How to build a cabin in the woods.

What it takes, what it costs, and how to navigate all the hurdles.

Living the dream.

It’s basically a trope at this point. Your own cabin in the woods..free from the city, filled with trinkets and stories. Found objects from the land and memories of past visits. Your own special place to think, write, paint, compose… You’ve probably got a pinterest board - don’t be ashamed, we all do.

Offsite’s goal is to make that dream a reality for you. We’ve gone through the process a few times, and want to make it as accessible, affordable and enjoyable as possible. We’ve got our own cabin in upstate NY (you can come stay if you want!) and it’s honestly one of the most special places we get to visit. It’s got its own stories to tell - those of artists and musicians, writers and entrepreneurs who have passed through and used its walls to create space to explore their work and explore the woods.

If you’re ready to explore your own cabin, this is the post for you. We’re going to break it down into how it works, what to expect, how much it’s likely to cost, and how long it could take. If you want to make it happen, let’s get our hands dirty and do the damn thing!

Offsite’s CBN 001

1. Define Your Vision

One of the most important steps in making this a reality is defining your vision of what you actually want. We’ve all seen the data of homeowners regret all us millennials had once we bought houses outside the city during COVID. Locked into never-gonna-happen-again interest rates with homes we don’t actually want but can’t afford to buy something we do. We don’t want you to end up there, it’s not fun.

It’s worth sitting down and writing an essay about what your days will look like in your new space. Start zoomed out and work your way in. Do you drive up there or take Metro North? How many times a month? How far is the drive to town for coffee? How many nights are you there? How accessible is the cabin - do you have to hike in when you get to your land? Once you’re there, is there a kitchen? A deck? Where does the light come through in the morning and what do you hear at night? Do you spend your work days inside writing in a notebook or editing video?

It feels silly, but it’ll reveal a lot about what you are actually trying to accomplish here. It’s the first thing we do with every client - go through and really drill down on what their needs are - then we can paint in the hopes and dreams. We like to strip down to the essentials and can build from there - whether you’re buying or building we want to make sure it’s going to work, and there is freedom in the constraints.

2. Find Land

The first step is to find a region you want to be in, and then find a piece of land that works for you. There’s a lot of ways you can do this, but our recommendation is to find a good real estate agent in the area who specializes in land. After going through part 1, you should have a good idea in your head of what your ideal piece of land looks like, at least in terms of location, size and landscape. Also, welcome to the world of zoning, planning boards and small town politics. Just remember that you’re not in the city anymore, people are very proud and protective of their towns, and kindness goes an extremely long way.

You’ll be looking for a few things, primarily Access, Utilities and Zoning Restrictions. Access is simple - is there a driveway, or could you reasonably put one in. Occasionally you’ll come across plots surrounded by other parcels, which would require a right-of-way, but that’s rare. Utilities are typically run to the edge of the lot, and then you are required to pay to have them run to the house. Some electrical companies will run 25’-100’ off of the road free of charge - hence why so many houses are right on the road with massive pieces of land behind them). This can get expensive fast, so be wary. Finally, you’ll need zoning approval if it doesn’t already have it. It’s more than just the building - you’ll likely need septic and a well dug if it’s raw land. Your budget, timeline and appetite for pain will determine if you want raw land or want to find a lot that has “improvements” - that is already has utilities installed - or at least permitted.

Once you find a few parcels that look like they could work for you, the next step is to check on the zoning and permitting for the site. Most listings will note this, but if not every county has a GIS map that will provide you with the zoning. You may also have to dig through the town code to see what’s buildable on your lot once you find the designation, as ‘R-3, M-2 overlay’ is not going to be very helpful. If you’re already bummed, we can help you with this! There’s a few scenarios you’ll find:

1. The lot already has a house on it. You’re pretty much good to go. If you’re renovating, tearing down and rebuilding new, or adding another permanent structure you’ll have to submit your plans to the town, but at least you know it’s possible to build to equal or lesser on the site.

2. The lot is zoned residential and permitted for a home. Awesome! Likely, a specific area has been designated the build site, so figure out where that is. If you want to move it, you’ll need to submit a new site plan, but that’s also OK.

3. The lot is zoned residential but does not carry build permits. Ok, not the worst thing in the world but we need to do due diligence here. Hopefully your agent knows the backstory, but call the town zoning director and ask for any history on the parcel and why it’s never been built on. If they don’t know, get a local contractor (more on these guys later) out there to take a look. It may be totally fine, or there may be a good reason no one has gone through the trouble of trying to build on the lot.

