Blog - Page 6 of 123 - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

Building your own home in the woods

I want to encourage everyone that a dream home is doable… I built my first home at the age of 20 with little money or experience, and no credit. I worked evenings and got that house far enough along that bankers were impressed enough to loan me the little bit of money it took to finish. It wasn’t a McMansion… but it was nice, and handmade.

I’m planning on building my next home in a couple years at the age of 60, still not much money to be found anywhere around here, and the old body ain’t what it used to be. But I have learned a lot, so it ought to turn out well… slow… but well. I plan on recording the process… I hope you’ll follow along.

I’ve known people in their 70’s who hand-built their home.

I’ve even worked alongside people in wheelchairs.

Originally posted 2016-04-02 12:51:22.

Building your own home in the woodsNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:01+00:00

Adding an antique staircase to a new home

I do love old staircases. I’ve been using salvaged ones for several decades now.

The quality of the craftsmanship and materials found in them cannot be replicated today.

It’s seems that each one I find is a one-of-a-kind, unlike newly built ones which can be identical whether they are found in small homes or monstrous manors… from one side of the country to the other.

I do love the old hand-tooled marks. and the wear patterns that come about through much use… treads that have been worn by a century or more of climbing, railings worn smooth by hands of both young and old alike. I wonder about those who might have slid down those railings laughing all the way, or the children that might have sneaked down the stairs to see what Santa might have brought, or perhaps a young daughter on her way to her first date as her father anxiously looks on.

Some of my clients love the squeaks that seem to come with and old staircase. I do my best to get rid of them during the install, but it seems no matter what I do at least one will reappear. I had a kind client thank me deeply for “creating that lovely squeak”. I accepted the compliment, not wanting to confess how much effort I had put into removing it, and had failed.

I have spent over 30 years reusing salvaged materials in newer homes. Of all of the materials that I find available staircases are quite often the most numerous, and often the greatest bargain. Part of the reason for the abundance, and the low price, is because of a staircases massive size… they are huge and tough to manage, and struggle to put into place. Another reason is because they were often built for a very particular location, every staircase needs to start at a certain exact point and end at one as well. Another issue, and this is a big one, Building Codes often specify that a each rise height can vary no more than a very small amount… the risers on some old staircases vary a good bit… it’s smart to measure each one before buying. And keep in mind that the distance from the top of the first floor to the top of the second floor needs to match the height of the staircase exactly… you can’t have half a step left over at the top!!!

With all of the above kept in mind. When I build a new home and I know that I want to use an old salvaged staircase, I often start by finding and procuring the staircase first and then designing and building the home with those dimensions in mind.

I did rebuild an old house once that had a precious staircase in it that I knew it would not pass code due to varying dimensions in the risers. I went ahead with it hoping that somehow I could get it to pass. The building inspector did notice it, but had a talk with the owners of the home, pointing out the “imperfection” but then passing it on their acceptance. We were all tickled.

Originally posted 2016-04-02 12:31:39.

Adding an antique staircase to a new homeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:00+00:00

The perfect small log cabin

I was once challenged to design and build a log cabin, of the highest quality, and as small as possible… without being ridiculous.
And this… is what I built.
(I’m giving away the blueprints for this cabin to everyone who enrolls in the Handmade House Guild and Academy)
Go HERE to learn more!

Originally posted 2016-03-26 17:29:00.

The perfect small log cabinNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:59+00:00

Strive to improve the landscape with your home

Quite often when we look for land to purchase, a view is top priority. We want to enjoy scenic mountains or a rolling countryside when we kick back on our front porch.
It’s important to remember that when we build, our new home becomes part of that view.
Sometimes, if we build well, our homes can become “the view”… like this wonderful cabin.

Originally posted 2016-03-25 15:12:26.

Strive to improve the landscape with your homeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:58+00:00

Sometimes, it is clear who is in charge

Originally posted 2016-03-25 15:00:30.

Sometimes, it is clear who is in chargeNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:57+00:00

Stone… stone… stone

No worries of this stone home being broken into… unless the burglar has a very long ladder. 😉

Originally posted 2016-03-25 14:53:55.

Stone… stone… stoneNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:56+00:00

Natural or painted finish… maybe both?

Originally posted 2016-03-25 14:46:40.

Natural or painted finish… maybe both?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:55+00:00

Wide stone chimney

A wide chimney announces that a cooking fireplace can be found inside.

Originally posted 2016-03-25 14:36:10.

Wide stone chimneyNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:54+00:00

Chinking… from then, to now

Here is an example of primitive chinking.
In the early days of this country chinking, or “daubing”, would have had to be frequently repaired or replaced.
When lime became available chinking would become more durable and pleasing to the eye.
Later, cement would prove to be the best material… low cost, attractive, effective, and long lasting.

And then, man invented an expensive, synthetic, toxic, petroleum-derived product that was designed to look like cement as much as possible. This manufactured goo is messy to install and clean up after, and it’s durability is unproven (plastic products don’t have the best record of holding up under direct sunlight) But people buy it… why? 1) there are salesmen and businesses that promote it (for profit) 2) there are brochures touting the benefits of it (whose going to produce a brochure or sales team for cement chinking?) and 3) it’s human nature to assume that the latest product… the most expensive choice… is the best choice.

Originally posted 2016-03-20 15:23:18.

Chinking… from then, to nowNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:53+00:00

The Creation of the Handmade House Academy

I built my first handmade house nearly 40 years ago, and have been building unique handmade homes ever since. (BTW… I did start young… I’m not quite a fossil yet… lol)

I’ve learned a lot in all those years… trade secrets and simple ways of looking at things. I’ve had some great teachers along the way… talented craftsmen… and combined with lots of hands-on experience… and in addition… the pleasure of studying so many homes that have survived for a century or more.

I did very little advertising throughout my career, it seems that folks who wanted a special home found me through word of mouth. I guided these precious clients of mine through the design and building process with the goal of giving them their dream home. I have found that the only thing more pleasurable than having a handmade home is playing a major role in its design and construction.

If you haven’t experienced it, I hope that one day you will.

In looking online it seems there is no shortage of information out there on “how to notch a cabin” or “how to lay a stone”, but nowhere do I find any source that teaches a person the basic concepts and steps on how to design and build an attractive handmade home.

To me, that is the most important lesson of all… one that needs to be a priority… from the first dreamed vision, to the final stroke of a paintbrush.

Rather than taking a lifetime of handmade house insights to the grave I thought about how great it would be to just sit down and share a full day (eight hours) of focused time and share what I have learned through all these years of designing and building one-of-a-kind homes… to help move anyone interested “30 or 40 years down the learning curve”.

Just think about how much money could be saved, and how much better a home could be built by making such a leap!

(and what I would have given to have had such an opportunity when I began my journey.

For many, the Handmade House Academy likely will be life-changing in that something that was once viewed as impossible to have, suddenly becomes achievable.

Building a home does require a lot of work, but it can be an extremely enjoyable experience.

I’ve always said… “It’s much easier to design and build one’s own home, than it is to live with the regret of never having done so.”

And so this idea of “sharing it all” spawned the creation of the Handmade House Academy.

The Handmade House Academy is only available to those who are Members of the Handmade House Guild… I hope that you will consider joining us!

Noah

Originally posted 2016-03-19 15:28:27.

The Creation of the Handmade House AcademyNoah Bradley2019-06-29T11:08:52+00:00