Our new Outhouse Plan for 2017

Anywhere else in the United States an outhouse is a novelty. Here in Alaska in many areas it's a necessity. We have had many requests for outhouses over the years and for some reason we've never had a plan that we could duplicate until now.
An outhouse is a very simple project but it requires the same tools and knowledge as building a house and takes more time and material than most people realize. We now are building outhouses in our shop and delivering them to your site. We are also doing pre-fabricated outhouses that you can assemble yourself on your site which will save a few bucks as well.
All outhouses come with a pressure treated base, T1-11 siding, metal roof (Color your choice), cedar trim, toilet seat and paper holder.
The cost for the outhouse kit is $1,295 and $1,595 for a fully assembled model. If we are building your cabin we will dig the hole and deliver at no extra cost.
If you choose to pick up at our shop, the outhouse will fit on a snowmachine trailer or a standard size pickup.

“As the old year retires and a new one is born, we commit into the hands of our Creator the happenings of the past year and ask for direction and guidance in the new one. May He grant us His grace, His tranquility and His wisdom!”
― Peggy Toney Horton,    

Winter Building 2017

Winter in Alaska to many signifies the end of all outdoor activity but to us it is the beginning of our Winter building season. After freeze-up we are able to access many areas of the state that are impractical to reach during the summer months.
After many years of experimentation we have developed many techniques for building in cold weather. Naturally, there are times where the temperatures are so severe that it's not practical to keep working outdoors but generally speaking temperatures to -15 degrees or so don't create any major problems as long as there isn't significant wind to deal with.
We have done metal roofs down to -53 degrees but it wasn't very productive. Interestingly, low temperature bituthane and 100% silicone perform well at -50 and even colder without any change in flexibility or viscosity.
Excavation can be a challenge especially if the ground has been cleared of organics and cleared of snow. The organics and snow keep the ground insulated and don't allow the frost to dive deep.
Many sites have no road access but are fairly close to a road, traveling on ice roads on rivers and lakes allows us to access many sites with our regular vehicles which also keeps the cost down.
If you have a project you want done in the winter season so you can enjoy it in the summer give us a call and we'll get it going for you.

                                Happy New Year From Friesen's Custom Cabins!!                      

Bush Shipping Part 2A Summer Transportation.

  I posted Bush Shipping Part 1 a couple of years ago and I think it is time to expand on it a little. In Part 1 we talked about shipping to villages in Rural Alaska. In this Blog we will talk about hauling to remote sites where there are no villages.
There are many different modes of transportation to remote sites depending on the season. In the summer months we can utilize boats, barges, track vehicles, ATV's and aircraft on wheels or floats.
  Most sites are accessible by trail, river or lake or a combination of both. For example, if you are building on the Yentna River, you might be able to ship an entire cabin package on a river barge to a point close to where you want to build. From the drop off-location you may need to haul overland with ATV or other equipment or possibly shuttle the material in a smaller boat or raft. Some projects will require loading and unloading materials several times which adds significantly to the cost since even a small cabin can weigh 10,000 to 20,000 pounds and larger cabins can weigh over 100,000 pounds. Suffice it to say it will always be a lot more material than you anticipate.
  Many sites are on lakes accessible by float plane which makes transport fairly simple albeit expensive. There are many things to consider when figuring the cost of transporting material by float plane. You need to be certain there is a suitable place to tie up the plane and unload it as well as easy access to the building site. Since most lakes have a 75' setback for building, the cost of hauling the material from the lake or river to the building site needs to be considered as well. Many times people want to build on a bluff above a river or lake which makes transporting even a short distance more challenging.
  In over 25 years of remote building we have encountered almost every situation imaginable. Notice I said 'Almost' because there are always more adventures to cover in" Bush Shipping Part 2B Summer Transportation".

"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great."Orison Swett Marden

The 2017 Season

  It seems like every year we get booked up earlier and earlier. Now is a good time to do your planning and get on the schedule for the 2017 Spring and Summer building season.
  If you need construction financing you should allow two or three months to complete the process so if you wait too long it could push you very late into next season.
  We do build year-round and we still have dates open for this winter season. The lakes and rivers are starting to firm up and we should be able to drive trucks and equipment on the ice soon so we can access many of the places we can't in summer.
   2014, 2015 and 2016 were our busiest years in 25 years and 2017 looks like it will be very strong as well.
   We look forward to hearing from you soon!



"Positive anything is better than negative nothing." Elbert Hubbard

Lay-a-Way Expanded

  We started our Lay-a-Way program for our DIY Kits in 2012 and it has been extremely popular. We are now expanding the program for our built-on-site projects to give more clients access to the program.
  The plan is very similar to the DIY Kit Lay-a-Way program except it doesn't need to be completely paid for before we start. Since the average project only takes thirty days to construct, the contract will state that the final payment must be made upon completion of the project.
  If you are interested in the new plan, let us know and we can work out a custom plan for you to attain your dream cabin.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Over the years we have built over a 1000 projects statewide and we also want to thank all of you that we have worked with over the past 25 years.
We will be posting on the blog more frequently since we have had many requests for more blog posts.
2017 will see new plans and options on our website and we are really excited about the new offerings.

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Epictetus