Construction start to finish of a modern ICF mountain cabin.

Рет қаралды 2,403,171

Жыл бұрын

This video documents the one-year journey to complete the construction of a modern mountain cabin. As an owner-build, the goal was to create something high-end, unique, maintenance free, and modern, using only the best materials.
To discover more of what's unique about the cabin you can find us on Instagram:
@zenplicitycabin
Also, watch highlight video here: • Zenplicity Cabin
Want to stay here? Find our listings here:
www.vrbo.com/3309360?unitId=3...
www.airbnb.com/rooms/72744274...
Construction materials:
Exterior ICF (insulating concrete forms) walls (12 inches thick)
Black 16"inch wide, 26 gauge, standing seam metal roofing and front wall.
trex decking
Feeney cable rails
Stained concrete slab with variegation and mottling
Stem wall foundation/gravel backfill
Fiber cement siding
Zip wall system
Low E double paned windows
Interior wood frame
Special features:
Eco-Luxe
Architect Designed (Modern exterior, minimalist interior)
Diakin 18,000 Btu 17-seer ducted mini
split heat pump with 8 kw heat
strips. Unit is ducted so there are no hanging wall units.
Propane powered Navian tankless water heater (NPE-210A2) with a recirculating pump (Instant hot water)
Passive solar design
Smart home technology
Modern black stainless steel appliances
Trimless recessed lights
Floating vanities
Built-in Electric Fireplace
Modern Tile
Triple Bunk
For questions, you can contact me at johnwolson79@gmail.com
#cabinbuild #architecture #ownerbuilder #ownerbuild #ICFconstruction #ICF #moderncabin #moderndesign #zenplicitycabin #financialfreedom #passiveincome #incomeproperty #shorttermrentals #diy

Пікірлер: 834

@Louie359 Жыл бұрын

I'm a now retired residential and light commercial builder with 30+ years of custom construction experience. That said, I am very impressed with your building of this mountain cabin for you and the family. Great Job!! Like others, I will be eager to see your cost breakdown. Hopefully you'll have multiple categories and break out labor and materials in those categories. It is obvious that you spared no expense in doing everything in a high-class manner and succeeded in an outstanding finished product.

@beefquiche Жыл бұрын

I love to see no expense spared. What a joy this cabin will be for the family.

@cameronbun Жыл бұрын

grsdgseges

@cameronbun Жыл бұрын

hgtdrhdrhr

@hibahprice6887 Жыл бұрын

@@beefquiche Sparing money is stupid, why else are they needed?

@Kay.D Жыл бұрын

for sure costed over $800k

@pierre.a.larsen Жыл бұрын

The cabin looks great and solid. It will last a long time! The outside terrace in the back is amazing.

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Yes, we love the terrace.

@SternDrive Жыл бұрын

i am wondering if the floor will shift and sink in the middle. This gravel will settle, so what will happen to the floor?

@macleanclassics Жыл бұрын

That was the perfect opportunity to double the sq footage and add a walkout basement....

@damaciolara4600 5 ай бұрын

That's what I thought, why not a future basement??

@angeloc700 Жыл бұрын

That’s a nice robust build and I hope you and your family enjoy it for generations to come! Can’t wait for the cost breakdown video. I bought land on a slope in VT and am planning on building something similar. Cheers!

@richardatten Жыл бұрын

I am a General Contractor..... I love that you applied so many newer material applications like Zip Wall and Roof systems, ICF, Mini Split AC, etc...I did not see Solar or rain collection from the roof, but either way, really nice build. Maybe move the trash can and build an enclosure so it's not the first thing you see when pulling up the driveway. congratulations on a job that was exceptionally well done! Great details.

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Btw…there will be solar added. This will likely be a project next year

@IU-Uber 16 күн бұрын

Solar would work better if the roof was pitch the other way, aka to the south. Then you could of split a roof with the current angle off of the now high side across to the retaining wall and had a covered driveway (aka a carport). That all being said the house looks awesome and John built it the way you wanted it! Great job!!

