Izba is an experiment in sustainable living and an exercise in permaculture design. In Russian, an изба is a traditional peasant dwelling, a sort of log cabin.
Latest Posts
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Izba Build Recap: Interior Staining and Ceiling Insulation
Interior Staining After getting the house wrap installed and spending some more time in the house, I realized I wasn’t happy with how the posts and beams looked next to the crisp pine sheathing. I decided to stain the wood darker for more contrast. Ideally I would have done this before we framed the walls,…
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Izba Build Recap: Window and Door Installation
Door Installation The door installation was our final task before breaking for the holidays, as it was the last step to get the house weathertight enough to leave for several weeks. The installation was quite finicky and took several hours, requiring troubleshooting input from both my parents to sort out how to get the door…
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Izba Build Recap: Insulation, House Wrap, and Roofing Underlayment
Exterior Insulation The wall insulation is foil-faced foam insulation designed for exterior installation. Before installing the the insulation we attached nailers on the outside of the sheathing, at the same height as the window nailers. We also installed nailers across the top and bottom of the walls to sandwich the insulation. We cut the insulation…
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Izba Build Recap: Wall and Roof Sheathing
Wall Sheathing For the first layer of wall sheathing we used 1×10″ shiplap pine boards, cut with a miter saw. The boards are wider than the saw blade can cut, so we had to flip the boards and make cuts on each side. The boards are nailed up with siding nails, which required the purchase…
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Izba Build Recap: Roof Framing
Given the complicated angled cuts required to frame the rafters and my fear of heights, I decided to bring in professionals to help with the roof framing. I hired the same contractor who handled the site preparation, UDA Services, for this job. They sent over two guys who handled the cuts and climbing around on…
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Izba Build Recap: Wall and Window Framing
Framing the Walls: Posts and Beams After we finished the floor, we started working on framing the walls. The most challenging part of the wall framing was also the first task we had to tackle: cutting the half lap joints for the beams. The half lap joints allow the beams to nestle on top of…
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Izba Build Recap: Skids and Floor
Building the Skids The building plans call for the house to be built on two 6×6″ skids that allow the house to be picked up, put on a trailer, and moved to a new location. The skids are set on 8 concrete blocks, four per skid, and secured to the foundation pad with auger-style shed…
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Izba Build Recap: Site Prep & Supplies
Lumber Delivery I got three estimates on the materials list provided in my building plans, from Lowe’s and two local lumber yards. The cost was similar across all three suppliers, so I went with the most responsive and helpful of the three: our local Amish lumber yard, SK Lumber. The cost for the lumber, roofing…
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Izba: The Building Plans
After a lot of debate, I settled on ordering plans from Jamaica Cottage Shop in Jamaica, VT. I selected their 10×20 Pond House plans, which will give me 160 sq. ft. of interior space and a 4-foot front porch. The Pond House is framed with post-and-beam construction rather than standard stud framing. The plans are…
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Izba: The Property
I will be building my tiny house on my parents’ property in central Pennsylvania. They have about four and a half acres at the top of a hill with a beautiful view overlooking the Lykens Valley. The valley is a predominantly agricultural area in what was once coal country. There is a thriving and long-established…
