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We quit our jobs to build a cabin

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Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#251

Post by logosmonkey »

duxup wrote: post #38
drewrv wrote: post #29

This reminds me of a similar article I once read: "I opened a charming neighborhood coffee shop. Then it destroyed my life." https://slate.com/human-interest/2005/12/my-coffeehouse-nigh...

Those stories always get me. Anyone who has worked in food service in any way knows that it's brutal. Liking a thing, coffee, coffee shops, or anything ... very much does not mean you'd like making it / running something making that thing. Personally I like video games ... I code web boring apps... for reasons.

Yup, I love tabletop gaming so I wrote a tabletop game. It ruined tabletop for me for a good couple of years.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#252

Post by rdiddly »

Definitely appeals to my sense of adventure and independence, but these days I can't help it: my fantasies run more toward writing the companion piece: "We Saved Our Money And Bought This Totally Sweet Cabin From These Dudes"

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#253

Post by [deleted] »

luhn wrote: post #128
lowdose wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You underestimate your bodies strength. There are people of 98 years that do a full triathlon, so there is no excuse for you not to able to do that. You can do anything when you put your 10k hours in, but not on the first try. If mountain biking is your dream buy a Trek with electric motor in it. They can give you extra lift till you accelerate to 75 km/hour with a dongle of $120. Instant pro biking experience withou…

You really shouldn't be saying "you could do it if you really tried" to people when you don't know their situation. Maybe they have a bad knee. Maybe they have a chronic illness. Maybe they don't have the money to spend. It's not a personal failing to be unable to do something, and it's toxic to take that attitude.

[deleted]

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#254

Post by _nothing »

jhoechtl wrote: post #240
kyleblarson wrote: post #11

I purchased land in the North Cascades area (Methow Valley, about 3 hours Northeast of Index where these guys built) in 2007 with the intention of building a weekend home myself. I prepped the property myself and ran the main power. It was a junk show and I quickly learned that the best approach was to continue writing software and pay pros to do the job. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. My wife a…

While most coments seem to agree that it is a futile endeavor, my experience was and is the contrary. I learned that the meme 'let the professionals do their job' actually is an excuse for being lazy and unlearn even basic hand craft skills up to the point of being totally incapable to get along on your own. I admire a meaningful and quick fix more than a professionalistscwork, adhering to piles of regulations for no…

> I admire a meaningful and quick fix more than a professionalistscwork, adhering to piles of regulations for no appearing reason but let many others profit from my money.

I have little experience with handiwork but I'm imagining if an amateur developer said this in regards to building a maintainable and scalable application (as I imagine a house to be) from scratch, and scoffing at tedious time-wasters like writing tests and hiring QAs.

As an experienced developer I know the tradeoffs of cutting corners and various quick fixes and so can apply them judiciously, but I know if I ended up working on or taking over that codebase, I'd most likely end up having to tear out a lot of that developer's work and redo it, or else have a headache trying to build and improve around it.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#255

Post by triceratops »

vidanay wrote: post #7
Animats wrote: post #5

Those guys don't have a building problem. They have a drinking problem.

Yeah, building a cabin isn't a fundamentally complicated project. Think. Measure. Measure. Cut. Nail. Repeat.

Put that way, literally nothing is "fundamentally complicated". Either you've never built a cabin and don't know what you're talking about, or you're an expert carpenter and have forgotten what it was like to be a beginner.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#256

Post by throwaway0a5e »

mtnGoat wrote: post #232
throwaway0a5e wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can easily get cheap empty land in the American West so long as it's farther from the nearest city than your average Javascript crapping baboon is willing to drive with his family in the car for a weekend getaway and the parcel is too small for any commercial use. The east coast is similar but all the numbers are smaller and the baboons shit under-performing pharmaceuticals and financial products instead of Javas…

this really isnt that far off the mark. lots of Seattle-area folks moving to Leavenworth, and Chelan, driving costs up and grossly overpaying(by locals standards) with cash. Whole new housing developments owned entirely by people from a different county, paying prices way outside what locals can afford. Its good for me though, my home value has increased significantly with no work from me.

And then they wonder why every local who isn't directly engaged in charging them way to high prices hates them.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#257

Post by berdon »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #193
berdon wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with throwaway0a5e: I became a homeowner as a never-interested DIY with EE/CS degrees. We had an unfinished basement that we paid the builder to finish only the electrical, plumbing, and framing. I'd always heard drywall'ing was easy so I left that for me to do. At the time I knew nothing about lighting, fixtures, eletrical work, etc. Ended up agreeing to J-boxes for basement lights rather than cans, and a fe…

Electrical and plumbing are relatively easy compared to anything that requires accurate measuring and cutting. The latter can really kill a project if you can't get it right consistently, preferably first time. That's where the skill comes in - not just the physical labour, but the experience needed to make allowances for material tolerances and other possible gotchas. Professionals (should) have that knack, amateurs…

Is that from experience?

Generally all contractors say "the next guys will take care of that". For example, when framing you don't really care if the studs are really straight or if the walls are square. The "next guy" will take care of that.

True enough, when I was drywalling I had the builder come back to take care of some bowed studs that should never have been used.

I've also volunteered at Habitat for Humanity and can confirm that very little "accurate measuring and cutting" was occurring. They'd quickly measure some things, shout out numbers, and then use a circular saw to rough cut it out. But that was it - they didn't refine it after that and went about their merry way.

I have to believe that the accuracy of a foundation is more important but I think it's a fool's dream. They get "close" and they're checked out before the "next guy" has to fix it.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#258

Post by cko »

kyleblarson wrote: post #11

I purchased land in the North Cascades area (Methow Valley, about 3 hours Northeast of Index where these guys built) in 2007 with the intention of building a weekend home myself. I prepped the property myself and ran the main power. It was a junk show and I quickly learned that the best approach was to continue writing software and pay pros to do the job. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. My wife a…

Aside from loving the writing style, I'm glad I read this article and this comment. I was half-heartedly planning to do something like this myself. Despite having zero construction or engineering experience.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#259

Post by anarbadalov »

drewrv wrote: post #29

This reminds me of a similar article I once read: "I opened a charming neighborhood coffee shop. Then it destroyed my life." https://slate.com/human-interest/2005/12/my-coffeehouse-nigh...

I love the Bourdain quote at the end: “The most dangerous species of owner … is the one who gets into the business for love.” Interesting piece, too, and not at all surprising. Even before Covid, i always questioned how any independent coffee shop could survive.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#260

Post by kbenson »

bialpio wrote: post #245
kyleblarson wrote: post #11

I purchased land in the North Cascades area (Methow Valley, about 3 hours Northeast of Index where these guys built) in 2007 with the intention of building a weekend home myself. I prepped the property myself and ran the main power. It was a junk show and I quickly learned that the best approach was to continue writing software and pay pros to do the job. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. My wife a…

The problem I have with "professionals" in Seattle area is that you pay a lot, and then you have to either have them come back every day to fix all the little things, or just give up and fix them yourself. It is emotionally draining that it's so costly and yet still done in a half-assed way. I may have been unlucky with the contractors, but on the other hand, it's not in their incentive to spend more time on somethin…

A good, reliable, trustworthy general contractor is is a true treasure. They'll either be able to do it themselves, or refer you to someone they trust, and trust is the most important part of this.
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