@PamelaLUSAF 6 күн бұрын

Congratulations! Gorgeous home and views!

@wayphun72 Жыл бұрын

Wow, good job, looks like a great space! Thank you for sharing this John.

@davidjondoh8671 Жыл бұрын

Nice build and great commentary. The only thing lacking IMO would be radiant heating in the slab floor.

@wthomas253 Жыл бұрын

Makes sense especially since he already installed a recirculating h20 pump for the hot water tankless.

@SegoMan Жыл бұрын

Agreed, have it heated from a boiler and or fireplace

@davedude250 Жыл бұрын

YES INDEED! and i wouldnt have minded exposed ductwork, which i find imho very beautiful. ..thin i would have used wood board & batten siding to soften up the feel of the entry

@ferrodell2194 3 ай бұрын

Great appearance for a modern cabin with all of the modern amenities 👍🏼 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

@annaschmanna1 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting to watch your house build. We just finished almost same build but ours is a 2 storey 8 inch ICF in a small town in Canada. Thank you for sharing.

@tonyseck8025 Жыл бұрын

Great Video. Thanks for sharing. Just curious as to the decision to go with a slab foundation vs. a crawlspace. I assume this had something to do with the the overall ICF design and energy efficiency but wanted to get your feedback on that. Obviously you had to bring in a ton of material to backfill the foundation so I was curious as to the tradeoffs. Thanks.

@Chief- Жыл бұрын

Cool place John, thanks for sharing. I appreciate how you “overbuilt” the place, should be solid building for a long time. Good luck!

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍

@kenjohnson5498 Жыл бұрын

Them boys did some damn good looking concrete work! That's a hard thing to find these days

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Agreed. The concrete work was done very well!

@gparsr 5 ай бұрын

Question- was all that the gravel backfill necessary? It looks great but that was a lot of material… ok, going through more of the video I see what you did there. Another slab on top… nice! I

@HamandisheMpofu 2 ай бұрын

The best construction 🚧🏗️ video by far. I absolutely loved it. The commentary is very audible and every single step of the construction have been covered. Well done.👌🏿🤜🏿

@Carpster 8 ай бұрын

Spent parts of the last 4 days to watch your full build here--John, amazing job buddy. Beautiful area, incredible modern design, and just a really well thought out home. The deck is my favorite part by far, but the fire pit, the hot tub, and all the other little touches really take this place from being solid and serviceable, to extraordinary. Really well done man. p.s. spent a few years living in Western N.C. and will hopefully own a piece of dirt out that way again sometime soon.

@johnwolson 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the compliments.

@Carpster 8 ай бұрын

@@johnwolson Absolutely man. Did you keep loose track of costs? So curious to know what each phase came in at (I could PM you too if you prefer not to post publicly). Anyway, really inspiring.

@MrHeat1up Жыл бұрын

That branch didn't just fall. The predator is watching. 🤣

@PoetClbrown 8 ай бұрын

That was so interesting i actually sat through the entire thing. I sometimes think I may have chosen the wrong career as a software developer because i love building things and working with my hands. This was very impressive. Beautiful build. I love Northern GA so that was a plus. That foundation is SOLID

@JoeGreenDigital 7 ай бұрын

Me too. :)

@approots 3 ай бұрын

I've done both programming and building and it really is surprising how similar they are. You work with your hands for both, but it's mostly decision making. The result is a tangable thing that's hopefully very useful and valued by people.

@markmazza135 7 ай бұрын

Beautiful sturdy construction…well done, love it!

@Utah_Samson Жыл бұрын

I love the cabin, Thanks for shaing all of the details of your build! I'd also love to hear a recap of what it cost to build.

@johnmcdonald489 Жыл бұрын

I LOVE the yellow entrance! And I love the build. One of the best I’ve seen

@leegordon861 Жыл бұрын

Thanks I do love the way the building looks.

@TheUndisputedGodFather Жыл бұрын

Love the design! Love the result!!

