Building an Off Grid A-Frame Cabin in Alaska - TIMELAPSE - Episode 1

In 2021 we purchased a small lot to build our own weekend getaway cabin. We went through several design iterations and ultimately went with a 24'x16' A-Frame cabin with a 12' deck. The interior height will be just over 13', so it will only be partially lofted to give it an open feel. The total size will be 400 sqft for the main floor and loft area.
In the first episode of our cabin building series, we delve into the early stages of the building process, from raw land to the framing of the iconic "A's". We start with a blank slate as we clear the land, have it leveled out, and start the foundation. From there, we'll watch as the frame of the cabin takes shape as we rush to get it dried in before the first snowfall.
In addition to the cabin, we'll also be building an outhouse toilet, a necessity in a remote cabin in Alaska. Watch as we show you the steps we took in constructing a sturdy, functional outhouse, from framing to building the daylight roof.
Join us for the first 16 days of work as we bring our A-frame cabin to life.
A special thanks to everyone who helped or made this build possible: Jared, Greyson, Rachel, Michael, Jenna, Quinn, Kala, Kendall, Michael, and Kevin.
Days:
2:55 - Day 1 - 8/29/22 - Foundation Pt. 1
4:03 - Day 2 - 8/30/22 - Foundation Pt. 2​
4:40 - Day 3 - 9/04/22 - Temp. Storage / Foundation Beams​
6:08 - Day 4 - 9/05/22 - Foundation Beams / Deck Frame​
7:14 - Day 5 - 9/10/22 - Decking​
9:20 - Day 6 - 9/15/22 - Outhouse Pt. 1​
11:20 - Day 7 - 9/16/22 - Outhouse Pt. 2 ​
12:56 - Day 8 - 9/17/22 - Outhouse Pt. 3​
16:20 - Day 9 - 9/18/22 - Outhouse Pt. 4​
19:43 - Day 10 - 9/24/22 - Outhouse Pt. 5​
21:10 - Day 11 - 9/25/22 - Outhouse Pt. 6​
22:00 - Day 12 - 9/26/22 - Outhouse Pt. 7 / Deck Stairs​
24:37 - Day 13 - 9/27/22 - Deck Stairs / Outhouse Pt. 8​
26:03 - Day 14 - 10/1/22 - Assembling the A's Pt. 1​
29:53 - Day 15 - 10/2/22 - Assembling the A's Pt. 2​
32:40 - Day 16 - 10/3/22 - Raising the A's​
Some of my favorite tools/products that have been crucial in this build:
✔️ Cabins & Cottages, Revised/Expanded Edition - amzn.to/3Snso0u
✔️ Paslode - Cordless XP Framing Nailer - amzn.to/3SqqHzi
✔️ DEWALT 20V MAX* 7-1/4-Inch Miter Saw - amzn.to/4241YUM
✔️ DEWALT 20V MAX LED Work Light - amzn.to/3RYhJrG
✔️ LasGoo Laser Level 3x360 - amzn.to/3S2rllj
Music:
Dusty Decks / Appareled
Rocket Jr / Venice Sun
Chris Shards / Say It Again 2.0
peerless / Smoothie Vibes
bomull / rooibos
oomiee / High on a Ladder
West & Zander / Almannagjá
Roy Edwin Williams / Pride of Pennsylvania
Chill Cole / Free Yourself
Heyson / Takes Two
Sum Wave / Morning Grass
Tape Machines / Illuminated Window
All courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Embark on a captivating off-grid living adventure in Alaska with our A-Frame cabin series! Follow along as we build a 24x16 DIY retreat with a partial loft, optimizing 400 square feet of space. Learn the intricacies of off-grid energy solutions, install a durable metal roof for Alaska's weather, and master the art of heating with a wood stove for ultimate comfort in our extreme climate. Subscribe for precise insights, blending rustic charm with modern convenience in this time-lapse journey as we create our own Scandinavian-inspired Alaskan sanctuary. Your journey to a resilient, off-grid lifestyle starts now!
#cabin #aframecabin #aframe #cabin #timelapsebuild #offgrid #offgridcabin #alaskan #alaskancabin #cozycabin #build #building

[@marilynm2086]

So nice that you put in a driveway and pad. People don’t spend the money but the mud!

[@norsetoalaska]

Very true! I drive past several places on the way to mine that are pretty much mud pits. Worth every penny.

[@davidbonde2148]

I enjoy watching others building their dreams - looks like you are off to a great start, look forward to watching your progress.

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks David. I just checked out a couple of your videos, It looks like you've accomplished a lot with your A-frame build- Looks great!

[@davidbonde2148]

@@norsetoalaska Cool, thanks - I can tell you first hand you will enjoy the journey.

