Why This Snowboarder Decided to Build His Own DIY Rock Cabin

Simplify
by Simplify

While alternative housing is not a new concept in and of itself, one style of alternative home you may not be quite so familiar with is a rock cabin. Several years ago, professional snowboarder, Mike Basich, took rock cabin camping to a whole new level—building his very own rock house from scratch, one hand-picked boulder at a time.

Donner Summit

After growing up in California and traveling the world for over twenty years, Mike decided to finally settle down in a pristine, and very scenic location in California called Donner Summit. Then, he built a sustainable house made out of rocks for roughly $20-$25k.


Wanting a home base to call his very own, Mike wanted his life to resemble rustic camping so he kept this goal in mind as he made every decision pertaining to his home.


Now that it’s complete, Mike’s DIY rock house has large floor-to-ceiling windows, a kitchen made out of metal, wood, rock, and soapstone, and a very unique creek bed shower. Plus, the morning sun heats up the rocks around the perimeter of the home, creating radiant heat for his cozy rock cabin without the need for keeping a lot of firewood around.

Other features of Mike’s rock cabin include a handmade black walnut couch, a petrified wood and petrified mammoth bone table, a raised loft for the sleeping quarters, and huge beams that shape the curve of the roof.


DIY rock cabin

Lastly, the exterior of the rock cabin has a large deck with stone steps, a large glass door that is welded into place, and three pillars: a water pillar, a fire pillar, and a cooking pillar. It also has two tubs, a hot soaking tub with a fireplace and a cold plunge tub with pure creek water, and light fixtures made out of California crystals.


For more alternative living stories, discover this sustainable eco treehouse or this dome home in the woods, complete with a luxurious bathhouse.


To see more videos, check out the Tiny House Giant Journey YouTube channel.

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