Have you ever considered building your own home? There is a lot to consider if you take on this project. However, just because you build your own home, doesn’t mean that you have to be the one that actually completes every task or even any task for that matter. Usually, it just means that you designed everything just the way you wanted it. So I’d like to explore the…
Brick walls and paths offer that sturdy, old-fashioned, classic quality that will never go out of style or look dated. But it looks so simple that it seems like something you want to do yourself - especially after the shock of seeing an estimate from a professional bricklayer. If you re curious as to whether you can lay your own brick, the short answer is yes. It…
One couple who hired Conley Construction Co. a few years ago to remodel their Colorado home simply gave contractor Tim Conley the keys. “We’re going to Cabo, ” they said to Conley. “Call us when you’re finished.” Sybille Hechtel, on the other hand, has remodeled or built seven homes, including her current house in South Boulder and an Earthship in Silverthorne. She…
In just about every political constituency in the country, there are things you can’t say and expect to get elected. You can’t endorse gun control in Tennessee. You can’t make light of climate change in Seattle. In Arlington, Va., where I live, you have to watch what you say about affordable housing. To question the suburban county’s ambitious subsidized housing goals…
Welcome to our second shipping container home interview of 2017. As always, in these interviews we speak with shipping container home builders to help you. We speak with them about what worked and what didn’t work and how you can learn from their mistakes so you can build the best shipping container home possible. In this episode we speak with Stephan Busley from…
The construction cost of a house largely depends on its total area, type, location, and finishes. Moreover, the duration of the construction can increase or decrease the cost. Unless you have a list of all the materials needed and their respective costs, and the service fee of the builder or workers you will hire, you can only come up with a rough estimate of the…
Built in 2008 in Greensboro, Hale County, Alabama, Pattern Book House, at 396 square feet, is the smallest 20K House. Photo by Timothy Hursley Rural Studio, the celebrated undergraduate program of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at Auburn University, has been educating citizen architects since it was founded in 1993 by D.K. Ruth and…
LEFT: Forms McMeekin used in constructing the walls. RIGHT: John McMeekin tamping a section of wall. MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF Back in the 40 s I was considered an oddball. I wore a beard—revolutionary then—and I started, by myself, to build a house out of (of all things) rammed earth. People wondered about me. Today—as a V.P. and corporation director—I appear Establishment…
Architectural Model Building Making a 3D house model can be quite fun. Once you have completed your floor plans it is a fairly simple process. The benefit of having an architectural model of your house design is that you will now be able to visualize how the interior and exterior of the house will really look when finished. It can give you an idea of sight lines as…
98% of all basements in North America are built using some form of concrete wall system. Concrete has been the material of choice for basements and foundations and will continue to be far into the future. By adding EPS (expanded polystyrene) plastic foam to the forming process insulating concrete forms or “ICFs” were created, making ICF basements a valuable part of…
The Residential Plan Review Division reviews new construction, additions, interior remodeling and demolition of single-family, duplex or two family houses and/or accessory buildings on one lot. Residential construction projects are reviewed for compliance with Chapter 25-2 of the Land Development Code, the 2015 International Residential Code, and Chapter 25-12, Technical…
Who We Are Welcome to TinyHouseBuild.com! We are so glad you are here. Our goal is to empower you with the very best information, tools, and resources so that you can achieve your tiny house dreams in the least time possible, at the lowest cost, and with the biggest smile on your face. Feel free to look around our site and to sign up for our Free 7 Day E-Course! If…
Use native plants in your landscaping to cut the expense of transporting and maintaining non-native species. If you have made enough money to be able to build a mansion for your dream home, then congratulations! Of course, that doesn’t mean you can afford to be wasteful in your spending. Consider this simple adage: A mansion costs money in materials, manpower and…
So you’re tossing around the idea of owner building your new project. Whether you are wanting to build a new home from the ground up or just re-work your existing place, it is a huge decision to make. Should you hire a full service general contractor? Recently we posted about the risks and rewards of owner building. We mentioned one of the biggest reasons for taking…
