What can I accomplish in 1 summer?

[matt_]

Hi everybody!

I'm a college freshman looking for something to do this upcoming summer. I've been lurking in the forums here for about a month and I have a couple questions I'd like to ask:

If I take the February class and work on the cabin full time (9 hours a day, 6 days a week) all summer long (aprox. 3 1/2 months) what can I realistically accomplish?

Honestly I would love to build something similar to the homes in the "Student Homes" section. Does anyone have a ballpark number for what something like that would cost (minus land)?

My dream cabin would be around 2,000-2,500 square feet. Is that just way too much to ask for a summer project?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

[loghousenut]

Matt, What's your major? Got it figured out yet where you'll be in that career in 9 years? If you said "not a clue", you are just as smart as I was back then. If you said "I know exactly where I'll be", you're most likely wrong.

I make the assumption that I am old enough to be your Grandfather's older brother. That would make me Uncle Nut. In my opinion, taking the February LHBA class would be evidence that you are one of the smartest people in your Freshman class... Period. Take it from there and see where life goes. If you are one of those strange beasts who has to plan each step ten years in advance, well then...

If you don't go to class, in ten years you will have a 2 year old car with 4 years left on the note. You will be upside down in the payments. You will have $65,000 in student debt (the stickiest debt this side of the Mafia). You will be 2 years into a 30 year mortgage on your first home.

If you do go to that February class, you will have a small hole in your wallet and eyes opened to something that will most likely change your life.

Think about it long term and worst case scenario. Pretend that you go to class and then do everything like I predict you will in my ten year plan. Twenty years down the road you are on the 6th car in a string of upside down car loans. You have FINALLY paid off that student debt with a bunch of penalties and all that interest. You lost the house in the divorce and have declared bankruptcy and are now earning as much money in your chosen field as is humanly possible without more schooling... Now get going on that log home you have always wanted.



Best case scenario is, you go to LHBA class and see where it, and the rest of life, takes you. I was in my 50's when I started this house. I hope I get to live in it til I die there and hope my Grankids enjoy it. I kinda wish I had built this place 40 years ago but, trust me on this one, I didn't miss a minute of living so far and I am enjoying every minute even now. Take the class. That advice comes straight from Uncle Nut.






PS... Matt, I have no idea what your plan can accomplish. I only know that if I were not living the dream, at my advanced age, I'd gladly trade places with you and try it for myself.

[ivanshayka]

It depends how fast you work. Are u cutting your own trees?. Doing ur own foundation? Are u doing everything yourself? Give us some details.

PS. I full heartedly agree with LHN.

[rckclmbr428]

If it's your first project and you have one summer think small. I could start and finish a 2000sq.ft cabin in a summer no problem, but I've also lost count as to how many I've built. My first one took me about a year start to finish and I have a background in construction and a degree in architecture.

[eduncan911]

Ronnie said it best, experience speeds things up. There are some that start right away, instantly after class.

Regardless, the class will give you the knowledge to predict what u can and can't do in that summer.

I wish I took the class 20 years earlier back in my college days. Would have completely changed my life, living location and life priorities.

[panderson03]

if you build small, keep it simple and have help you can get a lot done in 3 months! took us 9 days to do the log work (walls, RPSL, RP)
good luck to you
you're asking all the right questions

[thoner7]

As a college freshman I wouldn't build anything too permanent. I'm five years out of school and just recently decided what state to live in let alone what town. Don't forget carrying costs either, property taxes utilities and insurance alone would have bankrupted me in school.

[thoner7]

If you want a log home take the class you won't regret it but keep I. Mind you may not build right away. I took the class almost 3 years ago and we are atill searching for land

[matt_]

Wow, thank you all for the great comments! This is really an awesome community.

@loghousenut: You're right, I have no idea where I'm going to be in 10 years. I am currently laser focused on transferring to my colleges computer science program in the school engineering, and I do enjoy that an awful lot, but I'm a little to inexperienced to get an internship this summer, and I have always been very fond of building things myself and learning how things work. I just feel like the general consensus on this board is that everyone wishes they would've gone to the class earlier, so I don't see any reason to wait until retirement to take on a life goal.

@ivanshayka: Honestly I don't have many details right now. I'm willing to do whatever is best. There is nothing that I don't mind to do, but I seriously doubt that I can do everything by myself over the summer as first timer. I will likely reach out to some third parties to help with logging and pouring the foundation, but if either of those will break the bank I can find a way to do them myself.

@rckclmbr428: It sounds like you really know your stuff. If you don't mind me asking, where is the most time spent when building a 2000 square foot cabin? I'm a pretty quick learning, and I like learning from those who have come before me.

@eduncan911: Thank you for the comment! If you don't mind me asking, how do you think taking the class earlier have completely changed you life, living location and life priorities?

@panderson03: Wow, 9 days to do all the log work. How big of a cabin were you putting up?

