Hello,

I joined the Forum last year, and I have been really impressed by the camaraderie of the Timber Guild.

After taking a timber framing course at the Heartwood School this summer ( The timber framing workshop was awesome by the way!) I am now planning my cabin. I would like to do a 16 X 20 salt box with a living roof.

I am building a small tool shed to practice joinery, and eventually would like to build up to 5 cabins on my lot to rent during the summer holidays after I retire. I will retire in a long time, so I will have time to build these cabins.

I may want to insulate with straw bale finished with natural plaster in the interior, but with cedar shingles on the outside.

I am building in eastern Quebec in wet area facing the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and do not think having natural plaster on the outside would be wise choice and traditionally, cedar shingles ( shakes as I would like to split them myself) are used in the area.

I want to build with local timbers, most probably white spruce and want to have a walk out foundation as I will build on a steep part my lot.

The type foundation is the first difficulty, enclosure is also a concern as I am very far away and do not want to use foam core panels.

The first cabin will be the one my family will eventually live in, and will be built with the walk out basement. I will pour the foundation using pre insulated concrete forms.

I am looking for advices on these issues. I understand that some the these topics are in other part of the forum.

1) Small timber frame plans
2) Building post and beams with a living roof
3) Type of foundations / plans in a cold climate, walk out made working with the pre insulated concrete forms and also other forms of foundation such insulated slab and pier as the other cabins will not have basement.
4) Working with straw bale and natural plaster
5) Hand splitting cedar
6) Insulation
7) any other advice

I really appreciate all your help and hopefully, I will be able to contribute one day!

Thank you,

treizea ( Serge )

3) ICF's- Not all ICFs are equal. Take special note of how they clip together vertically. Also some manufacturers supply/rent braces designed for the ICF's. These are worth it. Your dificulty will be getting the walls wide enough at the top to support the straw bale. I've worked on projects that have used the brick ledge style before and it works well for SIPs, but I don't know if they make it wide enough for you. I think I remember something about them able to make custom forms too if you need. Anyway heres a link to a brochure of one of the better companies I know of Nudura. They also offer classes. I have not taken the classes but fellow carpenters have told me they are well worth taking.

Thank you for the information. At the moment, I am looking at using this Plasti Fab Company they are based in Montreal. The tricky part is that I am far out in the country side, beautiful, but remote.

Hi treizea ( Serge );

When you mentioned a living roof I thought I would share this: One of my neighbors built a wooden greenhouse he intended to put a sod roof on. He went to the expense of using pressure treated rafters and plywood. In the end, however, he felt a need to install a watering system to keep the roof alive and the cost of water was going to be so much that he put asphalt shingles on instead! I do not know the whole story...it sure seems odd to me. Even the notion of watering one's roof is odd.

Don't forget to occasionally put a goat on the roof to mow it!

Good luck;
Jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the information, I will keep this in mind, especially since its for a cabin I will only use during the summer until retirement. Grass is not the best plant, the key is to have plants that need very little water.

Serge