Many of us dream of being able to live in our own log cabin home in the woods. One man was able to build his own tiny retreat for only $500, saving money compared to even the most affordable log cabin kits.
Videos by Wide Open Country
This adorable DIY log home was built in the northern woods of Canada on a piece of private property. Because the house is such a small size, no permits were required, which kept building costs and time constraints low. He was able to recruit friends and members of his church to help build the cabin over the course of eight months.
Learn more about how he built the cabin in this video.
So how was he able to build his low-cost getaway? He used lots of salvaged and repurposed materials to make his cabin design dream a reality.
"Most the the money went into the lumber that I put into the roof," the homeowner wrote on his YouTube video's caption. There were no labor costs as the logs were raised by hand; no machinery could be used because of the home's rural location. Still, the cabin owner says most of his time was spent building on his own.
"I worked alone most of the time, often in temperatures of -30, with only a chainsaw, an axe, and my arms," he writes.
Even with the challenges of limited money, a harsh work environment and limited resources, he says he's happy with the custom design he was able to create from what many others simply saw as trash.
For those willing to spend more than $500 on their cabin living goals, there's all sorts of tiny house floor plans, modular home packages and log home kits out there at affordable prices from such companies as Conestoga Log Cabins, Merrimac Log Homes and Coventry Log Homes.
This story originally ran on July 27, 2017.
