All of the framed walls are up for my 16x40 off grid home!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Happy days! I can't believe it but all of my wall framing is done for my 16x40 off grid home!
For those who asked I create an amazon wish list here it is:
www.amazon.com...
Please note: With large products Amazon will mention they cant deliver to me but that is not correct. They will fill the order anyway and any deliveries go to the main post office nearby!
Some folks choose paypal for support.
ibwonet1@gmail.com
For those who want to contact me:
affordabledesertliving@gmail.com
I personally feel a lot of us have decided to adopt you. We all adore you and love seeing you follow your dreams. So everyone wants to help. Keep being amazing Don you have made the world a better place.
I definitely feel loved sara. Would have never guessed folks on social media could be so caring. Very moving. Thank you.
Nothing better than framing up the walls to inspire you more. Looks great Don, watching from the Philippines 🌴
Wow - didn’t know guys our age could beat the wind doing a run/dash.
Yep used to be a very fast sprinter years ago. LOL.
Nothing short of impressive, raising those walls! You must be very satisfied, indeed. Great work, Don!
Super kind thank you.
The things you're doing at your age.... Is amazing...you are a beast...👍👍
Thank you so much 😀
Morning person, its amazing what we can do @ our ages...Im a carpenters daughter, retired now from emt/firefighter/cna/teacher....many jobs, best is being a Mom & grandma. God Bless........ from Wisconsin.........
Most definitely a morning person. Sleeping in for me is anything later than 5:30 a.m. You're making great progress and doing a great job.
Wow! Even off grid I prefer to sleep in when I can.
It's what the military does to a person. Been there done that myself. 2nd 63rd Armored.
Me too except it's because of the restaurant bizzzzz.....sleeping in for me is maybe 6am haha
@@debbiblakeslee Understand the restaurant business. Grew up in my mom's cafe and my wife and I owned our own cafe for a while about 15 years ago.
Don, as a fellow senior I take my hat off to you.
How kind thanks so very much. Sincerely appreciate the comment and you watching.
Don, great job! In some ways I wish you would have reached out before you started the walls. It's infinitely easier to apply the sheathing to the walls when they're flat on the floor. You can also square up the walls with great ease while doing this. I know it makes the walls heavier. You would then just make smaller wall sections so you can lift them with no help. The second top plate, braces, and eventually the roof would ensure the top of the walls are laser straight. You'll soon discover it's almost impossible to apply sheathing vertically and with no assistance.
Agreed, but his work around for standing the walls was lots of temporary positioning blocks to guide him. The same can be done to position the sheeting as he applies it. Being one man, I think sheeted walls would have been beyond his ability to raise and position them.
Thanks Tim. I guess I will have to turn up the creativity when that part of the build happens. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!
Looks awesome... great job by yourself.... not a morning person.
I am definitely a morning person 💚😊💚😊
morning people get more done... “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Not a morning person. You sure have a great system of framing those walls. It seemed to go quite smoothly, with just a couple of small hiccups. I would put your framing up against professionals who do it every day. Question: are you going to use premade trusses?
Don, you appear to me to be more confident in yourself and more spritely in your step. Keep up the fantastic work, great to watch you getting younger. 😊
Thanks so much Linda. Blessed old fellow here for sure.
Wow what a wonderful progress. Can't wait to see the roof
Thanks so much Fred.
Awesome Don - keep up the great work!
So GREAT you used screws and not nails!!! Really smart! Great video Don🤗
Wanda
Not a morning person…unless when I’m up thru midnight through 1-3 am….usually doing creative things! I’m 77 and have always done my best work late when it’s quiet.🥰🙏🏼👏🙌love your house progress!
Thanks for sharing!!
You are an amazing inspirational man . I 💖 how quickly you did the side walls.
Enjoy ☕️👵🏻👩🌾❣️
Cannot believe that just you alone got those walls up. You are an amazing man to do all that. Keep up the great work.
How kind thanks Rutha!
It's looking great. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you! You too!
Not a morning person! Congrats on the framing. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤗🤗🤗
So glad to see you have help for top part. Way to go.
You're doing great, Don! Praying for you! Also, I'm definitely a morning person ☕️
Can't have better than that than to have folks praying for one.
A+ for effort. Wise to bring in Ed.
Thanks Edward!
Unbelievable how much you get done.
Wow how encouraging is that?
It’s looking really nice 👏👏👏👏
DON you make me smile your a lot like my old man he’s 73 and hurt his back now as a kid he would never ask for help and would always get it done by himself love the video from mountains of eastern Kentucky
Thanks Mike for sharing about your Dad and for watching.
