Dave Whipple — Bushradical on YouTube — built a 10×16 off-grid cabin on remote land in the northern Midwest, racing early snow and sleeping in a tent on the property while he worked. The cabin is about 160 square feet inside, with a 5×16 porch out front, a wood stove, and tongue-and-groove walls and ceiling. Nothing fancy, he says. Just a simple little cabin in the woods.
Why Stick-Frame, Not Logs
This isn’t a log cabin. Lumber prices had come down, and Dave didn’t have time to log this property, so he went conventional stick-frame. The land is remote — northern / upper Midwest woods; he never names a town — and he wanted a simple rectangular box he could actually finish before winter.
A Clearing, Treated Posts, and a Fire Pit from Leftover Dirt
He picked a spot among the evergreens and started with a treated-post foundation, an idea from his brother Ryan. The posts go about 3.5 feet into hard-packed sand. The dirt from those holes didn’t get left in a pile: he reused it for a fire pit so the site wouldn’t look like a construction dump.
He also put undersheeting down so mice and squirrels wouldn’t steal the insulation — the kind of detail you remember if you’ve built in the woods before.
Standing a Wall Solo (Then Cutting the Openings)
Framing in the remote woods means you don’t have a crew. Dave stood a full sheathed wall by himself. It was too heavy. Plan B: cut out the window and door first, then get it up.
Out front, he framed a 5×16 deck — the porch that later holds a couple of chairs once the snow is on the ground. The roof is shed-style with metal roofing, though he delayed putting the main-roof metal on so he’d have natural light while he did the interior tongue-and-groove. Four inches of wet snow arrived before the roof was on. He was living in a tent at a campsite on the property the whole time.
Tongue-and-Groove, 1×12 Pine, and a Barrel Stove
Inside, walls and ceiling are tongue-and-groove. The floor is 1×12 pine — the same flooring he and his wife Brooke used on a cabin they built the year before. Heat is a barrel wood stove and chimney. Power is a portable power station and LED lights; this video doesn’t show a full solar array.
“You Can Nail Together a Lot of Boards for $600 a Month”
Dave tells a story about his grandpa: when a cousin was looking at a $600-a-month mortgage, grandpa’s take was that you can nail together a lot of boards for $600 a month. Building this cabin, he says, you learn the ABCs of construction. The closing line of the video is the whole pitch: nothing fancy, just a simple little cabin in the woods.
Watch the Full Tour
Dave walks the whole build on his Bushradical channel — site work, posts, the solo wall raise, interior T&G, the stove, and that first snow. The video, Off Grid Cabin In The Woods….Start to finish, went up November 22, 2021, and runs about 41 minutes.
Learn More
Dave Whipple’s 10×16 Off-Grid Cabin
Video: Off Grid Cabin In The Woods….Start to finish on YouTube
Channel: Bushradical (channel page)
Builder: Dave Whipple
Uploaded: November 22, 2021 · ~41 minutes
Location: remote property in the northern / upper Midwest (no town named)
Highlights
- 10×16 stick-frame cabin + 5×16 deck out front (~160 sq ft interior)
- Built by Dave Whipple (Bushradical) on remote northern Midwest land; tent-camped on site
- Treated post foundation (~3.5 ft into hard-packed sand), idea from brother Ryan
- Dirt from post holes reused for a fire pit so the site wouldn’t look like a dump
- Race against early snow — 4 inches of wet snow before the roof was on
- Stood a full sheathed wall solo; cut the window and door out first when it was too heavy
- Tongue-and-groove interior, 1×12 pine floor (same as a cabin he and Brooke built the year before)
- Barrel wood stove + chimney; shed-style metal roof; undersheeting so mice/squirrels don’t steal insulation
- Off-grid with a portable power station and LED lights (no full solar array in this video)
- No build cost given in the video
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Alex
