One of the most integral components of our entire structure is a 6×12 beam that spans the 20 foot width of our roof rafters. Not only does this serve as a midpoint location for the upper and lower rafters to rest on, but it also carries that force downward in order to inhibit the spreading of our walls outward. Needless to say, our beam is pretty important. (more…)
Buying land is probably the biggest investment a person will make in their lifetime. It is vital to get it right. I say that it’s a bigger investment than purchasing a house because not only are you buying the land, but you also have to then build your house along with all the infrastructure. A significant amount of planning is involved. (more…)
After the labor involved to frame the East and West loft walls, I was greatly looking forward to something simple. That respite came on day 12 when I only had to frame the bathroom and mechanical ceiling. Finally, back to something easy. (more…)
Typical wall framing is not difficult. There are instances where issues can arise, as you’ve seen from some of my previous posts. That said, I had an incredibly difficult time framing the East and West loft walls. It took my two days, a lot of head scratching, and even more cussing to frame both of these walls. (more…)
Owning a homestead is wonderful. Paying for it is not. When Bre and I first started planning on buying and building a homestead, we had a target budget of $60,000 for land. We spent almost twice that, and that’s when we realized how challenging this would be.
I might be a stubborn man (I am), but contrary to popular belief, I also do know when to quit. I am thankful that I knew when to quit on Day 8. Inside of my head all I could think was how wonderful it would be to finish my task instead of waiting another day and setting myself back. Somehow my head was able to rationalize the risk of a hernia (or worse) as well as the inevitability of my wall flipping over the edge. Luckily, I just plain wasn’t strong enough to raise it. (more…)