The Building of the Simple House – Story by Story
The Simple House At The Farm
Below, we take your story by story through the challenges, trials, tribulations and excitement of building “Our Simple House.” From permits to plans, construction of the foundation, walls and full exterior – right down to creating and pouring our own concrete counter tops and finishing off the interior. If you want to know about building a simple house step by step – then this is it.
Our goals for the house are simple and straightforward: Design and build – as much as possible on our own – a minimal cost, energy-efficient, low maintenance home that utilizes only the space we need. A simple home that allows us to live and enjoy the farm now and forever.
When it comes right down to it – every person, every couple and every family has different needs for what works best for them. With that said, one thing is for sure – there is an awful lot of wasted and unused space in many of the homes built today, and that space is costly, time-consuming and increasingly difficult to maintain as we all grow older.
We hope that by eliminating the wasted space and only building what we need – we can create a home at the farm that allows us the freedom to enjoy life.There is a tremendous amount of freedom in living with less. In reality, it will allow us to live with so much more.
Here are the articles, and the story of building our Simple House.
The Simple House Budget – Thinking Outside The Box To Lower Costs
When it comes to the Simple House budget, one of the ways we have been able to keep the overall cost down is by using a variety of organic and industrial materials in place of more expensive "standard" building materials. The first homemade rolling barn door was installed this week. We are getting closer…
The Bold Look And Low Cost Of Metal Ceilings And Walls
Metal ceilings? Move over drywall, metal is making a statement. And not just on the roof! More and more people are turning to steel, aluminum, and galvanized metal panels to finish off the inside - as well as the outside of their home. The galvanized metal ceilings and white trim make for…
A Decorating Dilemma – We Need Your Ideas For This Room!
This week, we need some decorating help from our readers! Although we usually come to you with our latest gardening or DIY project, we are in a dilemma with the main wall of the Simple House. So we thought we would turn the tables and ask you for advice. The Big Wall, as we now…
The Simple House Photo Tour Update – One Week Till Move In Day!
It's hard to believe, but we are down to just 6 short days until Move In Day at the farm! The water, electric, gas, heat and air have all been hooked up - and the mad dash to complete a million little last-minute projects is on! The Simple House at the farm - 6 days to…
How To Find Unique Ways To Create Storage Space In A Small Home
If there a key to smaller home living, its finding enough storage space to keep things neat and uncluttered. When we decided to downsize to a floor plan of just over 1000 square feet at the farm, we knew we would have to come up with a few creative solutions for storage. The…
Creating A Finished Garage On A Shoestring Budget. A Clean, Low-Cost Look
When it came to creating a finished garage space, we knew for us, versatility would be the key! Our garage has always been part storage space, part workshop and the some. At our old house, we used the space to build pergolas,…
Creating DIY Furniture For The Home – Big Savings With A Unique Look
Creating DIY furniture for your home can save big money when it comes to your household budget. But even more, it really adds a unique, one-of-a-kind look to your space. One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of building our Simple House at…
The Farm House Photo Tour Update – 45 Days After Move In
The Farm House Photo Tour Update - November, 2016. It has been just 45 days since "move-in-day" at the new farm house. It's hard to believe that in just 7 short months, the hill overlooking the farm has gone from a grass-covered space, to the place where we now call home. Our house remains a work in progress.…
5 Amazing Habits To Help Simplify and Fulfill Your Life!
What does it take to simplify your life? Our little farm is our version of "The Simple Life" We are often asked to speak to various groups about our little farm, on topics ranging from the garden and canning, to the chickens, bees and more. But lately, more than ever, we have been asked to…
Merry Christmas World! And A Special Thank You From Old World Garden!
As we do each year, we want to take time to wish each and every one of our followers from around the globe a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year! This is our favorite post each December, as we get to find out about you, our followers! We ask you to take a…
The Simple House Construction Budget – The Cost To Downsize
"What was the simple house construction budget for your home at the farm?" "Did it really save you money?" Ever since starting our Simple House Project series on the blog, questions like those find their way into our inbox nearly every day. So do a mountain of other questions about downsizing, growing our own food, canning,…
Creating Homemade Porch Railings From Rebar – Simple & Inexpensive!
Our homemade porch railings from rebar. The back porch is complete! Who knew creating homemade porch railings could be so easy? I guess we've never been ones to stay traditional. So when it came time to put deck railings on the back porch of the Simple House, we certainly didn't want to install ordinary wooden balusters. We have…