Eco-Cabin

197909xx-ra-033-roof-frame-up-Randboro,-QU

Eco-Cabin – a Ten Sided Dome

In 1979 I met up with an old folk-singer-songwriter friend named Wolf from the mid sixties. He had country property in Southern Quebec, the Eastern Townships near the USA border, outside of a small town called Randboro. We decided to build a couple of eco-cabins. Eco-cabins are the smallest live-in dome you can build. There are 10 sides and the diameter across is about 18 feet. (This was before Metric conversion!)

I found the plans for the cabin and precut all of the 2x4s and joints in Toronto. This was not the easiest job as every joint had to be cut to 54 degrees. Nothing was square!

So I managed to get all of the wood cut, and then I piled it on top of my red Volkswagen van. This was a tall order as the wood on the top was heavier than the van underneath it. It was strapped unto roof racks and then in September 1979  I drove it to Quebec without any untoward episodes.

Get the Eco Cabin Construction Plans

197909xx-ra-037-Robin-Randboro,-QUThe building happened  in three stages.

1. 1979 September: We had to build this in the country without electricity or facilities. We were able to use a barn for accommodation while we worked. There were four of us: Wolf, myself and our two girlfriends Anna and Barbara. I think we only had about 7 to 10 days to see what we could do. We had to hand dig the post  holes for the foundation – 4 feet deep!  It was a very hot and dry week but we managed to get the foundation, the frame and the roof finished on one cabin, and we got the post holes in on the second cabin.

2. 1980 May: I had to go back and finish the job. So this time Barbara and a friend Nanci came with me. We met up with Wolf and Anna and got the sides on the cabin and got the tar paper on the walls and the roof. The windows were made but I did not have enough time to finish everything.

3. 1980 Summer: Wolf and Anna had to finish by putting on the wooden shingles and securing the windows. The windows were all at 54 degree angles and after being secured, they also had to be sealed.

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