How to Build a One-Room Rustic Cabin

One-room cabins require little time and money to construct.

City-dwellers can use a one-room rustic cabin for a weekend getaway or for an extended camping trip in the woods. The advantages of building a cabin with only one room is that a person can build it without help, and the process is quick. A one-room cabin requires fewer materials than larger structures and therefore saves money. Adding large windows to the structure causes it to feel larger than it actually is and offers a view of the surrounding scenery.

Things You'll Need

• Gravel
• Large, flat stones
• 2-inch-by-4-inch spruce boards, various lengths
• 4-foot-by-8-foot pressure-treated plywood
• Joist hangers
• Hammer
• Nails
• Water-resistant fabric
• Waterproof tape
• Staple gun
• Vinyl siding
• Felt paper
• Roof shingles
• Roofing nails
• Windows
• Door and hinges
• Interior wall panels
• Linoleum tile

Instructions

Frame

1. Clear a flat area of land about 12 feet by 14 feet. Begin the foundation with a layer of gravel packed densely so that it will not settle later. Build a wall with the stones, about 1 foot high, 12 feet long and 10 feet wide.

2. Construct a 10-foot-by-12-foot floor frame using the spruce boards, spacing joist hangers 16 inches apart along the 12-foot sides of the frame. Nail 10-foot spruce boards into the joist hangers, then cover the floor frame with the plywood boards.

3. Build wall frames with spruce stud beams spaced 16 inches apart and aligned with the floor joists for structural support. Nail support boards between the studs to install windows and a door when the structure is finished.

4. Attach four wall frames to the four sides of the floor frame. Nail the wall frames to each other as well.

5. Repeat the floor frame-building process for the ceiling, although ceiling boards do not need to be pressure-treated. When attaching the ceiling frame to the walls, space one side of the ceiling frame one foot higher than the other side so that water will drain off during rain showers.

Siding Panels and Roof

1. Cover the exterior of the cabin with the water-resistant fabric by stapling it to the spruce studs in the wall frames. Use waterproof tape to seal all openings.

2. Cut openings out of the vinyl siding where the windows will be. Nail sheets of the siding to the studs to cover the fabric.

3. Lay felt paper on the roof's plywood boards, then hammer the shingles onto the roof, according to package instructions. Use roofing nails to nail the shingles.

4. Nail the windows into their places in the wall frames. Mount the door hinges into the door jamb, then attach the door to the hinges. In a small, one-room structure, the door should open outward.

5. Staple more water-resistant fabric to the inside of the wall frames and cover the fabric with the interior panels. Cover the plywood floor with linoleum tile. Decorate the interior to your taste.

Tips & Warnings

• If you think you may ever use electricity in your rustic cabin, install the wiring before covering the walls with interior panels. This will prevent a large project at a later time.

• Use pressure-treated wood for parts of the cabin that make contact with moisture, such as the floor frame. Ordinary wood will rot over time when exposed to moisture.

References

• Small Cabin: Building a Small Cabin