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I would love to someday build a lean to shelter similar to what is common on the AT. It would be your basic shelter with nothing special about it. My guess is that it would be a very tough process and cost a pretty penny. Any input on what I would be looking at would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
If you did it in your back yard maby $700.
the old farmer out back built a 10-12 shed with material out of my dumpster. LOL. skylite, windows and door. very frugal guy. just start saving lumber.
I built a small cabin with an ax, draw knife, hammer and saw in about 3 weeks with very little help. You can spend as much or as little money as you would like. If you are creative and look around you can get most of what you need for free. Find somebody who wants an old barn torn down and you'll get all the material you need.
Materials alone will cost about 10,000$. That should get you kiln dried oak beams and pine floor planking and a metal roof. If you have to hire out any of the work like a stone fireplace or pay to transport material into a remote location the cost could double. In looking at the nice shelters in the smokies, I would say that it would cost at least 30,000 to build one in materials alone. Now if you want one of those crap 6 man jobs made of cement blocks that you see all along the trail it could cost as little as 2 grand.
I don't know, but here's one link http://www.thruthewoods.com/
You can recoup the costs here in Santa Barbara by renting it out for about $1000 a month as a studio apartment.
I built a small 12x16 three-sided lean-to on the river bank behind my house about 8 - 10 years ago. I used all local rough sawn pine lumber, and put a metal roof from Lowes on the top. Back then it was around $600, I think.
Off the top of my head the average new AT shelter costs somewhere in the 7,000 to 10,000 dollar range.
16 X 16 tree house using left overs from housing remodel and buying what else was needed like a metal roof. I have less than 600 dollars in it total. Buying everything it would be under 3000.
i plan to do this on my property one day. I'm shooting for a $0 cost, which should be doable. Just have to be patient - will take a few years to collect free material.
So apparently the cost is anywhere from $600 to $10k. :O
Mags could be more than that if you include italian tile roof, marble fire place, mahoghany flooring, cedar shake siding, solar panels and ipod rechargers.......
You guys that are talking about building for <$1,000 what kind of materials are you talking about? I don't imagine it would be too heavy duty lumber, like any of these. I know you can get some really cheap stuff, even free stuff, by scronging around, but I'm imagining you'll talking about making a lean-to out of simple planks, as opposed to logs. And would it be one type of wood or a hodgepodge?
http://www.thruthewoods.com/images/photos/leanto4.jpg
http://www.thruthewoods.com/images/p...ure_leanto.jpg
How about these the economical versions and it's greener for you'll that want to go green.
:D
http://www.wilderness-survival-skill...r-21309687.jpg
http://practicalsurvivor.smugmug.com...49_DAy4Y-M.jpg
Only cost here is hand tools, personal labor and roofing.Quote:
Originally Posted by john gault
geek
Only if you're talking about knocking down your own trees in the area. If not I'd like to know where you can scrounge up a quality logs for free, but then you got transportation costs.
You're talking some serious labor knocking down all them trees and cutting to fit...
I have trees this size on my land...materials and no transportation costs BUT ......you gotta have the land!
geek
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Mike
Give it time. The i-pod charger and solar panels may not be too far off in the future....
There are several vendors in the Northeast that sell prefab kits. If you want to build from scratch starting with cutting trees it takes a long time and requires special tools.