January 12, 2012 editor1 Equipment, Projects

Home Mechanics – Making Your Own Metal Fuel Lines

More Clark Airborne Dozer Stuff:

Making Your Own Metal Fuel Lines Part 1

During the rebuild of the Clark Airborne Dozer it was apparent that the rubber fuel lines were not original to the vehicle. The TM (Technical Manual) for the dozer specified metal fuel lines. I am trying as much as possible to restore the vehicle back to how it would have looked when the Airborne Engineers used it in 1944-45. The TM has a few sketchy/grainy diagrams of the routing of the fuel lines from the carburetor to the fuel sediment bowl (also missing). The lines are depicted in the BW photos as a light colored material, so I am assuming they are steel fuel/brake line material common to the era. The fittings are also a light color material and are either brass or some other metal. Restorers like to see original items built for the particular vehicle and were packaged years ago but never opened (called NOS, New Old Stock). Since the company manufactured all of their own parts and most of the fittings in 1943-44, there’s not much NOS laying around.

I’ve decided to use steel fuel line and brass fittings for the rebuild, and I’m going to have to make them myself, since the prospects of finding NOS fuel lines and fittings is extremely low. I suppose if I did find them they would be outrageously expensive. As a comparison, I needed a small metal lever type switch for the lights. It’s essentially an on/off switch specifically made for the Clark Bulldozer. It was $71 on the internet, but more importantly, it was probably the only one listed for sale in the last 6 months!! Keeping costs down is another reason to do it myself.

Tube Bending

Following some basic research I settled on purchasing a hand-operated bending tool and a flaring tool. The bending tool is used to shape the metal line to the configuration needed. The TM shows a few bends and curves in the line, so I want to match those as close as possible. The hand-held tool that I have is essentially a set of pliers which grasps the fuel line for bending. The channel of the pliers has a groove which matches the diameter of the line. The channel is angled so as to create a supporting platform to “mold” the bend without kinking the line. It distributes the bending force equally along the side walls of the line so that it resists kinking. It is quite simple to make rather complex bends of varying angles and radius with the simple tool.

The particular model that I chose is easy to use, but it has one flaw. The “closure” that holds the tube firmly in place as you exert the pressure is made with a sharp edge and as it grips the tube it leaves a bit of a crimp/kink in the line which I do not like. It is essentially not a clean bend. There are other designs of hand held bending tools which may do a better job than the one I purchased. I assume that other types would not leave the tell-tale “crimp” marks as does the tool I purchased. The downside of that I think would be the bend is limited to a radius which matched the size of the bending wheel. Some of the models are relatively cheap, and there are more complex ones available that probably produce superior results. If I were going to bend a few thousand yards of line, I’d probably upgrade mine. For the simple jobs I have to do I am relatively happy with the results. I purchased my tools from Eastwood Company. The shipping was fast, price reasonable and the tool worked as advertised with the exception of the minor crimp marks which may be operator error: http://www.eastwood.com. I would recommend the following procedure for the type of pliers I used:
1. If you have an existing pattern, you can lay your straight tube alongside the bend pattern and make marks with a sharpie where you need to bend. With no pattern, you can eyeball the bends needed by taking a coat hanger and bending it “on-site” to match the bends you need with your tube. Use the actual components on the vehicle, bending the coat hanger by hand from the carburetor to the fuel sediment bowl in whatever configuration you need to fit the line. The coat hanger will bend easily and you will not need any tools. From this you have your pattern.
2. Place the tube in the pliers with the gripping orifice at the point where you want the bend to start, and the tube extending out along the angled channel.
3. Gently apply pressure on the piece of the tube that hangs out from the pliers along the pre-formed channels of the pliers. This will begin the bend at the prescribed angle.
4. You may need to move the pliers along the tube in the direction of the bend if you are making a more radical bend that is a tighter radius and more degrees of bend. This will prevent the line from kinking over.
5. With every minor bend, continue to compare your work to the pattern you made until the radius and angle of the bend match closely.
6. Once the tube has been bent to the prescribed configuration you can cut it to length with a standard pipe cutter, and then make the flares which will be discussed in part 2.

