
How to build a house alone [video] - tomcam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3MDhLC7Prc
======
mrleiter
Back in the 50s, my great grandfather built the house where my mother and my
grandmother grew up in all by himself. It took him 6 years, but he had no
help. He started digging into the ground with a shovel. He was a carpenter and
bricklayer and used his spare time and skill to do it. This house is still
standing and my grandmother still lives in it.

This is him with his wife, my great grandmother:
[https://i.imgur.com/y7sXvaa.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/y7sXvaa.jpg)

It was his greatest achievement. But unfortunately he only lived in it for a
meager year before passing away.

~~~
pascalxus
That's impressive.

The good old days. I wish this was still possible today. Unfortunately, with
every last screw, bolt and wooden panel dictated by regulation, it seems it's
not possible anymore.

~~~
ggg9990
In the suburbs there is a lot of regulation and that’s a good thing, but there
are a lot of places in the US where you can build with literally or virtually
zero building codes. (Except, usually, for septic).

~~~
jjeaff
There are building codes everywhere, but yes, many places that don't inspect.
Where I am from in the south, there are literally no restrictions and that
includes septic. You can go in a 5 gallon bucket and dump it out the window if
you want.

------
Jakob
Impressive! Of course technically he’s building it not by himself but with the
help of a lot of technology. ;)

This man is building a house including the tools you need to build that house
completely by himself:

Primitive Technology: Tiled Roof Hut

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73REgj-3UE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73REgj-3UE)

~~~
gkya
Primitive Technology is an awesome channel, one of the marvels of youtube. To
anybody who decides to follow his videos: please do not skip reading the
description of the videos. He's not just making some _primitive-looking_ stuff
with crap he finds about, he actually often tries to replicate what actual
primitive peoples did, and explains the historical period and some other
details. There are those other channels that copied the concept, but they are
just bad copies, half naked men doing silly things for the views.

~~~
underko
And don't forget to turn on captions, as his commentary is there.

~~~
Cthulhu_
I've learned about this a while ago (also via a comment), but, I've never
turned it on; I like just watching it silently and going "Aaaah he's making an
<x>!".

~~~
edaemon
I usually watch the video twice, first with no captions and second with them
on. I also like trying to figure out what he's doing in each part, but he uses
the captions to explain a lot of interesting things that I didn't
catch/understand.

------
linsomniac
Some other great youtube series if you are into this:

[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJW...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJWmBPeX1hGhyLi)
\-- Essential Craftsman (a great channel about manly stuff) series on Building
a Spec Home, done by a guy with decades of experience.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGNuhyfyF6k&list=PL8eqcjvgrQ...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGNuhyfyF6k&list=PL8eqcjvgrQ4W1jeXaWIbC7gdN_YZKaDZc)
April Wilkerson's series on building a shop, she does it mostly on her own,
but with some help when needed. She's got a great channel for woodworking,
some metal working, and home repairs.

As someone who has no real building experience but has recently done a kitchen
remodel (everything except the countertop, most of the cabinets I ordered, the
pantry I'm building), youtube is an amazing way to get educated on the
specific tasks. I replaced the subfloor, new oak hardwood floors, plank tiles,
drywall, texturing, painting, removed a wall, electrical (including
inspections), range hood ducting to outside, plumbing, cabinet installs...

Youtube is like that scene in The Matrix where Neo jacks in and then comes
back out "I know Kung Fu!" I've spent many nights jacked in downloading Master
Vila's knowledge of pressure treated lumber. (obscure Robotman reference)

------
Ftuuky
My father rebuilt a 16th century house by himself on Saturdays. He used
electricity and the house has modern features such as piped water and internet
but no modern materials were used (concrete, aluminium, steel, etc.), only
"old" granite and wood. It took him almost a decade but he builds houses for a
living so it's not exactly a hobby despite the fact that he considered it as
such.

Do you think people would like to watch videos about such things? My youngest
brother now works for my father and he is tech savvy so it's something doable
but would be in Portuguese.

