Where To Start?

Started by DevilDogSixEight, November 01, 2011, 09:17:18 PM

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DevilDogSixEight

November 01, 2011, 09:17:18 PM
Wow!  There is so much information here.  Where oh where do I start?

My wife and I are in our early forties with three daughters (15 y/o twins an an 11 y/o) and starting to think about a "bucket" house.  We are looking at land and we both like the 20x34' plan with a basement foundation.  Neither of us have any idea where to start though.

Any best starting places on the forums?

Thanks,
JB

Erin

#1
November 01, 2011, 09:24:35 PM
 w* ,JB

Personally, I would settle in with your beverage of choice and hit the Owner Builder Projects:  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?board=6.0
and read about what others are doing and how they started. 
The wise woman builds her own house... Proverbs 14:1

MountainDon

#2
November 01, 2011, 10:09:37 PM
 w*   ... and depending on how comfy you are around forums there might be items of interest in the Forum news board.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?board=7.0
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

DevilDogSixEight

#3
November 02, 2011, 05:40:05 AM
I appreciate the advice.  I have been finding and sending links to my wife of stuff I find on the forums.  I just wasn't sure if there was a "best" place to start or not.

Thanks again,
Joel

Squirl

#4
November 02, 2011, 08:49:15 AM
Try and find projects in the same state as you.  They should be closer to conforming to the local laws and location specific necessities.

A good investment is also to buy a basic illustrated book on framing. $20 or so, like the one listed on the home page, is the best start for new builders.  There are a lot of hard lessons learned just from looking at pictures on the internet without an explanation into the why and how things are done. 

Before building a house, start with a small shed if you can.  You will get down many of the basics and make mistakes on a much smaller and cheaper scale.

What is a "bucket" house?

Erin

#5
November 02, 2011, 09:21:03 AM
I'm guessing it's the house he wants before he "kicks the bucket."  But I could be wrong...
The wise woman builds her own house... Proverbs 14:1

DevilDogSixEight

#6
November 02, 2011, 04:44:27 PM
Quote from: Erin on November 02, 2011, 09:21:03 AM
I'm guessing it's the house he wants before he "kicks the bucket."  But I could be wrong...

Yep.   :)

TheWire

#7
November 02, 2011, 08:14:48 PM
Read the thread here "Logistics of living on-site".  My teenagers & wife helped to build our cabin, but they didn't like roughing it during the build.  It takes some effort to keep a family motivated to build a cabin.  Mix it up with work and play.

DevilDogSixEight

#8
November 03, 2011, 06:29:27 AM
I have not looked at all the recommendations.  I started with a search using "20x34" and got some good articles.  For some reason, a lot of the photos do not show and some links go to "Forbidden 403" sites.  No big deal - I'm not complaining.  :)

One thing I have thought about is that as my wife and I get older, will we be able to navigate stairs?  I remember watching my grandmother holding onto any hand-hold to get up the three or four steps to her 1950's house.  Problem is, I want to have enough room for family to come over and stay.  Yeah, I know, I'm planning waaaay into the future, but, if I can help it, whatever we build will be our *last* house.  All of that said, I found this post:

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=258.msg1364#msg1364

I still want to build (or at least be a major player in the building) it myself.  I'm still looking...  ;)

JB
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