Using the cutting tool is quite simple. Place the tube in the cutting tool vice between the cutting wheel and the rollers. Screw down the rollers until the edge of the cutting wheel contacts the tube with slight pressure. Rotate the cutting tool around the tube for 1-3 revolutions. This makes the initial score in the tube. With every 2-3 rotations around the tube, tighten the clam down about ½ turn to score the tube deeper. Eventually the series of scores get deeper and deeper until the tube is fully cut. Resist the temptation to ‘cinch’ the clamp down tight as you will only crimp the tube and make a rougher cut. Be patient and make a clean cut.

In Part 2, I’ll cover the process of Tube Flaring.

January 11, 2012 editor1 Homemaking Skills, Recipes

Whole Wheat Bread

I love the taste of freshly-baked whole wheat bread. By making it myself, I can decide what ingredients I use, grind my own wheat berries, and make it much less expensively than I could ever buy it.

Hard White Wheat Berries — Hard White Wheat

By purchasing and storing the wheat in berry form, you can safely keep it for years without spoilage. Whole wheat flour, in contrast, goes rancid very quickly. I usually only grind up enough for a couple of batches of bread at a time, using half immediately and freezing the other half.

My grain mill is a Wondermill Junior Deluxe unpowered hand mill. I decided to buy this one after getting great reviews from a fellow bread-maker in Ft. Worth. The great thing about this mill is that you get two different types of grinding stones. One set of stones is for grains; the other is stainless steel and can be used for oily things, such as flax seed, peanuts, coffee, etc. I did add my own modification in the form of a plastic bowl guard around the grinding stones. Some of the newer models have a modification built in to keep the flour from making a huge mess as the grinding is going on… my simple (and inexpensive) modification works fine, too.

It takes about 15 minutes for me to grind up about 5-6 cups of flour. Today I also enlisted the help of my boys (free labor). The wheat we ground today was the last of the hard red wheat that I have here in Georgia. The boys actually prefer the taste of the hard white wheat. It seems to have a milder flavor.

After grinding the wheat, I use my breadmaker to knead the dough. I’m primarily interested in the bread machine for mixing and kneading the dough. I do not bake bread in the machine. The main problem with baking bread in the machine is that there is no flexibility for how long your bread needs to rise properly. That, along with the sometimes strange shape of the loaf, makes baking in the machine unattractive (at least to me).

Here’s my recipe:

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

1 cup lukewarm water
1 egg
4 T. oil
2 T. honey
1 T. vital gluten (this is a must for 100% whole wheat bread… makes the texture much better)
1 tsp. dough enhancer (check ingredients on this… some of them out there have weird ingredients)
1/2 c. oatmeal
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt (I like kosher salt)
2 1/2 tsp. yeast (I buy SAF yeast by the pound)

Dump all the ingredients into the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (wet ingredients first in my machine). Let the machine run through both knead cycles on the standard breadmaking cycle. This should take about 1 hour.

After the 2nd kneading, split the dough in half, form loaves, cover with a dish towel and let rise in two greased 8″ loaf pans. The time this takes will vary, depending on temperature of your kitchen… just watch until it doubles.

Bake 25 minutes in 350 degree oven. Remove from pans immediately, cover with dishtowel and let cool on a rack.

Let Rise until double — Doubled in size...

I usually freeze one loaf immediately (unless we wipe out one loaf immediately). This bread is so delicious for sandwiches.

Is it cheating to use the bread machine? I don’t know… I do know that it kneads it very well and makes it so easy to do that I rarely buy bread in the stores. To me, it’s just a good use of a useful tool. I have never cared for the result from a bread machine when the entire baking process is used. I only like it for the kneading help.

