Do It Yurtself • Hacker News Board

Re: Do It Yurtself

#151

Post by turtlebits » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:09 PM UTC

jmspring wrote: post #78

thekhatribharat wrote: post #73

How does the construction industry work in the US? Do many people DIY? Do many people get hands-on with building homes while still hiring experts where needed? Is it common for city people to own farms/land nearby? It seems it isn’t really that costly to build a nice 1000 sq. ft. place complete with appliances and modern amenities. The construction industry in India is shitty - carpenters, painters, plumbers, masons,…

In the 40s-60s, one could get a kit home and build it yourself. They were of decent enough quality where existing structures in the Bay Area are selling for over $1m. Contractors are supposedly licensed and bonded. They may employ others. There are some very good ones - they are all booked out years in advance. The shady/shitty/marginal ones are easier to find.

The value of expensive property with old houses is 90%+ in the land. My 1950's house is valued at 6% of what the land is.

Re: Do It Yurtself

#152

Post by ravitation » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:33 PM UTC

I love DIY homes but, in the negatives it lists...

> Poor temperature control, noise level, and not so temporary

I'm wondering why you would build a yurt instead of one of the numerous more traditional wood frame green pre-fabs, which would essentially eliminate all of these negatives?

Re: Do It Yurtself

#153

Post by jonathankoren » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:40 PM UTC

What is up with the composting toilet? All these off grid houses you see on YouTube are using composting toilets. It’s like these people have never heard of a septic tank before.

Re: Do It Yurtself

#154

Post by subspaceman » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:44 PM UTC

h2odragon wrote: post #144

PenguinCoder wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious, what was the total 'all done' cost of doing this?

Just under $40k, with salvage materials and every cost saving i could scrape up. Place has been assessed 2x - 3x higher and I've been told "If it was a more normal structure it could be worth twice that"... Most people don't want houses with industrial flooring and 900 sqft loft rooms; thats why I had to build :)

This sounds very interesting! Have any pictures?

Re: Do It Yurtself

#155

Post by PorterDuff » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 5:02 PM UTC

jokoon wrote: post #89

I'm more curious about the state of that yurt in 5, 10, 15 years. Heating, humidity, insulation, energy bill, insects, hygiene, maintaining the toilet and the hygiene issues that come with it. Building codes don't exist without good reasons. Health and comfort don't happen by snapping finger at good ideas. I would really be interesting if construction engineers seriously studied yurts. I have to say this looks pretty…

"I'm more curious about the state of that yurt in 5, 10, 15 years."

It's a good question and I've always wanted to see postmortems on alternative building methods generally. I suppose that we could always take on the Japanese philosophy of building homes anew every few decades.

'Round these parts, I'm afraid that a yurt would be crushed by the first real snowfall, but the build isn't in these parts so no harm, no foul.

Personally, I'd think twice about building over an old blackberry patch. There's a reason that the plants like that place and the word 'swamp' comes to mind. It's already hard enough to deal with moisture in a dwelling as it is.

In any case, it sure looks cool and I like the builder's spirit.

Re: Do It Yurtself

#156

Post by rodolphoarruda » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 5:07 PM UTC

The Photo of the bedroom strikes me the most. You filled in your sleeping Room with plants that Will release CO2 at night as any other plant would do.

Re: Do It Yurtself

#157

Post by bredren » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 5:08 PM UTC

h2odragon wrote: post #144

PenguinCoder wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious, what was the total 'all done' cost of doing this?

Just under $40k, with salvage materials and every cost saving i could scrape up. Place has been assessed 2x - 3x higher and I've been told "If it was a more normal structure it could be worth twice that"... Most people don't want houses with industrial flooring and 900 sqft loft rooms; thats why I had to build :)

What do you use the loft room for?

Re: Do It Yurtself

#158

Post by dakna » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 5:09 PM UTC

cpr wrote: post #147

distances wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And given good construction, a wooden house can last hundreds of years as seen in the surviving houses in Europe. Doesn't of course mean they all will.

Yes, there are still standing timber frame tithe barns in England from the 800's. Just gotta keep the timbers dry and insect-free (or -free-enough). But all the modern stick frames, hmm, no so much..

I bought a wood framed house that is probably 150 years old. Nobody really knows when it was built. The framing and the fieldstone foundation are in perfect order.

It was built on the highest point in the farm field. Water flows away from the house at all times. It uses full size framing (actual 2x4) with solid boards as sheathing. The roof was maintained and the shading trees do their job to keep UV exposure low.

A building is a system. You can neglect major parts and it breaks down. Modern construction unfortunately optimises for less time on the job site and ready-made cheap materials. Easy to make mistakes that reduce the lifetime of the structure.

Re: Do It Yurtself

#159

Post by spraak » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 5:14 PM UTC

jonathankoren wrote: post #153

What is up with the composting toilet? All these off grid houses you see on YouTube are using composting toilets. It’s like these people have never heard of a septic tank before.

If you're sincere, it's likely cost and sustainability — it's much cheaper to make a composting toilet than install a septic system; and a composting toilet is environmentally beneficial compared to a septic tank.

Edit: I just noticed that you also specify off grid. That as a foundational principle would lead one to simpler choices. A composting toilet is much simpler than a septic system.

Re: Do It Yurtself

#160

Post by sbierwagen » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 5:30 PM UTC

skybrian wrote: post #46

If you want to read about the drawbacks, they're explained here: https://doityurtself.com/is-it-for-you/

> If you assume—like I did—that your yurt could be built on leased land and moved at a later date if necessary, you are entering yourself into a world of pain. My biggest regret with this project was building the yurt on land owned by someone I barely knew. If I had waited patiently until I could purchase land of my own, I would probably feel quite the opposite.

Wow, I'd like to know more about what happened there. He installed all those concrete pilings on land he didn't own?