My Dream - Is it feasible or will you laugh too?

MIEDRN · June 14, 2006, 08:54:54 PM

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?

jonseyhay · June 14, 2006, 09:20:15 PM

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.

Sassy · June 14, 2006, 09:50:20 PM

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!

n74tg · June 14, 2006, 10:30:59 PM

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.

peg_688 · June 14, 2006, 10:39:23 PM

Quote

My footers are dug, formed up and tomorrow comes the first load of concrete.

Wish me luck....

Good Luck

MIEDRN · June 14, 2006, 10:42:27 PM

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?

peg_688 · June 14, 2006, 10:52:26 PM

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

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

Jochen · June 15, 2006, 12:32:08 AM

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

bil2054 · June 15, 2006, 09:15:48 AM

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!

Anjul · June 15, 2006, 09:34:55 AM

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

MIEDRN · June 15, 2006, 11:01:31 AM

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.

MIEDRN · June 15, 2006, 11:48:02 AM

That's so cute! What kind of siding is that? Do you have pics of the inside? Is that yours?

Jochen · June 15, 2006, 11:52:45 AM

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

jraabe · June 15, 2006, 11:55:19 AM

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.

Pala · June 15, 2006, 12:22:15 PM

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.

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.

MIEDRN · June 15, 2006, 12:24:50 PM

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....

pioneergal · June 15, 2006, 04:32:51 PM

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!

mark_chenail · June 15, 2006, 06:17:05 PM

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.

MIEDRN · June 15, 2006, 06:28:02 PM

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!

n74tg · June 16, 2006, 09:37:46 AM

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.

My Dream - Is it feasible or will you laugh too?

MIEDRN

jonseyhay

CREATIVE1

Sassy

n74tg

glenn-k

peg_688

MIEDRN

peg_688

Jimmy_Cason

Jochen

bil2054

Anjul

MIEDRN

Jochen

MIEDRN

Jochen

jraabe

Pala

MIEDRN

MIEDRN

pioneergal

mark_chenail

MIEDRN

n74tg