Thursday, December 11, 2008

New Homestead Adventure

It looks like our family is about to embark on a new homestead adventure. Our home is needing so much major repair (foundation, termite damage, roof) that we have had to make the decision to rebuild. So, here is the challenge. How does a family with very limited financial resources build a new home without accumulating debt? That is the interesting part.

We have decided on a small approx. 800 sq. ft. floor plan. It is a simple design that is actually based on the house my Grandmother lived in when I was growing up. It is 3 bedroom with 1 bath. On our floor plan, the bathroom is as large as the bedrooms as it will also serve as the laundry room. Two of the bedrooms will be along one end of the house and the bathroom & 3rd bedroom will be on the opposite side of the house. In the center section of the home will be one large room. One portion of the room will serve as a kitchen area, the other end as a living room area, with the dining table separating the two areas. This design will allow us to place 2 propane heaters in opposite ends of the central room which will be enough to heat the entire home. We will also have our wood stoves that will heat the home, with the propane being there as a back-up for times such as ovenight or if we are low on firewood.

We are excited about this. Joe and I have talked about doing this in the past, but always thought of it happening further in the future. I am researching online for options on how we can best do this. There are so many options out there. We just have to sift through them to find the one that is in a price range that we can afford without going into debt. Our plan is to get the foundation, framing, and roof done with help. Joe and I can close it up and wrap it. Once the house is closed up and we get the insulation and plumbing in, we will be able to move in. We can always finish the interior after we are in the house.

Isn't it exciting to see how the Lord leads? We hadn't thought of doing this so soon, but evidently it is the right time.

3 comments:

Alice said...

That is exciting!

I can hardly wait until we get to build our dream home. It will be nice to have a simple floor plan that works for what you want it for.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

We also are in the prosess of building our own small, efficient home (about 1100 sq. ft.) in Oklahoma. My husband & I are doing all the work ourselves--it is rewarding but has taken us longer than anticipated. We are building as the Lord provides the money--so we will not have any debt. We are currently living in our RV, as we sold our last home to get the starting cash for this one. It is an experience and we are always busy----but will be well worth it!!! Best wishes to your family!!

Anonymous said...

That is wonderful! I grew up with Mom and Dad building everything we lived in. You are in for an adventure. The open floorplan sounds great, like something a real family would use -- not a bunch of strangers. Your table will be the center of everything. Your kids will have wonderful memories of home.