A basically free house

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Cnsper

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Joined
Dec 8, 2017
Messages
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So I have my land but money has been tight. Since there is no need for me to have a building permit I am doing the construction myself.

I decided to go with a pier and beam since it's fairly dry. I have posts in the ground and started on the floor joists.

I was browsing the free section on craigslist last week and came across someone giving away a shed. Upon closer reading I discovered this was actually trusses built for a bonus room over a garage.

After looking it over in person, I am taking it apart next weekend and erecting what will basically be an A frame on stilts.

A little bit of siding is all I have to purchase and I will have a 16x34 house. With the 6x8 and 16x10 sheds I just picked up for $170 that will be plenty of room for me and the dog.

Septic is in, well is drilled and all I have to do now is drop the well pump.

You can live frugally if you don't mind repurposing materials. Recently went to an estate auction and got a clawfoot tub, 5 cast iron sinks, 2 wood stoves and enough red brick to install 2 stoves all for under $100.
 
What is lacking for many people is the constant trying to have bigger and better. Many people could not live in anything less what they grew up in. Or so they think. Years ago, people lived within their means, and did not have mortgages. If they wanted or needed more, they worked on it. There were people who bought the next parts from the money left on pay day. They built gradually.

I have a few family members who put additions on their homes. They built with the money they had until they were out of money. Then as they could, they finished the additions.

In my home town were many families who lived in basement houses. A basement was built and outfitted for habitation. The family would live there until they had the money to build the house on top. I remember one of those basement homes which had no work on the home on top for many years. I was gone from home for years. I went home and the house had finally been built.
 
What is lacking for many people is the constant trying to have bigger and better. Many people could not live in anything less what they grew up in. Or so they think. Years ago, people lived within their means, and did not have mortgages. If they wanted or needed more, they worked on it. There were people who bought the next parts from the money left on pay day. They built gradually.

I have a few family members who put additions on their homes. They built with the money they had until they were out of money. Then as they could, they finished the additions.

In my home town were many families who lived in basement houses. A basement was built and outfitted for habitation. The family would live there until they had the money to build the house on top. I remember one of those basement homes which had no work on the home on top for many years. I was gone from home for years. I went home and the house had finally been built.

In Stone Mountain after the old house burned down we lived in what we called 'the foundation' it would have been the basement I guess. It had rock walls set in concrete and a flat tar roof and that was it.
We'd see lots of scorpions and snakes too. Probably all that rock. Our donkeys would kick in the door when we would go somewhere and throw flour and corn meal all over those rocks, talk about a job gettign that flour out of rough rock!:eek:. Those rocks were not cut or changed at all just set and placed and different colors ,very pretty.:cool:
 
There's a Queen Anne-style home location in Nashville, TN which could be yours -- if you can move it...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - A house in Midtown owned by Vanderbilt University that was used as studio of fashion designer Manuel could be yours—if you can move it. The early 20th century Queen Anne-style home is located at 1922 Broadway, just down the street from the Midtown Hattie B’s, and was constructed around 1910. Vanderbilt University acquired the property in 2016 and has offered to donate the building to anyone who will locate it for preservation. The house is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, nor is it protected by local zoning. The Metro Historical Commission and Historic Nashville Inc. are reportedly working with Vanderbilt to identify a preservationist who can save the building for its cultural and historical value. The 108-year-old home is best known as the former studio and retail store of Manuel Cuevas, who used the building’s main floor for his shop and the other three floors as work spaces. The building was owned by the American Legion from 1948 to 1986. Cuevas is best known for his colorful designed garments for country and rock and roll stars, including Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam, Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and the Rolling Stones. Manuel moved his business to the 800 block of Broadway in 2013. The building has been vacant ever since.

https://www.wkrn.com/news/nashville...e-could-be-yoursif-you-can-move-it/1382752870

Zestimate
$565,398

Boardway Home.jpg
 
So I have my land but money has been tight. Since there is no need for me to have a building permit I am doing the construction myself.

I decided to go with a pier and beam since it's fairly dry. I have posts in the ground and started on the floor joists.

I was browsing the free section on craigslist last week and came across someone giving away a shed. Upon closer reading I discovered this was actually trusses built for a bonus room over a garage.

After looking it over in person, I am taking it apart next weekend and erecting what will basically be an A frame on stilts.

A little bit of siding is all I have to purchase and I will have a 16x34 house. With the 6x8 and 16x10 sheds I just picked up for $170 that will be plenty of room for me and the dog.

