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Can this be salvaged? Cabin in the woods?

Willc

Drunken Hobbit
Joined
May 21, 2020
Member Number
903
Messages
86
Loc
NC
I have this old barn? On the property. It appears to have been poured in place as it is solid. It is 10x30 and would like to make a cabin out of it. Is it to far gone? My thoughts are to drop t he trees and pour a slab on the inside . Then use hydraulic cement to fix cracks . All windows in the back wall .

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I'm not convinced that was a barn, but I'm not sure what it was. The cement looks fine that is there other than being roughly formed. Seems like a high entry if you are wanting to pour a concrete floor. Not much to be gained if you string joists. It's not set up for any plumbing. Compost toilet?
 
If that was on my property I’d want to do something with it. That looks to me like an old cistern nearby where I live. Is there any doorways in it? I can’t see them if there are.
 
my current project's foundation concerns would make me avoid putting much effort into it, though it it's been sitting there that long unheated it'll probably be okay with a roof over it

go for it, man
 
I wouldn't even bother.


There doesn't appear to be any steel in it.

You start screwing around with it and it might just fall apart.
 
Possible, but doubt it's worth the effort. Yes, it may look ok, but without knowing the quality of the concrete, reinforcement (if any), foundation, etc. there's really no way to predict what's going to happen once you put a load on it. Might be fine, but may also disintegrate or sink.

For instance, I have a couple of ~100 yr old tobacco barns on my place that I've been reusing and have discovered that while the concrete piers look ok, the beams are not actually connected to them, and the piers themselves are made of poorly mortared cinderblocks with no steel, so as soon as you put any sort of side load on them they fall apart.....
 
How's your area on permitting?

in some places you might be a fool for trying to salvage concrete that could be replaced for $1500

in other locations you could be saving $15k and months of red tape by going forward with your "remodel"
 
Also, I understand the concerns about condition of the "structure" and the possibility of it sinking, maybe go put some dead weight on it and see what it does a couple beams and 2 dead pickup trucks would probably be close to a simple stick built cabin

I mean, everybody has 2 dead pickup trucks laying around, right? :laughing:
 
Projectjunkie said:
Also, I understand the concerns about condition of the "structure" and the possibility of it sinking, maybe go put some dead weight on it and see what it does a couple beams and 2 dead pickup trucks would probably be close to a simple stick built cabin

I mean, everybody has 2 dead pickup trucks laying around, right? :laughing:
Click to expand...

5 1/2
 
10' x 30' seems to skinny to be useful as a cabin. I wouldn't put much effort into based on those dimensions. If it was something like 30' x 30' id for sure use it as a starting point for a cabin.
 
Might would use it for a porch/patio, but that's about it-
 
Dunno, I'd think a 10x30 tiny house with a screened in porch would be pretty bitchin

Little studio with a loft bedroom

but only if you had a use for it, for company, for a man cave, air bnb, or just to build it to use it in the future

I'm of the mindset that it's going to be harder and harder to get approval to build stuff, put a roof on it now and get power to your lawnmower shed, in 10 years it can be built into whatever you want
 
Humid as fuck in the summer. This would be an unpermitted guest shack with a wood burner and solar power. I can make creek water but I don't touch the hard stuff, beer is my limit with the occasional green stuff.
 
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