Something Feral

Digging up the flower-beds.


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The difference that a little know-how makes


I'm finally recovered from this weekend, which was a bit of an ordeal. As I had mentioned a few weeks ago, I signed up for a class through the Log Home Builders' Association, and I flew out Friday afternoon for Seattle/Tacoma.

Without further embellishment, I'll say I had a great time. The instructors were friendly and knowledgeable, and I'd recommend the class to anyone that has an interest in building their own house, living in a more financially-independent fashion, and just generally sticking it to the Man wherever and whenever possible (philosophically speaking; the class seems to attract libertarians, for some odd reason). Be prepared for a long weekend, though, as there are about 20 hours of instruction and a host of topics and techniques to cover, and I'm not including time I spent reading the textbook and supplementary material in the off-hours.

Now, I won't say it was an inexpensive weekend, but relative to the expenses to the Canadians that were visiting, or some of the others from upstate New York, or Indiana, it wasn't wallet-breaking. Moreover, I'm viewing it as an investment in myself, as it is most certainly a practical skill, and profitable if done correctly.

All in all, a fun and educational weekend; I'd gladly do it again.

5 comments:

Elusive Wapiti said...

What a beautiful home.

If one can pull off "living off the grid", with solar power/heat, wind power (both charging batteries), a well, and enough land to support some livestock, that'd be the heat.

That's my plan, anyways...to be as self-sustaining as possible.

Triton said...

Sounds cool.

I used to fancy living in a log home one day, but have since reconsidered. If I'm ever wealthy enough to build a dream home, I'm going for a stone & masonry English country manor.

Something Feral said...

That picture there is the Wallace Falls Bed & Breakfast. I was there this last weekend for the class, and it is build in the style preferred by those that teach the class.

What drew me to the log-style building was the ease of obtaining materials and relative strength of the construction. I like stone, but I know zilch about working it, and I'm going to be pushing my luck with a masonry heater (should I attempt to DIY, that is).

One of my goals for the years ahead is living off-grid, albeit in a comfortable and labor-minimizing fashion (i.e., Internet capability and redundant power-systems). I'll keep posting ideas and projects as I find them for anyone who has interest.

Triton said...

I didn't mean to imply I would build it myself or anything.

If I had to do all the labour with my own hands, then yeah, I guess a log cabin is the way to go. Or perhaps a nice tent.

Something Feral said...

Haha, I suppose that distinction is an important one. Paying someone to for that particular skill seems only practical in that situation, whereas wrangling logs seems fairly easy once one knows a few tricks (and perhaps a few unskilled laborers that take instruction well).

As for tents, I'm considering a yurt/ger for temporary lodging when I find land. We'll see how that goes. If you're looking for a house-tent, I hear they're the best thing going.

Come to think of it, that might be an excellent Depression industry... Pre-fab portable housing that accomodates a family and gear.