Notes: You can vary this recipe very easily to suit yourself. For example, if you would like to add in some ground flax seed for additional nutrition, you can substitute 3 T. of ground flax seed for 1 T. oil. You’ll need to either increase the water slightly, or use just a bit less flour for this. Also, if you don’t want to use honey, you can use 2-3 T. sugar instead. You can also leave out the oatmeal and just use all wheat flour, substituting about 1/2 c. flour for the 1/2 c. oatmeal. Many times I will use part whole wheat flour with part all-purpose white flour to suit my picky youngest boy. What we moms will do to sneak extra nutrition into foods kids like! When you aren’t making it 100% whole wheat, you can omit the vital gluten and dough enhancer, too. Instead of vegetable oil, you can use butter or shortening or coconut oil…the list is endless…

One thing I do plan to learn to do when we get back to New Mexico is bake bread in my solar oven. I have seen many online articles about this and will definitely make use of the techniques when I have decent solar exposure to use (where we live now our house is surrounded by huge trees — I kid you not — there is virtually no place I could place the solar oven and expect to get several hours of decent sun other than right out by the road in front of our house…).

Do you have a favorite bread recipe? I’m always looking for new ideas…

Hot, fresh bread... — The finished product.

Here’s the finished product. Yum.

January 10, 2012 editor1 Book Reviews

Book Review – The Self-Sufficient Home

The Self-Sufficient Home: Going Green and Saving Money, by Christopher Nyerges is a very interesting book in our homesteading library. I bought this book after hearing Nyerges interviewed by Jack Spirko on The Survival Podcast awhile back.

His book is a collection of information about tackling the various systems of support we all depend upon and becoming self-sufficient. He talks about heating and cooling, covering such topics as insulation, the color of your roof, attic fans powered by refurbished solar panels…

There is a very interesting story about a family’s experiences during a California earthquake in 1971, and how they got by with the preparations they had in their home for very low cost.

Nyerges covers other topics, such as composting and gardening, alternative energy, solar water heaters, water storage, toilet alternatives and even a very nice tutorial on biodiesel.

I would say that Nyerges has taken the idea of self-sufficiency a bit farther than I ever hope to need to do, but there is a lot of very good information in this book. If nothing else, he does bring to mind the awareness of just how much there is in everyday life that we take for granted.

January 9, 2012 editor1 Hobbies

Reloading

Several years ago I was heavily into research on precision rifles. I was interested in having a suitable long-range rifle built because I sincerely enjoy marksmanship. I enjoy the challenge of accurate shooting at ranges beyond 500 meters. I read a book called, The Ultimate Sniper by John Plaster. It is an excellent source for learning about long-range ballistic, principles of shooting, the effects of atmospheric variables on accuracy and a host of other shooting related principles. In my opinion the book provides one of the best overviews of long-range marksmanship even though it is from the perspective of a military sniper.

While reading the book, I was intrigued by the nature of the discussion on caliber and bullet weight. I suppose this is why we see many long-range shooters evaluating and many even selecting the .50 caliber as the platform for supreme long-range accuracy, although I would suspect that foot/pounds per second at the point of delivery is probably the deciding point for many of those selections. There is a healthy discussion on the merits of the 168 grain 7.62 mm standard NATO round. It definitely has its merits when match grade ammunition is used, but the bullet performance past 5-600 yards begins to suffer. Since that was on the lower range where I like to shoot I decided to focus on one of the magnum rounds; the .300 Winchester Magnum. The size of the casing, the hefty number of grains of powder, and the versatility of numerous different bullet weights to choose from solidified the decision for me. The combination of superb muzzle velocity and bullet weight made this an ideal 600 yard plus shooter. The problem was the cost of match grade ammunition. At the time I had my rifle built, a 20 round box of match grade .300 WM ammo was over $40.00. At $2.00 a shot there was not much shooting to be done on a fixed budget with a house, two cars and two young boys in the home. That is where I branched off into reloading ammunition.