~~~
peterwwillis
Nit-picking, but concrete is not modern, it's 2,700 years old. (similarly,
indoor plumbing is 6,000 years old, but obviously was a luxury and not common
throughout most of history)

~~~
Ftuuky
You're correct. I meant he rebuilt it using materials as close as possible to
the original: granite, oak, quicklime, etc.

------
coinerone
Its fascinating how different building Houses is in USA and Germany. The
typical US Woodhouse is easy and fast to build. In Germany it can take a Year
to build a "Massiv" House:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlnUVxqAzDU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlnUVxqAzDU)

~~~
cateye
Is this difference mainly caused by weather conditions or is it a cultural or
economical consequence?

~~~
adventured
The US has, for practical purposes, an unlimited supply of cost effective,
renewable timber (domestically + Canada). It makes tremendous economic sense.

Also consider the renewable + cost + timber supply factor, when it comes to
population. Germany's population has barely increased since 1970. The US
population has increased by ~55% in that time, adding over 100 million people.
Rarely building new structures for a stagnate population base is a very
different consideration vs building for a population that has been quite
expansive for over a century. Just on the environmental concerns alone, I
don't think you want the US to rebuild all of its housing with concrete.

The median US house is between 50% and 100% larger than the median house in
developed Europe, at half the price or less per sq metre. The median US house
is generally the first or second largest in the world.

Maintenance is not dramatic for wood structures, assuming they're properly
built. Once they're enclosed, if properly maintained, you should have to do
relatively little work to the core structure of the building over many
decades. As it pertains to heating & cooling, high quality insulation today
means there's little concern for external weather, whether you're in New
Hampshire or Arizona.

~~~
hobofan
That only answers one half of the question, doesn't it? Germany should also
have the same unlimited supply of timber (it has the same percentage of
forests of their land area), so why don't Germans build wood houses?

~~~
Tepix
Stone houses last longer.

Whenever I see a report about a tornado or a hurricane in the US I wonder what
the damage would be like if people had stone houses instead of wooden houses
that disintegrate during a storm and then in turn damage other houses. It
reminds me of the Kessler Syndrome.

~~~
Amezarak
Most of the damage during a hurricane occurs due to the storm surge, which is
a wall of water that is pushed up on land and then drains back out.

Even if the structure remains intact - and storm surges have no problem
washing concrete and stone away - the house has to be ripped apart. The
flooding ruins sheetrock, furniture, carpet, etc and mold growth is a huge
issue.

The wind is usually not that big a deal unless you have a tornado during the
hurricane. I have a 100 year old wood framed house that has been though many
hurricanes, including Katrina. Generally the worst case wind-wise for most
people is that you see some minor roof damage and little else unless a tree
falls on the house. Wooden houses certainly do not "disintegrate" during
storms.

~~~
peterwwillis
Depends on whether you're in a flood zone. A lot of Florida isn't in flood
zones, so storm surge isn't a cause for most of the damage there, it's trees
and wind and debris. However, flood zones around the world are growing.

~~~
Amezarak
You don't need to be in a flood zone to be impacted by a storm surge. You just
have to live within ~30ft of sea level. The majority of the gulf coast is
pretty flat. Flood-zone maps do get redrawn after every major hurricane, but
that's not so much a matter of climate change so much as exactly where the
storm hits. Places that have never flooded in a hundred years will flood if a
hurricane makes land in the right place, simply because it pushes a couple
dozen feet of water ahead of it.

Debris doesn't cause a lot of damage, particularly if you've prepped for the
hurricane (by boarding up windows, garaging cars, etc.) The biggest factors
are definitely trees and storm surge.

------
xbryanx
Dick Proenneke's Alone in the Wilderness is a wonderful TV show to watch if
you're into this sort of DIY building joy. He starts with only a few tools and
builds himself a little cabin in Alaska, narrating and filming the whole
thing. Quite peaceful and inspiring.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss)

------
ctime
Richard Proenneke built a home in the middle of no where Alaska in the 50's,
using only hand tools, check out:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke)

