Modern / Contemporary House Build on 1.8 Acres | Construction and DIY projects | Forums

After changing circumstances in my life and really just getting fed up with all the moving around and paying rent on places I'll never own, I decided to buy my own land and build a home on it. It really just kind of hit me after my girlfriend died, sitting in my apartment thinking about how broke I was and nothing to look forward to except another small paycheck and another big payment to the landlord. Peering in to the looking glass that was my future I saw an old man with no means and maybe a disabled or bitter person that was resentful of the way things had turned out - without the energy, health, or will to do anything about it. I had played with the idea before about building a place but my only practical experience in construction was a short stint working on vinyl siding projects maybe for about 6 months or so. My alternative idea was to buy a cheap, already built old house in Kansas City Missouri and fix it up. Seemed preferable to fix up a house because its already there, and it would be hard to make it worse than it is to begin with plus there are places for around $5,500. bucks that actually look pretty decent. After playing around with the idea some more and researching crime, looking at Google maps (street view), seeing all the boarded up windows in the areas where these cheap houses were I thought against it.

Once I decided to build it really came down to the "How" of things. I didn't know how to build anything officially but I remember building a tree fort when I was a kid and it wasn't that hard. That said, we build this fort 2 levels and i remember the openings for each level were right on top of each other and i stepped backwards when talking to my friend one day and broke a 2x4 with my chest on the way down so I know safety is a big deal, lol. By profession I work technical support and I am an expert at locating information for just about anything. I've studied posts on forums, pdf documents on building, youtube videos on step by step procedures, etc. At first I was going to build a simple house project, kind of like a box or trailer park type home configuration. After really getting to know some of the building concepts and reading posts from people who wished they would have just built bigger and better from the get go I settled on this house plan.

So I purchased 1.8 Acres in Colorado that is, I guess; semi off grid. I can utilize solar and wind power but I should also be able to hook up electricity from the utilities. I will be required to build a Well or Cistern and have a permit for each before construction begins. I'm not 100% sure if i want to try and submit plans for a guest house which i would construct and live in before I start on the actual house or just buy a mobile home or trailer to move on land. At this point I'm saving to move there now. I could already be there possibly but I'm taking this opportunity to get some dental work done and get things more prepared. I feel that this choice has already been blessed by the fact that I just received custody of my son back "out of the blue" within the past month or so, so now I have 1 more worker for construction, lol. I should mention that I am planning on building everything I can myself except for the well and septic. I was quoted $5000. for the well plus $2000. for the pump (which i can put in myself possibly) and about $3500. for the septic system. Once I'm living on the land during construction there will be no rent to pay. I built a model house out of Popsicle sticks as seen in the pictures as well. That's pretty much it for now. I'll post pictures and updates as they happen..