House on the water

mudmagnet63

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Sep 28, 2007
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231
We are going to build a small cabin on our farm pond for the purpose of camping, fishing, Ect. probably > 1000sq. ft. We would like to build the cabin on the edge of the pond with a poarch / dock 8' - 10' overhanging the water. the cabin will be a metal building pre fab. How would a person build the piers to hold the dock up over the water ? What is the best material ? Research so far just has me confused :confused:
 

MikDee

Banned
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
4,745
Re: House on the water

Well you could always build floating docks, the ones I've seen seem to work pretty good, even using 55gal plastic drums.
 

mudmagnet63

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Sep 28, 2007
Messages
231
Re: House on the water

We already have a floating dock I'm looking for a permanent way to put in piers? the poarch will be attached to the cabin
 

Bigprairie1

Commander
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
2,568
Re: House on the water

Interesting and cool idea (I'd like to have a piece of property large enough to consider that kind of thing).
Here is a question for you:
-How deep is the water at/near the point where your deck/dock would end? (4', 8', 12' or?)
In the mean time...you may not need anything out in the water if you use large enough cantilevered beams/joists out and connect them properly and deep enough into the cabin framing.
Or put in a couple of steel beams to support a joist group out in that area.
But first...how deep is the water as aforementioned?
BP
 

muskyone

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 17, 2003
Messages
814
Re: House on the water

i like the steel beam idea have them put in concrete with the foundation no rot ever and if the slab moves thay should move with it
 

mudmagnet63

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
231
Re: House on the water

Interesting and cool idea (I'd like to have a piece of property large enough to consider that kind of thing).
Here is a question for you:
-How deep is the water at/near the point where your deck/dock would end? (4', 8', 12' or?)
In the mean time...you may not need anything out in the water if you use large enough cantilevered beams/joists out and connect them properly and deep enough into the cabin framing.
Or put in a couple of steel beams to support a joist group out in that area.
But first...how deep is the water as aforementioned?
BP

Bigprairie You my friend are a genious I have been trying to figure this out for about a month, simple and fairly easy to tie into construction. BTW about 8' - 10' at the deepest spot. Leave it to me to complicate something :confused:
 

jeeperman

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
1,513
Re: House on the water

You might also want to think about how this cabin might effect your property taxes. If the local tax man will know about it.

Down here if it don't have a foundation and is considered "portable" it don't effect the property taxes.
So there are some cabins and fulltime houses on 40foot long i-beams with the ends ski tipped. There is no real defined meaning of the word "portable" in the tax code so we just tell the tax man, "I can rent this big butt bulldozer and big butt chain and drag it anywhere."
 

mudmagnet63

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
231
Re: House on the water

Way back in the woods Tax man cant find his A** in the dark. let alone our farm pond. :D
 
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