Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Dec 21, 2008 1:11 pm My partner and I are moving from a big place in the city to build a small cabin on some land near Bathurst NSW in the hope of having a fairly sustainable way of life. I'm wondering what are some cost effective building options before we take our ideas to a draftsperson.
We have a budget of around $50K for a 40sq metre cabin. Tiny. smaller than most people's garages. We want it to look reasonably decent and use as much timber inside it as we can afford. And to utilse all the passive solar design principles we can. We are thinking 8m x 5m with a 45 degree pitched roof in keeping with the local huts/buildings/barns. My questions are... Is galv iron a cheaper cladding than weatherboard? (And can galv iron be insulated well enough for cold winters/hot summers)? Which would be cheaper - to build a sleeping loft inside or add an extra metre to the size of the cabin to accomodate the bed? We'd like to use recycled timber (wall lining/ wndow/door frames etc) but is it more expensive than using new timber? Contrete slab or piles? Solar or electricity? Any advice or tips would be much appreciated! Re: Advise on building a cost effective bush cabin? 2Dec 24, 2008 1:51 am Concrete Slab
Bed in the loft. Roof design sloping north with eaves to give summer shade - bit not bloack it - I've been in snow in that area in late december. Your might get some ideas from this design. Built on similar principles and to a set budget - very nice house and is warm on cold days. http://www.sustainablehouseday.com/locations/pdfs_no_addresses/SHD%202008%20Info%20Darlington.pdf Steve Re: Advise on building a cost effective bush cabin? 3Dec 24, 2008 4:04 am Thanks Steve. Really like that house and everything they've done to make it efficient. I hope to use most of their ideas. Nice design too.
We're lucky in that our site is north facing so we are halfway there - and you are right - very cold winters, hot summers - well except when it snows in December! The last home I lived in didn't have a pool and when i went to sell it the agents were not happy, even telling me to put one in to sell the place. The agents weren't happy… 2 4256 I am looking for someone who might have tackled a similar issue as me. I have a few rendered interior walls, the surface condition is hardly flat. I can see all the bumps… 0 7967 custom probably not. Volume, most defiantly, but spec would vary. If youre doing a knock down, there additional costs associated with that that will eat into your budget… 1 10282 |