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😊

@joes5096 Жыл бұрын

I like most everything you did with the exception of your water take away and lack of rear overhang. It's my personal bias as a carpenter that all houses deserve roofs with a perimeter overhang more so in harsh climates as it provides so much in extending life of structure. No idea what state or elevation this may be located at but I've been seasoned at 36" annual rainfall and or 2 foot snow loads. Between the roof shedding and the flat drive, seepage at the sill plate just seems to be a matter of time or season. Contemporary style is pretty down on gutters but got to give them their due for water take away. Having a 18in rear overhang could have provided much function and some cool under soffit down lighting to prevent light pollution. Great color/material selections!

@SternDrive Жыл бұрын

You should have watched the whole thing! They did plan an over hang. On the South side it looks to be 2 or 3 feet out, and a bit shorter on the East side.

@timgoodliffe Жыл бұрын

@@SternDrive there are sides of the building with no overhang (thats what i think hes pointing out)

@jonothandoeser Жыл бұрын

Georgia

@travisshrey6720 Жыл бұрын

This. 1800 sqft of rain will run down the back wall of the cabin and splash onto the concrete. I can't tell how the driveway slopes at that point, but this sees like a pretty good way to put your sill plate under water in a heavy rain.

@stediasse Жыл бұрын

@@travisshrey6720 Being ICF, is there still a sill plate? Not sure how they attached the siding to the ICF though. Still can't be good. I was expecting a drain along the driveway right next to the house to take all the water away.

@adroid1127 Жыл бұрын

Man, if this is your CABIN I really wonder what your home looks like?! Amazing project!

@_.caviar Жыл бұрын

I’m glad I stuck till the end of the video,that house is magnificent & the finishing especially the colors you chose are just great.Great job John,really inspiring

@leegordon861 Жыл бұрын

You could’ve used the ICF floor and saved all that money used for backfill!!! And you would have gained a crawlspace

@tennesseetexan1957 Жыл бұрын

He wanted a concrete floor that he could stain. Also the high side was solid rock, so he would’ve spent a fortune excavating it. The flooring made out of wood probably would have been similar in cost anyway by the time he built a sub floor and added an attractive flooring.

@ChicoBarz Жыл бұрын

Longevity over what’s cheap at the moment….just saying. Some things you shouldn’t be cheap with. And also he’s building on a mudslide-prone area if the rains hit hard enough. I think he made a wise decision.

@Z71hosestretcher Жыл бұрын

@@tennesseetexan1957Icf floor is concrete

@rawsinc1 Жыл бұрын

Cudn’t it be turned into a Basement without spending so much on aggregates?

@jeffsharpton1421 8 ай бұрын

I agree. And plumbing and electrical would have been much easier

@davideyres5799 Жыл бұрын

What a well made video your house is well built and in a beautiful location and i hope you and your family enjoy your time spent there All best wishes from ENGLAND UK

@harrisedgar Жыл бұрын

I'm having a blast looking at your construction..!!! (Gracias)

@kenji_29 Жыл бұрын

wow..i never knew black and yellow looked awesome😀

@ADHD_Art Жыл бұрын

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS 😍 WHAT A VIEW❣️

@carloshatzopoulos1015 Жыл бұрын

Hello John , really a beautiful project , amazing house and place !! The nature around is fantastic...! Good luck for you and congratulatios from Brazil ! Sorry for my bad english , i'm still learning , thank you .

@daveblack6951 4 ай бұрын

That contractor is top-tier 👌

@betty1631 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful home.

@steveddavis Жыл бұрын

Strong and great looking foundation! Well done 👊 I love the ZIP System. The whole project is amazing - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

@jmfarrell5 Жыл бұрын

Great build project. Congratulations.

@jockejohansson5957 Жыл бұрын

i am impressed of pouring of the slab. It looked really flat and smooth

@jcdcsc Жыл бұрын

Fantastic! Extend that deck out another 12'. Perfect outdoor space.

@tedtimmis8135 Жыл бұрын

Even another 2 feet of width would make a huge difference.

@archistudio4723 Жыл бұрын

wow I love this home and the vision behind it.

@wthomas253 Жыл бұрын

I really like the overall finished cabin. Very chic. I might have actually built it on the upper level of the driveway with the deck extending over the current driveway so instead of dead ending the driveway at one point into the house, the deck would act as a car port and extra level of usable space. Basically shift the whole thing about 25 ft up the mountain slope. That is, if you owned the property. Of course, there's a reason behind everything. Kudos! Enjoy your new seasonal home! The Firespit is great!

@SA-qx7fx Жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing but then they would not get the great views from the deck, unless you mean building the deck top of the car port

@martinhansen6802 Жыл бұрын

The bracings for the outerwall pathway are incredible... Thats so fucking smart!

@magnoid Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this with us!

@FEV369 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing a process like this.

@Re5ist_ance Жыл бұрын

Awesome build and video. Thanks for sharing.

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@centuryfreud 5 ай бұрын

Dude holding those wooden markers while homie hits them with a sledge hammer has got a lot of confidence in the guy!

@PENTHESILEIA1000 Жыл бұрын

Very nice video. The cabin is fabulous and I like the modern style of it. Well done. I would like to add some ideas: the balcony could be extended, each room could have skylight, there would be a cellar in the basement and a playroom ...

@johnwolson Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips!

@wthomas253 Жыл бұрын

It just occurred to me that if blue had been chosen in place of black, it would look like a woodsy IKEA showroom. For discriminating clients, of course. Lol. You just have to put it all together yourself.

@hapaboy0808 3 ай бұрын

Currently building a similar shaped cabin on a very similar type of lot in the N GA mountains, except we will have a daylight basement. This cabin is built like a tank!

@lpmj2619 Жыл бұрын

Awesome video. Great narration.Thank you. 👍🏽✌🏽

@saintejiksmithz8428 Жыл бұрын

Very informative video, thanks for taking your time to make this. I would like to suggest showing the viewers some architectural diagrams of what u wanted to achieve at the beginning of the video. Great job anyway!

@wthomas253 Жыл бұрын

Yes please. Even if it's a link or something that you regularly edit in to show what area you are talking about at times.

@bobbydelcavallo7181 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely gorgeous 🥳🥳🥳

@TheBehnny Жыл бұрын

Amazing cabin!

@dan596 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this detailed video. Well done. I was curious why you went with filling in the foundation instead of creating a basement.

@sikosis999 Жыл бұрын

because they're clueless

@dorianmode69 Жыл бұрын

Really nice, love it.

@dennisemery07 Ай бұрын

Enjoyed this, thank you🙏

@aday1637 5 ай бұрын

All that then the view of the huge u-store-it complex below. Wonderful planning. Must have purchased this lot when the trees were full of leaves. Now if you could move this to a really nice lot with a really nice view that would be 'nice'.

@roveriia6334 6 ай бұрын

For those on a budget or just don't want to be reasonable with the cost and timeframe a post and beam suspended floor construction, stick framing and not using ZIP would get you the same house for 1/4 the cost and 1/4 the time. Enjoyed the video. BTW did you calculate the weight of this structure? In my head I think it is over 1/2 a Million lbs of building!! 10 truckloads of compacted gravel to just to have a slab floor then you covered it with flooring. I do not understand. Your house and I can tell you are happy and proud and that is all that matters when you don't care about your bank account. Lucky you!

@kinseycheung5423 Жыл бұрын

Wow very nice and sound, thanes showing the perfectional works.

@HoangThiHaoFarmLife6368 Жыл бұрын

A very nice cabin. The surroundings are very fresh.

@manolocalifas6488 Жыл бұрын

slate rock entry would be killer!

@gcntech142 Жыл бұрын

I appreciate your comment 👍Congratulation you just won a prize💐💐🎉 !! Helpline is projected above feel free to reach out for personal guidance via Telegram 📬.

@12345fowler Жыл бұрын

Very nice build. For long I was wondering about large windows cutout in ICF panels, first time I see one in a video. Seems it worked pretty well. Do ICF manufacturer give instructions as to what the windows maximum dimension are ? (In proportion to the rest of the ICF panel) Thanks

@anthonymarafi8160 Жыл бұрын

Tanks for sharing. Learned somethings from the project.. 😀👊

@patty109109 Жыл бұрын

Yellow entrance is just fantastic. I just did cable railings and they are so good. Barely obstruct view, but don’t need cleaning (or cost) like glass.

@gcntech142 Жыл бұрын

I appreciate your comment 👍Congratulation you just won a prize💐💐🎉 !! Helpline is projected above feel free to reach out for personal guidance via Telegram 📬.

@asaturn Жыл бұрын

the little tie-off guns on the rebar are cool

@EddiTaru Жыл бұрын

I can only imagine how much it would cost to build something like this! Amazing.

@crcurran Жыл бұрын

ICF is not prohibitively expensive. Assume a house would cost another 10% on total price to build to make it near passive house products and techniques with ICF walls and SIP roof. To gain the same energy efficiency of ICF you'd have to build a 2x6 or 2x8 double studded thick lumber framed walls and then fill it all with insulation while avoiding thermal bridging. It's not easy. With ICF it's easy. Like really easy to avoid thermal breaks. You can still screw up the thermal breaks at doors, windows, etc but you build those to be very efficient too with high energy efficiency. With ICF you also gain the benefits of sound proofing, fire resistentance, tornado and hurricane resistant, and bug/pest proof which all lower home insurance costs. You're living in a bunker but it can be built to look like any style home you want. The 6" to 8" thick concrete ICF walls with outer layers foam become thermal sinks by soaking up heat in the Summer and in the winter ists releasing heat if the air is cooler. So if for instance you opened a sliding glass door to the outside for a few minutes and then close it you'll notice the temp hasn't change much in the home; the home air temp balances with the concrete.

@chris-ib2lc Жыл бұрын

It the labor that that cost 90% of the home, if you can built which is not difficult, the only you have to worry about us materials and a few labors

@justbecause9645 Жыл бұрын

Simple. Smart. Welldone.

@jamesbroady3604 Жыл бұрын

Nice video. Thanks for sharing.

@007diego2 Ай бұрын

Intriguing building techniques and materials, a beautiful structure.

@lgbfjbsupporter5566 Жыл бұрын

I have nothing to gain with people buying ICF's but I have built and lived in ICF home and it was the best by far. I would never want to live in anything else. Hands down the best

@qball2000able Жыл бұрын

Very beautiful!

@sitechca70 Жыл бұрын

Very nice (and entertaining). Thank you for sharing. One small thing just gnaws at me - the electrical service panel is the first thing you see driving up to the cabin and your electrician didn't bother (or forgot) to put the line to the AC disconnect in the wall, so you have ugly (and crooked) flexible NM conduit from the service panel to the AC disconnect that everyone's going to see.

@bigjoe8198 2 ай бұрын

Fat guy with toque holding 2x4 is awesome!!!

@maryl.8281 Жыл бұрын

Very nice design and layout.

@kensai0626 Жыл бұрын

I love it. Thanks for the video.

@tiphill4957 Жыл бұрын

Nice job. Beautiful house 👍😎

@LTUSATV Жыл бұрын

Beautiful construction, love the build quality too!

@jeffpettitt9438 7 ай бұрын

Nicely finished!😊

@raimundoivo9440 Жыл бұрын

congratulations, beautiful Home.

@labarumba Жыл бұрын

Hi John, you did wonderful job, verry classy. I wonder if you have the breakdown of the cost for foundation, electrical, etc. I will appreciate if you can give me idea. I am about to build a 1500 sqf. in a slop lot.

@shanewilliams4603 Жыл бұрын

That hillside looks like it's made out od sweet potato. The house looks pretty awesome. Hope to have a home myself one day.

@D.N.R.911 5 ай бұрын

Love it, thanks for sharing.

@unapologeticallycreative8365 Жыл бұрын

This a very nice modern cabin.

@benhatcher2603 Жыл бұрын

I'm curious why you chose to Zip R over ICF and then ice and rain shield on top of that. It seems that the ice and rain shield over osb over ICF creates the same sandwich as Zip R.

@jagsfanrick Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video, very nice.

@joseignaciojuanenarodrigue3086 Жыл бұрын

Very clean work

@ModernMountainLiving Жыл бұрын

Interesting for an ICF house you used forms for the stem wall rather than ICFs.

@bradkvanbek7148 Жыл бұрын

He should have used ICF for the stem wall, would have been much better

@brianlam257 4 ай бұрын

8:21 I thought this could be a basement. Didn't expect you fill it all up!!!

@expertfono Жыл бұрын

Great job. Hi from Russia. Amazing forest and cute cabin.

@lamarwilliams185 Жыл бұрын

Nice build

@user-pj4ys2qp7f 6 ай бұрын

Very interesting, I like to stay in the quiet environment.

@tynyyn5344 Жыл бұрын

Wow. As I put my hands in my pockets, shake my head, and walk away. You did an excellent job at building a cabin, yet as a guy who built my own house I can say there are areas in your build I'd have done differently....to save huge amounts of money. But, everybody is different and the way we both built our houses is different. You went for great amenities, I went for lower cost. Both achieved the same result, a ICF house with a metal roof, yet you got a approx. 1200sq/foot cabin, looking at a valley full of trees, I got a 4350 sq/ft home looking at a cove on a lake. Interesting, very interesting. Hope you enjoy it for years and years! God bless.

@davoyan777 5 ай бұрын

so much money spent here that was not needed

@bghancock84 Жыл бұрын

Love the roof. When is raining inside will be like disco ball. No matter from insulation inside is crazy to live from experience I'm saying.

@c.n.h4841 Жыл бұрын

Congratulations on the nice building. The only thing I would suggest is at least a 30 ft radius of trees be removed around the building it will help prevent damage if they're ever is some kind of wildfire I know it cuts into the view and the for lack of better words hidden home feel but foam melts pretty quickly and in a wildfire temperatures get extremely hot so the farther you cut a radius around the building the safer it will be just some fruit for thought. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

@DomalbriTV Жыл бұрын

I have looked into Hempcrete, a lot more expensive that a stick build, on the pros, it’s fireproof, mildew proof, insect proof and you don’t need siding, also the carbon negative benefits save our planet. Also the house breathes due to compounds in the blocks. Great build, I’m curious of the cost breakdown on the next video.

@tvs3497 Жыл бұрын

Very nice. I'm about 40 miles due west of you and in the planning stages of a similar type home. That is one well-built cabin.

@borisperez3129 5 ай бұрын

About time someone build a house out something other than wood, paper. Metal roofs or tiles are a must for my build in S Colorado. Fire country deserves bricks or concrete houses

@RanLaw_ Жыл бұрын

Thanks, great video 👍😃

@MrFreddarama Жыл бұрын

I would have liked to see the pouring of the 12×12 piers. They came out looking very well. Thank you.⁹

@thedevmachine Жыл бұрын

Gorgeous. We in the EU are living in a open prision. Nothing is allowed here. A cabin in the woods forget it. Sleeping in a tent is even not allowed.

@kathleenreadinger4614 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful build. Wonder if you are a Steelers fan. 😉 The sleek appearance is great, the inclusion of several great amenities, i. e., hot tub, fire pit and in ground grill are wonderful. I wonder why not solar?

@wittttttt Жыл бұрын

Really awesome project, but I have a rookie question about foundation, and that backfill with gravel. Why not just leave half of it empty and create a sort of a crawl space? Although, I'm not sure how much did you pay for gravel, so maybe there is as much savings as I think

@harold7142 Жыл бұрын

Same question.

@stackfire9601 Жыл бұрын

Same question???