Reloading afforded me the ability to load ammunition at tolerances which exceeded factory match grade loads and at about 25% of the cost, if you don’t factor in the cost of the reloading tools. I figure any tool added to the house is just part of the deal and we don’t talk cost. I’m glad my wife agrees with me on that point. I purchased a basic RCBS Rock-Chucker Master Kit, manual press with a few extra components. I did not choose a progressive loader which somewhat automates or speeds up the reloading process because my focus was on pure quality, not quantity. The versatility of the progressive system will be for reloading our 9mm, 5.56mm, and .45 cal ammunition. For the .300 WM I am strictly a manual guy. The purchase of such a complete kit provides the novice reloader nearly everything needed to begin reloading except three things; reloading components, a set of reloading dies and most important, knowledge.

I took my kit home and spent nearly a month reading, studying, talking with other reloaders and surfing the web. When I was satisfied that I was ready to start “building bullets” I set myself up in a quiet area of the house and began reloading precision rounds. I cannot emphasize enough the need to study and learn, because although reloading can be fairly straightforward, there are many hazardous pitfalls that can be ”catastrophous” (as we used to say in the Army) while reloading or on the range. Be careful, follow the rules, ask for guidance, and take your time. Do not reload when there are any distractions around, because breaking your chain of actions might result in you double loading a casing with twice the powder following a 30 second interruption by a family member.

The components for match grade reloading are also very important. I select only premium grade components for precision shooting; match grade casings, match grade primers and match grade bullets. I am convinced that you can get a far better load than factory, machine loaded, match grade ammo provided you are consistent in your measurements, procedures and care. Another thing that allows me to precisely control the accuracy of each round is to manually inspect each component by hand. I use a micrometer to measure the length of each 180 grain Boat Tail Spitzer round, reserving only the bullets that meet the tightest of tolerances and show no deformity in the tip. Any minor variation can change the coefficient of ballistics of the round or the total weight and at 1000 yards a very minor variance is compounded into a healthy miss distance. Each case is carefully inspected and once again measured with a micrometer and trimmed to exact case length before reloading. Cleaning and sizing the primer pocket seems innocuous, but that, too, can have an impact of the speed at which the powder charge ignites in the casing. Ummeasurable variations in ignition timing can affect the bullet’s velocity. An additional variance is the overall case length. The depth at which the bullet is seated in the casing can also affect the velocity. This too must be precisely measured. Many times I will load a test round with no powder or primer to validate the overall case length before proceeding. Differences in reloading temperature and humidity will also impact accuracy. Rounds loaded at 68 degrees and 20% humidity will perform differently at 1000 yards than will rounds loaded in 85 degrees and 80% humidity. Although this is not an all-inclusive list and is not is it intended to be a lesson in reloading, it does provide a basic perspective on getting started. Remember, the key is knowledge…so read as much as you can before you start.

January 6, 2012 editor1 Homestead

WilderWolf Guest Post

I was invited to make another guest post over at the WilderWolf blog. Stop by over there and check out all the great articles they have going on.

Most recently, Tiff has shared the fruits of her study on the subject of alpacas. Being a knitting fanatic, she is always interested in various types of fiber – wool and alpaca especially. Since they are planning to buy a place in northern Idaho, they are thinking of the types of animals they will have on their place. A ready source of knitting materials sounds very attractive.

They have recently added a Great Pyrenees dog to their family and included great photos and even a very charming video of the litter of pups in action. Atlas will be a good help around their homestead as he grows to full-size.

Rich also recently posted a 2011 retrospective, with hopes for a better 2012.

Tiff is a wonderful site designer… I get inspired every time I visit over there.

January 5, 2012 editor1 Friends

Citrus Treasure Box

Louisiana Citrus — Satsumas, kumquats, Sweets and Lemons!

We received the most wonderful package in the mail today…good friends from Louisiana sent us a care package with amazingly delicious citrus.