Alone in the Wilderness - YouTube
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss)

~~~
quake
I have so many fond memories of watching Alone in the Wilderness with my
father and little brother. My mom would send us to bed, only for him to wake
us up so we could watch it together late at night.

------
kafquaesque
The home I spent the majority of my childhood in until the age of 15 was built
by a combination of friends/family and subcontractors. We were very poor and
my parents had a hard time receiving loans to finance the build. The plan was
to build a ranch-style 3400 sqft home. Due to the financial constraints, we
finished the walk-out basement portion with a “mother-in-law” style suite
(fully functioning kitchen etc.) We lived in this portion of the house and
sealed the top portion until it was finished. Ultimately the home took 5 years
to build IIRC. My father’s cousin was a contractor so my father worked a bit
for him to learn the correct steps and the order to perform them in. It was a
high-quality build with high-quality material due to the influence from my
father’s cousin. Growing up around it was fun in the sense that it was such a
unique experience. My parents got lucky as they sold it right before the
downturn in the housing market. There will always be naysayers and those that
believe things are impossible or are “strange”. This house and the equity
accumulated in it allowed my parents just enough of an edge (among other
factors) to currently be in a much better financial situation than most/all of
our extended family. It’s awesome to see posts like this. Most people will
never build their own home.

------
raintrees
For those considering something like this, I would recommend the book Working
Alone by John Carroll. He describes how to use clamps, ad-hoc frames and jigs
to deal with sheets of plywood, roof beams, etc. without the benefit of a
second pair of hands. Using his techniques I built a stand alone 10x12 storage
structure (biggest that does not require a permit) that is the driest building
on my property to this day.

[http://www.raintreeshouse.com/ournewoldhouse/TheStorageShed....](http://www.raintreeshouse.com/ournewoldhouse/TheStorageShed.htm)

------
Xeoncross
As a developer, I'm so glad I didn't try to build my own house (even a tiny
house) alone. Having just one extra person is worth so much. Building a house
is a great project and one I hope to do again with my wife and kids some day.

My brother and I built my 390ft (+ loft) fully equipped, 16' tall tiny house:
[http://tinyhousemansion.com/](http://tinyhousemansion.com/)

~~~
mv4
It's beautiful. How does it handle strong winds? That'd be my only concern
with a design like that.

~~~
Xeoncross
I currently have it strapped down to anchors in cement blocks. However, it did
fine for a couple years without anything.

------
chrisseaton
It looks like the entire thing is made of chipboard and planks of wood? Is it
a temporary building? How long does that last?

~~~
adventured
A house like that will easily last over a century if you take care of it and
do routine maintenance. Obviously that's assuming it's not destroyed in a
direct hit by a tornado or a once in a century nearby massive earthquake (such
a risk applies to a super tiny fraction of all US housing).

A friend of mine purchased a hundred plus year old wood house. The standards
back then were non-existent, boards placed wherever, seemingly constructed
stupidly in every possible regard, and it managed over a century regardless
through routine maintenance. Keeping in mind that's starting from ~1900.
Starting from the standards today, you should easily get over a century. Use a
metal roof, replace it every 40-60 years depending, and just take care of it.

~~~
megaman22
The thing old houses like that have in their favor is that the timber they are
built out of is usually better quality than anything you could possibly buy
today. Consequently a lot of things could be significantly overbuilt in a way
you can't do today.

My house is 1880s vintage, and it's sorta post-and-beam, with 10x10 beams
making up the frame, and double layers of 12" to 30" wide pine floorboards.
You can't even begin to find lumber like that today, unless you've got a stand
of high quality timber that's been saved out and not cut already, and a
sawmill to do custom sawing.

~~~
netzone
Well, you could probably find it. You definitely had more of the really large
trees in North America as far as I know, historically anyway.

Today, building something with massive sturdy timber would likely not be much
cheaper (if at all) than just building a concrete box.

~~~
maxerickson
Yeah, there's plenty of big trees left too. Stuff just gets cut smaller
because no one wants to pay for extra size.

There's really no reason to use huge beams for house style construction.
Decent wood is incredibly strong.

------
jessaustin
Skipping ahead to the end, that architect is a disgrace. The walls bumping in
and out, the front door hiding behind the garage, two halves of the house on
different levels for no discernible reason, the false transverse roof, the
hilarious 3rd-floor bumpout as if for a 13th-century princess's loo, this
house is dense with really bad ideas. Some of them might be partially blamed
on the goofy pie-wedges-around-a-pond subdivision lot, but better work could
have been done even in this location. Also that lower floor is going to be
dank. Hopefully they put real support studs in under the floor beams before
they start installing appliances.

------
hpaavola
There's also Pure Living For Life channel on Youtube
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhBsM9K_Bc9a_YTK7UUlnQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhBsM9K_Bc9a_YTK7UUlnQ)
where a couple builds timber frame house by themselves. They also made all the
timbers from logs.

They are complete novices and make a lot of mistakes (and are honest about
those), so don't take it as an educational channel. :)

------
iM8t
Building your own house seems like a pretty common thing from where I come
from (Eastern Europe). Nonetheless, the timelapses he does look really cool.

