I've always wanted my own home and as my four sons grew older we frequently dreamed of building. They have many skills in the construction industry. Still, there are many things I would have to contract out.
I'm a nurse (that's where my ID comes from) and you probably know the majority of nurses are...let's say traditional. I'm not, partly out of necessity.
People laugh at me when I say I want to build and pay cash. I'm not looking for a mansion here but I do want it easy to care for, energy efficient and small! Some character wouldn't hurt either.
For the first time in my life, I have enough money to save. I've never had my own home. Again, because of circumstances.
I could do this, couldn't I? I want to buy land, put a storage shed on it and slowly get materials on sale, salvage, used? Couldn't I take a minimalistic approach initially and finish it luxuriously (figure of speech) sometime before I die? :)
Others have done it, right? I'm not afraid of hard work....heck, I do it for others! I guess I'm looking for reassurance that this is realistic, doable.
Your thoughts or suggestions?
Hi MIEDRN,
Welcome aboard, I see no reason at all why you can't have what you want. We all started with a dream and by battling away some of us are on the way to success. Mostly it's a matter of time, if you have plenty of that, building can be relatively inexpensive. A couple of handy friends, the folk on the forum and one of John's starter plans and you are on the way. These can be easily added on to and built as money is available.
:)
No one should ever laugh at a dream.
Possible? Sure. It's a trade off, might have to go slow, make some sacrifices. But retiring with a big mortgage usually means you'll be working until you're 80---that's whats scary.
I am starting my second no mortgage home. Trading time for money, I'd rather have the time. Good luck and keep dreaming.
Hi MIEDRN - you are in the company of several nurses here! Some of the members are nurses while some of the members wives are nurses. I think that as a nurse you are expected to be everything to everyone (kinda like a mom), you need to be alert & aware & always learning & multi-tasking, so why shouldn't you be able to build your own house? Or be your own contractor, do most or just some of the work? Since you have sons who have building skills, they could help guide you. A lot of the owner-builders on this forum are building their homes on the weekends & spare time (what spare time? :-/ ). Many are 1st time builders & I am really impressed with the knowledge & abilities of a lot of the ladies who post here. I'm learning stuff all the time. I have the luxury that my husband knows how to build but I get in there & do what I can. We are building very inexpensively, but because of that, can afford the occasional splurge (like my clawfoot slipper tub :) ). Sometimes I get anxious to get things completed faster, but when I look back at all we have accomplished I am quite amazed. We truly have our own, unique, hand built (well, a few machines ::) ) home, that is very comfortable & I certainly never get bored looking at it!
No one in this group will laugh at your dream (and these people are the ones who are gonna help you see the project thru to completion). If other's laugh at your dream, it's probably because they don't have any dreams (or their dreams are tiny compared to yours).
I share your dream too, I have always dreamed of building my own house and absolutely doing as much of it myself as possible.
My footers are dug, formed up and tomorrow comes the first load of concrete.
Wish me luck...and keep on dreaming.
We have seen many success stories here and many more in progress. Let's add yours to the list. :)
Quote
My footers are dug, formed up and tomorrow comes the first load of concrete.
Wish me luck....
Good Luck :)
QuoteNo one in this group will laugh at your dream (and these people are the ones who are gonna help you see the project thru to completion). If other's laugh at your dream, it's probably because they don't have any dreams (or their dreams are tiny compared to yours).
I share your dream too, I have always dreamed of building my own house and absolutely doing as much of it myself as possible.
My footers are dug, formed up and tomorrow comes the first load of concrete.
Wish me luck...and keep on dreaming.
Then it's actually taking shape for you! Have you posted pictures yet? Reality is nice, isn't it?
Quote
#1: I'm a nurse (that's where my ID comes from) and you probably know the majority of nurses are...let's say traditional. I'm not, partly out of necessity.
#2: People laugh at me when I say I want to build and pay cash. I'm not looking for a mansion here but I do want it easy to care for, energy efficient and small! Some character wouldn't hurt either.