Satsumas are grown in the Placquemines Parish region of Louisiana and became a favorite of the whole family when we lived there. They don’t have the characteristics that make them good for storing well and shipping to other parts of the country, so many folks who never lived where satsumas grow have never tried them. Unless you live in Louisiana or Texas (possibly Alabama) you probably rarely see them in your local grocery store. Many of the locals have trees in their own yards and have enough for themselves and for sharing. For those that don’t, many local families sell them at local fruit stands, etc. Our favorite fruit stand was in Belle Chasse, Johnny Becnel’s (You can find them at: 8134 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, (504) 392-0534.)

Those huge yellow fruits in the photo that look like mini grapefruit are actually lemons! I couldn’t believe how gorgeous they were. I know we’ll have difficulty using them all while they are still fresh, so I have started freezing the juice in cubes for use later on. Just one of those beautiful lemons yielded me almost 2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice. Amazing.

Kumquats are another favorite of mine. I had never even tried them before we lived in Belle Chasse. Imagine my surprise when I was instructed to eat the entire fruit, skin and all (minus seeds, of course). Since the rest of my family has not discovered the wondrous joy of eating kumquats, I claim all the kumquats from the package for myself. The kumquat is another fruit that doesn’t travel well. I’ve bought them in stores far from the orchards and have often been very disappointed at how quickly they spoiled. Now that I realize this, I don’t wait around for that to happen… In the Belle Chasse region, there were two distinct type of kumquats that were sold. The almost-round variety… these were very, very sweet — and the more oblong type, which were sour. I do love the sweet type, but have never seen them in stores since leaving New Orleans.

Naval oranges and Louisiana Sweets are also wonderful treats from the area… since they are picked at full ripeness, they seem to taste much better than the oranges you get in stores.

OK… enough already on what a happy day this was. Donnie and Lettie really spoiled us!

January 5, 2012 editor1 Dehydrating Foods, Homemaking Skills, Recipes

Dehydrating Vegetables – Potatoes

Shortly after I began learning about dehydration I found a great deal on Potatoes – $1.99 for a 20 lb. bag. With this being such an excellent value, I decided this would be my next experiment. Little did I know that this would become the all-time family favorite dried food.

Potatoes must be blanched* before they are dried, so drying potatoes is not quite as carefree an operation as with tomatoes.

I’ve put together a little picture tutorial on the method…

*Any vegetable that must be blanched before freezing must also be blanched before dehydration. This is a good rule of thumb. Any decent all-purpose cookbook with instructions on freezing food will give you a guide for this.

The blanching method:

After peeling (optional) and dicing or slicing, blanch the potatoes in boiling water until cooked sufficiently to heat up clear through. How long this takes will depend on the thickness of your slices or dices. I found that about 3-4 minutes was usually sufficient. After a batch or two, you can tell by looking at them whether they are done enough. It’s a bit of an art…

I soon discovered that, if improperly blanched, the potatoes were no good… the parts of the potatoes that were not blanched properly turned black when dried.

After blanching, cool immediately in an ice-water bath.

Arrange on dehydrator trays and dry at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. The potatoes should be completely dry all the way through for proper storage. Slices should snap when broken in two. Cubes should be dry completely to the center.

The potatoes reduce greatly in size during the drying process and store very well.

To save freezer space, you can also take dehydrate frozen hashbrowns. Since they have been prepared for freezing, you don’t need to blanch first. You can just dump a package of frozen hashbrowns right onto the dehydrator trays and dry them. These are another favorite…

After dehydration, potatoes can be easily used in soups, stews, pot pies and the like. However, our family’s favorite way is to fry them in butter to add as a side dish to a meal.

Rehydrate the potatoes by placing in a bowl, pouring boiling water to cover and let soak for 15 minutes or more.

