Building an icehouse

[smalls]

So, I think I am going to take the plunge and build a big, comfy sleeper ice house for those days I am more interested in sittin on the ice, drinking beer and playing cards than I am toting my portable through 3 feet of snow with a -60 wind chill.

So I plan on making the trailer frame out of square tubing, and building it from there with aluminum studs. I will probably fabricate my own fold down wheels and hitch.

My question is, does anyone have any layout blueprints for a house that is easy to sleep in, has plenty of holes, and good storage.

Also, for those that have built or own houses, what is the ONE best feature of your house? What one feature makes your life the easiest inside.

thanks,
smalls

[fishinguy74]

smalls I biult my house 6 years ago and evry year I change something or ad something. But the best thing I can tell you is take time to go see the differnt house on the market. You can get a good idea of what size an how to start setting up the inside.

[KidWalleye]

I built mine four years ago and the beat thing in it is the stove. I put it in last year. When you can wake up and make bacon and eggs while the rattles are down, that's what I'm talking about. Also the wife likes the wall mounted T.V. HUGE when your up at LOW at night. As we all know nothing is biting at night. I also ran 110 outlets inside and used an appliance cord on the out side. I connect a generator to that. I also built a lot of oak rod holder and shelves so the floor is pretty clear. the one thing I wished I had used are those round hole covers, the name escapes me. good luck and don't be in a hurry or you'll forget something.

[LocalGuide]

I have a 10x16 on skids. The Best feature is probably a TV/VCR/DVD. Second best is the stove! Got to have a good radio in it and any kind of storage, medicine cabinets work good or storage under the tv, stove, or beds if you have some. So many options, aint that fun!

The best is to build the house first. Look at the inside and imagine were everything would/could sit. And go from there. Put your holes in accordinly and your set.

We have a 2-12v batters hooked up parallel to each other and then have a 110 adapter also. Then if you are watching a movie we have a plug-in for the batt's on the outside to hook up to the car/truck if power is getting low. Its slick and works good, I cant wait for hard water thinking about it.

But like KidWalleye said, waking up and making bacon and eggs while the rattle reel goes is awesome!

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And keep those hooks sharp!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Besides the topless girl calender I'd say the best feature for my house is the solar panel. It keeps my batteries sparked up all the time so I can listen to tunes or watch a movie or turn the lights on.

[smalls]

Stove is a great idea. Nudie calendar, check.

How much did the solar panel cost? Would you rather have a solar panel than a generator (which I don't have yet, will be purchasing something).

For guys that have pivoting axles, what is the best method for lowering/raising them? Hydraulic, winch, spring assisted lever?

[hawkeye43]

my hyd. lift takes about 30 seconds to lift and pin the wheels, its nice but it cost alittle bit, maybe $500.

[Eric Wettschreck]

smalls, go to Northern tools web site. I got my panel from there and I love it.

I have 12v and 110v wiring and I rarely use my 11v/generator package. However, I don't sleep in the house due to having an unvented heater. As soon as I get a vented heater I'll be sleeping in it all weekend.

If I had to pick between panel and generator, I'd take the 2 batterys with a panel option over a generator. But that's just me. Talk to 20 guys you'll get 20 different answers.

Nudie calender is an absolute must.

[Animal]

I'm a newby to the ice house thing this year, but the best thing I've seen on a house that I've fished out of is a Honda Generator. They are a little pricy, but they are quiet, maintain the proper voltage, and run for hours on a couple of gallons of gas. I bought one for my house.

[Tahoe2349]

Think out your floor plan relative to your personal habits and desires while in the house!!
Location of bunks,tables,stoves,heaters, and accessories can greatly affect your number of holes desired and locations.
Traffic areas to move freely with more then one in the house can be greatly affected and a inconvenience with a poor floor plan..
Use catch covers for your holes which are those black plastic rings and sleeves, handled snap covers used by just about all manufactures now..

Dual deep cycles with a "converter" is a great power option as well. Hook up a stay charge to your car/truck for constant charging while driving and or a 110 outlet on the house to plug into at home to recharge through the converter !!

[backlash 1]

Saw one last year, the entire inside was wallpapered with playboy centerfolds, it was an awsome site.

[Tahoe2349]

Nothing like a little Playboy 101 interior design