16 year-old builds his own home.

[trekkiedane]

This is the most AWESOME (is that a 'cool' & 'now' expression?) kid I've EVER heard taking about his future.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXDu2U-CmkI[/yt]​

I'm soon to be a 50 year-old fogey but still I want to build my own home -just like this!

OK, I'd put solar panels on the roof (/walls) and rather (re-)use metal and/or plastic for some of the structurals, actually do a lot of it different from what he seems to be doing, but DANG! I wish I was young again!

Could you live in a self-designed & self-made 'house' (it's basically a camper -but build for the long haul)?

 

[horatio83]

Nice little project and electricity and water beats Thoreau's cabin but living on 12m² is pretty claustrophobic.
I grew up in a partly self-built house so yeah, it is totally feasible. Wouldn't wanna live in a totally self-built house though, that's just an escapist fantasy. As always the middleground is the best.

 

[Kestra]

That doesn't appeal to me at all, but cool that he's come up with a plan and executing it.

 

[trekkiedane]

Nice little project and electricity and water beats Thoreau's cabin but living on 12m² is pretty claustrophobic.

I'd design it to have (at least) one wall (semi-)detachable so 'the great outdoors' was part of my home for any day of the year where the local climate would allow it.

I grew up in a partly self-built house so yeah, it is totally feasible. Wouldn't wanna live in a totally self-built house though, that's just an escapist fantasy.

How come? -please explain!

As always the middleground is the best.

I'm not arguing that!

 

[horatio83]

Informing yourself about the substances you wanna use and doing a lot of stuff on your own and with friends while building a house is good for your purse, for the environment, for the house quality, for your emotional connection with the house and thus your personal living quality but not using professionals (architect, mason, electrician, sanitary dude and so on) while doing it would lead to more of a pimped hut than an actual house and I guess that most people would miss certain comforts if they had to live in such a building.
Of course I am fairly biased as I grew up in a house which matches the first description and this "I build a house where I am gonna live for the rest of my life" kinda stuff is rare in countries with a more liquid housing market like the US.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Really impressive. Cool kid.

 

[Kirkman1987]

It doesn't really appeal to me either but that kid has a lot of talent and determination.

My grandfather designed and built his own home in the late 50's. He was a bricklayer and knew a lot about construction.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

It doesn't really appeal to me either but that kid has a lot of talent and determination.

My grandfather designed and built his own home in the late 50's. He was a bricklayer and knew a lot about construction.

My grandparents also built their house, about 40 years ago. I'm actually in that house at this moment (my sister and I are visiting).

 

[Naira]

He has an interesting hobby - certainly better than watching TV all day - which is good for him.

My grandfather also built the house his family lived. I never saw it but my father says it was very convenient. As for "younger" generations, my uncle and father built some sort of a "porch" at our house in our village (it's more of a balcony I guess since it is at the 2nd floor of the house....).

It's great building stuff with your hands. I certainly enjoy it a lot.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I can't even change a light bulb without external support.

 

[trekkiedane]

I can't even change a light bulb without external support.

That's easy -you just call tech support and they'll talk you through it









(Have you tried switching it off and on?)

 

[MANT!]

He's been featured in several blogs regarding the "Tiny House Movement" basically a minimalist approach to housing..

http://www.thetinylife.com/what-is-the-tiny-house-movement/

http://tinyhouseblog.com/

http://tinyhouseblog.com/yourstory/nate-and-lisas-tortoise-shell-home

I've actually suscribed partially in regards to what Dear wife and I do in regards to our small living space...keeping it simple and using less power makes a lot of sense in the long run.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I can't even change a light bulb without external support.

That's easy -you just call tech support and they'll talk you through it

I just let my girlfriend do it.

 

[Kestra]

I can't even change a light bulb without external support.

I was like that but I married into a very "do it yourself" type family, so I've picked up some skills along the way. I have zero desire to build my own house but I think it might be nice to work on updating and improving an existing house. My brother-in-law and his wife bought what they called the ugliest house on the street, and have done extensive work on it since then. Pretty cool, really. My ambitions mostly end with painting a room.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Oh, I love home renovations. I planned the interior of my apartment, shopped personally for furniture and accessories, and made sure everything was up to my tastes (and everything on a budget, I am proud to say). I can't just build anything myself: I pay people to do it for me. Sometimes, in nature.

 

[Deckerd]

I married someone who refuses to pay someone else to do something he can do himself, so he plumbs, wires, gas fits, does joinery. The only thing he's stopped doing is putting new brakes and shocks and stuff like that on the cars. He pays someone else to do that now because he always ends up bleeding if he does it.

 

[RoJoHen]

I always find it funny how people think. You have a clogged drain, and some people instantly think, "I need to call a plumber." Other people think, "I'm gonna take this apart and fix it myself." Especially now, in the age of YouTube, there are so many things that you can easily teach yourself how to do, and it ends up saving so much money!

 

[Holdfast]

^ I can think of many more pleasurable things to do with my time than unblock a drain, regardless of any financial savings!

I can't even change a light bulb without external support.

That's easy -you just call tech support and they'll talk you through it

I just let my girlfriend do it.

You make her call tech support?!




OT: I wouldn't mind building my own house one day. Or rather, deciding exactly what I want from a dream house and then engaging others to design/build it. That's the same thing, right?

 

[RoJoHen]

^ I can think of many more pleasurable things to do with my time than unblock a drain, regardless of any financial savings!

I derive a great sense of satisfaction from doing these things myself. And then I post pictures of my accomplishments on Facebook.

 

[Q2UnME]

Pretty sure the shed I built in the back yard last summer is larger than this kid's "house". Kudo's to the kid; seems like he's heading in the right direction in terms of learning valuable life skills. First "serious" girlfriend and I bet it ends up on Craigs List. Probably would make a decent hunting lodge.

Q2