Doing It By Yourself?

[Deleted]

Ok always done things by our self, we don't do the best as like a Contractor would but still solid, Dry and Warm. I worked construction years ago and was always told by the Boss never look back because we would always find something wrong.

Does it ever bother you doing a Building Project by your self and worry some will come along point out what you did wrong? Reason I bring this up we are building on our Cabin, keep running into mistakes, mostly measuring but we are making it work. Then there is the ideas we come up with in middle of the night, things we could have done but already too late so nothing we can do now.

Rockpile

[Deleted]

Make plans, revise plans, revise again. Sleep on it and think about it.
Plan, plan, plan. Then, measure twice, cut once.

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2015 1:32:14 GMT @dba said:

Make plans, revise plans, revise again. Sleep on it and think about it.
Plan, plan, plan. Then, measure twice, cut once.

But even after all this ? LOL

Rockpile

[Deleted]

Umm, well, after all that, if you still aren't sure....
Buy a condo, lol

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2015 2:03:47 GMT @rockpile said:

Jun 27, 2015 1:32:14 GMT @dba said:

Make plans, revise plans, revise again. Sleep on it and think about it.
Plan, plan, plan. Then, measure twice, cut once.

But even after all this ? LOL

Rockpile

Rock,

I am a firm believer in the "6-P's", Prior Planning Prevents Pee-Poor Performance, or something similar to that!

You can never go wrong deep-thinking about something like building a house, no matter if it is a house in which you will spend the majority of your time or a weekend cabin.  Eventually you or your heirs will be selling it and it will have to look good to someone else, go unsold or sell for much less than you wanted for it.

And measure three times before cutting, if necessary.  Just to be really sure.

[Deleted]

We are having trouble with finding out things after we are already too far along to make major changes. I mean it might mean scrapping half the building and rebuilding it.

Rockpile

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2015 23:15:15 GMT @rockpile said:

We are having trouble with finding out things after we are already too far along to make major changes. I mean it might mean scrapping half the building and rebuilding it.

Rockpile

If the changes are things that you now feel should have been originally part of the plan or done correctly in the first place you have to now weigh the advantages and disadvantages of making the changes.

I bet you will put more thought into something like this in the future, won't you!?!?!?!?

[Ken]

Jun 27, 2015 2:55:38 GMT @trellis said:

You can never go wrong deep-thinking about something like building a house...

That depends.  If you spend all your time deep-thinking and never get around to the actual building, it does no good.

Think it through, yes, but you need to get started sometime.

[Deleted]

Jun 29, 2015 15:34:36 GMT Ken said:

Jun 27, 2015 2:55:38 GMT @trellis said:

You can never go wrong deep-thinking about something like building a house...

That depends.  If you spend all your time deep-thinking and never get around to the actual building, it does no good.

Think it through, yes, but you need to get started sometime.

True we will make it work.

My poor baby sister had contractors build her New House found many problems from the start that couldn't be fixed. Seen many places like hers in the area, one place I know of would be better just rebuilding.
Rockpile

[wolfmom]

I dunno Rock - I'm just repairing an old house and think at 71, I'm getting Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (wink). Plan, Plan & plan again then when I'm in the middle of something I find more things that I didn't know about.

[Deleted]

I think it's about what you want yourself. There is a big difference between simply throwing something up and craftsmanship. I personally take the time to not "just throw something up" but instead "craft it".

I was building a "throw up" chicken coop, was a 10x8 shed basically with simple lean-to roof on it. Was gonna take 2 days max, after-all it's a chicken coop.

Then the wife got involved! She showed me this pretty picture of a shed with a split roof and said she'd like to see something like that for a coop. My days of "throwing something up" were over from that point on. I decided to "craft" her this coop. Took me awhile, but I ended up building it to home specs. I figured I'd really go at it and build something to last a lifetime. I even planned and put in 2 floors. Figured if we ever got rid of the chickens that I could simply pull up the floor with all the poop, burn it, and have a shed with a good enough floor and to use for something else.

Anyone can drive a nail and cut some lumber, however that's the easy part. a lot more time is spent planing, modifying on the fly and pondering than there is to cutting and hammering.

I've been around a lot a really unique craftsman (different applications) and they all tend to be perfectionist. They'd probably tell you that time spent actually thinking about it is more than time spent putting it actual work time (driving and cutting).

So I guess what I am saying, is that if you spend an hour doing something that would take a "yahoo" 15 mins to throw together (but still functional) then you in essence are going the craftsman route and it will be put together as good as any tradesman and will be worry free for some time to come.

It's your choice based on your goals, budget and perhaps time frame. If you've got the time and with resources available today (internet and videos) then I see no reason why everyone can not be pretty decent craftsman.

[farmchix]

@rockpile, We do everything ourselves, and it always takes much longer. However, we are perfectionists and no one else could do it to suit us....