Design #1: Dream Big!!!
Post and Beam (with Exposed beams) Finished with Cedar Board and Batten and Cedar Shakes and a metal roof!!! Not too big (32' x22' footprint and total area of 1150 sqft)
In the lower Level a Laundry Room, Bathroom, Storage Room, a large kitchen with an Island, Dining room and Living Room; and in the upper level a Mezzanine open to below and two bedrooms.
Off course the south wall will be all windows to take full advantage of the views, and there will be a huge deck to enjoy barbecues and cold beers under the summer sun with all the friends that will come and visit.
After pricing the 'Straight Grain Douglas Fir' 10x6 beams and 6x6 posts and getting a quote for $10K+GST for just the materials for the frame (and that is before moving them on a barge to the island, and renting a crane and crew to install it!), it was not hard to realize that this is just another 'dream design'... back to the drawing board (aka AutoCAD).
Design #2: Variations on a Theme...
.. Or adaptations of an existing design... One of my existing designs is an open space on the main floor, with a bathroom, a compact kitchen and a small area for a couch, and a sleeping loft above. It would be really easy to adapt to the site: move the door to the front, move the kitchen from the back to the side… move the sleeping loft to the front and voila there is cabin design…
Design #2: Variations on a Theme...
.. Or adaptations of an existing design... One of my existing designs is an open space on the main floor, with a bathroom, a compact kitchen and a small area for a couch, and a sleeping loft above. It would be really easy to adapt to the site: move the door to the front, move the kitchen from the back to the side… move the sleeping loft to the front and voila there is cabin design…
There is a ladder going up to a sleeping loft, which is now above a covered porch outside. And the footprint is 16’x 18’, and the total area is just over 450 sqft.I like this design!! It is simple, it's more 'down to earth'... It should be cheaper to build, and it feels like 'I can build it'...
I like it so much that I draw a full set of plans, including a site plan, foundations plan, roof plan, 4 elevations and 2 sections. I’m now ready to get a building permit... except for a couple of concerns: What about that ladder? It's not 'to code' so can I actually get a building permit for this? I also want to have the framing exposed to the inside (because I'm planning to do a perfect job framing it and I want to show off!! ;o) ) So how do I insulate it?? (Or can I get a building permit for a non insulated building?)
I decided to print a set of plans and get on the Ferry to the sunshine coast and visit my local building inspector - Gambier Island is part of the sunshine coast so the 'Authority Having Jurisdiction' is the "SCRD (Sunshine Coast Regional District) Planning Department" located in Sechelt.
Not a bad visit, took a short hour to get (mostly) good answers from a very helpful Building Inspector:
A1: The stair is only required to comply with code if it provides access to 'living space'. If on the plan the is label as 'storage' then the code requirements are minimal (a ladder will do)... If you later decide to sleep in you storage space, that is up to you...
A2: The SCRD can relax the requirements for insulation for 'seasonal buildings'. I'd have to register a 'covenant' on title that states that the 'dwelling' is a seasonal building. (I'll keep this information just in case I need it in the future).
I also found out some additional information about the cost of a building permit, and the requirements for a septic field... (Not what I was expecting... for a building permit you must have a design for a septic field filed to the health authority. Also found that you can have a composting toilet... as long as you also have a toilet that is connected to a septic field or sewage system).