~~~
xab9
Exactly. My father built one himself, like his father did and he never even
considered this something extraordinary...

I can remember being a kid when he did it; too bad I would never be able to
this myself. He's kinda proud that his kid won't have do physical labour
anymore, but it makes me sad nevertheless.

------
narag
In my hometown it was _very_ common for people to build their own house twenty
years ago, ignoring all kind of permits. A lot of people worked in
construction or were plumbers, painters... they worked patiently in the
weekends and with a little help from friends, only sprinting at the moment of
the concrete injection.

Even if the houses were illegal (there's an interesting background on why
people takes that risk) the quality of the build and regulations compliance
were OK, since the process is the same and done by the same people that builds
legal houses.

Now there is a political nightmare around this question, but that's another
story.

~~~
rospaya
I see you're Spanish, but it was the same in Croatia. People built houses over
a few weeks. In the 70s it was fairly normal to get some friends, call in some
favors and build a summer house - illegally of course.

The old generation of houses has been legalized so the government got a fast
influx of money, but a lot of them are ecological disasters and still stand.

~~~
narag
That sounds _so_ familiar. Except houses built weren't summer houses but
primary homes and it was happening very recently, maybe it's still happening?

Legalization in our case is still a hot topic. There is a local party for
people with illegal houses.

------
synack
I see your house and raise you a castle
[https://www.youtube.com/user/JMEMantzel](https://www.youtube.com/user/JMEMantzel)

------
overlordalex
There is another youtuber who is building a house[1] - it's not on his own but
he is documenting every step and it is interesting to see what goes into it.
At this stage the lot has retaining walls up, and basic plans for the
structure itself have been drafted.

[1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCC-
_Cuhhw&list=PLRZePj70B4...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCC-
_Cuhhw&list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJWmBPeX1hGhyLi&index=2)

------
tostadora
This guy is building a cathedral on his own:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justo_Gallego_Mart%C3%ADnez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justo_Gallego_Mart%C3%ADnez)

------
mkagenius
In India, we mostly build using 100% concrete no woods -- I don't know why
this difference.

~~~
lotsofpulp
Cost of wood and weather. But probably mostly cost of wood.

------
dugmartin
Watching self-build/contractor videos on YouTube is how I relax at night. Here
is another guy who is building his own house bit by bit:

[https://www.youtube.com/user/ArkansasHomesteader](https://www.youtube.com/user/ArkansasHomesteader)

------
bufferoverflow
He isn't even wearing a hard hat. That's an OSHA violation.

I watch the video about him installing the stairs, and I cringed half the
time. The guy is very close to injuring or killing himself.

~~~
megaman22
OSHA is ridiculous, nobody actually does everything it stipulates. It's a CYA
set of regulations. Under perfect circumstances, with money and manpower and
equipment, and time enough, you could follow all that garbage. But most of the
time, you don't have any of that, and shit needs to get done, so you do what
you can, as safely as you can, and accept a little risk.

~~~
lotsofpulp
I like that there is an attempt to provide construction workers with more
safety. The only problem would be insufficient enforcement allowing some
contractors to underbid for projects causing a shortage of money and manpower.
The other alternative is a race to the bottom where desperate people choose
between taking unnecessary risks to put food on the table or not work. This
would only seem to benefit the wealthy.

------
oldmancoyote
I have built 3 houses acting as my own contractor. I highly recommend that
approach. Managing about 17 subcontracts, ordering supplies, finances, and
dealing with problems is a lot of work. I once estimated that building one
myself would take me about 10 years. As my own contractor it took about a
year. If you are serious about being your own contractor, find an adult
education course on the owner-built home and take the course repeatedly until
you are done.

------
chiph
Only watched the first couple of videos - but they don't sell ladders in
Canada?

~~~
jessaustin
The tightwire act with one arm and his head run through the wall frame and a
full story drop on either side was especially entertaining. Please don't die!