#3: For the first time in my life, I have enough money to save. I've never had my own home. Again, because of circumstances.
#4: I could do this, couldn't I?
Others have done it, right? I'm not afraid of hard work....heck, I do it for others! I guess I'm looking for reassurance that this is realistic, doable.
Your thoughts or suggestions?
#1: We never mess with nurse's , they're to mean ;)
#2: You can laugh last when ya have um over for supper :)
#3: Time to change that :) You might not grow your savings but you'll build your equity. And not have to pay a landlord 8-)
#4: Sure other's have :) It won't always be easy but it will be rewarding watching what your building grow 8-)
Unlike Home Depot we can help , with advice, you'll still have to do it ;D
Ask lot's of question's , before you start to do it , it's easier to start right than to figure out how to fix something.
There is a lot of good stuff on old threads , some not so good. Sound it out first , no sence re-inventing the wheel ;)
Good Luck , PEG
:)[size=14]My Dream..slowly coming together and paying cash as I go[/size] :)
[highlight]://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jimmycason40/my_photos [/highlight]
[highlight]http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1136612461[/highlight]
I could not have done it without the shared knowledge of these great minds.
IF you have a question or fear.. Just ask. You will get several answers and opinions.
All of them are worthy answers.
Sure you can do it! I did it and it took some time, but it is mortgage free. :) I started summer 2004 and will move in in 9 days from today. So again, do it. If a fool is laughing about your dreams, it is in most cases because he lost the ability to dream. Poor guy. There are so many around.
Just get started!
Jochen
Welcome!
That's what this forum is about; encouraging each other to 'Git 'er done", helping out with knowledge and advice. As you spend some time here, you will see what so many have accomplished!
And nobody will laugh at you, unless you use one of the Smiley faces that invite us to laugh with you as you laugh at yourself [smiley=wink.gif]
Enjoy the ride, and good luck!
I'm new here too, and I have the same dream also. However I'm still looking for "my" land. Best of Luck to you in your ventures! Go for it!
Anjul
Thanks for the encouragement from everyone! It's nice to find people who understand what I'm talking about! I've been pouring over the posts here since I ran across it again. Sure is a lot of knowledge here!
This forum was on another server when I first found it and some of the same people had their projects posted. It's nice to see the updates years later because I know it can be done! Thanks to everyone who has also made their dream come true. It's encouraging to those of us who are still dreaming!
Any thoughts on doing another Big Enchilada package with the 20x30 cottage as the base? I like the idea of the Enchilada being built in stages and would love the concept added to the 1 1/2 story.
You are thinking of something like this????
(http://i5.tinypic.com/14j215i.jpg)
I have now John's Little House plan, his Victoria Cottage and the 20' x 30' 1 1/2 story. I'm sure that if I will put all together into one pot, let it cook for a while and sum it up with some knowledge from this forum, that the end result will be very pleasing. ;) Voila, Monis new home should nearly look like this.
Jochen
That's so cute! What kind of siding is that? Do you have pics of the inside? Is that yours?
No, thats not mine. It is a Ross Chapin designed cottage. But I'm planning to built something similiar for my former wife and the children. You can find the built story of my cottage here: http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1104351466
The siding seems to be Western Red Cedar. I used it as well for my cottage. I love this wood.
Jochen
Jochen:
That is quite a handsome cabin/cottage composite. It looks to be about 16" wide (Victoria sized) there on the left. Board and batt siding. A little extra work on the gable ends, window trim and doubling up the porch posts. Nice simple details that add a bunch to overall impression.
Things you're probably NOT capable of doing:
1. Long jump to the moon.
2. Force the sun to rise in the west.
3. Get the Building Dept. to use common sense.
I WOULD NOT put building you own house for cash on that list. Of course you can do it. Assuming that most of you limbs are still intact and present. :D
That being said, I have to add LEARNING to the list of what it takes, along with time and money. You will NOT be building a stairwell to code with your own hands unless you learn how. The knowledge is all out there, but you do have to spend some of that TIME increasing what you know. I am not an expert builder, nor would I even describe myself as knowledgible. But I didn't wire that house through the passage of time alone.
