Let’s suppose you have prepared for a year and the time has come to start your house building adventure full time. You could start right in and build a whole house from scratch. In fact you may have thought that is what I was going to suggest when I started all this. Not necessarily so. There are a number of alternatives that might suit you better as a starter project. So, let’s skip right over building from the ground up and talk about another way which I am not fond of but is worth exploring.

Taking on a fixer-upper can be profitable IF…and there are a number of them.

IF you can get one for a low price.

IF it is in a good location where it will sell when finished.

IF the fixing up part of the deal is within your skill set.

IF the costs of rehabbing it are within a realistic budget.

IF there are no surprises when you start repairs. Usually there are.

IF you treat the place as a business and don’t fall in love with it.

There are advantages to a Fixer. You could move right in, saving the rent and utilities of living elsewhere. Camping out in your fixer-upper means having lots more hours per day to work, shortening the time needed to finish the project. You are not there to enjoy the comforts of home; you are there to work. Pretend it’s sort of a combat mission.

Fixing up an existing house means you could do your project anywhere. New Orleans and the Gulf coast is Fixer-Upper Paradise right now.

Working on an existing home means you will be learning by repairing rather than learning by constructing. That is a big difference early in your career and you will learn more than you can imagine. Hopefully you will find a place with better potential than the picture above portrays.

The large number of foreclosures coming on unfortunately means homes will be left unoccupied. Many of them will suffer damage from vandalism or weather and from not being maintained. This puts you in a good position to buy an abandoned home at a low price.

During the last downturn in our local economy, back in about 1996, we looked at an empty home owned by a bank. It had not sold at auction and was in pretty rough shape with broken windows, water damage and overgrown landscaping. We could have gotten it for about $45,000. It was assessed at $135,000. Someone else bought it and a couple years ago it was assessed at $220,000.

The key to getting the best deal on a Fixer is to buy the worst house in a good neighborhood. Unfortunately for some but lucky for you, opportunities like this exist now and there will be more of them in the near future than at any time in many years – IF you are prepared.

I know that people who are good at doing things think anyone could do them if they really wanted to. Building a house from scratch is one of those “things.” A fixer-upper may be the transition project that makes you a good builder.

Next time, I’ll have another transition idea for you.

It is hard to believe this blog is two months old already. Up to this point I have talked about the following:

1. Arranging or rearranging your money.
2. Studying what you need to know about building.
3. Studying the real estate market while looking for deals on things you will need.
4. Transportation for when you do your project.

If you are even slightly aware of the news these days you know the housing market is in trouble and more and more foreclosures are happening all the time. The general economy may even suffer because of this problem so for now it is best to bide your time, save money, get out of debt and become prepared. In about a year there will be lots of good deals on real estate and you will get the best one possible IF you combine your skills, knowledge and the money you have accumulated.

I’ve done this kind of project 24 times and will do it at least once more. But I know most people will not consider this as a career or even as a one time effort. I remember my own worries before building my first house and I have observed the nervousness of people whom I have tried to interest in this type of venture. Excuses are curses.

Some people are so tradition-bound that owning a home by any method other than how everyone else does it is taboo. Some fear the criticism of family or friends who will tell them how absurd the idea is. Some fear failure and doubt their own abilities to complete such a big project. Others cannot, or most often will not, overcome limitations and thus are prevented from success before starting. Believe it or not, some are too well off to attempt something like this because they prefer not to take the financial risk or they believe it is beneath their station in life.

I have had to overcome traditions all my life. It’s been kind of fun and liberating for me. Fears are always involved in decisions of any magnitude but knowledge builds confidence and will get you through.

People who won’t overcome their limitations are the ones who perplex me the most. Limits tend to be in three categories: psychological, as in “I’m just a girl;” situational, as in “I can’t get out of the the ‘hood;” or physical, such as “I’m too old and fat.” Limitations are an excuse to quit before beginning.

I know a fellow who has been blind since he was a young man. I think he is in his 50s now. He has renovated his home! It took him longer than most but like any true builder, he won’t stop until he dies because he loves it. He uses power saws and all the usual tools. He works on his roof. He has even painted his house! I don’t especially like the color, but he does. I let him run his hands over a scale model of one of my homes and he was able to intelligently discuss everything about it. Not many are like Peter but there should be more.

Predictions for what our future might be drives me to live a simpler life, learn practical skills, share my knowledge and be ready to act when the time comes. I don’t remember where I heard this, but “the difference between a survivor and a refugee is timing.” Something to think about.

Hi
I just happened across your web page on the internet and found it very interesting and informative.I do small wood crafts and just starting making bird houses from old barn wood.I was wondering if you have to wash or disinfect the barn boards in any way before you use them for the projects or do you just use a steel brush on them and then go ahead and put your project together.?
Thanks!

Mattie

Well, this brings back memories. I had a period of about ten years doing things with barn boards. It started when a lady offered me a whole barn if I would totally remove it and clean up the site. It was a treasure trove. Besides the huge pile of beautiful boards, beams and weathered shingles there was a truckload of goodies including a perfectly good parlor woodstove, old tools, even an antique crank telephone. I wonder if there are deals like that anymore?

Barn boards are dirty from being around so long and most of them didn’t shower regularly so it is wise to clean and disinfect them before using. Wear good leather work gloves. Barn boards have slivers galore.

My first treatment was to shake the dust and loose stuff off them and pull out nails while making sure to not damage the beauty of the piece. Then I piled them in a stack with sticking between the layers to let air circulate around each board.

Every few weeks I would rebuild the pile so the boards would dry and weather evenly. While doing this I learned to put my favorite boards face up on top of the pile to let the sun and rain give them a “finish” weathering. Sunlight kills some of the mystery microbes in and on old wood but not all. If I am not too concerned about the color of the barn board I want to disinfect, I spray them with a solution of 1/3 laundry bleach and 2/3 water. I do this at least three times and let them dry in the sun between treatments.

Cleaning your boards with a steel brush gets the loose stuff off. A stiff bristled cleaning brush works without damaging the wood grain too much. For bird houses, brushing and disinfecting should be enough. If you rehab your bird houses occasionally, it would be wise to disinfect them before handling. Birds carry little things you don’t want to inhale or get on your skin.

A way to clean smaller barn board projects is with compressed air. It gets dirt out of all the cracks really well and doesn’t hurt the color, grain or texture of the wood. It is a good way to remove dust from your finished products after they have been around awhile too. Be sure to wear protective eye glasses and gloves.

This may be more than you wanted to know for your bird houses but someday you may get offered a whole barn and you will be ready.