Small cabin plans site selection

Small cabin plans site selection

Some of you will find it difficult to select a good site for your camp or cabin. A possible solution may be found in our national forests. If you write to the officer in charge of a particular forest, he will give you information regarding available sites. An applicant must submit his plans for approval before a permit will be issued.

The Forest Service requires that the construction be done in a workmanlike manner; substantial floors, roofs, doors, and windows must be installed. The buildings must be in harmony with the surrounding landscape. In a large colony you may be required to install a chemical toilet or septic tank and have a piped water system or other improvements. Be sure to ask about these things before you go too far. If you decide to build in one of the national forests, you will find that a good deal of the site selection has been done for you by the Forest Service.

If you build on a hillside or slope and if the rainfall is heavy you may have to install a watershed. A shallow ditch or low wall is all you will need to keep the water from running into your cabin. In picking your site you will want to consider the matter of good roads. Your cottage doesn't have to be on a main highway, but you will want to be able to reach your property conveniently. You will have to get supplies�and there is always that emergency.

If you decide to build a beach house, don't build too close to the water. Ocean storms often drive the water a considerable distance inland. Be sure to get expert advice regarding the safety of your location. If the coastline is rocky, it is usually a good idea to keep your cottage back from the water as far as the shrub growth. Usually this line is a safe distance from waves.