Don you are the greatest of the TH-camrs...
Hi Don .Great job on the walls .I don`t know about Waltzing Matilda ,more like Waltzing Matimber.
LOL nice one Graeme! Have a great week mate.
Morning usually, there are exceptions.😊 I am genuinely impressed with all the skills you have acquired.
Thanks so much faith!
Very early morning person! Love you Don! God bless you and be safe!
Thanks for the love and kindness Don!
I always considered myself a night person because i was born at 11:59 pm. Most of my adult life i have worked the graveyard shift.
While you were sitting there having your breakfast, I couldn't help but think you had to have a window behind you so you could enjoy the view of hills!
You're doing a great job. I built my house 33 years ago. A bit different at our age now. Things seem to move a little slower but you're keeping up very well..
Thanks David. Good exercise and great fun I find.
Definitely a morning person. So excited to see the walls going up! Well done!
Thanks so much Mike. Exciting stuff for sure.
I’m so happy for you my friend! I check every other day for a new video from you. Be safe .
Thanks for faithfully following the vids!
Watching you build this home is so relaxing. I've been watching new build home inspector videos and I'm so impressed with the detail and care you put into your work compared to the chit show new home builds have become. Not a morning person at all.
Very encouraging. Thank you!
Morning Person! Walls UP, wow, you did it. Very exciting. Looking forward to the next installment of The Big House. Stay careful how you move, but keep on Waltzing--love your voice.
Thanks so much Maresa. Always appreciate your support.
Another big congrats Don. So much admiration.
Thank you kindly Dirk. I noticed on your channel you did some serious work also. Appreciate you watching.
Morning all the way
Not a morning person! Never been, never will be! "Night Owl" myself. Looking good and you are moving on, Don! Veteran Charlie.
Thanks as always for watching Charlie.
Not a morning person. The house is coming together nicely.
Thanks so much derek.
This is so inspiring you doing this by yourself! I love it! ♥️👏🏻💪🏠
Good job!!!!! I built my horse barn with 4 16X14 stalls with a 10 foot alley way. I didn't know how to weld but I did when I finished! Solid steel four foot up and Rods centered every 4 inches to 8 foot tall. Took me a year but both of my girls could out weld our farm hand by the time we were done! They loved that barn in cold weather! Horses nice and warm in blanket under lights for the winter shows! Girls are grown and I use my barn for storage!
Wow Cindy so fantastic to hear that you and your girls rolled up your sleeves and learned so much about building.
It looks amazing I can’t believe how far you’ve come already with this build.
Finally coming along! Thanks for watching.
wow! Don!!!! Look at this!!! Wall frames are up, I just am sooo happy for your progress! I was having my morning tea as you were having your cereal, lol, and I could just sense the view and the great feeling you must have been experiencing. This is an exciting time for your build for sure. I am also glad to see you realize when you are a bit fatigued , or that the wind is kicking up, or that you do need to get some assistance, and you pause and do the smart options. Thanks for sharing your progress and bringing us along Don. It's so much fun to follow you and also to hear Waltzing Matilda. I am getting some music education 😅🥰 and I am MORNING PERSON 😃 Slim Dusty - Waltzing Matilda on TH-cam
Thanks so much for paying close to attention to all of the content in my videos Martha. So encouraging.
Non morning person here! Soo exciting to see the walls going up. You're doing such great job. Thanks for filming and sharing with us
Don, you’re a hard worker, I’d vote for you as the hardest working homesteader on YT!
Thats such high praise, definitely don't think I qualify but very kind.
Morning person here. Good job.
Thanks so much Wolf!
That house build is really starting to take off looking good Ron
Pssst.. His name is Don.. :P
Thanks Herb.
Keep this videos for future reference and you will see where everything falls. Also a general tip when you do decide where the windows are take some of your scrap lumber and put them horizontal between studs so you will have A place to screw into wood for drapery mounts. It is amazing when you do because you don't have to use hollow wall anchors and hope they hold and don't pull out. good job, good job.😀😀
It’s wonderful you have the support of your fans, Don! So glad they help out with your wishlist so that you can use more of your income on your big house. All the best to you!
People here are absolutely lovely.
I'm a morning person! You are making amazing progress Don!
Absolute morning person here.
