Easiest first time perm

[south_metro_fish]

My friend and I are planing to build some sort of permanent for ice fishing next year. We have not really had too much experience with permanents so a good one for learning how to maintain a perm on a lake all year would be best. So in other words I would not want to make a Ice Fortress. So with an idea of what we are looking for does any one have any suggestions about what kind we should build. We are not looking for blue prints just an idea of what kind to build. We have been thinking about finding an old camper and converting it in to a shack. Would one with wheels be good to look for or is a truck topper camper good. Or should we just build a skid house. I do have some welding experience but I don't know how hard it is to make the drop wheel ones, I would think that would be a little advanced for a first time shack. We would probably not move it from lake to lake a whole lot but would probably move it around the lake through out the season. Any experience or tips would be great. I got a good idea this year in what it takes to maintain and keep a shack on the ice all season after watching every one this year, but I probably haven't thought of every thing.

[Jim Uran]

How big are you looking to build?

[BeezeHound]

The first house a friend and I built when we were sophomores in high school was an 8x6 on skids. I was fun building it, but when it was all done that thing must have weighed well over 600 pounds, took 6 people to get it loaded onto the trailer to take it to the lake. We didn't really know what we were doing though, neither of our dad's were ice fishermen and we had never been in anything but a 4x6 spear house before that. DO NOT use 2x4's for every stud and 3/4" plywood for all the walls, floor and roof. We used that thing for two winters and then just gave it to a guy that lived on the lake because we were sick and tired of loading that thing up on a trailer.

[south_metro_fish]

Most of the time it would be just the 2 of us, but we might bring out an extra person or 2 occasionally. I really don't know how big it should be.

[south_metro_fish]

Would it be a good idea or easy enough to make it in peaces for easy storage and so we don't have to lift a huge heavy house if we build a skid?

[IFallsRon]

We used to build 8x8 cubes in pieces and assemble on the ice. The walls were 2x2 frames with Insulite walls; the floor (2x4) and roof were 1/2 plywood. Opposing corners were inset for a tight seal and everything was bolted together. Build a door on one side, rig a heater and you've got it made.

[BeezeHound]

Just remember if you do go with skids to keep the weight down. The next house we built was another 8x6, but that one only took two of us to get it loaded up on a trailer, we used all 2x2's with aluminum sheeting on walls and roof, 2x3's and 3/8" treated plywood for the floor and 2x8's for the skids. We sold that house a couple years ago and now we have one with wheels and I love it. If you have the money to spend a drop down is the way to go.

[Big A]

"Easiest" perm... is a drop down.

No doubt about it.

If your gonna fish four guys, an 8x12 should do just fine.

[south_metro_fish]

We are looking to make it kind of inexpensive and not too complicated. From what I have noticed of what others have talked about with building their first houses is that they learn a lot the first time and figure out what to do the next time. So I would like to make it nice but inexpensive for the first one. Any one have any comments on converting a camper?

[MNMUSKIES]

I had a camper I converted. I liked it because it was easy to move around, but what I hated is that you were a long ways off the ice. I couldn't find tubs that were long enough for my catch covers to go all the way to the ice. If it was windy I would get a good draft coming up the holes. I have seen people use plywood that they put around the camper to keep the wind from getting under the camper. The other thing I didn't like was you couldn't drill the holes with out moving the camper, then you had to line the holes back up. I just bought a 6x8 house with a tilt trailer. I need to do some work to it as it is very heavy, I can't even load it with a power winch. It has 3/4 mdf floor side walls and roof. So I will be stripping it down to studs this summer and redoing it. I would look around there are some deals out there.

[south_metro_fish]

Man I work in a door warehouse and we have specialty doors made out of mdf. That house must weigh a ton. That is one advantage I have for cutting cost is that we get a bunch of scrap wood on or trucks and containers so I might be able to use some of that wood if I build a skid. I would think some of it would be a little heavy. I do have the perfect runners I would think. It is like 3 or 4 by 6 or 8 planks that are made out of some kind of hard wood like mahogany.