[@aspendell209]

Hello from Big Lake, AK. I like your format, broken up by days and the actual date. It gives the viewer a much better idea of what actually goes into seemingly trivial parts, like the outhouse. Better than the before and after of most channels with the details omitted. Good text narration too. 👍

[@norsetoalaska]

Hello and welcome to the channel! Thank you for the feedback. We're not too far from Big Lake 😉 Also, I didn't realize we spent so much time on that outhouse until I started compiling all the footage. Cheers!

[@paulvarner8439]

You are a talented and amazing young man.. thank you for you channel..good job.

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@Jackass9598]

Hello from NJ😊. I have to say very nicely done. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to watching the rest today.

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks and welcome!

[@MikeL-vu7jo]

Nice job so far well thought out .

[@norsetoalaska]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@johnalveus]

this was really great !! great pacing , great story telling . thank you for sharing 🙏 i typically prefer narrated build videos , but your editing kept me engaged 👌 subscriber #165 of many to come !!

[@norsetoalaska]

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback! I went back and forth with the idea of doing voice-over narration, but decided against it for this episode.

[@kevingallagher4673]

Great video and well done on A frame looking the part , looking forward to new video from new Irish Sub

[@norsetoalaska]

Welcome to the channel! Believe it or not one of the gentlemen in this video is from Ireland. New video should be up next week!

[@Alex.T80]

Nice job!!! 💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks Alex!

[@jeffkatzer]

Very nice video.

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks for watching!

[@warrenvalentino5763]

Great video! Realy Awesome Home! i just subscribed to your Awesome channel and i also hit the bell thing too. i Love the way that you are building your Home. i Love A frames. my Home is a Alpine A frame Home. i Realy look forward to watching more of your Awesome videos. you are So Very Right about building a outhouse first, got to have a place to go. :)

[@norsetoalaska]

Hello Warren! Welcome to the channel! Thanks for the kind words, we share a love for A frames!

[@marianfrances4959]

Awesome!👍😎🇨🇦

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks 👍

[@billg8677]

This was really good.Amazing 7:57 what you have accomplished so far. So looking forward to watching each phase take place. Talented group of people. As I always say May Peace Health and Happiness follow you and yours

[@norsetoalaska]

Thank you Bill! Hope to have the next episode up by the end of the month.

[@briancarp9463]

Thank you, enjoy!!!

[@norsetoalaska]

Our pleasure!

[@funnyriverred2501]

very cool build! wish there was slower close ups of what you were doing for segments.

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks 🙏🏻! I appreciate the feedback as well, feel free to ask any questions if anything wasn’t clear in the time lapse.

[@kingrafa3938]

Great start of the build 👍 540th sub here.

[@norsetoalaska]

Appreciate it! Thanks 👍

[@TropicTrdr]

I just found your channel and enjoyed the time lapsed format. I stopped it a few times along the way when I needed clarification. I really like A-Frame structures and the MCM vibe of that outhouse with the daylight roof. Is any part of your foundation beneath the ground or are those blocks resting on the gravel pad? Did you consider pouring concrete piers? Nice Vanagon, by the way. I had a yellow one when I was in the Navy. Thanks for posting.

[@norsetoalaska]

Hello TropicTrdr, thanks for watching! It’s a floating foundation so the foundation blocks are all resting on the gravel pad. I did consider pouring concrete piers, as well as helical piers (quoted $10k). But ultimately decided against it because of cost/time. Our friends in the area have a couple cabins with similar floating foundations and haven’t had any major issues in the past 15-20 years. We plan to check it for level each year after the freeze/thaw cycle and re-level it with jacks if necessary. For one of the other cabins this had to be done the first year but no issues since. The Vanagon belongs to my buddy, but it is awesome. Thanks! 😎

[@Adventure-Off-Grid]

Awesome! I so much appreciate the step by step instructions. Can you respond with the size beams you used?

[@norsetoalaska]

Hello Adventure -Off-Grid, I appreciate the question/comment - the A's were made up of 2"x8"x16's. I responded to another comment on the foundation beams which I'll just copy here: The beams were made by tripling 2x12 treated lumber. The 2x12s were glued using construction adhesive, nailed, and screwed together with structural screws. Since the total length of the cabin and deck is 36 feet, we used six 2"x12"x12's on the outsides of a 2"x12"x8', a 2"x12"x12', and a 2"x12"x16'. This setup gave the outside boards plenty to hold onto to keep the beams nice and rigid. This process starts in the video at around 5:45. Thanks for watching! 😎

[@JarradL]

Really loved this video. Did you create those plans yourself?

[@norsetoalaska]

Happy to hear it! The plans shown were the collective effort of my wife and I to learn SketchUp, they are still a work in progress. 😉

[@JarradL]

@@norsetoalaska omg that program is so confusing. I'm currently trying to build one in a software called Sweet Home 3d

[@jeremiah4267]

You could have skipped all the outhouse build days by purchasing a portapotty hehe

[@norsetoalaska]

I suppose, but we needed a permanent toilet anyways. 🤷‍♂️🚽

[@smokingsoundsystem7808]

never foget the helmets guys, safety first....the cabin look amazing!!!

