How to build a house alone [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#171

Post by peterwwillis » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:24 PM UTC

Ftuuky wrote: post #37

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 t…

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)

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#172

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:24 PM UTC

peterwwillis wrote: post #171

Ftuuky wrote: post #37

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 t…

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)

[deleted]

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#173

Post by badpun » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:27 PM UTC

dennyis wrote: post #148

toomanybeersies wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My father's hobby is property investment. Well, it's a bit more than a hobby, he owns around 10 houses. He does as much work as possible himself, or when I was living at home, by getting me to do it for free (well, I get inheritance one day). The amount of money he's managed to save by doing his own work is staggering. We saved at least $10,000 by building a retaining wall ourselves. We mixed up over 6 tonnes of conc…

A good friend of mine owns around 50 houses and apartments, and does 95% of the work himself. He is super smart and impressive, however he is his own limiting factor in his growth. He literally can’t keep up with the work and refuses good deals. Learning to lead others effectively is key to growth in real estate investing and it’s a hurdle many unintentionally self limit their growth.

> Learning to lead others effectively is key to growth

My personal pet-peeve: In 99.9% of cases, when people talk about "leading" in the business context, what they really mean is just "managing". Let's not infest our language with corporate newspeak.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#174

Post by sjg007 » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:31 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #53

kafquaesque wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool to see this! Most people will never build their own home these days (even with the cost savings).

A problem is that you can't get a mortgage to build it yourself. Being cheaper in the end doesn't help you if you don't have the money right now.

You can get a construction loan in some States and in those States you are allowed to build your own house. Now the bank may have some requirements (show them your plans etc...) on you but you can generally act as your own general contractor. Still I think a reputable builder + home inspector + real estate attorney is the better way to go. At least if the contractor is registered with the State you can usually get access to State funds if the GC screws up.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#175

Post by Ftuuky » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:31 PM UTC

peterwwillis wrote: post #171

Ftuuky wrote: post #37

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 t…

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)

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

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#176

Post by Ftuuky » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:32 PM UTC

saalweachter wrote: post #161

Ftuuky wrote: post #37

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 t…

I mean, the short answer is, does it matter? If you enjoy making the videos, and you aren't spending much time or money making them (beyond the time and money you're spending on the original activity you are recording, that you'd spend anyway), does it matter much if your audience is 10 weirdos around the world or an adoring mass of thousands?

It's that I never considered the fact that people would appreciate someone like my father explaining his hobby.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#177

Post by kafquaesque » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:36 PM UTC

hulahoof wrote: post #72

Xuper wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe for the better. With current divorce law mess loosing something you have built yourself would ramp up male suicide rate even higher then it already is.

Why all the downvotes? We have serious social issues for not taking male mental health seriously.

Male mental health is definitely not a priority in society (it’s off-topic in this thread).

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#178

Post by greedo » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:40 PM UTC

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.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#179

Post by Xeoncross » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:41 PM UTC

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/

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#180

Post by elif » Fri, Apr 20, 2018, 2:41 PM UTC

toomanybeersies wrote: post #126

kafquaesque wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool to see this! Most people will never build their own home these days (even with the cost savings).

My father's hobby is property investment. Well, it's a bit more than a hobby, he owns around 10 houses. He does as much work as possible himself, or when I was living at home, by getting me to do it for free (well, I get inheritance one day). The amount of money he's managed to save by doing his own work is staggering. We saved at least $10,000 by building a retaining wall ourselves. We mixed up over 6 tonnes of conc…

>We saved at least $10,000 by building a retaining wall ourselves. We mixed up over 6 tonnes of concrete in a 200 L concrete mixer.

I have done it both ways...

Concrete trucks are about $80-120 / yd. mixing bags of concrete, assuming you have free aggregate and sand, is about $200 / yd