And as long as we're mentioning Ross Chapin houses, I'd like to add that I have ordered these plans for my Parents' getaway:
http://rosschapin.com/Plans/Houses/Elderberry%20Cottage/Elderberry.html
I did buy John's 20' 1~1/2" and 2 story plans, but once we showed my parents the Ross Chapin website as examples of what we'd like to do with John's plans.... there was no going back.
Come to Port Townsend and see the Umatilla Hill cottage neighborhood filled with these cute little houses. I'll put the coffee on.
Jochen - Nice start on your compound there! What plans did you use for the 24x24? Right now, the actual building seems almost out of my reach but I know other inexperienced ones have done it here and with good results.
Brings to mind some past experiences. My husband and I were redecorating and we were laying vinyl through our kitchen and dining room. We spread the glue and were attempting to lay the vinyl....the darned thing rolled up right over me....we laughed so hard and it wasn't easy to get out of either! lol It was a big piece of vinyl!
Actually, what i envisioned is two 20x30 cabins at right angles to each other with the roof tied in. Build the first but do the foundation for both and cover the second for a deck until I build the second. Not sure how that would work out but it must be able to be done somehow....
OOh! Coffee...which reminds me, I'll have to add a latte corner in the house somewhere... :)
MIEDRN,
You would laugh at me and the DH if I told you how much money we had in reserve when we started to build our house. But we knew that then was as good a time as any to get started.
So, we marked off the spot , stretched some line and started building a foundation.
We had some to comment about our lack of knowledge and ability to build but I'll let the pictures do the talking.
I'm not bragging because we could have NEVER got this far without the help of everyone on this forum and some people who believed in us.
We started in June of 2005 with a small cash flow and each week we would go and purchase materials. Sometimes we could only get a little and at other times we would even manage enough for a special delivery.
It is our hope and dream that we can move into the house between spring and summer of 2007.
It probably will not be 100% complete but that won't matter....it will be our home and debt free.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jann8857/my_photos?urlhint=actn,del%3as,1%3af,0
Don't allow ANYONE to steal your dream!
MIEDRN: Of course you can do it. Its exactly what I did. Bought some land and put a little shed on it and started collecting materials. Every chance we got we went down there and added on to the shed. Now we have a 1500 sq ft house with 6 bedrooms and 4 fireplaces and its all paid for except for 0ne more years payments on the land. You can read all about our building adventure at
http://www.geocities.com/missourijournal/index.html dont hesitate a minute go for it. ;)
That's exactly what I will be doing. I'm a travel nurse and away for 13 week contracts but I can save it while I'm gone, come home and buy the land, take another contract...etc. Maybe within two to three years I can have mine done. I've given myself a budget of $100/wk to live on and that's the least I can manage while on the road. The rest goes into the house starting now. Well, land first.
My sons each have families now and are busy but I know they will help when they can. To be honest, I doubt they will be able to keep their hands off at times!
Hey MIEDRN, my daughter is a nurse too, and had an opportunity to go to Alaska for one of those 13 week assignments. She didn't take it, but supposedly the payrate was fantastic, I think even higher rate if done in winter.
Is that an alternative for you; could sure put some serious bucks into the building fund that way.
In my younger days I worked a season in the King crab industry, and purchased a modest home for cash upon returning to Connecticut. It is possible to make some serious money up there.
I would make sure there's a per diem included in the contract, because living expenses are high. (Didn't have to worry about it on the boat; they fed you VERY well, and there was no place to spend it other than the slop chest... cigarettes $2.00/carton; beer $1.00 ea, (limit 2 per day))
The scenery is fabulous unless you're way north in the winter months; then it's mostly dark.
n74tg - I've been to New Hampshire, AZ, CA, OH and MI traveling. You're right, the pay is fantastic and that's one of the reasons I want to build. I hate to waste this money and to tell you the truth, I've wasted a lot seeing the country (and Mexico) while I was on assignment.
