This 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom 692 sf Grain Bin Cabin will keep you
warm in winter and cool in summer. It also has the potential to provide
as many as 12 "berths" for use as a hunting cabin or such. Each berth
could have its individual heat or A/C duct for greater efficiency.
The basis of the design components is to put a grain bin
inside a grain bin and insulate the space between them with foam. This
makes the structure self-supporting, self-framing (no studs in the
outside walls), thermally and acoustically broken (super-high
performance), and maintenance free for fifty plus years. The shell is
completely recyclable, can be built without concrete, added siding or
added roofing. They can be built without drywall on the interior. The
structures can be relocated and reconfigured easily. They are very
strong and greatly resist wind storms of all types, earthquakes, floods
and can be quickly fitted to be protected from forest fires. They have
very little job site waste (pre-engineered). In general, for this
building system, curved cabinets are not needed; install standard
cabinets in a segmented fashion and put a curved counter top on them.
They can be built for $50/SF or less by a contractor.
Don't want to use foam insulation or too far from an installer? You
can also build these as straw bale lined or rammed earth. For the bale
you need at least a three foot larger diameter outer bin and it is
imperative that you install a continuously sealed thermal break on the
inside of the bin (minimum 1” rigid insulation board with aluminum taped
joints for the mid west, 2” thick for farther north). For the rammed
earth you will need a 3 to 6 ft larger diameter bin for the outer bin
depending on the thermal performance needed/desired.
To preview the Grain Bin Cabin plans and order them, click here.