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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

#361

Post by thwarted »

luhn wrote: post #206
thwarted wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Don't encourage anyone because they might not be able to do it" is the shittiest and most toxic attitude I've ever heard.

Interpreting my comment as "don't encourage anyone" is an extremely uncharitable take. Support their endeavors, celebrate successes, be empathetic of failure. Don't tell them "no excuse for you not to able to do that."

"You could do it if you really tried" is not the same as "no excuse for you not to able to do that".

It's a sad state of affairs if the exchange needs to be "please share your situation with me so I can know if it's appropriate to offer words of encouragement" before offering words of encouragement.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#362

Post by ThinkBeat »

dmoy wrote: post #271
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…

> Navy Seals talk about that being tired is just an emotion like feeling happy. BUD/S has like a 25% pass rate, of people who are even allowed to try. Not saying that a navy seal can't just decide to not be tired anymore, but for the rest of us mere mortals....

They also have access to unlimited amounts of pure prescription amphetamine.

It helps.

No critique. When you have to operate under circumstances like that and your life and your fellow soldiers lives are at stake it makes sense.

Has inherent problems though.

https://sofrep.com/news/navy-seals-get-addicted-drugs-doc-is...

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#363

Post by ThinkBeat »

Many of the first projects I developed was crap.

I went to university learned a lot kept making code.

Got a lot better.

If I knew two guys with 0 training or experience had built a house the wanted to sell. I would stay far away.

It is sort of like a pre alpha house and selling it. Who knows that sort of problems will come out over time.

They made no mention of permits. Inspectors etc. if you build a cabin in the woods are you freed from all those things?

If the story was I quit my job constructing houses that I had done for 20 year and went to school or apprenticed for a coupe of years to learn how to do it To build a small ERP system in C. So I could sell it for good money.

If you have never written any code and have no experience with it. Chances are that your system is really gong to suck.

So is your next one.

If you screw up a house. People can die.

There are thousands Of bugs and even real proper bugs to deal with.

I plan to take 6 months off work to do some heart surgery. Never taken any advan ced biology or medical classe but everyone has a heart and usually But not always in the same place.

If I write out all details of the surgery . Or let’s say I get a proper heart surgeon to write down in detail every step.

I memorize it in a week. Off to buy some tools.

What could go wrong?

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#364

Post by hourislate »

oigursh wrote: post #351
hourislate wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have a buddy who got a Finance Degree. Was hired into a large financial/invest firm in a great position and salary. 1 -2 years and couldn't take it, quit to go drywall with his two older brothers. When he quit his job the parents wept. He was the first kid to go/finish University in the family. It went from 3 guys hanging board to a 40-50 million construction company in 2 decades.

What's the company?

Small Canadian custom home builder in Ontario.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#365

Post by wyclif »

ChrisLomont wrote: post #173
sushshshsh wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet there are people who have built cabins in Alaska with nothing but some metal and a lot of ingenuity and muscle. I think that if you have to build a cabin that conforms to certain building guidelines, bank standards, codes, mainstream retail expectations.... then for sure you are going to encounter expenses and risk. But I really hate this notion of "just pay someone to do it correctly", because this propositi…

>But I really hate this notion of "just pay someone to do it correctly", because this proposition also has a ton of risk and expense associated with it as well. For almost any task you'd consider hiring a professional, there is less risk and less cost, which is why professional exist. They are the best option for a wide range of cost/risk tradeoffs. >Not every contractor who takes a job is Bob the Builder But the maj…

What it comes down to in my way of thinking about it is that for me, it's easier to do the research around finding a great, on-the-level contractor than it is to do the research around doing it DIY.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#366

Post by anticristi »

legitster wrote: post #100
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…

When I engage in a DIY project, there is a 90% chance that my only accomplishment is gaining respect for professionals. Which is not to say it's a wasteful endeavor. Also, shoutout to the Methow! The North Cascades is such a beautiful area in general.

Ditto. Lately I opt for a cheaper way of gaining respect: watching YouTube videos. Once you realise that something takes 30 minutes despite all video editing, you suddenly don't mind paying $1000 for a professionally done job.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#367

Post by speedgoose »

MikeTheGreat wrote: post #50
TimSchumann wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. I feel personally attacked. Really though, I wonder how many things are on my 'Someday Maybe' list, that really I should just make more money to accomplish and/or find a youtube subscription that satisfies the urge to tinker on a particular topic.

> find a youtube subscription that satisfies the urge to tinker on a particular topic. I think my life got measurably better when I pivoted from "I want to do this myself" towards "It's just as satisfying to watch someone else do this". Downhill extreme mountain biking is really cool. And fun to watch. And expensive. And requires much more physical fitness than I've got. And dangerous (esp. given my physical fitness…

It's like watching porn and having sex. Slightly downhill mountain biking is much nicer than watching the extreme stuff.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#368

Post by czzr »

boring_twenties wrote: post #304
stef25 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did that for a while in my early 20s. Spent a few months in Asia with just a 35L backpack of clothes on my back and the odd book. This was before wifi and smartphones. Happiest time of my life.

I did something similar after wifi and smartphones, and I don't think either made it any worse.

I hope that true, but how would you know?

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#369

Post by fyfy18 »

ornornor wrote: post #210
carabiner wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I built a desk and was amazed at how quickly a simple piece of wood on metal legs became. What kind of wood? There are a billion types. Ended up with baltic birch from a specialty lumberyard. What size? A little bigger than old desk; not too hard. Ok, which piece of wood do I get at the lumberyard? It comes in standard sizes. Oh, I'd have to buy two huge sheets, so I would have a ton left over. Let me adjust the dime…

How did you do all that in a studio Appartement? In particular how did you deal with the dust and space requirements while this is a work on progress and you also have to love, cook, sleep there?

I'd suggest buying a cheap wet/dry vacuum. They take up quite a bit of space for an apartment, but anytime you create a mess they can clean it up without issues (previously I had a battery powered stick vacuum and it would regularly get clogged up with sawdust and lose power). It's paid for itself easily, as I've had two small water leaks that if I wouldn't have cleaned up properly in time (I only have so many cloths) would have damaged furniture.

Re: We quit our jobs to build a cabin

#370

Post by poulsbohemian »

mauvehaus wrote: post #347
wincy wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do think I could build a house. First one might not be great, but like software or any skill iteration matters. The patience to spend years learning to build something and doing it badly several times is probably the factor that prevents people from just building a house for themselves. It takes years to grok a complex software system, this is not transferable to grokking a house. It takes similar years to grok a m…

You don’t build a house first. You muddle through building a chicken coop from crappy plans from the Internet. Then you build a run on the coop and figure out how slightly more orthodox framing is done. After a bear gets into your bird feeder, you build an enclosure for the outside trash cans and the chicken feed. It takes well under half the time and you cut the rafters right the first time. All the while, you marve…

Having done some basic remodeling work, and being almost done with my chicken coop, I think you nailed this perfectly.
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