Septic is in, well is drilled and all I have to do now is drop the well pump.

You can live frugally if you don't mind repurposing materials. Recently went to an estate auction and got a clawfoot tub, 5 cast iron sinks, 2 wood stoves and enough red brick to install 2 stoves all for under $100.

I don't know if you have heard that A-frame homes are difficult to keep evenly heated. The heat rises, as it always does, and the second floor, or upper part of the home is where the heat goes. Having ceiling fans is probably very important, and windows on either end up towards the top would probably be very important.
 
In Stone Mountain after the old house burned down we lived in what we called 'the foundation' it would have been the basement I guess. It had rock walls set in concrete and a flat tar roof and that was it.
We'd see lots of scorpions and snakes too. Probably all that rock. Our donkeys would kick in the door when we would go somewhere and throw flour and corn meal all over those rocks, talk about a job gettign that flour out of rough rock!:eek:. Those rocks were not cut or changed at all just set and placed and different colors ,very pretty.:cool:
I know that my ancestors built sod shanties. I know my gg grandparents had one in Nebraska and another g grandparent had one in South Dakota. They were known for having snakes come through the walls.

There is a building method of putting up a temporary wooden framing section, filling it with stone or rock, then adding concrete to form walls. After the framing is removed, the stone is cleaned of the excess concrete. I think of all those stone cottages and walls in Europe being built from the rock removed from the fields. That may have been true for some early homes in the eastern part of the United States.
 
There's a Queen Anne-style home location in Nashville, TN which could be yours -- if you can move it...

The school (Vanderbilt University) is saying they want the house moved.
But I did wonder if it could be moved, how that would work, how much would it cost, and would it be worth it...
Other than moving (if it was possible) it would be basically a free house.

I think I'll pass on this one. I did like the idea of a free house. :)
 
There's a Queen Anne-style home location in Nashville, TN which could be yours -- if you can move it...

The school (Vanderbilt University) is saying they want the house moved.
But I did wonder if it could be moved, how that would work, how much would it cost, and would it be worth it...
Other than moving (if it was possible) it would be basically a free house.

I think I'll pass on this one. I did like the idea of a free house. :)
It could probably be moved by someone who knew what they were doing, knew how to prep it for a move and had the equipment. There was an art museum made of brick, that was moved less than a mile in Denver. As they showed the move on the news, there were a few bricks that had come off.

I looked at the house and thought that moving it brick by brick was one way to move it, but not really a desirable way to do so. When it would be reconstructed, it could be much sturdier though.
 
What is lacking for many people is the constant trying to have bigger and better.
Truth! Well mostly. A lot of people are getting into the tiny home craze. I had a friend that built one from the ground up. I always lived in large houses. However, I don’t mind the smaller homes. I live in a 1000sq ft home, and love it. It’s enough room for my dogs, turtle, fish, husband and I. :)

OP: congrats on the home! I commend those who can do this type of building. It’s using what has been made and repurposing it. It’s so much better for the environment.
 
Any unreinforced masonry building is very difficult to move. The walls tend to separate from the floors in the move and the whole thing collapses. It might be easier to disassemble it and rebuild it somewhere else adding the necessary reinforcing as it is rebuilt. That is how some bridges have been moved.
 
I don't know if you have heard that A-frame homes are difficult to keep evenly heated. The heat rises, as it always does, and the second floor, or upper part of the home is where the heat goes. Having ceiling fans is probably very important, and windows on either end up towards the top would probably be very important.
Not really an actual a frame but will look like one from the outside.
 
There's a Queen Anne-style home location in Nashville, TN which could be yours -- if you can move it...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - A house in Midtown owned by Vanderbilt University that was used as studio of fashion designer Manuel could be yours—if you can move it. The early 20th century Queen Anne-style home is located at 1922 Broadway, just down the street from the Midtown Hattie B’s, and was constructed around 1910. Vanderbilt University acquired the property in 2016 and has offered to donate the building to anyone who will locate it for preservation. The house is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, nor is it protected by local zoning. The Metro Historical Commission and Historic Nashville Inc. are reportedly working with Vanderbilt to identify a preservationist who can save the building for its cultural and historical value. The 108-year-old home is best known as the former studio and retail store of Manuel Cuevas, who used the building’s main floor for his shop and the other three floors as work spaces. The building was owned by the American Legion from 1948 to 1986. Cuevas is best known for his colorful designed garments for country and rock and roll stars, including Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam, Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and the Rolling Stones. Manuel moved his business to the 800 block of Broadway in 2013. The building has been vacant ever since.

https://www.wkrn.com/news/nashville...e-could-be-yoursif-you-can-move-it/1382752870

Zestimate
$565,398

View attachment 8794
Man, talk about a fugly house. Brick is not really attached to the house. Remove the brick, remove the top floor then move the house.

