# Solo Construction



## HillBettyMama (Aug 29, 2015)

I m just brain storming here trying to get some good ideas or logical deterrent. Can someone help me with links and books on building a small cabin from scratch. I am interestd in various forms of construction from log cabins to cob to cord and daub. I would like to find a style of building that could be completed semi safely (as nothing alone deep in the woods is truly ever safe without God's grace) solo.
I have built chicken coops, a small barn, a few other shelters and sheds but all with a pretty decent budget and many trips to the hardware store. So i know a few basics of construction but in the past i always had a better half to help with the heavier aspects like sinking corner posts and framing. I would like to research and learn as much as possible about building from the earth and rather primitively. Like without power tools, aside from possibly a chain saw. 
I have no means to get land at this point but dream to someday have enough squirreled away to spend on some raw land listed on billyland and build my dream one drop of sweat at a time.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

If you can't afford to purchase materials, you need to either build with what is available on the land, or items that can be salvaged.

Unless you have a ton of ground in heavily a forested area, I would think log construction is pretty impractical. Takes a whole lot of trees to build such a structure, plus handling large logs solo, is near impossible.

Other options might be a sod house, rammed earth and tires, laid stone and mortar, or straw bale and stucco. You can see these on websites like Mother Earth news.

In reality, I think your best bet might be in using salvaged, conventional building materials; lumber, metal, plywood, doors, windows, etc. It's fairly common to let someone tear down an old structure in trade something for keeping the building materials.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

It would help to know what state you plan on living in. Rammed earth works well in warm climates but would be almost impossible to heat here in MN. Cob and straw bales work very well here and make a nice warm/cool house.

Working alone has it's challenges but amazing structures have been built with simple tools like levers, pulleys and rollers. I would suggest learning how to use those tools. They are good to know even after your home is built.

I've used simple levers and rollers on my farm to move some pretty heavy projects by myself.


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## HillBettyMama (Aug 29, 2015)

I ammoore into the idea of building from the land than salvaging materials but am open to ideas. I plan on settling down in either the ozarks or Apalachain mountains in a year and a half too two and ahalf years. Chances are either region will be fairly rocky and forrested. I have read a bit on MOther Earth and Grit magazines to understand the general concept of some building techniques. I am hoping to find some blogs or books of folks who have actually built solo to inspire me. 
I do not think a sod home would work unless I end up settling for land on the prairie because I can't afford the big woods, lol. I would like to learn more about cob as well as cord and daub (I don't think that's the right name) as from what. I have watched on YouTube and read seem like it might be plausible to construct on my own?


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Google how to build with____ log cabin, cordwood, cob, straw bale. Lots of U-tube, how to videos and people who have done such. Lots of pictures too....James

https://www.google.com/search?q=how...X&ved=0CDgQ7AlqFQoTCK7noouw-sgCFQfYYwodatMEvQ

http://www.realworldsurvivor.com/20...od-cottage/#1-flatau_springtime_best_300ppi-1


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## offgridlocked (Oct 22, 2015)

I'm in the far Western side of the Ozarks and built by myself- part of my goal was to do it with only my own hands and without aid. I have worked several construction jobs in the past and I don't think it likely I would have pulled it off had I not had that experience. Even so, my 'alternative' techniques have yielded quite a learning curve at times.

If you can, find people within driving range that either have a home like you want to build or better yet, need some help and will let you get your hands dirty. Reading about it can be a lot different than actually doing it.

Reclaimed materials might not be such a bad option, particularly on a budget. My roofing is high end and new, but had at a major discount because it was all 6" too short for the person that originally ordered it. The bulk of the wood in my building was purchased from the trash pile at a sawmill for next to nothing. 

When you have a location(the exact one, not close by as it may vary), you might luck out if wanting to build with cob or adobe or similar depending on your sand and clay onsite. Either way... building from scratch is going to require a level of determination and fortitude and time on your part that you must be prepared to commit to... but it absolutely can be done. 

Who was it? Dick Proeneke? Those movies of him and his cabin make me feel like a lazy bum.

