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How to build a house alone [video]

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Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#271

Post by eloff »

badpun wrote: post #262
eloff wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they were managers. They just understood that good management is being a leader. Trying to micromanage and compel people to do what you want is inefficient compared to inspiring people to want the same things as you, and helping them coach them so they grow into more effective, productive versions of themselves.

> Trying to micromanage and compel people to do what you want is inefficient compared to inspiring people to want the same things as you, I generally agree, but I have never ever seen that in a business world. What the business owner wants - maximum profit - is in a direct conflict with employee wants (maximum salary for an easy and/or fullfilling job), so I can't see them ever wanting the same thing. In general, peo…

The way to achieve that, in my opinion, is to try to align the person's career objectives with the company's objectives. Find out what motivates them, money, recognition, etc and illustrate how they can achieve those goals by achieving the company's goals. Then people motivate themselves.

The other part is being a good coach, which is not about giving advice, it's about helping someone take responsibility for their tasks and helping them learn how to improve.

That's just my opinion, and I'm not a manager so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#272

Post by TheGrassyKnoll »

elif wrote: post #180
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…

>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

Well, if you're building a wall yourself, you can't use a whole truck load of concrete all at once. You pretty much have to mix it incrementally.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#273

Post by kd5bjo »

theEXTORTCIST wrote: post #254
elif wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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

I am trying to understand your post. Is it cheaper per yard to hire a concrete truck than to mix concrete (with free aggregate/sand) yourself?

Presumably, to get the truck pricing you have to buy by the truckload which is too much concrete for some projects. If doing it onsite was cheaper at quantity, you'd never see a concrete truck on the road -- all the big construction sites would be saving money by mixing onsite.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#274

Post by jklinger410 »

trumped wrote: post #115
Jakob wrote: post #4

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

He's not trying to make his life harder... he is building it by himself the same way that some contractor would be doing it with perhaps 4-5 guys. Although primitive, the video that you linked to is also based on previous technology/knowledge...

>Although primitive, the video that you linked to is also based on previous technology/knowledge...

Yet one is possible to do literally by yourself without another human being alive as long as you possess the knowledge.

It is a real difference.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#275

Post by Xeoncross »

mv4 wrote: post #224
Xeoncross wrote: post #179

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/

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

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

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#276

Post by awareBrah »

bluenose69 wrote: post #225

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 co…

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

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#277

Post by jjeaff »

ggg9990 wrote: post #247
pascalxus wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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).

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.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#279

Post by wrycoder »

vinceguidry wrote: post #114
agumonkey wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Him and Mathias Wandel (woodwork shop) have some tangible zen effect on my mind. It may be subjective but crafting with simple material, and mostly your hands * is extremely satisfying to watch and also very tempting to do. Society creates a distortion in which every pleasure sits behind some door but here they do tons of fun stuff outside just like that.

Other channels in that vein: Wranglerstar - https://www.youtube.com/wranglerstar Pure Living for Life - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChhBsM9K_Bc9a_YTK7UUlnQ Paul Sellers - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc3EpWncNq5QL0QhwUNQb7w Not quite the same aesthetic but still interesting: Steve Ramsey - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBB7sYb14uBtk8UqSQYc9-w

Mr. Chickadee - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHkYrJ2Fbe7pBjEZvkFzi3A Goes so far as to mill (or hew) his own wood. Makes his own tools.

Re: How to build a house alone [video]

#280

Post by oldmancoyote »

kafquaesque wrote: post #187
sjg007 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ac…

True. The barrier here is then convincing the bank to give you the construction loan. The big construction companies (in some states in the US) move through homes so quickly and have found ways to reduce the amount of material used in certain parts of the build. They don’t necessarily provide a better home than you could build yourself. If you have recourse against them due to poor workmanship then that sounds like a…

Owner-built homes rarely use banks. My experience has been the way to go is a mortgage broker who can get you private money. It's more expensive than banks, but it works.
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