I always feel a little awkward when people ask me if I built my house by myself because I don't know how to answer. Yes, I mostly did I guess. If you watched the process from the outside it would appear I was the one doing most of the hammer swinging and building. I never hired any help, but my dad and boyfriend lent a hand. There are some things you just can't do with one person.
Along with the help I got lifting, reaching, and holding things, I got support in ways no one probably saw that made my tiny house possible. Without the help I received from my family and friends my house never would have existed.
I was recently shown an Elizabeth Warren quote that I feel sums up my thoughts on the process.
Along with the help I got lifting, reaching, and holding things, I got support in ways no one probably saw that made my tiny house possible. Without the help I received from my family and friends my house never would have existed.
I was recently shown an Elizabeth Warren quote that I feel sums up my thoughts on the process.
"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. . . . Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."
While this was originally said in a speech about economic theory, I feel it applies to many areas of my life. For my tiny house I think I wouldn't have tried a project like this if I didn't have the "infrastructure" my dad set up over 10 years ago. He has always been in to making things and has been building a collection of tools since I can remember. A little over 10 years ago he took on a large project and built the house he's living in now by himself. This means buying air compressors, framing nailers, tar paper, Tyvek, special drill bits, and all the other odds and ends that go into building a house. Ten years later we still had all the tools and a ton of left overs in the garage that I ended up using on my house. This made the mountain I had to climb look a lot smaller. In other words, I had less ducks to get in a row than other people do.
In addition to having some infrastructure in place to start the house, my dad let me move back home for two years, use his garage, and live rent-free while I was building/going to school/working. He didn't have to do that and I am grateful. I'm not sure if I would have been able to pay for everything while also paying rent.
Lastly, I was lucky to have a wonderful job that was flexible enough to let me go to school and work part time. It also paid well, especially for a service job in my area. My bosses and co-workers were supportive and let me talk about the house, gave me gifts for it, and were patient when I came in stressed or exhausted.
When people ask me if I built my house myself, the easiest answer yes. It has always felt awkward to take full credit for something that was made possible by others, but I've never known how to explain it in a 5 second answer that honors them as well as the work I did do. I guess the best way to answer the "who built your house" question, is by starting the conversation in this blog post.
In addition to having some infrastructure in place to start the house, my dad let me move back home for two years, use his garage, and live rent-free while I was building/going to school/working. He didn't have to do that and I am grateful. I'm not sure if I would have been able to pay for everything while also paying rent.
Lastly, I was lucky to have a wonderful job that was flexible enough to let me go to school and work part time. It also paid well, especially for a service job in my area. My bosses and co-workers were supportive and let me talk about the house, gave me gifts for it, and were patient when I came in stressed or exhausted.
When people ask me if I built my house myself, the easiest answer yes. It has always felt awkward to take full credit for something that was made possible by others, but I've never known how to explain it in a 5 second answer that honors them as well as the work I did do. I guess the best way to answer the "who built your house" question, is by starting the conversation in this blog post.