Drain well, fry in butter until nicely browned… salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

January 4, 2012 editor1 Hobbies, Homemaking Skills, Knitting

It’s Knitting Weather

Wintertime is my time for knitting. Every year (or almost every, I should say) about the time it starts to get cooler I begin wondering where I stashed that bag of yarn I found on sale. The yarn slips through the fingers so nicely in the cooler months… plus there is that feeling of wanting to wear some nice, warm socks, gloves, scarves, hats… I’ve almost run out of sock yarn in the past few weeks… the picture is a pile of the socks I’ve made recently.

I’m currently working on a pair of gloves (not a beginning project, but really fun on double-pointed needles for the more experienced).

I learned to knit from a neighbor lady, Mrs. Easton, who lived across the street from our home when I was about 7 years old. Having attempted to teach a 7-year old to knit, I can now fully appreciate the patience that dear lady must have had. For several weeks in a row, I’d go over to her house at a specified time and learn the basics of knitting.

She taught me how to rewind my skeins of yarn into nice, round balls of yarn with the starting thread sticking out from the middle. It is ever so much nicer to pull from the middle so that your yarn doesn’t roll across the room with every pull as you are knitting. I’ll admit that I tend to dig around in the skeins and find the “pull from the middle” thread without rewinding usually, but I know how to do it if need be!

Then, she taught me the basics of casting on using the “Knitting-on” method. Using a burgundy maroon wool yarn and size 8 needles, we began making a (very lovely – you can imagine how the first project made by a 7 year old looked) potholder.

I found a nice YouTube video demonstrating this method here:

It is an excellent method of casting on, leaving a nice finish on the edge, while remaining stretchy. This is the method I use most often even still, after all these years.

Next, Mrs. Easton taught me to knit using the “Knit” stitch. Another YouTube demonstration showing this method is here:

When each row is knitted using the Knit stitch only, you end up with a pattern called the Garter Stitch. This gives a sort of horizontal ribbed pattern to your knitting.

She also taught me how to knit using the Purl stitch. This stitch is the opposite of the knit stitch. Using this stitch on alternate rows creates what is called the stockinette stitch. Alternating knitting and purling within a row can create a vertical ribbing and is commonly seen at the edges of projects like sweaters, mittens, gloves, etc. I found an online video demonstrating this stitch as well (she also demonstrates how to bind off using a purl stitch method).

She also taught me the proper way to hold my thread to keep a steady tension. Now at that point I had no idea there were so many different ways to hold the yarn… Pinky wrap (that’s the method I use), continental, throwing… and many variations on each. This video gives a reasonable explanation of the method, although it is not the favorite of the person demonstrating… feel free to investigate other methods and find what suits you. I find my knitting to be of very even tension and matches the knitting gauge pretty closely using this method, so I’m not changing!

Finally, after many weeks of struggling with dropped stitches (she helped me fix the mistakes, but still there were a few “holes” where my errors were evident), gaining the coordination to knit row after row… I had an almost 8” square knitted potholder. The final thing was to learn to bind off. This video gives a very simple demonstration of that technique.

With these simple techniques, you have the basics of everything there is in knitting. Everything you find in patterns will be these skills or a variation of one or more of them. This was the full extent of my toolbox when I began. By buying knitting magazines, or some books with beginner patterns, you can start from here and learn to knit anything… color combinations, knitting on double-pointed needles, felting… the world of knitting is fascinating and useful.

Hat and Gloves — A project from last year... hat and gloves

I buy yarn when I find it on sale, most often. I’m always thinking about projects for the next winter and looking whenever I’m in a fabric or craft store. I also love buying yarn online from www.KnitPicks.com . I think they often have yarn at a very good price and have a great selection of colors and types of yarn.

Over the years I have accumulated a pretty large collection of books that have many different methods and stitch patterns, as well as methodology for creating your own patterns using various types of yarns and needles. I once had the great good fortune to buy a lot at an auction of things gathered by another avid knitter of a previous generation. I have a huge collection of knitting needles in varying sizes from that great find.