Historic? Because someone used a bedazler and a glue gun to put beads on some clothes?
 
So I have my land but money has been tight. Since there is no need for me to have a building permit I am doing the construction myself.

I decided to go with a pier and beam since it's fairly dry. I have posts in the ground and started on the floor joists.

I was browsing the free section on craigslist last week and came across someone giving away a shed. Upon closer reading I discovered this was actually trusses built for a bonus room over a garage.

After looking it over in person, I am taking it apart next weekend and erecting what will basically be an A frame on stilts.

A little bit of siding is all I have to purchase and I will have a 16x34 house. With the 6x8 and 16x10 sheds I just picked up for $170 that will be plenty of room for me and the dog.

Septic is in, well is drilled and all I have to do now is drop the well pump.

You can live frugally if you don't mind repurposing materials. Recently went to an estate auction and got a clawfoot tub, 5 cast iron sinks, 2 wood stoves and enough red brick to install 2 stoves all for under $100.
 
Cnsper Even though money is tight, I can relate, you can still live life to the fullest. I'm just getting started with it but check out my Youtube Channel. My wife says your not capable of thinking inside the box are you? That's the key especially when no codes. I plan on building a pallet cob house. Pallets filled with clay straw slip then cob'ed over. Cod is the best longest lived , healthiest structure you can live in ( keeps humidity to 50%, no mold) and the straw slip filled pallets add enough insulation in colder climates, I plan to start mine this summer and will document it on my Youtube channel. Good luck with your endever.
 
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Good on you for building. Quite a project to take on and I'd love to see how it turns out. I've always wanted to build a cob or hempcrete home. Now that I'm going to be able to spread out on my property I might build a small secondary structure as a small barn for a couple critters. Be a great way to practice for a larger structure later.
 
Start small lik
Good on you for building. Quite a project to take on and I'd love to see how it turns out. I've always wanted to build a cob or hempcrete home. Now that I'm going to be able to spread out on my property I might build a small secondary structure as a small barn for a couple critters. Be a great way to practice for a larger structure later.

Start small like a dog house or a chicken house.
 
Any building I put up has to be earthquake/wind proof/resistant. That means concrete and steel in the foundation. I have never been able to scrounge things like that so I am left with paying for it.
I am working up drawings for my next house now and incorporating ties from the trusses all the way to the foundation. I will continue to use sheathing on both sides of all walls and fire resistant wall board over the sheathing. The exterior will also be covered with Hardie board sheathing and lap siding for flame resistance.
 
I think of all those stone cottages and walls in Europe being built from the rock removed from the fields. That may have been true for some early homes in the eastern part of the United States.

In Vermont, most of the field stone went into stone walls, because there was plenty of forest to make lumber from. There is a 'Stone Village' in a nearby town (Chester) but the walls are mostly of flat stones that were never rolled around by a glacier. I think they may be split ledge. We have more than a smattering of ledge, too. Field stone chimneys, that's another story; used to be a lot of those. And chimney fires in them; lots of crannies to collect charcoally soot.

Thar, b'god, I've passed on some more useless information. About all I've got.
 
I know that my ancestors built sod shanties. I know my gg grandparents had one in Nebraska and another g grandparent had one in South Dakota. They were known for having snakes come through the walls.

There is a building method of putting up a temporary wooden framing section, filling it with stone or rock, then adding concrete to form walls. After the framing is removed, the stone is cleaned of the excess concrete. I think of all those stone cottages and walls in Europe being built from the rock removed from the fields. That may have been true for some early homes in the eastern part of the United States.

That is neat. Imagine anyone building their own home with raw materials today. People use to know how to make do because they had to.
American Indians made do with hide tee pees.
 
Most eastern (forest) Indians built semi-permanent homes. Many of the western tribes had summer and winter ranges (so did the buffalo), which is why they carried their homes with them. I have read admiring descriptions of the amenities extant in a well-made teepee.
 
