Phase One of Building Our House From the Ground Up

Reader Contribution by Karrie Steely
Published on August 7, 2014
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So far, building our house has been hard but rewarding work. There’s nothing easy about it. When I get tired or frustrated, I imagine what it will be like when it’s done, when we can enjoy a home that we built ourselves. The first stage is about finished. The base, frame, and most of the exterior is complete. 

We didn’t want a ‘mini-house’; just a small, efficient one. It’s about 850 square feet. A small house with open spaces is all we need, and, in designing the floor plan, we decided that it will only have one bedroom, a bathroom, and a large closet for utilities and clothes (there are other structures on the farm that we can use for storage, so that isn’t a big issue for us). The kitchen and living room are one open area. The roof is slanted rather than peaked for the solar panels, 8 feet tall at one side and 10 feet at the other. Wood and propane will be used for heat and solar for electricity. We are using super-efficient insulation, which is the largest up-front cost (more than the lumber, but it will pay off down the road).

Our biggest disagreement has been about windows. He didn’t want many at all because they aren’t efficient. After pointing out the beautiful views from the property we picked and the fact it is important to be able to see out of the house in order to protect it (not to mention sunlight and such), we were able to compromise. Well, more than compromise. I got my windows.

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