Little House on the Hill

sshawnn · Post by **sshawnn** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:59 am

http://littlehouseonthehill.weebly.com
Many of us talk of homesteading. This fellow got a lot of things right when starting his. I like the small foot print, 2x6 exterior wall construction, utilizing attic space as loft, and overall simplicity (mostly because of small size.) He is a builder but the blog posts are enjoyable. I would like more hard numbers and more explanation of his construction techniques.

C40 · Post by **C40** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 1:57 am

Thanks. That's great. It's pretty similar in total size to what I would do if I build a house.

secretwealth · Post by **secretwealth** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:19 am

Loved those pics--thanks!

GPMagnus · Post by **GPMagnus** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:20 am

@ sshawnn ... +1 from me too, really nice and chimes in with my thinking about building from cob or other natural materials ...

aptruncata · Post by **aptruncata** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 3:49 am

My house is right around that size + one bedroom but on a 5500sq. lot. I would also be interested in the total cost of things + tool rental costs. I'm sure most of us don't own a auger or a small cat excavators laying around.

thanks for the enjoyable read.

zarathustra · Post by **zarathustra** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:34 pm

i will help too, but only so i can learn how to do it!

Post by **jacob** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:27 pm

Nice!
But where do you find the land for such a project?
viewtopic.php?t=3314

sshawnn · Post by **sshawnn** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:13 pm

I am glad you guys enjoyed.
GPMagnus I have looked at cob construction as a consideration. Have you seen cordwood techniques used? If I end up building a structure on the farm cordwood would be my most plentiful (free) resource.
FFjeff
I agree with you on the foundation. At the least, I would want big sonotubes for the foundation. Pouring a footer would be even better but would likely increase the cost significantly. Your barn is impressive. Did you find a local sawmill for rough sawn lumber?

Dragline · Post by **Dragline** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:39 pm

I have the land -- but its in Montana.

Dragline · Post by **Dragline** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:39 pm

Yup -- its in the Bitterroot Valley and a creek actually runs through the property, with the Bitterroot River nearby. There's already a small house and a few other buildings there, but it could use TLC or revamping.
I reverse-inherited it, which is a euphemism for saying I bought it off my folks when they out-lived their stash and became too old to live there anymore. At some point I need to sell it, but there's no hurry. I can't seem to find anybody I would trust to rent it to and am too far away to manage it.
There is a lot of inexpensive property in that area and little or no zoning restrictions. But you have to tolerate cold winters