Really, knitting is a wonderful skill to have on the homestead. I highly recommend you investigate it (or renew your interest in it).

Check out my friend Tiffany’s lovely knitting project here: Alpaca Mitts – really beautiful. Tiffany is much more adventurous on intarsia knitting and does some really complex patterns… I’m hoping for more of her projects to be posted over there.

There is also an entire community of knitters sharing ideas, projects, photos, etc. over at Ravelry.com. I don’t post much over there, but have been very amazed and impressed with some of the beautiful work submitted by members.

January 3, 2012 editor1 Book Reviews, Gardening

Book Review: Kitchen Garden: What to Grow and How to Grow It

Kitchen Garden, by Lucy Peel

Kitchen Garden: What to Grow and How to Grow It, by Lucy Peel.

This little gardening book is one that I have found to be very helpful. One of the first books I purchased upon my decision to may a foray into the gardening world, I continue to return to it for ideas on crop rotation, tips on tree pruning, etc.

I particularly like the way the book is laid out, giving the reader a pleasant read through, as well as a well-organized reference. The book has three main sections, garden practice, comprehensive plant guide and lastly, problem solving.

Within the garden practice section, you’ll find various topics including assessing your site, crop rotation, growing under cover, and composting. In the detailed plant guide, there is much information that is very specific about particular seed varieties and details such as when to sow, transplanting and when to harvest for each type.

The book layout is very nice, with helpful tabs for the different sections. I love the colorful photos throughout and the color-coded boxes with helpful tips and care charts.

As I begin thinking about our first garden on the new homestead, this book has become another old friend that I am visiting again this winter.

If you are interested in another similar book review, you may like this previous post: Book Reviews, The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan

January 2, 2012 editor1 Construction, Design, Homestead

The Owner-Builder

Workshop — The workshop is taking shape...

There’s no doubt a lot of money to be saved by doing some or all of your home construction yourself. There are some simple ways of deciding how to sort that out. In some cases the requirements are governed by law. You may encounter the need for specific equipment, and finally there may be levels of expertise or physical abilities that make it impractical for doing the work yourself.

Building a house is a series of linked projects. Assuming you already own your land the project begins with research , learning all there is about the land, the type of home, construction materials, building codes and permitting procedures. From there it progresses to the design phase. The design phase encompasses everything from the house plans, the plot plan, the interconnection of all utilities, design of landscaping and any supporting infrastructure needed to prepare your homestead. The design phase never really ends. Changes are made up to, and in some cases, well after you move in. The more effort you put into the research and the design phases, the less problems and cost overruns you will encounter due to changes and oversights. You also have the permitting process. This requires lots of time and effort to get your well permit, septic permit, building permit, electricity run to the site, and cable/phone hook up.

The projects continue with excavation/site preparation, foundation work/masonry, , rough-in plumbing , framing, roofing, rough-in electrical , more plumbing, installation of HVAC system, , insulation, drywall installation, exterior finishing, , painting, flooring, bathroom/kitchen installation, finish plumbing , finish electrical, miscellaneous items, punch-out list (completion of all minor items needing touch-up/attention) and a final inspection . Each of these phases (and this is not a complete list) impacts the other. Some can be done concurrently, where others must be completely done before moving to the next phase. If errors are made in one phase, they will compound themselves with each subsequent phase until corrected. That costs time and money. The projects that I’ve highlighted in Blue above are the ones I will definitely do myself. The ones in Red will be subcontacted out. The ones in Black are undecided. As you can see from the list above, we should be able to save a significant amount on labor and project management fees.

The Law

Each state is different. In some portions of the state of New Mexico, a person, who is not a licensed contractor, can act as their own Owner-Builder. We are building in a region where you can perform your own plumbing work. Any electrical work requires that you be a licensed electrician. I suppose you could study and sit through the test and get a license, but there are a lot of aspects relating to electricity that are, in my opinion, worth allowing a professional to handle. One could also make the same argument for allowing a licensed plumber to do the work, but in my case I am going to do that work myself. Legally, in the county where I have submitted my application for my building permit, I am allowed to do everything except electrical work.