At every installment, I continue to shake my head. You are an incredibly interesting phenomenon. I'm amazed at your ability to just keep plugging along. Those wall sections are downright cumbersome. Throughout the build, when you find a defect in your method without hesitation, you dismantle and correct the issue. To say this building is being overbuilt is an understatement. It will outlive you by eons. Clearly, there is no consideration of budget going on. Nary a penny is pinched anywhere. I feel safe to say you will have well past double the cost of having a pre-built building delivered and dropped in place just by the time you have the empty shell built. Do I have the tenacity, patience, strength, or desire to take on such a project with these methods? Absolutely not. But sir, I can surely admire a man that does, I tip my hat. I almost hesitate to mention it would have been easier, and dare I say standard procedure, to frame in the windows and door openings while you build the wall sections laying on the floor. I hesitate because I fear you may disassemble your current progress just to do so. So, I'll just continue to shake my head and continue following along. The world is full of all sorts of interesting characters doing their own thing in their own way. You sir are earning my respect with every screw you place, remove, and reinstall.
Well Captain I had to chuckle about you worrying I would disasemble all the walls as per your suggestion. Hmm no problem I am not moving in that direction LOL. As per the cost, even with my re-do's I believe I am right on target to save several thousand dollars still than having a pre-built brought in. I crunched numbers and thought long and hard about it. Thanks for such fantastic input and for watching.
I'm a morning person, I enjoy your videos and keep up the good work.
NOT a morning person…..BUT I am working on changing that. Up early I feel better & get much more done. Raised our 7 kids + 2 nieces & 2 nephews, so I was a necessary morning person for years. I just never liked getting up early, loved the quiet of late nights w/out pressures to rush to the next thing. I truly feel up early is God’s plan for us. “Thou shall seek me(The Lord) in the morning”
Thanks for sharing the bible verse msplum. Much appreciate it.
Good work, pat yourself on the Back! Thanks for the Video, very enjoyable!
Thanks a ton for watching Jim.
Morning, make the most of the day given!
Look at ask you did! Just awesome! 😃😃😃
Many thanks.
Definitely morning for me!
Hi Don, morning person. Everything is looking amazing. Graham and Tim 🙂 🐕
Thanks so much mate!
Morning Person...Usually up by 0400 the morning is quiet and peaceful. You are now "walled in" Well Dun!!
Thanks Geezer. Hope you arent running your chain saw at that hour LOL.
A reluctant morning person
I have a friend in Pahrump that frames new homes. I really enjoy going out there and help him and his son put up walls but I do remember lifting a heavy wall once that kicked my butt, I had some serious back pain that night, that wall had a few headers for the door and windows.
You are amazing! A true inspiration. ❤
What a lovely kind comment.
Hi Don! I am not a morning person. Paradoxically, it is your video that I started the day with. Lovely to see the walls and I can't wait to see further progress. Wall-sing Mathilda fit well in this video hehe.
How heartwarming to know the vid was what you started your day with. Thanks so much Morten.
Hey Mr Dan I'm very impressed 👏
Thank you very much!
I think you're an amazing man Don. What a influence you must be to so many people that if you want something bad enough, just get out there and do it. I love your positive attitude. I am older than you, in my upper 70's, but you almost have me convinced I could do that too. But my wife wouldn't be for doing it. LOL. My wife just asked me, he has to get help for the roof, right? So, surely you will, and maybe getting pre-built trusses? Climbing isn't recommended the older we get. I'm sure you have a safe well thought out plan Don.
BTW, I've been retired for more than13 years, no more am I a morning person. I did early mornings for almost sixty years. LOL.
Thanks so much Allen. Regards to your spouse also and thank you both for watching. I will come up with a safe and practical option for the roofing.
Morning peeps here!
Definitely morning 😊
Always enjoy watching your videos Don. Your videos are always so positive, cheerful and informative. Not surprised that people want to help and encourage you. Wow. Great work on those walls. I think the work is making you leaner too. You look a bit younger than when you started. All the best from southwest Ireland.
Such heartwarming comments, thanks so much for watching.
Congratulations on your new cabin
Love watching you progress.. keep up the good work.. ❤
Thanks so much Rebecca!
You pronounced it just right.:)
And I'm generally not a morning person, but in Cochise County if you want to get anything done for much of the year, you sort of have to get outside first thing in the morning. If you wait until noon the wind kicks up this time of year, and it gets too hot in early summer, and it tends to rain in monsoon season.
Lots of other off-grid folks do early mornings I have noticed. Thanks for watching.
Good job Don. Libby and I have built two homes ourselves but we were much younger and had kids at home to help. Doing this alone is a real chore but you seem to have a handle on it. Assuming you will have help when doing the trusses and roof
You never cease to amaze me with your work efforts. House is looking awesome, thank you for sharing. Stay safe.
Thanks so very much!
