The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: ender on March 08, 2015, 05:00:37 PM
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My wife and I spent far too much of today looking up DIY log cabins. It turns out there are actually a lot of people interested in this sort of thing and it appears to be reasonably cost effective (lots of time required, though it seems totally doable).
It seems like Mustachian's would be a great audience to ask about this sort of thing.
What alternative housing options are out there? Is it remotely feasible to DIY a home?
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Yes, it's possible to DIY a home. Having a second person will more than double your speed, though. It's a lot of work.
In fact, it's on my bucket list when I retire--build our perfectly-designed retirement home on the perfect lot in the perfect, low-tax state...
As far as "alternatives to buying a home", there are plenty. Travel and live in an RV. Cruises. Log cabins. Move in with kids. Homes built with double walls for extra insulation, or SIP, or ICF. There's someone in the DIY category who is finishing a 2-car garage into a full home for their family.
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I haven't done it myself, but I've been attracted to Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) rather than logs.
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And there's more. Houses built out of adobe. Houses built out of straw bales (for true). Geodesic dome home kits. Remodeled cargo shipping containers (also for true; single or multiple style). Houses built out of turf "bricks."
Google away and you will find suppliers and plans for any of the above.
Have fun!
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Look up shelter-kit on google, they have some pretty neat diy homes/cabins. Super fast to erect as well.
Single story , loadbearing strawbale is very diy, DH and I are going to build a 2 story post and beam strawbale on our future homestead, but we'd rather have the professionals handle it 😊