I found a lot of good construction pictures and build 'journaling' on small-cabin.com


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

a graphic guide to frame construction http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Guide-Frame-Construction-Edition/dp/1600850235

I have the first edition and it has been very useful in explaining to my family what we are doing and how it goes together when we are framing something 

a helper helps , but there is a lot you can do yourself it just goes slower , once you know how a wall goes together you realize you don't have to build it laying down then tip it up although that is very fast and easy , especially if you have some help but you need like a days help

lets say you build a 24x24 foot cabin outside dimentions you can dig the holes , build up the rpeirs for the cabin to sit on or even dig and pour a foundation by yourself , then put the floor and deck on by yourself then build all 4 walls laying down then have one day when freinds and family show up and you stand the 4 walls up and get them plumb and nail them together , that's it that's what you really needed help for , there are way to do even this by yourself , you can build wall sections in 8 foot sections with no sheathing and stand them up and brace them and connect them , I have done that also , I have even built a wall standing in place as ther was no room to build it and stand it up I put some temporary bracing in place on the deck frame and then put the pop plate on the bracin then tapped each stud in so that it was plum and on my marks , then to nailed it with the framing nailer it may not be the lowest cost method of building but it holds up well and goes up easily 

if you want thicker walls 2x6 framing leaves room for more insulation 

one nice thing about 8 foot wide trailer sis you can build wall sections as long as the trailer then transport them to location and a if you leave every other sheet of sheeting off they can stay square yet be light enough to carry with 4-6 people depending on how long your trailer is if you do 8 foot sections only put the sheeting on the middle and then the end will overlap with the next wall section and be light enough for 2 people to carry 

for super insulated you can do a 2x4 outer wall and 2x4 inner wall with a sheathing and inch of insulation taped to make a vapor barrier between 

lots of options 

air nailers and cordless impact drivers and cordless circular saws make working where power is less accessible and by yourself much easier


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

With a tractor, some cables, chains, and brainpower, you can move and erect anything....

www.pssurvival.com has many categories of free downloads, including quite a few on building, rigging, etc.....


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

With a come-a-long and a homebuilt tripod I was able to stand up 8x12 foot sheathed walls in less man-hours than it would have taken 3 people. One can always find workarounds for the lack of helpers.

My biggest concern in working alone is safety. There's no one around to bail me out if I get in trouble.

WWW


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

wy_white_wolf said:


> With a come-a-long and a homebuilt tripod I was able to stand up 8x12 foot sheathed walls in less man-hours than it would have taken 3 people. One can always find workarounds for the lack of helpers.
> 
> *My biggest concern in working alone is safety. There's no one around to bail me out if I get in trouble.*
> 
> WWW


I was so lucky to be cutting at a friends place last year while he was around to help , when a big limb broke loose and came down and hit me on the head and pinned me to the ground 

I cut alone way to often.

Saturday I was repairing a leak in my very steep roof and I had a rope encase that was tied off but made my 10 year old daughter stay out side and watch me ,I also needed her to tie anything I dropped back to the line so I could haul it up again , as well as the air hose and electric pole saw so that I could cut the trees back from the roof as long as I was up there 

she gave me the why do I have to stay out here whine ,

me"because if I fall you have to call the fire department so they come get me down from hanging on this rope " ,

her "but dad I don't even know the number for the fire department"

me "911"

her , " but then the police and rescue squad and everything will show up "

me , " yup I can live with that if they get me down "

I think she may be just a bit confused about how this works , since I put the last fire out without calling the fire department.

so the clarification , if I tell you to call the police, fire, or rescue squad dial 911 , if I am hurt bad enough I can't tell you not to call , call 911.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

wy_white_wolf said:


> With a come-a-long and a homebuilt tripod I was able to stand up 8x12 foot sheathed walls in less man-hours than it would have taken 3 people. One can always find workarounds for the lack of helpers.
> 
> My biggest concern in working alone is safety. There's no one around to bail me out if I get in trouble.
> 
> WWW


I was just talking about this with a friend a couple of days ago. I'll more than likely be building my home by myself so I'm looking for safe and easier ways to stand the walls up even I can still physically lift them.

Can you please explain or insert some photos?


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

No pictures. Hard to do that when working by myself.

Screwed 2 2x4x16' to the sill beam that created a peak at the top where the center of the wall was to be. Then added a 3rd from that peak to a stake in the ground. Attached the come-a-long to the peak and top of the wall to be stood up. Used a ladder to work the com-a-long from the outside. The walls stood right up against the 2x4 so they couldn't break over the top.