Morning for sure. Don you are doing great. Next the outside sheeting and then rafters and roof. You going to need your engineer buddy a lot lol. Have a super blessed week.
Thanks so much for watching Rodney and have a blessed week as well.
Morning person here.
Fantastic progress!
Last comment: If you want the walls really plumb, you plumb from the top to the bottom plate.It's very rare for a 2x4, 6, or 8 to be perfectly straight. You find a perfectly straight 2x4 and put it against the top and bottom plate in between two studs.
You also have to secure the bottom plate to the floor along a perfectly square chalk line before you start to plumb a wall.The funny thing about all this is, ask ten rough carpenters about the wall-building process and you'll get ten different methods. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH 🤣😂
I actually did indeed do a perfectly square chalk line on the floor Tim. You can see it in the last video. Great tips and its super great to have someone here as experienced as you are. Many thanks.
I'm not a morning person.
Unfortunately work forces me to get up early anyways. I usually grumble and stumble a lot the first few hours
I hear you. I can do it but its not my favorite thing for sure.
I ENJOY YOUR VIDEOS S0 MUCH
Delighted to hear that Helen!
Awesome!
Definitely morning person and afternoon siestas!
I love to see you progressing so nicely! It's gonna be fabulous.
What will your roofline be like? I would love a slanted roofline, then catch water off of the low side, which would be the backside of the house for catchment. Huge windows in front. I can see it now!!!! What will you do?
So excited for you!
Thanks Joanne. Roofline will be standard pitch and peaked. Huge porch 10x40 feet for rainwater harvesting on east side. Good sized windows and sliding door etc. Stay tuned...
Morning person as i have to take my wife to work at 630 am. Waltsing matilda isent sang much it was really done when the diggers were in the trenches during the world wars one and two i have never really heard any one just sing like you did except for concerts on Your doing great job Don well done
I was actually thinking you might like that song when I sang it Kriss. I used to sing it in school in Canada when I was a little kid as well during our classes. We learned about Aus in grade school then.
studies over decades have shown that most Millionaire/ billionaires get up at about 4 AM every day (7 days a week). This extra time has been said that it enables them to preplan/ prepare for the day and to get the "small things" finished before interaction with others during the day
NOT a morning person. Takes awhile for the juices to get going and the brain fog to clear and start functioning 😴🥱You are an inspiration for sure! Keep up the excellent work
Thanks for the kind comments clarence.
Umm you are supposed to frame in the windows and doors before you stand a wall up because you need to have the header boards, jack studs and cripples in. Dont get me wrong I am thrilled for you that it went smooth putting them up
EXACTLY! IT is SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT to do AFTER the fact, when the wonderful ease of working in a horizontal plane with a chop saw, prefabricating each panel with ALL framing completed EFFORTLESSLY BEFOREHAND. I have done many a framing of windows and doors in solid walls of places already existing and I have done the sequencing and planning and building of prefab panels and the EASY way prevents waste and saves a lot of money and effort. Working against gravity in a vertical plane is horrendous by comparison...
I was looking for the same. It’s going to make it harder to do later
@@philipparcel2548 you guys haven’t heard him talk about trying to figure out the best views of the mountains?
@@saintbyron5150 nice of you to reply 2 weeks after the post was made. But as said,it makes everything harder and is not standard building procedure.
HATS off to DON ❗ One Smart & Determined Guy~~💚🌵Thanks to Your Friend ED for lending a helping hand, very cool❗👍
The end of the video answered my question about the doors and windows. Also, I used to be a morning person.
Amazing work, well done!
Thanks so much!
Wow! What a week! Congratulations on an amazing build. I was wonderingnif you were going to capture that amazing mountain view. I am sure einds and weather will play into your decision. I also wonder whether you ate more of an open plan guy or a cozy room guy. Time will tell. Thanks for the video, Don.
Thanks very much. Definitely an open plan guy. Stay tuned...
LUV, UR PROGRESS DON.....THANK U!
Great job Don. Fun video!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very good job Don.
Thanks Mark!
WOOHOO..! You got walls. Yup.. figure out where the windows, doors and interior walls go.. some T11, unsulation, trusses, roof, more insulation and a bunch of sheetrock.. wiring, electrical, appliances.. You'll be moving in. Glad to see you have some extra helping hands. Eat them wheaties and enjoy.. GREAT PROGRESS Don..!
Thanks so much for all of the encouragement Trucker!
It is a big job you have taken on. I hope all is well!
Yep doing super here Michael! thanks for watching.
Looking great
Thanks so much!
Good work! 🎉
Thank you! Cheers!
Be safe.
Looking good