------
bkovacev
Does anyone know what are the exact materials used? I'm so used to
concrete/bricks/blocks around the area where I live, that this makes me wonder
whether it will bear against a stronger winter (while I know the video was
filmed in the winter) or wind. Can someone share their experiences with this
type of a house? Also, are all houses in the states built like this?

~~~
dakna
It is called Stick Frame construction
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_(construction)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_\(construction\))
and is the default construction method in the US in areas without much seismic
activity and fewer termites. It is a modular system where you can buy all the
materials needed ready-made at big box stores like HomeDepot, Lowes or
Menards. Professional builders get better prices at their lumber yard. It is
very DIY friendly, and if you want to change something (build an addition,
change the floor plan, etc.), it is easy to do without getting the
sledgehammer out to destroy brick/concrete walls. The standard wall size has
enough space to put insulation in the cavities, although it is not much.
Building codes require at least R13 in colder areas, but that depends on the
areas the house is build. You can build with more cavity space and have
superinsulated outer walls that are good enough to qualify for an energy
efficient rating like "Passivhouse".

Source: Moved to the US a couple of years ago and researched a lot of building
techniques to be able to work on my own house.

------
markdog12
Ha! He's trying to hide the location so OHS stays off his back, but he's maybe
giving too much away (Footage of the neighborhood, -30C, etc). Hope he doesn't
get in trouble.

------
callumprentice
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErGQ0rXkn74](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErGQ0rXkn74)

Reminds me of a heartwarming video I watched several times of a man and his
family building a simply beautiful "log cabin" by hand using primitive tools
and techniques.

I've never wanted to quit my engineering job and hectic lifestyle more and go
do the same thing. Sadly, I know it's way beyond anything I could ever achieve
but it still feels nice to watch it again.

------
mrarjen
Love watching these things, also when people build their own house and someone
asks them, how did you build it. They answer, "Just watched how to do it on
youtube".

~~~
ekblom
Did an extension of my house last year, let the experts to the important stuff
like the foundation and electricity, but i did the rest by my self... by
learning from YouTube. :)

------
bluenose69
I guess the idea is that all the strength comes from the shell, but those
posts look pretty flimsy. Is their purpose mainly to be a template for the
creation of the floor, which in the end is held up by the sides? (Confession:
I could only watch two episodes ... even though I had read enough of the
comments to know he didn't die in one of the videos, it was creepy watching
his feet slipping on beams so far above a concrete head smasher.)

~~~
awareBrah
Is anyone able to answer this. He seems to have put up two vertical wooden
planks in what appears to be the basement and it seems to be supporting the
entire weight of the house except for the sides. Is this a normal way to do
things? I couldn’t believe the physics of this

------
gcheong
There was a time when you could mail order a house kit from Sears
([http://www.arts-crafts.com/archive/sears/](http://www.arts-
crafts.com/archive/sears/)). I wonder if at some point the economics would
make sense to produce something similar again.

~~~
mythrwy
There are still home kits for order (just not Sears).

[https://www.budgethomekits.com/plans](https://www.budgethomekits.com/plans)

[https://coventryloghomes.com/](https://coventryloghomes.com/)

[http://newpanelhomes.com/](http://newpanelhomes.com/)

------
DanBC
It's not a good sign that the first three minutes of the first video contain a
pointlessly dangerous technique.

------
m-p-3
I would have pointed to the playlist itself, which contains all the different
parts of building a house.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3MDhLC7Prc&list=PLE7GmFxfJg...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3MDhLC7Prc&list=PLE7GmFxfJg_h0DHBteKvAgQetcIxtWh49)

------
Dowwie
There's a couple in Alaska who have been building a house and vlog their
experience:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhBsM9K_Bc9a_YTK7UUlnQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhBsM9K_Bc9a_YTK7UUlnQ)

~~~
ctime
This couple (yt:Pure Living for life) are actually building in Idaho. They
seem happy, good for them. The video on the importance of neighbors helping
out was particularly insightful to me.

~~~
Dowwie
Idaho! Thanks for the correction.

It's rare to see a community come together to help out like that, at least for
hands-on contractor related work.

------
dustinmoorenet
This sounds like a great idea, if you are only building one. But this guy has
been doing it for what looks like 7 years at least. The longer this goes on,
the greater the opportunity for an injury that completely wreaks his body. He
needs a partner (and a ladder).

------
greedo
My grandfather and cousin built a house in the early 70's by themselves. They
were both retired pilots from Pan Am who had bought some land in San Diego
county, and built a house to resell. I'll never be as alpha as my granddad.