[@norsetoalaska]

Good point on the helmets, we're fairly safety conscious but forgot the hard hats. Thank you!

[@seazestyt]

Thank you for sharing the video. Just a hint , the video could be condensed in less than half avoiding repetitive steps not needed.

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks for watching! Very true. I plan to put out a condensed "Start to Finish" version once the cabin is finished. This was my first video, so it was a learning process. ☺️☺️

[@cascadinghaze7125]

I appreciated the full version, needed to see all this.​@@norsetoalaska

[@user-bq5wd9tp8m]

Excellent. What's the angle of the A-frame roof?

[@norsetoalaska]

Thanks! The A-frame triangle is equilateral, and the roof angle is 60 degrees.

[@user-bq5wd9tp8m]

Excellent

[@michaelw.urbansr.8617]

Hey guys ,how do you empty the outhouse? Since your using a standard ,roughly 55gal drum ,im sure its gotta be emptied? lol Do you guys have a farely easy way to lift it out of there to dump or a way to drain it while its in place? Then what are the laws up there for where and how to dump it? In all my reearch and searching ideas for when i purchase my land i have never really thought about that aspect of it? hehe duh The one thing my cabin in the woods has ot have if my wife is ever going ot stay in it,is inside plumbing! LOL Im looking into more of an earthship style home for production of food for our selves? With Earthships growing your own veggies and so on is a large part of the climate control and helth of the overall home. This idea is a really good one although the one i must build will have ot be much larger. I am at the later days of a growing family so i have 5 adult children and so far only three grandbabies! LOL So if we are ever to spend time there ,altogether then its gotta have space for all! Im thinking a much parger "A" frame with dhormers for bedrooms. with a loft stle layout. With my master at the rear of the home on the 1st floor for momma and daddy! which wouldl be my wife and I lolA large portion of the lower and read parts of the home will lead into the part that will transform into the earthship. Its more of a dugout style with grey water and self sustained ,active water collecting and re-use. Its a dream i have ,but ill be a bit further south. Looking for the land in eastern T.N. or W.V., i really love West Virginia. Its still close to our home state of N.J. ,which we would like ot flee from ,from time to time. Get away from it all ,if you will..... Looking in the entire state of W.V. but eastern T.N. in the mountains would be fine. It just has to have some kind of year round fluid creek/stream. Looking at Hydro electric vs solar , or maybe both with the Hydro being the primary source and the solar for backup or maybe just for climate control or appliances or so forth. I sold my home in N.J. and we live in my wifes ,childhood home which we only owe for basic utilites right now. Just need the land to be able ot fulfill my dream! About 10+ acres with a creek and a cabin on the babbling brook my wife wants so much! I kind of like that idea too ;>) Good luck with this project and GOD BLESS!

[@norsetoalaska]

Hello Michael, the outhouse pit goes down about 6' and has two plastic 55 gallon barrels stacked and secured together. The bottom barrel is open to gravel below to allow drainage. The best part is it can be pumped out like a regular septic system- although with our weekend use we likely won't have to pump it for a few years. We're planning to have a compost toilet inside the cabin to avoid those cold middle of the night trips to the outhouse. The Earthships are a cool concept and it sounds like yours will be quite the undertaking. This cabin is kind of our trial run before we decide to build a larger cabin/house. We thought we could build this inexpensively but we've spent quite a bit more than I planned for already. Best of luck on your build, hopefully you find that perfect property soon!

[@Luktus8]

Just got a really quick question, what was the cost to build the a frame

[@norsetoalaska]

At the point this video ended we had spent around $14,000. But that includes materials we hadn't installed yet like insulation, flooring, sheathing, and roofing. I would estimate the cost of materials to get to the point we finished at would be around $9,000. Thanks!

[@kostiantyn.hermash]

How did you join your A's to the floor beam? Actually, your A's look like deltas.

[@norsetoalaska]

The A's are secured with metal hurricane ties on every other joist in the A assembly to the outside beams. Every joist is also nailed to the center beam. If you watch the second episode you'll see the metal ties peeking out from under the eaves. Thanks for watching!

[@kostiantyn.hermash]

@@norsetoalaska Thank you!

[@chicolaroca9438]

does the A's has something that keeps them fixed to the beam underneath them? Or are they just clipped onto the beam? Could you elaborate more on this, please?

[@norsetoalaska]

Hello Chico! The A's are secured to the floor beams with hurricane-ties on the two outside beams, and nails toe-nailed through each joist into the center beam. The hurricane-ties were used on every other joist, as there's not enough space to put a tie on every one. You can see the metal of the ties pretty good at 3:14 to get a visual of them. Thanks for watching! 👀👋

[@chicolaroca9438]

@@norsetoalaska thank you so much....I will do my own....god bless you

[@decarlobrown1347]

Do you guys have a plan set you could share?