They also take care of my living expenses while on assignment so I'd only need housing while I was between assignments. I've never given Alaska a thought but I might if the package was right.
To tell you the truth, at this point I don't care where I am as long as I make enough to bank for this dream. I paid off the student loans, and I can do this too - I just have to stay out of Starbucks, out of Mexico and the shopping centers! :)
By the way, for others who like Starbucks...Folgers Gourmet coffee tastes amazing like one of their latte's if you make it twice as strong and add whole milk.
Thanks to everyone on this forum, I appreciate it. Very good tips and I'll put them to use. Hopefully you'll see my project here this winter!
Projects tend to go slow. Especially if it's just you.
Years ago--in the early 80's--one of my neighbor's daughters and her husband drove a big truck. One way, iron and steel, back, anything they could find to haul, from hazarous waste on. If they needed a break, they'd come and stay with her parents for a day or two. after a couple of years of this they were able to buy a small house for cash. They weren't exactly homeless, but....
My guess is that that would be harder now than then. But the idea of not paying for housing you aren't using still holds. Or check out the discussion about temporary housing on one's own land.
I believe the area that I want to buy has restrictions on living on the land while you build. I lived there once before though and remember a neighbor living in his RV while his house was finished. It was kind of on the sly mind you and his house was finished on the outside.
I remember seeing him leave the RV in the mornings on my way to work...I never understood that restriction but it's lake property and I suppose they want to protect their investments.
Still, the land is cheap for lake access lots and it's not a bad area to live in.
I too, am an RN and find building an energizing creative outlet when compared to nursing. It's also somewhat of a solitary endeavor and you can get a lot of thinking done. Building is physical in a way that differs from nursing; you can kick things, or swing the hammer extra hard a couple of times or make loud noise if the need arises!
You can do it if you want it. We're on our second building experience-although the first one wasn't entirely motgage free the death pledge was very small.
Here's the current project (https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/ext6_04.jpg)
I think there's a listing for Rob Roy's book in the Resources area. That will get your juices flowing.
Judy
I checked out your blog, Judy. The house looks great. I don't need your weather though-- It's hot enough here. :)
That's an interesting blog! I had a contract in Lake Havasu, AZ and it was 130 degrees in August. I loved the area though and people are right when they say the heat is dry. It didn't appear as bad as 90 degrees in Michigan. Still hot - just different.
AZ is a nice state and I loved it there. If my family considered moving there, I would in a heart beat. No such luck though.
Hi MIEDRN,
We are in a similar situation - we want to build and pay as we go. We bought property, started fencing and then life happened. 3 years later (after life happend a few more times) we still have the property, the fence is not finished but the dream still lives on. In the meantime I've gone back to school to prepare for the move to the other side of the mountains so we can be closer to the property and finally do some serious building. Keep following your dream!
Bellla
You're a few steps ahead of me Bella and it's encouraging. We'll both keep following our dream and we'll both get there eventually. Feels good to work toward something, doesn't it? Doesn't matter how long it takes although the quicker, the better.
No one ever should laugh at anothers dream..
After visiting Rob Roys home a few years back I was sold absolutely on cordwood/stackwall building styles.. His home was toasty warm.. not only in temperature .. its built round.. like a big hug.. some strategically placed logs were shelves.. built in.. holding various momentos.. colored bottles were incorporated within the walls so sunshine coming in cast a rainbow on the opposite wall.. The furnace ran from the basement to roof.. and used so little wood to heat as it was in the center of the house.. and had thick walls to retain heat for hours.. so a morning fire heated all day and well into the night before it needed more.. I will not ever forget the feelings I got from that visit to his wonderful round cordwood home.. with all its little eccentricities.. including a steamroom stackwall built just beside the house.. or a huge sundial out front.. Definately cordwood would be my choice.. and anyone can do it..
(http://www.daycreek.com/dc/images/dchouse1.jpg)
(http://www.daycreek.com/dc/images/dcstonecircle2.jpg) Sundial
So Good Luck..
Nut