------
nbrempel
Very cool. I follow
[https://youtube.com/tinynestproject](https://youtube.com/tinynestproject) who
are doing something similar with a tiny house.

------
gerardnll
In my country houses are built with concrete, much easier with wood.

~~~
nmeofthestate
It's possibly a function of cost of labour and climate.

~~~
gerardnll
AFAIK houses in USA are built with wood. And that's why they are easily
destroyed with bad weather.

I don't know if concrete it's generally more expensive than wood, but anyway,
it's incredible how expensive were homes before the crisis and how 'cheap'
they look.

~~~
ghaff
Yet I live in a wood house in a fairly harsh climate--New England--that's over
200 years old, which is not at all uncommon in this area. I love that, when
practices are different from where they live, people automatically gravitate
to "they're obviously idiots" as the explanation.

------
purplezooey
This is completely badass. Construction is so overpriced and hard to get done.
He's just jumping in and doing it. Good for him. Probably would cost $500,000
to build.

~~~
lotsofpulp
It's not overpriced. I've never heard a parent tell their child to grow up and
become good with their hands and work in construction. If you're smart, you're
filtered out to doctor/lawyer/programmer/engineer, who are getting paid six
figures for office work.

If you want talented people to work with their hands, in the heat and cold and
rain, risk injury that could cause them permanent damage or render them unable
to work, all without nice health insurance benefits and the reliability of a
steady deposit into their bank accounts every two weeks, then you have to pay
for it.

~~~
toomanybeersies
Residential construction is a very well paying industry if you have your head
screwed on. Start up your own business, get a couple of hammer hands and
apprentices, and you've basically got a license to print your own money.

At least that's the situation in Australia and New Zealand.

~~~
lotsofpulp
Exactly, there is nothing stopping people doing exactly what you said...except
for the fact that it is hard, undesirable work, hence why it is well paying
and therefore not "overpriced".

------
agumonkey
On the subject, I like videos of people doing non simple geometric tilings to
create arch-roofs.

ps: very timely, I was considering finding a spot to make my own these days.

------
LawnDart1
what could possibly go wrong....

[https://youtu.be/9P72VnjQww0?t=22](https://youtu.be/9P72VnjQww0?t=22)

~~~
EADGBE
Looks like an incredible save, to me.

------
coryfklein
If I'm buying a house and discover that the owner built it all by himself, I
would immediately begin looking elsewhere.

~~~
AdamTReineke
Depending on where you are, that's what building codes and inspections are
for. They make sure everything is done correctly.

~~~
coryfklein
They will ensure that the life-saving features of the home have been accounted
for, but building codes don't account for some guy's weird opinion about which
way a closet door faces, whether there are enough power outlets in a room, or
if the final kitchen layout makes any sense.

Most professional home builders are really organizations with checks and
balances against making bizarre decisions that may go unchecked when a single
dude has ultimate control over the construction, floor plan, and whatever
other minor details may drive me nuts after living there 12 months.

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icantdrive55
I'm a former General Contractor. (Actually still a contractor, but inactive
status.)

This is very possible.

Do it when you are young though. Don't wait.

Start learning now.

If serious, and have the time, land, and funds for materials, go out and buy
pretty much every book related to building Taunton Publising offers.

Start with Working Along. A Taunton book with tips on Working Alone.

Learn Electrical Residential wiring early on. (I have found most DIY'er have a
terrible understanding of Electrical Theory, Layout of branch, home-run
circuits, and all the NEC codes. It's not that difficult.

Learn about Plumbing/HVAC. You will be suprised it's not that difficult.
(Radiant heating is not that complicated.)

My biggest regret is not building a house completely in my thirties. I was
basically a Contractor Handyman, and never build a house from scratch.

And to be honest, even though I have accumulated the knowledge to do the job
now; I'm just not physically what I was in my twenties, plus I'm filled with
neurotic anxiety.

It's ironic, when I was in my twenties/thirties, I didn't have all the
knowledge to build a large house. Now I have the knowledge, I question my
physical abilities. And I'm scared of risk more than ever. In so many ways, I
have given up. If I had a kid, our first project would be building him/her a
house.

That's why I say do it young. What makes it really feasible these days are the
quality of the info out there.

To the poor kids out there--really try to build that house early on. You won't
regret it. It's better than any stock portfolio.

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notyourgrandma
Reminds me of that time I spent 4 years on a beach building a sandcastle grain
by grain.

