Welcome to Cabins Etc, a new reader-supported newsletter diving deep into cabin culture, DIY builds and dream homes, how to launch a short-term-rental empire, and other more mellow and equally adjacent leisure lifestyle topics.
Written by Graham Hiemstra, design journalist and founder of Field Mag, the digital publication for lovers of good design and the great outdoors.
What paying subscribers (aka Certified Cabin Lovers) can expect:
Deep dives on iconic cabin styles + new design trends
Pro Tips from DIY builders and superstar Airbnbers
How to find land and build your own cabin
Curated rental lists and real estate listings
Cabin community building via post comments and @cabins.etc
Exclusive giveaways like free cabin plans from Den worth $$ :)
Keep reading for a brief Q&A covering the ins, outs, whens and whys of Cabins Etc.
Why launch a cabin newsletter now?
Short: Cus the world is a shitshow and I’d rather be chilling in a cozy cabin in the woods/on the beach/by a little creek. And I’d bet you feel the same.
Long: When I started Field Mag in 2015 I bet there were other city-based outdoorists who would appreciate a more approachable, design-driven take on outdoor and outdoor adjacent stuff. And it’s true. But not all our articles resonate the way the cabin content does. Across location, identity, and economic circumstance we all share a longing for a private place to escape to—a little house in the woods, in one form or another. Over the past six years we’ve documented thousands of prefab cabin kits, A-frames, tiny houses, surf shacks, country cottages, and cabin rentals. And ya’ll have stayed clicking.
Then the pandemic hit and the benefits of nature became universally understood overnight. Interest in cabins and land skyrocketed. No matter how rad your home was, the idea of being far away from it all sounded better. It likely still does. And I’m right there with you, on Zillow each morning, watching DIY vids during the day, falling asleep to future cabin dreams each night.
Who is Cabins Etc for?
For you and I alike. For cabin lovers, owners, and obsessives. For DIY daydreamers, Airbnb entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts of leisure architecture.
What do paying subscribers get?
Certified Cabin Lover Tier subscribers will receive seven years good luck and an exclusive weekly deep dive into exciting, unexpected, and always relevant cabin and cabin adjacent topics that you will really dig, written with love by yours truly. Plus automatic entry for exclusive seasonal giveaways.
Can I subscribe for free?
Of course. Free tier subscribers will receive a Friday recap of the latest and greatest Field Mag cabin content. All the super dank exclusive content is for paid subscribers only :)
Sup w the giveaways?
Every now and then we’ll give away some very dank free stuff—all paid subscribers will be automatically entered to win. No action needed. Indoor/outdoor furniture from Snow Peak, full on cabin plans from Den, and more.
Everyone has a newsletter these days—what makes Cabins Etc special?
True, but we really know our sh*t when it comes to cabins. Over the span of six years Field Mag has published over 300 articles on cabins, cottages, mountain chalets, surf shacks, and other such dream houses. We’ve spotted trends years ahead, and pushed others into the mainstream (A-Frame anyone?). We’re an authority on cabin kits and prefabs. And most importantly, we write for the everyday dreamer, not the snooty elitist most design publications out there. In other words, Field Mag knows cabins and cabin culture so, you know, just trust me!
Think of Cabins Etc like a private micro blog by your old pal Graham (and sometimes other Field Mag writers), like back in the good old days of Early Internet before everything turned to doom and gloom.
Go ahead, subscribe. We’ll love you forever for it.