I've been frugal for many years, and likewise my eldest son. Never spent money on frivious things. Always used cars. Twenty one inch TVs. Small economical houses. No dishwashers or hot tubs. A window air conditioner in the living room. Spent a vacation roofing this house because it would save a couple of grand. But there comes a time......
We have too many hobbies so it was decided to build a shop big enough to put everything in. Minibikes, as many know, can take up a lot of space. And cars are far worse. Antique engines can't be stacked. With construction down the prices are currently much lower. Lots of folks are now willing to sell material or work at a job that a year or so ago they would have been too proud to take. My son and I are able to do dozing and lazer leveling so that helps the bottom line.
A patch of land on top a mountain [only $1200 an acre] with a more or less all-year-round gravel road, was bull dozed flat. We cut it to virgin ground, no back-filling. The pictures shows a 60 foot X 150 foot building, with 16 foot eaves, being erected. It now has power; took 27 power poles to get electricty to the top of the mountian. The water well needed to be drilled to 730 feet in hard basalt to get adaquate water. Monday the septic tank is being put in it's hole. The building crew are going to set the 30 rafters next week. I admit that this is totally crazy in the eyes of many.
It's expensive, but being built with money honestly worked for and saved. It makes me smile inwardly when some dude in a 45 grand diesel pick up [with 72 months of payments and not a cent saved for tomorrow] looks down his nose at me in my battered, used 92 Toyota and feels like he's totally cool. The effect is even better when my out of control 95 pound dog is smearing his nose all over the side window. I still have a hard time deciding who is crazy.
We have too many hobbies so it was decided to build a shop big enough to put everything in. Minibikes, as many know, can take up a lot of space. And cars are far worse. Antique engines can't be stacked. With construction down the prices are currently much lower. Lots of folks are now willing to sell material or work at a job that a year or so ago they would have been too proud to take. My son and I are able to do dozing and lazer leveling so that helps the bottom line.
A patch of land on top a mountain [only $1200 an acre] with a more or less all-year-round gravel road, was bull dozed flat. We cut it to virgin ground, no back-filling. The pictures shows a 60 foot X 150 foot building, with 16 foot eaves, being erected. It now has power; took 27 power poles to get electricty to the top of the mountian. The water well needed to be drilled to 730 feet in hard basalt to get adaquate water. Monday the septic tank is being put in it's hole. The building crew are going to set the 30 rafters next week. I admit that this is totally crazy in the eyes of many.
It's expensive, but being built with money honestly worked for and saved. It makes me smile inwardly when some dude in a 45 grand diesel pick up [with 72 months of payments and not a cent saved for tomorrow] looks down his nose at me in my battered, used 92 Toyota and feels like he's totally cool. The effect is even better when my out of control 95 pound dog is smearing his nose all over the side window. I still have a hard time deciding who is crazy.
