Are you one of the many Canadians who dream about owning a modest country place? Are you discouraged because the cabin dream seems too expensive? It doesn’t have to cost as much as you might think. In fact, it shouldn’t.

Build small, keep it simple and work with your own hands. These are the keys to owning a great little country cabin at the price of a modest used car. Five to ten thousand dollars is all it takes to build the shell. The approach we’re following uses a classic, easy-to-build design with a 14 x 20-foot floor plan, including front porch. Sounds small? It is, but that’s okay when you step back and remember why you wanted to spend time in the woods anyway. A modest floor plan also makes it practical to build on remote locations where full-size delivery trucks can’t go.

Your cabin adventure will be unique, because your cabin dream is one-of-a-kind. Keep things small, pay attention to details and do the work yourself. You’ll be surprised how much enjoyment you’ll get from both the building process, the cozy outcome and the small building budget.