WWW


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

Here is a thread on building a 200 sq foot log cabin that was done basically by one person. I did need help placing the ridge pole but that was about all.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/sp...aredness/448048-building-small-log-cabin.html


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Here's a useful homemade winch. It may be slow but it's powerful and simple.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYQPi4Gj9z0[/ame]


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I had a thought yesterday as I was building a wall by myself , walls in 4 foot sections , sure you would use a few extra 2x4 but you could build it on saw horses and have it sheeted then put a handle board screwed to the inside and tip it up and lift into place setting it in place on a botom plat that is already nailed down zip the pre-started screws in and or toss a clamp on then zip screws in then finish the walls with the second top plate


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## Buzz Killington (Jan 12, 2012)

For a very helpful book, try John Carroll's _Working Alone_. Many useful tips.

http://www.amazon.com/Working-Alone-Tips-Techniques-Building/dp/1561585459


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

You could do some volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. Not only would you learn a lot about building a fairly small home, you would probably make friends who would be willing to help you when you start building your ow home.


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## mdstrong14 (Nov 23, 2015)

We are actually building a house right now ourselves. We aren't building it all from available natural resources, but it will be 75% recycled/repurposed materials. It is pier and beam - from old telephone poles we got for free and had a local sawmill cut into 4x6 posts. All our flooring will be raw cut lumber from a sawmill from trees we cut up on the roadsides after storms etc. We are building it with cash as we can, so $200 here, $1000 there, $400 here etc.... Our premise is that the framing and roofing materials need to be new and in good shape as the foundation, but the rest of the house can be as rustic or fancy as we can find, barter and repurpose things from. Old metal tin for ceiling in some rooms, old barnwood for ship lap walls, pallet wood walls, etc. Father in law does remodels for a big department store chain and can get us baseboard and moulding that they just throw away after the job, etc. It can be done very inexpensive if you have time and willing to put in the labor.

There are people on Craigslist and Facebook that will let you tear down old barns or houses and you can keep all the materials, they just want it cleaned up. Some people will even pay you to do this. In the spring when people tear down wooden fences and replace during their sprucing up or house selling time, you can do a lot with that.

You can see our progress and story at www.strongcountryliving.wordpress.com - I will update it tomorrow with pictures of our framing we got done this weekend. Here is one picture. We should have a $150k house for around $30k doing it this way.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Why is the lumber pink?


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## mdstrong14 (Nov 23, 2015)

fishhead said:


> Why is the lumber pink?


Those are actual studs. They are a tad different from standard 2x4's. The pink lets you know they are studs for building walls.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

mdstrong14 said:


> Those are actual studs. They are a tad different from standard 2x4's. The pink lets you know they are studs for building walls.



Building inspectors have gotten more stupid apparently....they require color coded wire as well now (yellow #12, orange #10, etc)


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

I was told that the pink is a fungicide treatment for damp area use like kitchens and bathrooms. It's also supposed to make them more fire retardant. Not sure how you can do that with wood though..........hmmmmm.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Thinking the color is simply advertising.... see the pink studs, know it's a certain companies studs...


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

If you are living in town now is the time to collect building materials. Lots of stuff to be had in the city not so much out in the boonies and lots of competition for it !


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

AmericanStand said:


> If you are living in town now is the time to collect building materials. Lots of stuff to be had in the city not so much out in the boonies and lots of competition for it !


This thread is from 2015.


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## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

fishhead said:


> Why is the lumber pink?


They are treated with a fire retardant. In many places it is code to use fire retardant lumber for framing a house. Might want to document that for the insurance company.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

oldtruckbbq said:


> They are treated with a fire retardant. In many places it is code to use fire retardant lumber for framing a house. Might want to document that for the insurance company.


If you see a pink stud it is indicative of a certain company. Temple Inland in fact. They were bought out in 2011 by International Paper for 3 billion but still retain pink color as they dont want to appear like a monopoly. Ironically Temple Inland used to own International Paper, Wayerhauser and Time Warner at one time. Its the nature if the beast I guess. Bait and switch.

ETA: fire retardant lumber will say so _in most cases _so before you contact your insurance make sure what you send them.


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