Couple 'teach themselves' to build a timber framed house???!

[Graham Orm]

I'm a tad skeptical about this. What are your thoughts guys? 'Builders' put the frames up and they did the rest between them.....they say.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... floor.html

 

[finneyb]

Skeptical on roof and chimney stack - that is a complex roof to tile and the bwk on the stack has not been done by a beginner.
But it is the Daily Mail, so a certain amount of salt will be required.

Brian

 

[bugbear]

There's a lot of weasel words and contradictions in that.

I suspect it's a typical self-build, with a mixture of own-labour, self taught skills (books + internet + practice are powerful)
+ hired tradesman.

BugBear

 

[Rhossydd]

I'm a tad skeptical about this. What are your thoughts guys? 'Builders' put the frames up and they did the rest between them.....they say.

I can't see any reason to disbelieve this article, despite who's printing it.
Learning enough to do a competent, often very good work, just takes determination, effort and reasonable hand to eye co-ordination.
I learnt a different variation of a similar range of skills when I restored by last house; swapping wattle and daub for plastering, slating and zinc work for tiling. Plumbing, electrics and decorating are all pretty straight forward.

 

[Graham Orm]

I'm a tad skeptical about this. What are your thoughts guys? 'Builders' put the frames up and they did the rest between them.....they say.

I can't see any reason to disbelieve this article, despite who's printing it.
Learning enough to do a competent, often very good work, just takes determination, effort and reasonable hand to eye co-ordination.
I learnt a different variation of a similar range of skills when I restored by last house; swapping wattle and daub for plastering, slating and zinc work for tiling. Plumbing, electrics and decorating are all pretty straight forward.

No need to bother with college then. Are you seriously saying that they built that chimney, or tiled that roof? I've been in the industry 35 years and am pretty competent at most trades, but I know for a fact that I couldn't do that size of job without expert assistance from other trades than my own (plumber).

Edit: bugger......make that 35 years!

 

[nanscombe]

Before the government told us all that we were not competent enough to perform various tasks, unless we paid a subscription to the relevant organisation, quite a lot of people successfully managed to do DIY tasks.

Some of us did our own electrics and plumbing (not me but my dad did) and quite a number of us (I'm talking 30 years ago) even did woodwork and metalwork at school.

I would not automatically write the guy off.

Perhaps he was related to Fred Dibner. :wink:

 

[Rhossydd]

Are you seriously saying that they built that chimney, or tiled that roof?

I don't see why not.
Sure it might not get done as quickly as a professional, but it's all straight forward stuff.

 

[doorframe]

What's not to believe?

Quote ‘We’d both come out of divorces and had no money,’ says Ray, 69, about their 1998 decision.

Oh yeah, except the £200,000.

Then they taught themselves every trade known to man. And became master craftsmen.

Jackanory.

 

[Rhossydd]

What's not to believe?
Quote ‘We’d both come out of divorces and had no money,’ says Ray, 69, about their 1998 decision.
Oh yeah, except the £200,000.

£200k over 16 years when both people are in employment ? Where's the problem ?

Then they taught themselves every trade known to man.

Now who's using tabloid exaggeration. They'll have researched and learnt all they need to know for their own job, not everything possible.

became master craftsmen.

I'm sure they'd be flattered by your opinion, but I doubt they'd described themselves as 'master craftsmen'.

 

[nanscombe]

‘At first,’ says Ray, ‘the bank refused to give us money. They saw this pile of sticks in the yard, and thought we could never build a house out of them....

Wonderful things banks, they sometimes give you money when you need it.

... and another version from the Mirror.

Couple build amazing new Tudor home from scratch - learning Elizabethan carpentry, roofing and plumbing

...
The couple bought the house in 1998 and set about teaching themselves plumbing, electrical wiring and medieval carpentry in order to create their dream home.
...
“We’d never done anything like this before. We wanted to do as much of the work ourselves as we could. We ordered the timber frame from a company in Hereford and three builders helped to put up the twenty-ton oak skeletal frame. They also helped us with a few other jobs including the insulation.

“But we did everything else; put the roof on, made and laid the floorboards, made the doors, did all the electrics and installed the under-floor heating. We did everything really” added the 69 year-old retired Sales Director.
...
One day while out running, Ray came across some builders re-tiling a roof and thought those being removed were better than what they were being replaced with.

