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.