TeePee's are circular "A" frames. They have cool air vents at the bottom and a hot air vent at the top. A lot like an igloo but less complex because of the milder temps.
I really admire the efficiency of the dwellings but I don't want to live in one. Don't get me wrong, I like to cuddle as much as anyone but I want more than a dirt floor (or ice) and I can make it as efficient using dimensioned lumber and fiberglass insulation at the same time I don't have to pick it up and move south for the winter. I can keep it warm in the winter with very little heat and cool in the summer using a geogrid that pulls 55 degree air in from the ground with a fan to circulate it. It can even be done with a net carbon footprint near zero. It is not the cheapest way to build but then I don't have to be worried about earthquakes, high winds or fire either. A fair exchange for the cost.
 
That is neat. Imagine anyone building their own home with raw materials today. People use to know how to make do because they had to.
American Indians made do with hide tee pees.
That is neat. Imagine anyone building their own home with raw materials today. People use to know how to make do because they had to.
American Indians made do with hide tee pees.

Actually the stone and cement is not water permeable like clay soil, sod or cob walls so they are not as cool in summer or as warm in winter as a cob or sod wall would be. Because clay and sod will absorb water and wick it to the outside or visa versa it has a cooling effect and works by evaporative cooling kinda like a zeer pot, also they will keep your house or building at a near perfect 50% humidity and that is not enough humidity to let mold grow. It also is a plus because they do not off gas poison like a modern built house. I watched a documentary once on a big house in England that was 800 years old and has been inhabited the whole time, if you build one it will outlast you and your grand kids if built right. I plan on building a pallet house with clay straw slip tamped tightly in the pallets and then about 3 inches of cob on each side of the pallet. A little more insulation but should still have an evaporative effect. If anyone would be interested I will post some videos here, I plan to start this summer.
So yes Meerkat, I basically plan to make my own house out of raw natural materials except for some sort of good pond liner for the earth roof and maybe a few modern comforts like solar lights and plumbing and hot water from my spring.
I don't want to seem like a know it all or I done it all but I have owned 2 tepee's in my life and if I had to live in a tent that would be the one. Cool in the summer and cool in the winter but lots better than nothen. If you can keep a fire going and have the canvas hanging over your sleeping area to reflect the heat down on you its not that bad at all but you need a good inside liner that goes all the way on the ground and stuff it with grass (Big time fire hazard) but when the Indians did it they had hide tepees, not as flammable. The outside cover of the tepee sits about 6 inches off the ground, the inside liner goes right on the ground air goes between the two liners and creates the draw for the fire.
Have a good day all and God bless.
 
Actually the stone and cement is not water permeable like clay soil, sod or cob walls so they are not as cool in summer or as warm in winter as a cob or sod wall would be. Because clay and sod will absorb water and wick it to the outside or visa versa it has a cooling effect and works by evaporative cooling kinda like a zeer pot, also they will keep your house or building at a near perfect 50% humidity and that is not enough humidity to let mold grow. It also is a plus because they do not off gas poison like a modern built house. I watched a documentary once on a big house in England that was 800 years old and has been inhabited the whole time, if you build one it will outlast you and your grand kids if built right. I plan on building a pallet house with clay straw slip tamped tightly in the pallets and then about 3 inches of cob on each side of the pallet. A little more insulation but should still have an evaporative effect. If anyone would be interested I will post some videos here, I plan to start this summer.
So yes Meerkat, I basically plan to make my own house out of raw natural materials except for some sort of good pond liner for the earth roof and maybe a few modern comforts like solar lights and plumbing and hot water from my spring.
I don't want to seem like a know it all or I done it all but I have owned 2 tepee's in my life and if I had to live in a tent that would be the one. Cool in the summer and cool in the winter but lots better than nothen. If you can keep a fire going and have the canvas hanging over your sleeping area to reflect the heat down on you its not that bad at all but you need a good inside liner that goes all the way on the ground and stuff it with grass (Big time fire hazard) but when the Indians did it they had hide tepees, not as flammable. The outside cover of the tepee sits about 6 inches off the ground, the inside liner goes right on the ground air goes between the two liners and creates the draw for the fire.
Have a good day all and God bless.


Thanks for the info William. I have lived in tents too, last time was on this property about 22 years ago. First time in 1975 ,we enjoyed it the first time, second it was not so much fun with lightening striking near you on the ground and tent laying down over you from high winds. Good thing we already learned how to live primitive when we were younger.
Indians did alright but I bet their glad to leave the tents. I know we were, yet I still like to camp now and then in short intervals. Except I have a nice air beds and potty.
 
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