Equipment

Some jobs require a minimum of equipment to perform. Installing rolled insulation is one of those. You need to cut the rolls, you need a staple gun to secure them, and you need a ladder, or in some cases a small section of scaffolding to comfortably and safely reach the high spots. You will also need eye protection, respiratory equipment, and a set of coveralls to minimize the intrusion of the fiber material into your drawers! Other phases of the construction require a significant outlay of equipment. Some of the equipment can be purchased and retained for later use on the homestead, whereas others can be rented. Depending on how experienced you are with the equipment, the rental costs could exceed the cost of the tool itself if you keep it rented for 2 weeks! I am comfortable renting trenchers and small tractors, but anything else I plan on buying unless I do not see any utility in having that tool on the homestead. We plan to install a metal roof. Some of the bending and long cutting tools can be expensive; unless you plan on doing sheet metal work on the homestead they are not practical to buy. I’m not sure where you would rent those tools either. Based on tools, I do not plan on doing any of the metal roofing work myself. I will also leave the concrete pouring and finishing to a subcontractor. For most of the rest of the jobs, I have set aside an equipment budget to purchase or rent the hand and power tools needed. Then, after the homestead is built, I will have a suitable variety of practical tools for other projects. It’s also a nice excuse to buy more tools!

Sweat of your Brow and Know How

I’ve never built a house before. I’ve acted as a subcontractor on a home, closely supervised the construction of another, and lived in several other homes ranging from new construction to one built in 1893. We’ve moved 18 times over our 30 year marriage. My level of expertise is wide, but not deep. I have a lot to learn, and I have to gain a lot of experience to get it right so that I save money and build a safe house. Three things will help me here; research, reading and good friends who know what they are doing. The friend is not to ask to do the work, but to ask for advice and guidance. In our case we have such a friend and we are making it a business proposition as mentioned in an earlier thread. The combination of his advice, my back-work should result in victory. There are some things that I feel uncomfortable with. Roofing comes to mind. I know absolutely squat about metal roofing, and as mentioned before I do not have the tools to do a proper job. I’m planning to leave that up to a subcontractor. Stucco is another one of those areas that I consider an art. I could probably learn how to do it over time, but there is a reason why underlings apprentice for awhile before being turned loose. We’ll sub that out also. Things like painting, trim work, installing insulation, installing cabinets, sheet rock installation, tile work, I feel comfortable that with a little guidance and some basic tools, I can do those things myself. Framing is an area that I have not made up my mind on. I think I could frame a custom house, but I think it would take me 5 times as long and in the process I might waste the savings of not using a sub on mistakes and re-work. The home I’ve designed has a rather complex roof line, that if not done properly can be costly. Not to mention, a 10:12 pitch roof is tall and that is not something I can do myself. A final thought on framing is I can probably get the house framed and the roof dried in within 2 weeks before the heat of the NM summer kicks in if I subcontract that portion out. After that, nearly everything else will be done in the shade with a breeze blowing through the open walls.

I suppose time becomes the final aspect of deciding what to do yourself. In our case, I am retiring, so my “retirement job” will be building the house. Rather than paying a general contractor to do all of the coordination and scheduling, I will do that myself. If time is a factor and you do not have everyday free to work on the house, it will either take you much longer to finish an owner-builder home, or you will have to subcontract nearly everything out. As far as the time value of money; many of the Owner-Builder books discuss the saving as being in the 10-15% area for this alone. For a $200,000 house, that is as much as $30,000! When you add up the costs of all of the other labor, the amount subcontactors add on to projects for ordering and delivering the materials it could add another significant amount to the savings. The more you do yourself, the more you save. I estimate that the house will be built for a cost that is approximately 60-70% of a turn-key purchase. For a $200k house, that’s a savings of $60-80k.