When I was a kid I knew a family whose dad built their house…by hand. Bought the property from savings…he said. Dug a daylight basement into the side of his sloping property…with a shovel. Supervised the pouring of the foundation, did the framing, the plumbing, the electrical, the roof, the lathe & plaster (yes, no sheetrock), the cabinets, hung windows & doors…everything. Worked a full time job all the while. Carried his wife across the threshold after five years of hard work and did it debt free. Local parents and neighbors usually gave each other “the look” when the topic turned to his efforts…like he was ‘touched’. That was in the late 50’s. Later, in the 60’s he taught classes somewhere in self building. In the 70’s I hear he published several books on the subject. Meanwhile those local neighbors were still paying on their mortgages. So which side was ‘touched’?
