Monday, May 07, 2018

Float Cabin Living: How can you live in such a small space?

The living room side of the greatroom.
Our float cabin is the third built by John, hence its name Cabin #3. Each cabin has a different design, but we like ours the best. It's small enough (675 sq. ft.) to easily maintain but large enough not to feel cramped.

First Floor

The first floor has most of the living space. There are two small bedrooms (7'x10'). One's for guests (we rarely get them) and the other is for storage. In the guest room we store a week's supply of firewood (Wood Storage Shelf Construction). That's handy, especially in winter.

Sink with hand pump and propane fridge.
Downstairs is greatroom style. The kitchen with propane appliances is on one side and the living room with a woodstove on the other. We have a portable TV for Internet streaming. It's compact and functional.

Compost toilet, tub and storage.
In 2011 we added an indoor bathroom off the guest room to replace our outhouse four flights of stairs up the granite cliff. This one change to our cabin made full-time living much easier.



 Second Floor

The loft master bedroom with a king bed and view.
The second floor is a sleeping loft. When we purchased the cabin it was wall-to-wall beds (from its prior life as a rental cabin). We removed all but two twins that we pushed together to make a king. The loft and high ceiling over the living room make the cabin feel spacious. If you want to "get away" for awhile, this is the place to go. A window placed high on the opposite wall gives you a view of Powell Lake's First Narrows and Goat Island. Between naps you can watch work boats and cabin owners zipping by.


Here's a YouTube video tour of our float cabin home.

Welcome Aboard
Kitchen Kapers
Sleeping Loft and Greatroom
Bathroom and Guest Room

Really, if we had more space it would feel like work to keep it clean and maintained. If you are planning on building or purchasing a cabin, think about that. Bigger isn't always better. -- Margy

12 comments:

  1. Thanks again for passing on in "Timber" the way to our crazy ass country's archives. The photos I have discovered there have made my young summer already.

    When I worked on the river I enjoyed myself there so much I considered living on the water. The word "mould" scared me off. The Fraser was foggier then than it is now. How do you deal with mould?

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    1. Actually in the cabin there hasn't been a mould problem. I surmise the wood burning stove has something to do with that. The deck does get a coating of algae during the winter months. A weak solution of bleach and water combined with lots of elbow grease gets it off. It only needs one good scrubbing a year. Our boats are a different story. They are closed to protect them from critters. Moisture inside causes mildew if we don't open them frequently. We use desiccant crystal all year long. When I see mildew starting I use TSP (trisodium phosphate) crystals mixed with water to scrub everything down. When we have a generator running we use a light bulb to heat the interior. So, that's the long story about mould. -- Margy

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  2. I am sure that we all live in more space than we need but this seems unusually small. I would need about a third of that for my books, optical and photographic equipment and other birding paraphernalia. My wife and I also enjoy cooking and are quite adventuresome and love to make new and interesting dishes. This requires both space to work and space to store a variety of spices and other items.

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    1. I do a lot of cooking and baking in that small kitchen, even more than when I lived in town, but I was working in those days. Wayne has his telescope and binoculars set up by the door all the time and we both have reference books. For reading we have Kindles so that we can have lots to read without the need for physical storage. - Margy

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  3. I don't think it is too small. I have been watching on You Tube for the past year those tiny homes and recently van living. Hubby said he could not live tiny but it would not bother me. Your place looks wonderful and cosy!

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    1. The tiny house movement seemed to start just after we bought our cabin. I am included in a tiny house book by Lloyd Kahn. - Margy

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  4. Our home in Greece is much smaller than the one we've lived in all our lives and moving here full time had me wondering if and how we would adapt. Much to my amazement, it has been simple. Less really is better. (However we do get mold in the winters when it rains and never quite has time to dry out even with electric heat and fire place).

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    1. I like having less stuff to make our living space open and less cluttered. We get a bit of mould in the winter, but a bit of bleach and water takes care of it when it appears on the lower portion of exterior walls. - Margy

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  5. I agree, Margy. I've lived in more than one place over the past many years, and my favourite will always be the travel trailer I lived in for a few years, until a friend talked me into selling it to him. As I needed funds to take me down to Baja to visit my parents and little brother, I let him talk me into it. For years afterward, I regretted my decision now and then, especially when my friend lost it to a rollover. My friend was fine, but my little 'house' was gone.
    Sometimes I envy you your float cabin, but most of the time I just admire you for all the wonderful ways you make use of space!

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    1. Hindsight is always clearer. I've never lived in a trailer, but the ability to move to new locations would be a positive. - Margy

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  6. That is so incredible. Thanks for sharing the plans and how you have it set up. Truly inspiring.

    -Soma

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    1. You are welcome, We were inspired when we discovered it. It was the best decision we could have made for a place to live that was different after we retired. - Margy

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy