My First Shack. Go Big or Go Home!

[BigDVO]

After years of wanting to build a shack I have finally got of my ass and started on it. Its definatly not going to be a light shack. It will be perminant. I have decided to go for an 8 x 12 with 2 x 4 construction. My trailer is 82" wide inside the wheel wells so my skis will have to be 80" with an 8" overhang on each side.


The 3 skis are made of two 2 x 6 x 14's screwed together. I doubled up for extra support. I then notched out the skis so my 2 x 4's will be well seated.


Here are my 2 x 4 floor supports layed out. They are seated every 3 feet to total 12 feet.


I used 4 sheets of 3/4' plywood (each cut to 4' x 6')for an even and sturdy floor.


A friend gave me this awesome wood stove he wasn't using. It's made out of an old hot water tank. I will have to take a wire wheel to it and get it painted up with some high heat black paint.

Thats where im at for now! I will keep you guys posted as this project progresses.
I hope the pics turn out ok. Its my first time posting with pics  

[fishonNH]

Can't wait to see the chalet when it's done. Good Luck

[BigDVO]

Thanks. I am going to work on it tonight as late as I can and tomorrow after work. Hopefully I will make some progress and be able to put up more pics tomorrow afternoon or evening.

[crispycritter]

that's no shack that's an icefishing castle

[INJUN]

That's a serious shack.

[BIGCREW]

where I live you cant leave a shanty overnite on the ice,but if I was able to have one that big I dont think I would be home much.

[jon johnson]

Looking good.

[vermonner]

I think that thing is bigger than my 1st college dorm room.  barring bad ice, I'd probably live in that thing all winter

[Bobbyg]

When you all done with the house, what do you think it will weigh? Looks awesome by the way.

[BigDVO]

Im very interested to know the weight myself. I have done some internet calculating on the weights of wood and whatnot and if I use every sq ft of wood I purchased it would be roughly 1225 lbs in wood alone. Add in a door and wood stove. There is definatly going to be some wood cut and not used so im hoping the 1225 will be the rough weight of the completed shack. At this point, im not gonna be picky about an extra 50 lbs here or there. LOL. I have come to realize that it will be a ***** to load and pick-up once a year. But I do have an electric winch and lots of friends to help me out This is my first carpentry project. I have some great help from an experienced friend and im learning lots. I have decided that I will not build any benches or permanant seats in the shack this year. I want to use it for a year and decide where and how I would like things layed out. The shack will have 7 holes with lots of room in between. Hopefully I will have more pics up late this afternoon. Im glad you all like the project! Thanks for all the kind words

[vermonner]

excellent weight reduction tip: turn those 2x4's which are going to frame your walls, into 2x2's on the table saw

[jiggenfrogs]

Shanty looks good.  I have one 8x12 also and have built several.  From what I have learned the most important part is the skis.  I would get some teflon or a cheaper substitute and line the bottom of your skis.  Six to eight inches wide works great.  I like moving mine around trying different areas and if it don't slide then you will find your self working not fishing.  I have also had houses with wood heat and I traded them in for vented propane.  Wood heat is hard to regulate, but propane you can set the heater on the temp you want.  Just a couple things I have learned fishing from shanty's.

[BigDVO]

I made a decision not to go with 2 x 2 's as its a rough ride to get it to where im placing it. I was looking for some teflon as well for the ski's and no luck in my neck of the woods. I am also not moving the shack around the lake. It will come off the trailer and be placed on some 4x4 fence posts so it doesnt freeze to the lake. As for the wood heat it was a must for me. I have been in far too many propaine heated shacks with frozen feet. I am from Northern Manitoba, Canada (as far north as the pavement will take you). A -40 day is pretty common up here. If it gets too hot I will open the door and possibly a wall vent if I decide to put one in.


Walls are 7' high and made from 2 x 4's. 2 foot on center. We built both side walls on the ground and lifted them in place.


We used 3/8' sheeting as it was much cheaper than 1/4'. We will sheet the 2 end walls and place the door in soon. Possibly tonight.

I will keep you posted. Hopefully have more pics for you late tonight or tomorrow

[mr_mojo]

That thing is awesome.

[Zorros shack]

Thats a BIG SHANTY!!!!!

[walleyecliffguy]

your castle looks great! I've been building mine for the last 4 years! its pretty well done but I have to finish the front cabinet doors. but 2 years ago I caught the first walleye through it and it was an 8 lb. fish. I told my buddy that I just added 300$ to the cost. had it mounted and now wally lives in my castle on the ice.  good luck everthing looks good

[BigDVO]

Awesome luck. Hopefully I can pull a wall hanger out of this baby sometime this year. Im definatly gonna take a pic of the first fish caught in it. I will be sure to post it. Anyways, here is a few more pics of the progress so far.


Used 2x4's for the roof support. I am going with a flat roof as there should be very little accumulation of snow on top with the winds on the lake.

 
Sheeted in the end walls and used an old bedroom door for an enterance.


Placed the wood stove so we can cut out the rear roof sheet for the chimney and insert a metal guard for the heat. We will also put heat shealds on the walls and floor around the stove.


Here is what it looks like from the outside all sheeted in. The distorted sign on the wall is just an inside joke between me and my father.

I will post more pics tomorrow hopefully. I am leaving 2 of the 3 roof sheets off until the very end for lighting purposes. Time to draw and cut out my fishing holes. There will be 7 and hopefully design a nice folding table at the back beside the stove. I am having loads of fun with this project. Thanks again for all the great posts.

[BigDVO]

Any lighting ideas fellas? The shack will have 4 windows but I am thinking about after dark. I do have an elminator portable battery pack with electrical outlets. I am going to charge it and see how long it actually lasts with a lightbulb burning. Those colman lanterns can be tricky. Perhaps candles or something. Any ideas fellas?

[crispycritter]

hello there looking good i use a battery powered lantern in mine the smells from the gas ones give me a head ache

[BigDVO]

Ok I have done a couple more things to the shack. Its been so much fun working and learning I will be kinda sad when its complete. But im sure the fishing will make up for the sadness lol.


Here is the 3/8 sheeting for the roof that we cut out and placed a metal insert so the chimney heat does not cause any damage.


We took some metal and made the guards for the floor and walls as well. Time to get that stove painted (tonight hopefully)


I have measured and drawn out the holes for the floor. I decided on 7 square 12 x 12 holes.

I should have pics of the painted stove and the holes cut out tomorrow. Thanks again for the posts. I get a kick out of reading them.

[FRESHBAIT]

I like the ambition of building a behemoth like that.  I built a 8x12, but then turned it into a chicken coop.  I settled for a 8x9 which was good enough for me and the wife.  With two kids now I'm looking at making another 8x12.  I think you still should have used the 2x2's for the walls, b/c most of your rigidity will come when you put your 3/8 sheeting on.  I used 2x2's on my 8x9 and it survived being tossed around by the back hoe getting it on the trailer and moving it around the yard in the off season.  I also built a 6x8 out of 1x2's that is over 15yrs old and held up a 18" dia willow branch that came crashing down on top of it.  I just see alot of excess weight.  My other concern is your roof trusses,  you're using shelf brackets to support a flat roof.  How are you going to put the roof on and secure it w/o climbing on top of the roof.  I just envision you crashing down through the roof.  I would have ran the trusses accross the tops of the walls and nailed/screwed them to tie the two outside walls together. I just don't know how strong the shelf brackets will be.   The floor layout with the holes may interfere with your interior set up of a table, chairs/bench etc.  How will you seal the roof against rain in the off season.  It won't take long for water damage to rot away all your hard work.         Ther are alot of learning curves and they will work them selves out as time goes on and you refine your shack.  keep the pics coming
good luck.   

[BigDVO]

Excellent questions my friend. I will try and explain myself as best I can. Ovbiously there are a ton of ideas out there and this is my first shack so bare with me

Ok 2x4 vs. 2x2  - The lake near the town I live in requires the shack to be driven down 40kms of winter road through the bush. You are lucky to hit a speed of 15km per hour the road is so rough and winding. The 2x4's will provide the extra strength.

The roof was definatly not designed to dance on. lol. I could have definatly done it different but the brackets are actually very solid and I can always shoot a couple longer screws from the outside of the shack. As for screwing the roof down without falling through. By placing the ladder inside the shack it was easy to get at the center stud on the back pannel. If it gets more difficult as I go along I was thinking of using a scaffold walkway to stand between the two side walls ect.

I thought lots about the layout and I actually mocked it all up with chairs ect. The walkway down the center is a nice 18'' and plenty of room on the back side of the holes for a chair or bench in the future. There will be a folding table on the rear wall of the shack beside the wood stove. The hole drawn out at the back wall will be partially obstructed when using the table but I decided that I would put the hole in anyways rather than regret it later. I was thinking of putting one of those round recievers (the ones that allow you to move the seats in your boat) in the very center of the shack. Then make a table that can be set up and taken down whenever. For now im going to get a set of those wooden folding TV tables that can be easily placed beween chairs on each side. This winter I will be thinking of what kind of seating or sleeping area to design for next season. 

In the summer I will tarp the roof with one end higher than the other for the water run off. This size shack will also make a nice shed in the summer

I love the posts. I will have more pics for you later as the holes in the floor, painted stove, and windows should be complete. Im happy that its coming together rather nicely. I would love to have it out by this weekend. Im cutting it close I know but im still hopeful. 

[BigDVO]

Ok here is a photo update. I got my wood stove cleaned up and painted, holes cut, and windows in.


Here is the wood stove. I took a wire wheel to it and painted it with black high heat bbq spray paint. I also got the chimney put up.


Here is all the holes cut out. I used a skill saw to make the better part of the straight cuts and then finished the corners with a jig saw.


I took a bunch of the left over pieces of 2x4 and placed them at 45deg. angles in the corners of the holes to hold the covers in place. I took a palm sander to the edges of the hole to clean it up a bit and make a nice fit


I placed a screw in the exact center of each cover. I will eventually drill the center out and place a knotted piece of nylon rope as a cover handle. I also used the palm sander on the edges of the covers. I numbered the holes because although they are all the same size its hard to be exact. So each cover has a home.


The window frames are made of 1x2's. Air nailed from the outside. Clear window silicone was placed around the windows before the plexi glass is placed on and screwed in place.

The shack is definatly taking shape. Tomorrows project will be window covers and a multi-purpose folding table at the back of the shack. It seems like its just the little things that are left to do. My goal is to be on the lake by Saturday

 

[beerbellybob106]

thats a huge shanty

[Yukoner]

........I am from Northern Manitoba, Canada (as far north as the pavement will take you). A -40 day is pretty common up here.......

Flin Flon, or thereabouts? Had a friend who lived up there years ago.  He said the fishing was great, winter and summer!

Ted

[BigDVO]

Flin Flon, or thereabouts? Had a friend who lived up there years ago.  He said the fishing was great, winter and summer!

Ted

Very very close my friend. I am 3 hours north of Flin Flon (Thompson Manitoba). Yes the one thing that we do have besides cold weather is about 1000 lakes with great fishing! Just a few hours north of me on the gravel road you will get to Lynn Lake. They have world class lodges and some of the best fishing in the world. Americans flock there every year. Here I live a few hours away and have never been fishing up there yet lol. Now thats crazy lol. Thanks for posting! Its a small world

[akdube]

Insulation? If possible insulate the floor with foam from the underside maybe liquid nails it between the joists. another thing I did this year to mine was buy a camper roof vent that turns out and I mounted it to the wall for fresh air and to cooler down when she gets hot..Sweet shanty for sure

[BigDVO]

Insulation? If possible insulate the floor with foam from the underside maybe liquid nails it between the joists. another thing I did this year to mine was buy a camper roof vent that turns out and I mounted it to the wall for fresh air and to cooler down when she gets hot..Sweet shanty for sure

Excellent tips. I was actually looking for one of those vents as a buddy of mine uses one in his and says its the cats ass. Thanks so much. The only thing im worried about is loading it on the trailer for the first time. I own a skid steer, I just hope I dont need to use it lol. Hopefully the electric winch and some strong friends will do the trick.

[walleyecliffguy]

eveything is looking good! why the square holes the round one with catch cover works great oh well, I had a house with square holes the covers never fit to good after being on the lake a few times good fishin wish I could ice fish up there someday I go to ontario every year in agust for a week   we always say it would be a blast to fish walleycliff in the winter enjoy

[BigDVO]

I am happy to say that the project is complete and we got the shack out to the lake today. It was to late in the day to get holes drilled and do some fishing but we have the rest of the winter to get that done. I will include some pics (hopefully tomorrow) of the last few steps and the finished product. Hopefully soon you will see pics of the fish we caught as well !