[MNMUSKIES]

Yep it's a "solid" house The house has skids on it now, but I won't be putting them back on. My father-in-law has built 3 different houses and none of them has skids on them. I like it because you are right on the ice, similar to a drop down house. If I move the house I will load it on the trailer to move it. I should be able to get it light enought to be able to load it my self with the winch. If you can get some of the supplies from work and save money that's great. I'm getting some of the supplies to re do mine from my father-in-law. It helps that he has his own construction company.

[south_metro_fish]

What is the cheapest way to insulate a shack?

[LightningBG]

Cheapest way in my opinion is the white foam. May not be the best, but its way cheaper than the blue or pink stuff. and you can buy it precut to 14.5 inch widths.

I have a converted camper. Super easy to use. I actually went and pulled it off for the season on my lunch break wednesday, by myself. Mine was a popup that I tore the roof off of and build up from there. It was a lot of work. If you can find one, I would buy a hardside camper and pop some holes in it. Pretty simple. Try to find one that isn't too high up from the ground. I use 5 gallon buckets as tubes and it works great. We can fish 4 guys easily and there is a stove, sink, furnace... Mine is decently low and I don't need to use an extension on the auger.

[MNMUSKIES]

LightningBG,

Do you get much of a draft with yours? That was the thing I didn't like about mine, it was pretty high up. Mine was a 1960's hard side. Very easy to convert.

I also agree that white foam is the cheapest, not the highest R value though

[south_metro_fish]

Would it be possible on some campers to change the rim size to get it lower to the ground? It would be nice to have wheels on it. It would also be nice to have one you could take apart for easier storage. I am pretty torn on what kind to make. With having the house higher off the ice with tubes down to the ice do you lose many fish in the extra distance you have to bring the fish out of the water.

[RonWBasser]

I've been on another thread on here talking about what I built.

Short story.... 2x2 on 18" center walls. 1x6 treated wood for the floor. 7/16" or something like that exterior glued plywood floor. Outside was done in aluminum sheeting and 1" precut white foam insulation as someone mentioned. The roof was galvanized metal flashing from a roll, which was kind of heavy even though it was thin. No skids. Just loaded it on a borrowed snowmobile trailer to take it on and off.

This one ended up remarkably light for it's size. I could lift up one end by myself, two people was easy.

This one was a 6x10, which I would not do again. I'd either go smaller or longer than 10 feet.

Just block it up on 2x4's from the start in case it snows much. With every decent snowfall I went up another 2x4. I ended up at 3 stacked under each corner. It saved me from being froze in this year.

Just food for thought, lots of ways to do it.

[Tom7227]

I don't have a perm but I have a few points to consider.

If you have a rig that sits up high off the ice you may want to see if you can score some pieces of sewer pipe. The stuff comes in 8, 10 and 12 inch and there usually are scraps left lying around a job site that you may be able to pick up for free.

The idea of one that could be taken apart seems to have an advantage of storage in the off season. I live near a lake and some of the shacks are awfully ugly. Not sure I'd want that sitting around the yard. If you had a take apart it may be easier to lean up against the back of the garage and not take much room.

As for insulation - does the R value really make that much difference? It's not like you live in it.

[MNMUSKIES]

With being higher off the ice, you do run a chance of losing more fish. I would alway get down on the floor and try and get my hand on the fish as soon as I could, just incase the fish wasn't hooked that good.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one you do. Maybe look at your storage situation, do you have a place that you can store a camper style house. The other advantage of converting a camper would be the possibility of using it during the summer to go camping.

[McGurk]

I don't know if the pictures still work, but if asked, he may repost them. This is a pretty slick 8x8, made to assemble on the ice using 4x8 panels. the floor and roof were also 4x8 panels. It stacked up nice on a small trailer, and he said he would put it together by himself. He still posts here, and his handle is Moose-Hunter.

Moose-Hunter' Green Fish House