4. The lot is zoned other than residential. Probably not for you this time. If you’re looking to build a campground or a commercial site, just email us - this gets complicated quickly and is another post for another day!

A quick reality check on timelines here - if you buy a ready to build lot, you can have building permits in 2-3 months. If you’re going with raw land or a complicated build situation, expect 9 months + until you start work on the cabin. Putting a team of contractors together takes time, and small town approvals do not move quickly. It can go much faster, especially if you have a skilled team in place, but it’s best to assume it won’t.

3. Know Your Numbers

Ok, so we’ve gone through a lot on the land, and utilities, which are already adding up costs - so let’s just get to the fun stuff and take a look at a realistic budget! We’re going to look at an average case here, using a piece of land that’s currently available for purchase but needs utilities, and one of our pre-fab plans. The land alone varies greatly from town to town, and we use premium builders, but if you built it yourself and bought cheap land, well you could do it quite a bit cheaper. It could also get much, much more expensive…

Here’s a sample budget that you might expect. These prices were verified in Dutchess County, NY.

Land (3 Acres): $79,900

Well: $9,000

Power 300’: $6,000

Septic: $8,000

Clearing: $2,500

Driveway: $7,500

Cabin Plans: $1,250

Materials: $42,000

Labor: $77,000

Landscaping: $15,000

Total: $248,150

Realistically, coming in with ~$250k budget can get you an on-grid cabin in upstate NY, including land. Not bad, considering you could generate $5k/month in rentals if you wanted to! A whole lot cheaper than a Brooklyn Brownstone, that’s for sure.

If you go off-grid, you can potentially save a lot as well - the cabin systems will be more but the savings on the land improvements will outweigh that. In general, if you’re going full solar, compost toilet and water holding tanks, expect an estimated $35k additional cost if you want a serious solar setup (we recommend Goal Zero systems, or working with a local integrator). That said, be aware that a lot of the value of your real-estate comes from the improvements in land! Also, off-grid in the winter is HARD. If you have questions, just reach out!

Plans: Buy vs Custom

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to choosing your designs. There are two main routes - pre-designed, custom or minor customizations to existing plans. The latter is the majority of demand that we see.

For most use cases, there are really only a few layouts that work properly given the small square footage constraints. With a few exceptions for very specific uses (ceramics studio, editing bay, etc.), or for the bold and brave that are willing to be experimental and possibly trade function for progression, our standard packages are probably the right solution. For those of you who want to push boundaries, we thank you - dream clients!

When you’re buying plans or a prefabricated unit, what you’re really paying for is a design that has been tested and reviewed by contractors. The additional benefits are time (full customization takes weeks to months), cost reduction, and complexity. There can be benefits to permitting - once a unit has been approved by a municipality, it is unlikely to have issues receiving permits for another user, but permitting is a conversation for another essay.

Find Your Builder

Finding a contractor is arguably the most important part of your cabin building journey. A good contractor is worth their weight in gold, and a bad one will be your worst nightmare. Our #1 piece of advice: GET REFERENCES FROM IDEALLY 3 PRIOR CLIENTS. Licensing requirements vary from state to state, but some do not require General Contractors to carry any license, and others are quite easy to obtain.

Aside from asking for references, there are a few things to look for / ask about when finding a contractor.

First, when receiving bids, ask for a detailed breakdown of how they allocate costs. This allows you to compare quotes accurately, and ask about any outliers. If someone comes in well under your other bids or our estimated build costs, they are likely misunderstanding something, or unaware of the true cost. If line items say “or equal” when referring to finishes and equipment, make sure to require approval on what is “equal.” Require your signoff at milestone events such as foundation, framing, fixture rough-ins, etc. before work can continue.

It is very important that everything is documented on paper. The reality is, building any size structure is extremely complex and mistakes and misunderstandings are bound to happen. That’s OK, but open communication is your best defense against serious ones. If a contractor is hard to get in touch with, slow to respond, or missing calls / deadlines before you pay them, that trend will likely accelerate after you pay.

Some Final Words

Building a cabin is a huge commitment, both in time and money - but it is absolutely possible to do with any reasonable budget. Surrounding yourself with a team that is knowledgeable in land sales, development and construction is crucial. You got this!

If you’re interested in taking the first steps towards your own cabin in the woods, shoot an email to hello@offsite.camp and we’d be happy to discuss your vision for more time outdoors!