Opinion on cabin flooring

[CMichaud]

Was looking for some input on my next project.

I will start by saying that I really know nothing really about anything (wife can verify)

I have an 18x24 old piggery/chicken house that I reckon was once a cabin. It has a footing and is constructed out of 4x4ish square "logs" stacked on top of each other. The exterior is sided with shiplap. Roof is in pretty good shape although it needs a new shingle job

I got to thinking that this might be a cheap cabin option. I plan on doing some excavating of the inside, knocking down the excess inside structure/stalls, some wall repair, re-shingling, and possibly residing it.

I'll run power from the barn and add a wood burning stove later.

I am now mulling over the flooring options.

Currently is dirt mixed with 80+ years of animal byproduct and God knows what else.

The way I see it I can either go with floor joists off the footing (cheaper) or am I better to have a 3-4" slab poured in?

I have some pics of the "project" here http://imgur.com/a/FuqnV

Thanks for any ideas - I appreciate any and all!

[sigma1]

I would shovel out all that loose fluffy stuff then add some good clean clay to bring it up to grade. Get a plate tamper and tamp it exactly level with it being moist. It will become rock hard and you are done. You could even add some washed rock on top for the final finish and tamp it flat for something real special. Hey you said cheep. Good luck. Ps you could pour a pad over this if everything works out. Or put plywood over a layer of washed rock.

[Viking Caliber]

Cheap flooring option?
try pallets they are free and you can modify them to your needs.
Plus you can take off the pallet slats fill in the holes where you need them.
the cost for this is your gas and time to cut them down.
let your mind run wild with a patterns for the install

[RBI]

I would think the first thing you would want to do , is to shovel out all the existing ...floor and " unknown " and wash the whole inside out .

Then go in on a hot day and sit for a while , to see in you were able to get rid of the smell.

I'm just a city boy , but the two worse smelling things that I ever encountered , were a chicken coup and pig barn/pen on a hot day . 80 yrs is a lot of stink

Then and only then , would " I " continue with anything further .

If you get to that point and smell is gone , then I think you have a nice project in front of you .

Looks in the picture like it's sitting on a concrete footing , hence it's stable ( now rereading , I see that you said it's on a footing )

To me , I would figure it's worth time and money to put in a proper floor .

I guess that it's a question of how much it's going to be used .
What kind of expectations do you have for it .

I like the idea of a wood floor better , first , as you stated , it's less expensive, second , you would be able to insulate it better, and third , depending on how you finish the wood floor , it would be in better continuity with the rest of the cabin .

Plus , it also leaves open the possible option of moving/selling it .

Either way , I hope what ever you you works out for you/it . Good luck

ps had a good smile reading the second line in your post .

[reddeerguy2015]

Originally Posted by RBI

I would think the first thing you would want to do , is to shovel out all the existing ...floor and " unknown " and wash the whole inside out .

Then go in on a hot day and sit for a while , to see in you were able to get rid of the smell.

I'm just a city boy , but the two worse smelling things that I ever encountered , were a chicken coup and pig barn/pen on a hot day . 80 yrs is a lot of stink

Then and only then , would " I " continue with anything further .

If you get to that point and smell is gone , then I think you have a nice project in front of you .

Looks in the picture like it's sitting on a concrete footing , hence it's stable ( now rereading , I see that you said it's on a footing )

To me , I would figure it's worth time and money to put in a proper floor .

I guess that it's a question of how much it's going to be used .
What kind of expectations do you have for it .

I like the idea of a wood floor better , first , as you stated , it's less expensive, second , you would be able to insulate it better, and third , depending on how you finish the wood floor , it would be in better continuity with the rest of the cabin .

Plus , it also leaves open the possible option of moving/selling it .

Either way , I hope what ever you you works out for you/it . Good luck

ps had a good smile reading the second line in your post .

Listen to this guy!! Personally, I don't think you'll ever get the smell out. But Goodluck.

[CNP]

Nice cabin. Concrete slab over properly prepared ground.

[Drewski Canuck]

I try to inject humour wherever I can, but YOU ARE A FUNNY GUY!!!!

But really, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Any farm boy knows that. No matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, its still a pig.

(I spend a lot of time dealing with down to earth people. Stepped in enough cow pies in my time to know why you have to wear rubber boots on a farm.)

But really, if your time and money mean nothing, then charge on. There are enough Architects out there who will tell you "anything you can dream we can make happen". But the problem is I suspect that those types of people never cried from pain when they worked, and never broke a sweat for their money.

Just go get a building permit, buy a cabin package, pour a grade beam, and set the cabin high enough in the foundation that you can get around in the crawl space in the future. You will have a modern construction that is superior to a half rotted building which will always have a unique "smell" to it.

Drewski

[sigma1]

For the price of new footings you will be half done your reconditioning. No permits no taxes no insurance. I would consider a solar panel and a 12 volt battery instead of a long extension cord. Run a drain pipe for a sink and use the other shed to build your matching outhouse. Looks like a fun mini project and great for the extra inlaws in summer.