BUILD PLAN
A 16 x 24 off-grid cabin with a sleeping loft, drawn for your engineer.
A plan set for a cabin shell on concrete piers: 348 sq ft inside on the main floor and an 83 sq ft sleeping loft under a 12:12 roof, framed to the IRC's prescriptive tables for 70 psf of ground snow. Every dimension, cut and count is measured off a 3D model, and every code check the model makes is listed for the engineer who reviews it.
Buy the plan, $149 See what's inside
Emailed within 1 business day, with your name and order number on every page.
At a glance
- Footprint, framing
- 16′ × 24′
- Main floor, inside
- 348 sq ft
- Sleeping loft
- 83 sq ft
- Grade to ridge
- 20′-9⅞″
- Ground snow, design
- 70 psf
- Boards to buy
- 233
- Shell build, est.
- 179 h
- Skill
- Advanced
Plan BMX-CB1624, edition 0.1. The hours are crew hours for two people with framing experience, from the piers to the roof and the interior partitions. They're first estimates, not yet timed on a build, and leave out concrete curing, inspections, site work and everything inside the walls. The shopping list counts everything to buy, in 282 lines, but isn't priced yet, so there's no materials cost.
What's in the plan
A 44-page plan set on Letter paper, in 22 sheets:
| Sheet | What it shows |
|---|---|
| G-1 | Cover: key dimensions, boards to buy, build hours and the sheet index |
| G-2 | Before you start: skill level, hours for each stage, tools |
| G-3 | Design basis and code checks: the loads the plan is drawn to, what the engineer is asked to review, and 47 checks against the IRC 2021 tables |
| D-1 | Foundation and floor framing plans |
| D-2, D-3 | Dimensioned elevations of all four sides |
| D-4 | Building sections through the main room and the sleeping loft |
| D-5 | Long section along the ridge |
| D-6 | Roof and loft framing plans |
| D-7, D-8 | Wall framing: the eave walls and the gables, every stud and opening |
| D-9 | Floor plans of the main floor and the loft |
| D-10 | Rough-in plans: the plumbing and electrical routes, for coordination |
| M-1 | Cut list: every blank lettered, with its size, in build order |
| M-2 | Cutting layouts: each board drawn to scale, with saw kerf, trim and offcuts |
| M-3 | Shopping list: the shell, doors and windows, the rough-in, finishes, fixtures and site systems, counted off the model (not yet priced) |
| M-4 | Connectors and fasteners: every one, where it goes and whether it shows |
| M-5 | Framing connections: how every joint is made |
| M-6 | Doors and windows: rough openings, sill and head heights, headers and jacks |
| B-1 | Build sequence: 13 steps, each with its crew hours |
| N-1 | Permits, the site and what's left out |
| Z-1 | Licence, edition and notes |
With it come:
- the ten D sheets at 11×17, to scale, for a print shop;
- the shopping list and cut list as spreadsheets (CSV);
- the 3D model as a .glb file, which opens in any 3D viewer, and as a .blend file for Blender, with its parts in collections by build phase.
Sample pages
Drawn for the engineer's review
Every code check listed
47 checks against the IRC 2021 tables, each with the model's value, the code limit, the result and the section it comes from.
The questions asked up front
G-3 names what the engineer is asked to review: the foundation's load path and uplift, the raised rafter ties, the gables and the uplift connectors.
Measured, not drawn by hand
Every number is read off the 3D model by script, so the drawings, the cut list and the layouts can't disagree.
A layout for every board
All 233 boards drawn to scale with kerf and trim, and every blank lettered to the cut list.
Rough-in routed through the frame
Drains, vent, PEX, propane and ten circuits run through the model, so the framing leaves room for them and the list counts every fitting and box.
Hours, not guesses
Crew hours for each of the 13 steps, worked out from the pieces the model counts.
The frame
Inside, finished
The finishes, cabinets and fixtures are modelled at their sizes, so the floor plans are true to the finished walls. You pick the makes and models.
Before you buy
- Skill: advanced. You'll dig footings to the frost depth and set piers on string lines, frame walls to a layout and raise them, cut rafters to a ridge 20 feet up, and work at height on a 12:12 roof with staging and fall protection.
- A permit and an engineer. A habitable cabin needs a building permit nearly everywhere. Take the set to an engineer licensed in your state for review, and a stamp where your county asks for one, then to the building department. It isn't for construction until both have, and every page of edition 0.1 is marked draft for that reason.
- No prices yet. The shopping list gives every item and quantity, but not prices or a materials total. Price it at your own suppliers.
- 70 psf is the limit. The frame is drawn to 70 psf ground snow, the most the IRC's prescriptive rules allow. Where your county sets more, the frame has to be engineered.
- The shell, not the systems. The plan frames the cabin and routes the rough-in so the framing leaves room for it. It doesn't design the power system, the well or water tank, the septic, the propane tank, the stove or the entry steps. Each has its own code rules and most need their own permit.
- One size, in inches. For another size, our 3D modeling service can model one to your measurements.
How ordering works
- Pay $149 through Stripe's secure checkout, and tell us the name to print on your plan.
- We build your copy, with your name and order number on every page.
- We email it to you within 1 business day: the plan, the 11×17 drawings, both spreadsheets and the 3D model.
If anyone finds a mistake in this edition, we correct the plan and email the new version to everyone who bought it.
Licence and refunds
The plan is for one build, by you, at one site. Print it as often as you need and share it with your engineer, your building department and the people helping you build that cabin. Please don't resell, share or post it, or use it to build cabins for sale; for that, email us about a builder licence.
You can have a full refund any time before we email your files. After that we fix rather than refund: if the plan has an error, we correct it and send it again at no charge, and if we can't fix it, you get your money back. Our terms and refund policy have the details.
Common questions
Is it stamped?
No. Belmaix doesn't engineer or stamp drawings. The set is drawn for an engineer licensed in your state to review, and to stamp where your county asks for it.
What makes it off-grid?
The cabin is drawn to stand alone: a propane water heater, a ventless dryer and a load centre ready for your power system. The shopping list gives the power, water, septic and propane systems the sizes this cabin sets for them, and you design them with your trades.
Can I open the 3D model?
Yes. The .glb file opens in most 3D viewers, including free ones that run in a web browser, and the .blend file opens in Blender.
Why isn't it an instant download?
Because each copy is made for its buyer, with your name and order number on every page. It reaches you by email within 1 business day.
What if I find a mistake?
Email info@belmaix.com. We fix the plan and send the corrected version to everyone who bought that edition.
Get the plan.
$149, emailed within 1 business day with your name on every page.
Buy the plan, $149Questions first? Email info@belmaix.com. Are you a professional engineer who'd review plans like this one? We'd like to hear from you too.