Tiny House Blog

Montana Mobile Cabins has been featured on the Tiny House Blog several times, in fact my very first post was about them. They are one of my favorite log cabin builders. Dawndi Kelm of Montana Mobile Cabins recently sent me a note about a cabin they have for sale and wondered if I would share it with the Tiny House Blog readers.

This cabin is a 14 foot by 20 foot beam style log cabin and is the perfect size for a small cabin or small home. Here are the details of the construction and if you would like to learn more click here for Montana Mobile Cabins website.

Floor System

• 2×6 16” on center floor joists
• Rim Joists 6×6
• Solid Floor Joist Blocking
• Floor: 3/4” tongue & groove OSB wafer board

Walls and Gables

• 10” square logs/beams, hand stacked, butt and pass corner
• Gables-framed – sided with reclaimed metal; excepting interior gable in loft, wood sided-board & bat; insulated with R19 fiberglass insulation
• Chinking throughout interior & exterior
• Window & Door Jambs-Resawn Lodgepole Pine/Fir

Loft (loft area approx. 10’x13’)

• Joists – 2×4
• Decking-2×6 rough sawn pine & fir
• Railing-2×6 rough sawn pine & fir
• Ladder to loft – rough sawn pine & fir-handcrafted

Roof System (8/12 pitch) – Ceiling

• Ridge Beam: Log
• Hand stacked Exposed Roof System: 2×6 rough sawn pine & fir mix
• Felt Paper: 1 Layer 30# Asphalt
• 2” Firestone foil back rigid insulation in roof
• Delta-rib metal roofing; color – Antique Bronze

Windows and Doors

• Windows: 3 Milguard vinyl double pane – sliding windows on main floor; 2 each in gable ends; 1 Alpine garden window on main floor
• Exterior Door: 1-36” Therma Tru Factory metal door with half light

Treatment

• Montana Standard Log oil applied interior & exterior

Price is $27,500 delivered inside the state of Montana. Please contact Montana Mobile Cabins for delivery pricing and information outside of Montana.

“Oh Snap! Homesteader Postcards, the Facebook of 1906″ an article written by Heather Murphy at the Slate website features some really unique tiny homes built by homesteaders out on the prairies.

The images in this gallery were gathered over a period of 20 years by snapshot collector Michael Williams. They are featured in his book, Who We Were: A Snapshot History of America and at The Life and Death of Buildings, an exhibition currently on display at the Princeton University Art Museum.

Williams who spent over 15 years gathering these pictures at flea markets, antiques stores, and postcard fairs. The images were taken in South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana. Improvements were required by the homesteaders and those improvements were made using, tar paper, sod, bricks and wood. It just had to be sturdy enough to stand.

Click here to read the full article and see the slide show showing closeups and explanations of each postcard.

As my husband and I began mapping out the interior of our rustic shed-turned-cabin in Montana, he knew we wouldn’t have plumbing, and I knew I didn’t want to deal with chemicals or smells. With two small children and weather that can range from -20 to 85-degrees Fahrenheit, we also didn’t want to deal with schlepping outside for potty breaks. Building our own humanure toilet turned out to be our perfect solution.

With only 12x20 feet of living space, the whole cabin is virtually a kitchen/bedroom/bathroom. We had to choose between putting the loo by the hot stove (not safe for children) by the hide-a-bed, or in this quiet corner. While some question the cleanliness of pooping so close to a food prep area, one must remember that this is not a flushing toilet that sprays bacteria into the air with every flush. Your backside seals the toilet while you do your business. There is no splash. Compost debris quickly covers the deposits, and the lid is shut immediately. Also, having water within easy reach is a must for cleaning up "accidents." We hope to adjoin the outhouse to The Shabin in the near future.

We get quite a few jokes from friends and family about our “lovey loo,” but I would take our lovely-loo over a honey bucket any day! It’s a bucket inside a wood box, and we cover – um – the deposits with sawdust. it has a real toilet seat on it for looks and comfort, but it is what it is, and it works very well.

Recycled red outhouse behind The Shabin always stinks!

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This weeks Tiny House in a Landscape was submitted by Jeffrey Lindsay. The photograph was taken in Polebridge, Montana.

Jeff says, “It’s not tiny by some definitions, but it is pretty small.” Polebridge is located in northwestern Montana, on the northwestern edge of Glacier National Park. Named for the log bridge that connects the North Fork Road in Glacier National Park to Highway 486, over the Flathead river. This is a resort community that consists mainly of the Polebridge Mercantile and Northern Lights Saloon.

I’ve featured Paul McMullin’s work here a couple of times in the past. You can view the posts Little House on the Prairie, Paul’s Montana Cabin, and Paul’s Guesthouse. Paul has been busy again this winter and just shared his latest project with me. The quality of his work is something else. I’ll turn it over to Paul and let him tell you about his tiny log cabin.

Well, here in Montana, another winter is almost past. This one seemed to go on like the ever ready bunny. Around the middle of January I decided over a cup of coffer to build a small log home next to our office I share with my wife. Most of the things that I have built in my career have been stick built (dimensional lumber) so this was something new and stimulating for me.

Finished cabin

A friend in the next valley over did the log work and what a craftsman he is with his trade. We stacked the logs on a deck, lagging the first log into the six by six pressure treated plates We pinned all corners with sixty penny spikes, three quarter inch pipe through the logs in the field and used long log screws for the rafters. We insulated the roof, handmade the front door, installed double pane windows, chinked and trimmed it out. Continue Reading »

A New York Times article tells about the Leeps, builders of luxury homes in Montana who when the economy turned bad began rethinking their business and are now building portable homes for disaster related areas.

For the Leeps and their partners, HabiHut is a strange new world. Money is the major difference — “We used to build houses that would buy a village for 20,000 people,” Mr. Weas said with a laugh —

Photo Credits: New York Times

Moreover, HabiHut has two dimensions. “It’s a project about providing shelter, but hopefully we can make money and create jobs,” said Mr. Weas, whose son Sean, a recent master’s graduate in architecture, is also involved in the venture. “The best of both worlds. There’s a moral aspect to it that wasn’t there at the Yellowstone Club.”

At a weight of around 400 pounds and before being assembled it will fit into a 4? by 8? crate for shipping. The tools needed are a screwdriver to put it together and it is rated to last about 15 years.

The first few dozen HabiHuts have been manufactured, with several in use in Kenya, two in Haiti and another 20 en route to Haiti for sale.

Read the complete article at the New York Times website and visit the HabiHuts website to learn how you can help get these to those in need.

Montana Mobile Cabins is keeping me updated on their current construction and letting me share pictures with you here on the Tiny House Blog. You can view a couple of the other cabins here and here.

The recently completed this 16×22 designed by the client and built to his specification. The cabin was set on full daylight or “wall-out” basement. Here are the cabinspecification: Full loft (or second story), bath, kitchen, great room. Basement houses utility room, 1/2 bath, master suite.

Located in the historic town of Virginia City, Montana.

Cabin with Virginia City in the Background

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