@thoner7: Thank you for your insight! My family has always been interested in a lake house/river house/ranch house so I think they would be willing to help finance some of my operation, which would be incredibly helpful. I also am looking at this as not only an experience, but as an investment. If built right, I think there is a nice profit to be made for those who end up selling their handcrafted log cabin. I don't know if I could ever bear to sell something that I put so much sweat and tears into, but that is always an option since it likely will not be anyone's permanent residence!

ALL: Thank you all again for your comments! I will talk to my family about it. You all have definitely inspired me. I may not get anything done this summer, but I will not let this idea die inside me.

Now your replies have prompted me with a couple more questions:

Would building a basement make the process easier? That way there above ground cabin would be able to be much smaller than 2000 square feet?

For those of you with building experience, do you have any idea what kind of cost I am looking at for this project? Can it be done for under $50k (minus land) while still being a quality home?

[Arrowman]

Wow, thank you all for the great comments! This is really an awesome community.

@loghousenut: You're right, I have no idea where I'm going to be in 10 years. I am currently laser focused on transferring to my colleges computer science program in the school engineering, and I do enjoy that an awful lot, but I'm a little to inexperienced to get an internship this summer, and I have always been very fond of building things myself and learning how things work. I just feel like the general consensus on this board is that everyone wishes they would've gone to the class earlier, so I don't see any reason to wait until retirement to take on a life goal.

@ivanshayka: Honestly I don't have many details right now. I'm willing to do whatever is best. There is nothing that I don't mind to do, but I seriously doubt that I can do everything by myself over the summer as first timer. I will likely reach out to some third parties to help with logging and pouring the foundation, but if either of those will break the bank I can find a way to do them myself.

@rckclmbr428: It sounds like you really know your stuff. If you don't mind me asking, where is the most time spent when building a 2000 square foot cabin? I'm a pretty quick learning, and I like learning from those who have come before me.

@eduncan911: Thank you for the comment! If you don't mind me asking, how do you think taking the class earlier have completely changed you life, living location and life priorities?

@panderson03: Wow, 9 days to do all the log work. How big of a cabin were you putting up?

@thoner7: Thank you for your insight! My family has always been interested in a lake house/river house/ranch house so I think they would be willing to help finance some of my operation, which would be incredibly helpful. I also am looking at this as not only an experience, but as an investment. If built right, I think there is a nice profit to be made for those who end up selling their handcrafted log cabin. I don't know if I could ever bear to sell something that I put so much sweat and tears into, but that is always an option since it likely will not be anyone's permanent residence!

ALL: Thank you all again for your comments! I will talk to my family about it. You all have definitely inspired me. I may not get anything done this summer, but I will not let this idea die inside me.

Now your replies have prompted me with a couple more questions:

Would building a basement make the process easier? That way there above ground cabin would be able to be much smaller than 2000 square feet?

For those of you with building experience, do you have any idea what kind of cost I am looking at for this project? Can it be done for under $50k (minus land) while still being a quality home?

A basement could make it harder or easier depending on the lot, but definitely more expensive. Even doing all of the labor yourself, you still have the cost of the footer and foundation forms, rebar, and the concrete itself, plus a non-insignificant amount of tools you would need to acquire to do the work. Plus you will have to pay for the excavation. Even doing all of the labor yourself on a basement, you are realistically looking at $20k to get it done on a 2000sqft house.

You would be really hard pressed to do the house for under 50k, and you would need much longer than a summer, unless you just had unbelievable luck catching deals on materials, no bad weather, and somehow managed to wrangle about 5-6 friends full time to help you with it that you don't have to feed, shelter, or pay for their assistance. Even putting sweat equity into something, the cost of materials will still be pricey. Even catching deals on craigslist et al. you still will be spending real dollars. And then factor in that if you haven't done a lot of the work before you will be spending real dollars to fix your screw ups.

There is a saying that makes its way around these forums that may sound cliche, but it's very true. You can have cheap, fast, and good. But you can only pick two.

One more piece of advice, if you want to get done in a summer, even with a smaller cabin, you will be working 12+ hour days seven days a week to make it happen while doing a lot yourself. Whatever you think it will take to do an activity on a house, triple it and you might be coming close. You seemed surprised when Panderson mentioned 9 days to set the logs, to be honest, I'll be estatic if I can get all of my log work done in 9 days, and I am planning something similar in size to what you are thinking. And I have built houses before and at least have a decent idea of what I am getting into.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be a Debbie downer here, and will help a fellow log homer any way that I can. You can PM me anytime with questions. My experience is much more on the conventional stick frame side of residential construction, but there is a lot of crossover in just basic construction techniques and knowledge.

I'm not sure where you are located, but my biggest piece of advice is that after you take the class and before you spend your first dime on any materials or land that you find someone that will let you help on their build, if even for just a few days. I will be starting this Spring, you are always welcome on mine. Construction is very fulfilling, but very hard work. Try a taste of it before you dive into the deep end of the pool.