a shower and a sink, and a composting toilet room. There will be a large window looking west, 2 smaller windows looking south, and a very small window for the shower room space.

The first task was getting the lumber, which I did in April. Our local lumber yard is the best, they deliver for free with a $35 fuel charge, and I tipped the guys too.

The equipment on the truck allowed easy delivery to the end of the driveway, I then had to carry it to the cabin site.

You're looking at over 200 pieces of lumber, plus the 4 by 8 sheets and the 12' metal roof panels.

I added all 4 by 8 sheets into MJ's studio space, hopefully in order so that I can use what is on top and work my way down. This was a great workout and I am glad I did it so early in the season before it got too hot.

The remaining lumber and 12' roof panels were taken all the way to the cabin site and covered. That was a brutal workout and was very glad when I was done. Except that I really wasn't. I made one pile of lumber, which meant I moved the pile a number of times throughout the season to get it out of the way, or to reach the lumber I needed. An excellent form of exercise - I don't know if I have ever been so fit. That pile of wood was the bane of my existence so I took no pictures. I had days of feeling my age (66).

I did get side tracked on this project with doing the garden project - that will be another post.

By June I started again, as did the heat. I removed the existing 3' wide deck and all the stuff below it. The work site looks to be in shambles with all the stuff everywhere.

It took about a week to build the 16' by 10' deck frame.

Then I added the drainage, this was more difficult than I thought it would - between the heat and no experience, it took me close to a month to complete. Of course once it was done I could do it again in half the time. 2" pvc angled down to a grey water system which will drain into the field below the firepit.

It was right after completing this that I had to go back to NYC for awhile.

Once back, the framing began in earnest.

The first step was to insulate the floor with two layers of 2" foam. I did this with a saw and filled each space.

Once that was complete, I laid on the floor. I had some complications here because of the piping, but I figured it out. A bigger complication was that I ordered the wrong thickness for the floor, and will have to add another layer next year.

I framed using 2 x 4 on center every 16", and 2 x 6 for the roof, also 16" O/C. But was it really? Once I began sheathing I noticed something was askew. Most everything is 16" O/C, but some are not. Not sure what I did wrong but clearly I am getting old and tired. I did make it work. I took one picture of the framing.

I then sheathed the walls with a mix of T-111, all pre-stained. Some T-111 is very thin - this went to the south wall which was the most difficult to access.

By now it is September, and I still had to get the roof done.

And I did, in fits and starts because I had to either be off site, or the weather wasn't agreeing.

The 3/4" OSB was ripped to 2' by 8' for easier maneuverability. The joints were staggered as is industry standard. About half the roof was covered this way and then was tar papered.

Once the paper was down the metal roof pieces went up for storage.

They had earlier been moved to be inside the addition for easier access to the roof. This was a fun challenge. 12' long, 38" wide, each one weighed about 40 pounds. The weight wasn't the issue as much the struggle of fitting each between the rafter and then with hoisting and working on a slanted surface that was also 12' long. Controlling the sheets took a lot of dexterity, and I was glad I only needed 7 sheets.

Once the metal was in storage on the roof, I completed installing the OSB. Then completed laying in the tar paper and the metal roof. I'm still not comfortable on angled roofs but I did get better as the construction continued.

The front section of the roof is covered with translucent roofing sheets, leftover from the porch job. It covers the deck and the room for the toilet.

The roof was completed by September 13, as the leaves began to change. There has been a drought here so I did not get to see how watertight anything is. I sealed up the addition as best I could - only one window had been cut out and the doorway into the cabin has not been breached.