Ulrich / Lelands type cabins

Who here has experience with these "portable building" type cabins? Do's and Dont's, what to watch out for, ect? Im looking at having a 1200-1400 sq ft place build and exploring all of my options.

A lot of the ones I looked at were built "light". 24 inch stud spacing, 48 inch rafter spacing, no headers over doors and windows, etc. My opinion is that a lot of these companies are building attractive junk, and making more of their profit from the financing than the purchase. I found it to be significantly cheaper to have one built on site, correctly, by local builders.

I have the same feeling on the "light" construction. I think by the time i get done beefing it up, i could have a quality metal frame structure built.

When you say built on site, do you mean a house built on a slab or the "cabin" style just built on my site?

Just a cabin built on site. Got any Menonites in the area?

None that i know of but i know of a few builders around here that build that style on site. I think my biggests concern is the foundation. Would it be wise to have some concrete runners poured for them to use to level the building versus just using blocks on the ground?

We looked at them when making the go-no go decision on adding an apartment to our shop. I found them to be even more expensive than building out our metal apartment. They can be pretty nice, but just not a solid build comparatively, and not a real cost savings IMHO.

Personal preference. I've seen it done both ways, and neither seems significantly better than the other. I've got a small shed on my new place that needs a section of floor replaced and the whole thing releveled. Easy to do with posts and beams. A slab, you wouldn't have to worry about that, but you would have to deal with foundation cracks and stuff.

I've looked at them and thought the same as Big_Country. Think it will just be easier and cheaper in the long run to just build one and have the headers and spacing just like I want

Y'all must be talking about some other builders or their storage shed / work shop type buildings or converting a work shop / storage shed / barn into living space.

Both Lelands & Ulrich and several other off site built cabin builders use normal framing methods on all their cabins that are designed to be lived in and are very well built.

I know 4 families that have them and one couple that have 1 larger main cabin they live in & 4 smaller they rent as vacation rentals.

Don't take my word or anyone else's, call them & ask how they're framed, watch their construction videos, go see them in person, ask for a tour of their construction facilities.

6 videos ---> Lelands behind the build

Definitely worth your time to go see for yourself if your trying to decide between site built stick frame / mobile / manufactured / modular or pre built cabin type.

Site prep & foundation considerations are probably the most important factors no matter which way you go.
Both you mentioned are very familiar with various methods of site prep & various foundations.

All said & done they aren't less expensive, built in a controlled environment with consistent QC, less weather delays & material damage from weather conditions during construction.

Agree with Ulrich - have a 14 x 20 for a garden shed/workshop. Only thing I would change on their build out is to screw in the decking and not nail it. Otherwise very solid and would make a great little cabin.

I looked at Lowes, Home depot, etc. They were way too shabby/light. No headers, 24" on center wall studs. Said I have to be put on a waiting list. Went ahead and built it myself. 10'×12', steep pitch Mueller metal roof. 2x6 floor on 16" centers. We have a lot of mice/snakes so I didn't want anything crawling under it. I made perimeter footing of laid down 16" square pavers. Worked like a charm. I have a tendency to go overboard when I build, too much a perfectionist. It is bad to the bone and matches our home beautifully with same roof and color scheme. Probably have 3k in it, not counting labor. Not for everyone but I wanted it to outlast me. It certainly will do that. If you go that route, PM me and I'll help any way I can.