Many people dream of their own off grid cabin, but the cost of building one can make it seem impossible to realize that dream. There are so many costs involved, and in the current climate, many of those costs are even higher than just a few short years ago. If you’re trying to build using the traditional route, then you’re going to spend at least low six figures in many parts of the U.S., and that, well that’s just out of reach for a lot of people.
There are ways to reduce that cost though, but they’re going to require patience, the willingness to look for deals, and to use connections you already have to family, friends, and your local community. At least, that’s how Jerry Tyson was able to build his log cabin for around $10,000. Admittedly, there was some luck involved, but his main approach was really looking to his community to find the materials he needed, including being able to purchase an old log cabin, originally built in the 1800s, for $1,000.
This gave him a lot of the materials he would end up using to build his own log cabin, as he was able to reuse many of the logs, the flooring, and other materials in his own project.
The biggest money saver for him was that he did almost all the labor himself, and he first took the steps to reduce his overall cost of living to as little as possible. This meant having no debts, no car payments, no mortgage payments, and sharing meals with his family so that nobody was responsible for the full cost on their own, but everyone simply provided for portions to share with others.
One of the reasons for such drastic reductions in expenses was so that he could free up his time to complete his cabin. Not having to worry that missing work could put him beyond on his living expenses, meant he was free to spend that time actually building his dream cabin. By doing almost all the work himself, he saved himself enormous sums of money on labor costs, which often make up a huge portion of the total price of building any home.
He was able to find an old barn with good siding and other materials that he managed to buy off of Facebook Marketplace for just $200! Old barn siding is actually a popular material that can sell for a premium in antique shops or specialty shops, so finding it before it hit those markets was a big help in reducing his expenses.
His largest expense went to the foundation of the cabin, which was mostly concrete and cinder block construction, which he says cost him around $4,000, but after some other minor material costs, buying most of his furniture second hand, a potbelly stove he managed to get for just a few hundred dollars, and donated materials from friends and neighbors, he managed to build a beautiful cabin near the village of Lisbon OH for roughly $10,000.
Now, he had a lot of help and a more than a little luck, but because he did the work on his own for the most part, and he was willing to sacrifice to make sure he had the freedom and the time to work on his dreams, he was able to accomplish this for a fraction of the cost of most other options.
I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is possible, as long as you’re willing to put in the time, effort, and the patience, it’s entirely possible to build a cabin for a lot less than you’d have ever thought possible.
To learn more, check out the YouTube video where he gives more details about his cabin build