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Comment by rwol | Hacker News Reader

Maybe I’ll try starting with a tabletop model as the other poster suggested.

Any thoughts on acquiring the land? I was told getting in touch with a realtor local to the area would be a good start.

You’ll want to still take his shed building advice. Building a tabletop model will not give you the carpentry experience needed to build a cabin. At all.

You can also volunteer for your local variant of Habitats for Humanity but it’s inefficient and it’s more herding cats than carpentry. Still you might make some connections and someone may allow you to ride under their wing.

Is it really that difficult? I’m imagine there are things I am missing, but isn’t it pretty much: build foundation, build floor, build frame, build out roof, build walls, etc.?

As long as I research, do proper leveling, cutting, etc. and follow along with other builds’ process, I am thinking I will be fine. Would be great to hear where I might be wrong though so I don’t sink money into a failed build.

Yes, unless you have prior experiences, it is that hard. I agree with the others here who recommend you build an on-site tool/storage shed as practice. And no, it's not just about building foundations, floors, walls etc. You will need to consider how to rough-in for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, etc. as part of the build. Your wall-framing techniques have to take into consideration things like openings for doors, windows, and even how you will hang sheetrock.

Your biggest hurdle is probably going to be the permitting/inspection processes, assuming you want a legally habitual dwelling.

Agreed there, I know not to mess with plumbing, electric, and/or heating myself. Was debating going with spray on insulation done professionally, although I understand costs will rise the more I hire contractors.

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