A Porch of My Own

A Porch of My Own

Friday, August 24, 2012

The Bunkhouse Project

The little bunkhouse project is in full swing! The bunkhouse made its way from the San Antonio area out to our place on a trailer. The boys that brought it out had been here before. Their company built our cabin shell and they also delivered two barn style storage buildings at different times. The first one was brought out at least 15 years ago. One of the young men returning with the bunkhouse had probably not had his driver's license long when he brought that one!



They were very careful with my prize and knew what they were doing. It wasn't long before it was unloaded. 















They just dump it off the trailer and it falls into place. Then it was a tight fit to get the truck and trailer out from between the bunkhouse and the trees and septic lines in front of the truck. The boys did it without one scratch on a tree or the cistern!

It was soon blocked up and leveled! Then off they went to deliver a load of lumber for another project. It's a long day's drive to anywhere out here and they had a full day of driving ahead of them after they left here.

The little bunkhouse is nestled in among the live oaks. It has its back to the driveway so that it can take advantage of the view across the hills. 

We will add a deck to the front later. The electrician is wiring it now and the plumber is coming out Monday to see what he needs to do. Rickie is on his way here with the air conditioning/heating wall unit.

We will have twin beds in the bunkhouse, a small partitioned area with a toilet and a coffee cabinet and sink. We will put two of our bookcases out there. And there is room left over for a couple of air mattresses on the floor. We will have a little refrigerator for half and half for the coffee, and ice for the whiskey! I have taped everything off with painter's tape on the floor; it's bigger than it looks from the outside! Except for the wiring and plumbing we will do all the work ourselves. It will be fun!

After years of debate on whether to add on to the cabin or add a bunkhouse, we have made the decision to go with the bunkhouse. This gives us more options for family and friends and gives them some independence and privacy. It is also much cheaper. We will keep our bed by the fireplace in our cabin. Where the daybed was we will put an Ikea closet from floor to ceiling for lots of storage. What clothes won't fit we will get rid of. Our policy is to make the possessions fit the space not build space for possessions. I have lived for over a year with a small amount of clothes that I have out here with no problems. We will sacrifice one window in the cabin so that we can put one bookcase there. We have 4 total in the apartment in Houston, so we will consolidate down to 3 total. We have books we treasure and some photos and artifacts. 

We will also make a few changes in the end of the kitchen. We will remove the wardrobe there now that we use for a closet and put in a base cabinet for pantry and large items. This will give us more counter space for things such as the yellow stand mixer I love! My husband, the hunter, gave away his very large custom, made in Louisiana, oak gun cabinet and in its place he has a small mesquite rack that was made in Texas. It needs a little wall space so by removing the wardrobe we will have room for that. In a tiny cabin with lots of windows and doors there isn't much wall space.

I'll post on the progress as we go along! In case you are considering a similar project, I'll include costs so that you can have an idea of what a bunkhouse in central Texas costs!

So far, the 10' x 16' bunkhouse shell of cedar siding, metal roof, a steel door, two windows, and two extra windows added, including tax and delivery was $4700. 


7 comments:

  1. That is so cool! I can't wait until you have it all decorated and set up. It's going to be awesome. My brother and SIL are looking into small 'casitas' for their ranch. They have the lodge house (original ranch house) but if they turn it into a hunting retreat/yoga retreat they may need more sleeping space.

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    1. Thank you - I'm having fun working on it!
      Hope your brother finds some tiny houses! Years ago when we first bought our place there was a tiny house in Columbus and the owner said I could have it if I would just move it. At the time we weren't able to get it done. :( Maybe some ones that need a new home will find their way to him!

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  2. Sue, I am very impressed with all of the decor and luxuries you are able to include in your cabin. I can't wait to see the progress on the bunkhouse. I'd love a tour sometime.
    Congrats...Lois

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    1. Come out anytime, Lois! And bring your power tools. LOL! I need a lesson in how you make your Aidirondack chairs. And thank you for the nice comment. :)

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  3. Wow so affordable! May I ask what's the name of the company you got the shell from? I have dreams of having a tiny hone.

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    1. It is Spring Branch Trading Post in the little town of Spring Branch just north of San Antonio. Their website is

      http://www.springbranchtradingpost.com/

      They build a lot of different sizes of these movable cabins and will also build a shell on your property if you want something bigger. They will add or move windows and doors to configure it how you want. I think their prices are very reasonable, especially compared to what I see elsewhere. They will also finish the cabins inside if you want.
      Good luck on your tiny home dream!

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  4. Wow that's great! What county were you able to put your cabin where there are no restrictions?

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