Plywood shack is cheap, and for basic shelter does the job.
windproof,
mosquito-free
windows let in natural light and produce passive solar heating.
its solid construction acts as a heat sink and insulated space.
more dry and warm, and weatherproof and insulated space than a tent.
small shack, perhaps as little as 8 feet by 12 feet, is economic use of materials and still large enough for one or two peole to eke out a residence.
Idea of these dimensions - 8 by 12 feet - is to reduce the amount of sawing of wood as much as possible (but inevitably some sawing will have to be done)
8 by 12 foot is small but functional size.
End
two sheets of plywood cover the one end 8 by 8.
(about three sheets might be needed on taller end)
For framing, stud (or less) could be used for header and footer. with a 2X4 nailed to each end you have eight-foot total length, just right to be covered by sheets of plywood.
(if you plan to use plywood sheets for roof, and don't want extra work, make the width of the room less than 8 feet. it just means cutting the header and footer shorter than 8 feet, so 8-ffot wide roof would extend past ends of walls. Still that does not mean having to cut the sheets of plyswood used for siding - just have the plywood extend past the framing. Extra wind barrier.)
The 12-foot length for the sides means one sheet of plywood plus a half sheet covers the length, or one vertical and one or two horizontal, or three vertical.
Above those sheets if horizontal at bottom would be the windows.
or windows coud be in the four-foot section, That is, in the area not covered by the one whole sheet.
A sliding door used as large window replaces some of the wood otherwise needed for a wall. letting in light and solar heat, and relieving some of the cramped feeling of such a small space.
shack would be 12 foot long and about 8 feet wide - this works good for sheets of plywood and for pretty square shape - the most economic use of walls.
Roof and height
Roof could be easily done by making a shed roof. higher on one end, with just one slope
say ten feet tall at one end, sheets laid across the 8-foot width overlapping, and roof sloping down to 7 feet tall on the other end.
(here's one trade-off -- if it slopes down to just 7 feet height, then you have to cut the studs to make wall only 7 feet tall there are no store-bought studs that come in 7-foot lengths. - more work but less material needed to sheath the shorter wall.)
door at the end either at the 7-foot-tall end or the 11-foot-tall end.
or in the side in one of the four-foot wall sections.
11-foot is not multiple of four feet, the width of a sheet of plywood, but plywood does not need to start at the levelof the floor but can start below, covering the end of the sub-flooring.
With only that much headroom there would not be room for loft,
but a two-foot or so high storage space would be put in,
this could be done simply by putting in a ledge extending across the width of the room at the 7-foot level, at the 11-foot-tall end.
Sleeping platform possible with more height
A slightly higher roof (higher than 11 feet) could allow a sleeping plaform at the 6.5-foot-high level at the high end of the room
say with roof at 12 foot height at the tall end,
sloping down to 7 or 6.5 foot height at the less-tall end,
a platform 4 feet wide covering width of the room at the tall end would have about 3 to 4 feet of vertical space. so enough to have sleeping platform.
(maybe have ladder pinned to the wall, for access!)
No sleeping loft
A 4-foot section could be separated out by a wood wall or a curtain for a bedroom - not lots of room for a couple -
leaving approx. 8 by 8 foot space for cooking and eating, sitting and living.
Windows
for windows, having window above the 4-foot level is too high but ion he walls if the bottom horizontal plywood sheet started below floor level, say to cover the end of the joists, etc, then whole sheets would work and not interfere with the windows.
The windows would break up the upper sheet anyway, so for at least part of the walls of the long sides, whole sheets could not used anyway if you want windows.
(Some cutting must be done no matter how you do it!)
Materials (assuming door at one end)
floor
2 12 foot 2 X 8 (need support every two or 4 feet)
13 8 foot 2 by 8s (each cut so it is about 8 inches shorter than 8 foot so that with ends and reinforcement of the ends, total width of shack is only 8 feet or less.)
flooring 3 sheets of plywood 3/4 thick
(cutting required if shack is to be less than 8 feet wide.
generally floor dimensions of 8 by 12 feet fit three sheets perfectly.
Framing for walls
short end wall 2 2X4 studs for header and footer
5 2X4 studs
tall endwall 2 2X4 studs for header and footer
5 2X4 12-feet long
side wall 3 8 foot 2X4 for header and footer (.5 for header, 1.5 for footer)
9 2 X4 studs including double studs at each end of room
extra studs needed to frame around windows and door
5 2/4 8 feet long for header tie-ins
end wall 2 sheets plywood plus almost another sheet for the tall end.
end wall one door, 1 window, scraps of wood
side walls two sheets of pywood for each plus scraps to fill in holes where windows not present.
Roof
4 or 5 sheets of plywood depending on overlap
ten 2X6s 8 feet long for support for roof
two pinned together for each joist.
joists to be on 2-foot centres.
bracing would be needed for added strength especially with heavy snow load expected.
Total
2 12 foot 2 X 8s
13 8 foot 2 by 8s
11 2X4 8 feet long
27 2X4 studs
plus miscellanous shorter 2X4 for framing around windows, door
miscellaneous 2X4s for bracing of the studs
5 2X4 12-feet long
15 sheets of pywood
8 3/4 inch for roof and floor
7 half inch (or thin sheathing) for walls.
door, windows and wood scraps.
Those materials plus labour and screws and nails should give you basic shell.
Cost
perhaps $1000 in purchased wood
(cheaper of course if you use repurposed wood)
additional materials
Paint and trim are not included.
plastic house wrap is important to prevent air transfer. that is how much heat is lost.
insulation is important too.
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Sleeping platform or storage space
(storage space does not need to be built as strong as a sleeping platform)
about 7.5-foot-long sheet of plywood for storage or sleeping platform
for support for sleeping platform
1 2X4 that can be nailed to wall for support there
plus either:
3 2 X 8 8 ft long
or 2 2 X 8 for along the inside edge
plus 9 4-foot-long 2/4 to go across underneath sleeping platform as support
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Heating
heating and cooking could be woodstove.
A small woodstove might cost $600, with piping extra,
Heating (but no cooking) could be by small electric heater if you have power source and an extension cord.
hot plate for cooking?
and you have functional little place to live.
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no bathroom facilities or running water in the shack
haveto use outdoor privy or porta-potty or public washrooms
No running water
perhaps sink in a table could be installed.
It could drain outside so at least don't have carry wastewater out.
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12 X 12 foot shack
With a bit heavier construction of the floor or additional support for any spans of the sub-floor, a 12 X 12 foot shack is also cheap and affordable.
although amount of walls goes up to 48 linear feet from 40 for the 8 X 12 shack,
the square footage goes up from 96 to 144 so considerable increase with only moderate additional length of walls.
the span of the roof supports does not increase -- already roof supports were more than 12 feet long.
The increased size means the roof will have to have to have 7 joists instead of 5.
plus shingles will be needed to seal the roof now that a single sheet of plywood does not cover whole width of the shack.
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