Design details

The materials cost about $10,000, with windows from a center that recycles building parts. Other thrifty choices include Ikea cabi­netry and laminate flooring. They found the barn door hardware and the woodstove—the cabin’s only source of heat—on Craigslist.

After two years of planning and extended weekend camping trips to the site, the couple, together with family and friends, completed construction in two weeks.