Roof-lines
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:49+00:00
I do so admire the roof-lines of houses built in the past.
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06, 2019
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06, 2019
A fine little screen porch
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:47+00:00
Ah yes, a screened porch.
The perfect place to read a good book.
Talk with loved ones.
Or, take a nap.
I’ve built homes for some who have claimed that the screen porch was their favorite room of the house.
Are you a “screen porch person”?
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06, 2019
Every form of building has it’s pros and cons
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:43+00:00
This house, one of my previous homes, was built using several different forms of construction.
Without a doubt the modern stick-built area saved me money and sped up the construction process.
The log cabin addition aged the entire home… made it feel as if it had always been there.
The post and beam section gave us a very warm and cozy feeling family room.
And the stone basement, foundation, and chimney kept us warm and ensured the house would stand for centuries.
Quite frankly a home like this would have been out of our financial reach had I not contributed a lot of effort in building it, work that anyone can do, one step at a time.
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06, 2019
A mortgage-free home
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:42+00:00
Every twenty years banks gather enough interest, through mortgages, to buy every home and commercial building in the country.
How would they ever survive if we chose to build our own mortgage-free homes?
How much better would your life be?
Would you lose any sleep knowing that the banks were suffering?
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06, 2019
Are you crazy enough?
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:39+00:00
The people that are crazy enough to think that they can design and build their dream home… are the ones who do.
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06, 2019
How much does a log cabin cost?
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:35+00:00
If you never want to own a handmade home,
then always let your first thought be “how much?”
for surely… the answer will be more than you want to hear,
and then,
you can easily dismiss the dream.
But,
if you really want to have that dream home,
let your first thought be…
“I WANT that handmade house, what do I need to do to make it happen?”
I’ve seen the young get their dream home, and I’ve seen the old, I’ve seen those financially challenged do it. (BTW… I’ve never seen a lottery winner do it)
Dream big, take small steps.
Yes, it does take effort.
Is it worth it?
Oh yes. So much so.
Just don’t get caught in the trap that so many do…
Of expecting someone else to do all the work… of designing a beautiful home for you, of picking out the best materials, and taking the greatest care in building that home to the highest level of skill… and doing all that, at the same price, or less, than the mass produced vinyl homes being built by the thousands today. It’s just not going to happen.
But please, don’t let your dream die! You can have that wonderful home.
The reality is that future handmade house owners need to either open the wallet wide… or put the toolbelt on.
I’ve built over a hundred one-of-a-kind homes for individuals who wanted me to do all, or most, of the work. I’m so thankful for those people. I’ve created some masterpieces and paid my bills in the process, and those same clients now have wonderful homes.
I’ve also taught hundreds more how they can do the same thing I do themselves and I have seen them go on to claim their dreams and create wonderful memories. Not to mention many now having incredible homes with little or no mortgage.
There are few things in this life that I love more than designing and building a handmade home and I believe that if you give it a try that you will feel the same way. The process is methodical… one step at a time… everyone in the building trade at one time built their first house. Many who build homes for a living have no more education than a high school degree. It’s not rocket science… it’s carpentry… it’s masonry… it’s plumbing. Yep, nailing boards, putting one stone on top of the other, gluing pipes together. There are tons of how-to books and videos out there.
You can do this. You are qualified.
Whether you choose to do it all or just some of the work, is something that can decide as you proceed. But at least start the journey by becoming fully informed on the options and the steps. And take the first few yourself… start the design work… seek out the materials… read up on the trades. I can’t tell you what decisions you will make as it progresses… but I can tell you that you will love the final destination!
Noah
PS… yes, the Handmade House Academy course is still being finished up. I’m so sorry for the delay… but be looking for the big announcement soon for all those on this site’s email list! There you will learn how to make this future home of yours a dream home… a home that will amaze you and everyone who visits.
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06, 2019
Rustic addition
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:34+00:00
For those who dream of having a cabin… but don’t want the whole house to be made of log… consider having one room of the home as your rustic retreat.
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06, 2019
Handmade House owners are happier people
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:32+00:00
It’s a good thing to be happy isn’t it?
There is one thing that I’ve noticed over the years and that is that people that own a handmade house tend to be happier than everyone else.
A cabin in the woods, a farmhouse, of maybe a stone cottage is not like any other possession… a thrill for a while but soon taken for granted.
Sure, everyone is thrilled when they first get something new, like a car with only a handful of miles on it, but that same car a few months later looses it’s allure and becomes just “the car”.
A handmade home is life changing, for all who live there. I’ve seen it, and experienced it myself. The magic never seams to wear off.
I have clients whom I built their home for them twenty five years ago who still adore their homes and tell me that building
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06, 2019
Four reasons to build your own house
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:28+00:00
When I built my first house I did it for three excellent reasons.
But it turned out, there was a surprising fourth benefit to undertaking this challenge that proved even more life changing for me.
1) I wanted to live in a home that I built… one that was built exactly the way I wanted it to be, not like someone else felt like doing it.
2) I wanted high quality, but I wanted my cost to be as low as possible… the only way to get that was to do a lot of the work myself. I can’t expect others to work for low, or no, pay.
3) I wanted the lifestyle, and the freedom, that comes from having a dream home with minimal mortgage that would be paid off in just a few years.
4) This is the one that surprised me… I thought that building my own home was going to be a long labor-intensive ordeal to go through. But it turned out to be one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. Trust me, if you have any inkling to build your own home, don’t go through life and miss out on this experience.
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06, 2019
Memories, both old and new
Noah Bradley2019-06-29T11:09:27+00:00
I do like building in such a way that it either stirs up old memories… or creates new ones.