I’ve been watching this guy Justus Reid who is an American living in Serbia(?) who bought a house for €5,000 and is now making daily videos about renovating the house and the land.
The most amazing thing about his videos is that people from the community keep showing up at the property to help out. And many of them seem to have some specific trade skill, or if they don’t have a trade skill they are confident winging it. Barring any skill, everyone who shows up is willing to work really hard for this apparent stranger.
Maybe there’s some fraudacity going on in the videos (he does get a lot of free materials but he also is upfront about the free materials) but I still think it’s nice that everyone is pitching in.
Which brings me to my question. Imagine that I was a newcomer to Doperandia and wanted to build a house from the ground up amongst all of my new Doper neighbors. I’m not a complete stranger - we’ve known each other digitally for some time. But you’ve all lived here your whole lives and are already a physical community.
How can you help? What skills can you bring to the build? I’ve got nothing but a plot of land and the vim and vigor of a 25 year old National Guardsman to bring to the table.
Do you have tools or machinery you’re willing to lend? Will you help run it? Can you draw blueprints? Do you know how to set up septic? Tap into a well? Will you dig holes? Do you have a connection that will donate materials? Can you sew curtains? Can you cook for a crowd?
If you do or do not have any specific skills, are you willing to physically help out?
Can we use YouTube to figure stuff out? Yes. But most of YouTube is in a language we don’t all speak, so mostly we’ll have to go by video and not audio.
Does it have to be to code? Yes, it does. Maybe not American code. Doperandia code, at least.
Basically, do Dopers have the combined skillset to build a home on a plot of land?! Let’s git 'er done!
Well I have been a project manager for over 20 years now and CAD designer before that. While I have not built a house myself I have owned one for many years.
More importantly, advance planning is the most important part of any project, this isn’t something you start on a wing and a prayer.
Besides getting the land, did you check with the building codes in your area? Do you know if utilities are readily available? Are you in a flood plan or area prone to flooding? What type of properties are you bordering with? Is there a trash dump nearby? Stuff of that nature.
How big of a house? Will there be out buildings? I guess what I am getting at is that you need to define the scope of what you are trying to build first, not just line up workers. That comes later after the intiial plan is set.
I can put you in contact with a friend of mine who is currently doing that kind of thing in my house (not free though, he does this for a living).
No more than that unless you have a computer you need looked at, because I’m absolutely incompetent for any manual labor.
I have a small tractor with a bucket loader that I can run, or let you borrow. I can swing a hammer. I have a basic understanding of plumbing, in that I understand that liquid runs down, I can set a toilet and install fixtures. I can cook large batches of stuff like chili or spaghetti to feed the masses. Not fancy, but tasty and filling.
I’m on the top of a hill with no surrounding properties draining into my plot. Not a known flood plain.
I didn’t check local building codes. I need someone to help interpret and execute them.
It’s a pretty empty area, zoned residential. Let’s say uhm 3 acres.
There’s a trash dump within 15 miles.
Being that I’m on the top of a hill there’s a lot of “hauling stuff up and down the hill” to be done, so we’ll need some Dopers with hauling capabilities.
Since its an empty lot at the top of a hill I would assume that you would need to build a roadway up to the property first.
You would be plenty far from a dump, so smell and ground water contamination would not be an issue, getting water up the hill might be an issue.
Also assuming that you have no utilities at the top of this hill, so you will need to run electrical lines or plan on have solor or wind power. I’d go with with solar myself since you should get plenty of sunshine at the top.
Are there taller hills nearby, if not you might want to consider lightening protection.
I have no specialized skills in this arena. I can drive, mix and pour concrete by hand if that’s necessary, help the people framing by checking leveling and recording measurements, nail or screw, plane down wood that doesn’t quite fit, haul wood and bricks, unbox and account for supplies and fittings, dig minor holes, stain or paint, clean up the site, drive workers into town for bandages/tetanus shots, and fetch lunch.
Where are you building it? Can we assume US, UK or another English speaking country?
And presumably in the ‘first world’ where building materials are available from Home Depot, or B&Q in the UK for example?
I am not a currently qualified electrician, but I have an EE degree and have wired several houses for friends in the past. Many people are scared of electrical work, but it’s not hard if you know what you are doing.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to install gas lines… I’ll leave that to people who have more experience…
I can tell you, at least if you’re in the USA, how to get ahold of the relevant building code officer; and how to check your municipality’s zoning.
I can also tell you to check your water supply before doing anything; and to make sure your lot can take a functional septic system.
I can swing a hammer, but I don’t have a lot of physical strength or stamina any longer.
If you want a vegetable garden, I can help with that.
I have a work van, and could haul some stuff. But I can also tell you that most lumberyards/building supply places, at least around here, will deliver.
I can lend a very specific bit of encouragement: back in the 1970’s, I helped build a house along with a varying batch of people none of whom, me included, had ever built a house before. (We did have somebody show up at one point who worked on a housebuilding crew. He showed us how to set in the windows. He showed us the wrong way – the cheap way, not the lasting way.)
Last I looked, maybe 10 years ago, that house was still standing and still occupied. So, yeah. We could do this.
I also paint murals. If you’d like one. Regular painting I can do. I’m kinda slow and meticulous.
Took me two years to finish painting my scant interior drywall.
Next time I hired it out. Took the crew of 2, 3 days to finish.
Mine was a better job. And cleanly done.
Not tryna say I haven’t learned from the experience. I got faster. But I’m still careful.
Can I talk you into Talevera tile? I’ll donate a bunch of it, I happen to have.
I can hang wallpaper.
I can mud, sand and finish drywall prep.
I’m the best, “THE” best shop-vac user after a work day. There will be no sawdust or drywall leavings the next day. Two hours of pushing broom, ain’t no problem.
I know light. I can decide where to put windows to get the best light. Yeah, I’m kinda expert at it.
