New Builders

[Kris. S]

From what I gather most of the people who build these homes have no previous building experience.

I'm just wondering how you all learned wht to do? It all seems very complicated.

[Jimmy_Cason]

Check out books from the local library. Look for titles such as Building your own home or Building Cabins .
I've been reading every post in this message board for two or three months now and learned more than I would have from talking to the contractors down at the lumber yard!  

I learned enough from this web site to assure myself that I can build the two story universal.

John recommends a few good books.
http://www.countryplans.com/books.html

Wagners "House Framing" and the book "Working Alone" has been a big help for me.

[DavidLeBlanc]

In my opinion, the most "complicated" thing about building your own house is not letting yourself become intimidated. That's not so hard to do if you keep two things in mind:

1. By breaking each part of building a house down into individual tasks or groups of tasks (like site prep, foundation, framing, sheathing, etc.). That will tend to make things a lot simpler right off the bat.

2. Knowing your own personal limitations and working within them. For exaxmple, knowing my fear of heights, there's no way in the apple orchard I'm doing any sort of roof work. So, hiring the right guys (or enslaving relatives and or friends ) for that will just have to be part of my budget.

Another thing to keep in mind is the skill/experience level needed to do a job and the impact it will have on the finished product. Example: any monkey can hang sheet rock "good enough" (especially on walls), but it takes real skill and experience to get a proffessional looking tape and texture (finish) job. Sooo... do the monkey work and then hire a pro to 'rock the ceilings and finish it (and you can still save $ by hiring a journeyman looking for some extra money on his/her days off!).

The same idea holds true for other skilled trades: rough in the plumbing and electrical and then hire the pro to do the finish work (which, in the case of both of these, you'll have to legally do any way in most places as I understand it). (I've read that it's a very, very good idea to hire your pro's first and make friend s with them: they'll guide you and also some won't do anything no a job unless they can do it all: they want the labor dollars for their crew! Some are more realistic.)

Where health and safety are not paramount, don't be afraid to tackle something new either: you might not like living with it over the long haul, but wavery grout lines in tile won't kill you - and it will save you money! (supposedly not a hard skill to pick up "good enough" fairly quickly either!)

Lot of unskilled or semi-skilled labor dollars in building a house: the more you can or will do, the more money you'll save. Spend labor dollars where you have to: on fit and finish elements that will affect resale value significantly and where health and safety are involved and/or required by law.

Hope this helps!

Note: Nothing in this post is intended to disparage people who build any parts of houses! People who build our nests are the salt of the earth! I just can't afford them as much as I'd like!

[Amanda_931]

I agree.

John's book list is good.

You might want, however, to try a doghouse first--see if gable ends give you fits, etc.

I may take my own advice there, although it may be a tool shed or pump house...

Foundations, wall building, roof framing I am pretty sure I can handle.  Leaving room for the plumber and electrician, not so sure at all.

By the way, books--and web sites--are tools.

[DavidLeBlanc]

Amanda;

I bet you can pull romex through walls and cut and glue PVC plumbing and PEX! Let the electrician wire the boxes, switches and hook up the panels! Let the plumber seat the toilet and hook up the fixtures to the water supply and drains!

I'm a wuss and I think even I can do at least those things!

[spinnm]

Sometimes local universities/colleges have courses in subjects such as these.

Our first adobe was built that way.  Took a class.  He from MN, me from KY.  What did we know about abobe?

Best to "eat the elephant; one bite at a time".  Study up on foundations and rough-ins.  Do it.

Then on to the next phase.

It's not rocket science, you know.

[glenn-k]

Also Kris, print this out and study it over.  It is over 50 pages but well worth having on hand to refer to when you have a question on how something should be framed.

http://www.awc.org/pdf/WCD1-300.pdf

As the others said, study it - do it , study it, do it.  If you can, find someone who knows what they're doing to assist and offer your services as a helper, even if it means working for free.  With liability and lawyers nowadays you won't get to do it on a job site usually unless you hire on but family or friends may appreciate the help and teach you what they know.  I learned from my great uncle starting when I was 9 yrs old and getting good meals as pay.  Its never to late to start

I love that elephant thing, Shelley-- thats something I can really sink my teeth into