[@norsetoalaska]

Not yet unfortunately... I have a few designs I've worked up in SketchUp to help with interior layout, but nothing that would be super helpful for building. For the most part we followed the general design from the Cabins and Cottages book that's linked in the video description. It's a high level overview, but it's what got me started. Thanks for watching!

[@user-wx5ry3uu8l]

Is your outhouse pumped out when full?

[@norsetoalaska]

Hi David 👋 - Yes that's the idea, although with our use (mostly weekends) it should take quite a while to get there.

[@matthewvarela9540]

Hello can I ask what size are the floor joist for the a frame

[@norsetoalaska]

Hi Matthew, the majority of the floor joists (and rafters) were 2x8x16s. For the first two As we used 2x6x16s for the joists so the covered deck area would be at the same height as the rest of the deck. Thanks for watching!

[@chicolaroca9438]

hi...it´s me again hahaha.....what´s the size of the beam used in lower part of the "A"? And what´s the size of the other 2 woods used to make an "A"?

[@norsetoalaska]

Hi Chico, Each A is made up of four 2x8"s in 16 ft length, and then 3/4" plywood was used at the top for a gusset plate.

[@PatrickBeriault]

What are the dimension is the main beams for the A frame ?

[@norsetoalaska]

The beams were made by tripling 2x12 treated lumber. The 2x12s were glued using construction adhesive and screwed together with structural screws. Since the total length of the cabin and deck is 36 feet, we used six 2"x12"x12's on the outsides of a 2"x12"x8', a 2"x12"x12', and a 2"x12"x16'. This setup gave the outside boards plenty to hold onto to keep the beams nice and rigid. Thanks for the question, let me know if you need further clarification on this (probably easier to understand with a diagram).

[@ewing21139]

At 31:27 what is that feller doing on the far right?

[@norsetoalaska]

I think he’s admiring the bushes 😂

[@chicolaroca9438]

Were all the beams used pine?

[@norsetoalaska]

Hi Chico, the treated lumber was Hem fir and the non treated was Douglas fir. 🌲

[@WolfgangR75]

I am dreaming about to built one. I have my own sawmill, but here in Germany there are so many laws so u can`t built one...... greetings Wolfgang

[@norsetoalaska]

Greetings! I wouldn't be able to build this in the city, but there are no restrictions where the cabin is located.

[@alltthings]

40'x40' is how much in Europe dimension?

[@norsetoalaska]

Around 12.2 m x 12.2 m 😀 or 148.6 m²

[@NeonFlaming0]

Are you concerned with the foundation being a problem in the event of an earthquake?

[@norsetoalaska]

Hi Neon Flamingo! I’m not terribly concerned with earthquakes and the foundation, but it will be something I’ll pay attention to when we get some bigger quakes. Several of our friend’s cabins in the area with similar foundations have held up well for decades, so I’m optimistic on this one.

[@NeonFlaming0]

@@norsetoalaska oh cool good to know. I've been wanting to build a cabin like that around moose pass. But the earthquakes make me hesitant.

[@kenlikness]

3 days to build an outhouse? Someone should have put you on an incentive system... like no dumps until the outhouse is finished.

[@norsetoalaska]

Right!? It was actually longer than 3 days but it's there now!

[@DejanKrgic-wp8tl]

Kada bi mogao prevod na srpski bar mere koje idu za rogove širina dužina koja treba ako je širina 5m

[@norsetoalaska]

Здраво! Ја ћу дати све од себе. Троуглови су направљени од дрвета једнаке дужине. Постоји угао од 60 степени где се рогови сусрећу са гредама, а угао од 30 степени где се рогови спајају на врху. Ако користите дрво од 5м за ширину, користили бисте 5м и за рогове.

[@ronstorey6012]

With that shed in the background, look's like the build is happening in someone's backyard

[@norsetoalaska]

It's not a huge lot. There are some other cabins nearby. It would be a lot easier if this was my backyard.

[@ronstorey6012]

@@norsetoalaska got it. Was just an observation from the way the camera caught it on video is all

[@Pauli_Keltomaki]

Why would you put the outhouse door opening inside the outhouse? Such a waist of space.

[@norsetoalaska]

Hi there, not a whole lot occurs besides going to the bathroom in a dry outhouse. We'll live with the wasted space. 🍻🍻

[@AjayKSingh-qe2xr]

I think your toilet will stinks... toilet in a bucket not a good idea..bro

[@norsetoalaska]

The outhouse pit is vented above the roof, it eliminates a lot of the odors.

[@DGotti-jy9go]

👍👍👍🙂