He struck a deal and bought 15,000, using a borrowed trailer from work to take them home.

Ray taught himself how to tile a roof using joinery techniques similar to that of the 16th century.

The couple also experienced the same setbacks as the Elizabethans, with the timber shrinking as it aged.
...

Doesn't necessarily seem to claim any credit for the chimney here.

 

[Benchwayze]

Why should lack of 'education' and degrees prevent someone from learning practical skills.
In 1916, my grandfather 'electrified' his back-to-back house in Aston; he didn't read well, and he could just about write enough to sign his name. He also ran his own business as a filemaker. I had the story about the electricity from my father, who I know, wouldn't have concocted a story like that. He also told me the MOD were very interested in the nature of the 'contraption' that was in the cellar; the generator of course! I believe they thought it was a radio transmitter!

 

[bugbear]

Why should lack of 'education' and degrees prevent someone from learning practical skills.
In 1916, my grandfather 'electrified' his back-to-back house in Aston; he didn't read well, and he could just about write enough to sign his name. He also ran his own business as a filemaker. I had the story about the electricity from my father, who I know, wouldn't have concocted a story like that. He also told me the MOD were very interested in the nature of the 'contraption' that was in the cellar; the generator of course! I believe they thought it was a radio transmitter!

If it was a home made generator, it probably was (also) a radio transmitter.

BugBear

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks BB...

I can't testify to that of course. I knew the neighbours didn't like my Grandfather very much. Nor did most people, I am led to believe. Maybe they thought he was talking to the Germans! Anyhow, the MOD were satisfied; and yes they did visit. :roll:

One thing I do recall seeing was the shed he built on his allotment. It's a long time ago, but wow! The family used to bunk-up there at weekends! Don't think he electrified that mind! :mrgreen:

 

[AJB Temple]

Don't you think that any trade can be learned, especially by intelligent people, if you put some time into it? There has to be an acceptance that mistakes will be made, but as a society I think we have gone backwards in the lat 20 years by creating a dependence on tradesmen, many of whom have a very narrow skill set.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Before the government told us all that we were not competent enough to perform various tasks, unless we paid a subscription to the relevant organisation, quite a lot of people successfully managed to do DIY tasks.

Some of us did our own electrics and plumbing (not me but my dad did) and quite a number of us (I'm talking 30 years ago) even did woodwork and metalwork at school.

Absolutely. There is so much protectionism about trades and traditional/heritage crafts. We are not talking rocket science. I've completely re-plumbed my house including CH (bit of help from a Corgi with the gas connection), done quite a lot of re-wiring (before part P deemed me not competent despite being a CEng EE), laid bricks, plastered, all without going near a college course. Ok I did them slowly and carefully where a skilled and practiced tradesman might have got it done a whole lot quicker. Only the plastering was really hard - because you can't take your time !

 

[woodaxed]

elephant droppings

Having spent £200,000 on building the property, it is now worth in excess of £600,000. Mr Blundell has since built another two - and sold them on - just down the road

 

[NazNomad]

They made a wonderful job of carving the bed and upholstering the sofa. probably just did it in their spare time.

 

[RogerS]

Don't you think that any trade can be learned, especially by intelligent people, if you put some time into it? There has to be an acceptance that mistakes will be made, but as a society I think we have gone backwards in the lat 20 years by creating a dependence on tradesmen, many of whom have a very narrow skill set.

If you have the time. go do it.

 

[Graham Orm]

Don't you think that any trade can be learned, especially by intelligent people, if you put some time into it? There has to be an acceptance that mistakes will be made, but as a society I think we have gone backwards in the lat 20 years by creating a dependence on tradesmen, many of whom have a very narrow skill set.

Yes of course given 4/5 years per trade. Surely in the last 20 years the tradesmen with the "limited" skill set have almost died out.

 

[AJB Temple]

It does not take 4/5 years or anything like it to learn any individual trade sufficient to build a house. Every trade and profession seeks to create a protective mystique. High end skills are hard to acquire, but sufficient skills for typical domestic building tasks much less so. This is just my opinion, others may have a different view of course.

Forums like this are very helpful in encouraging acquisition of skills.