Building without debt

We feel very lucky to be able to build without having to take a loan. When I was a kid I saw my parents example of how nice it was for them to have started their dream  (an organic farm) without a loan. When they had decided they want to buy a farm and start growing vegetables they went off and worked for 5 years saving money to buy the farm. These days it is more than normal that when you decide you want to buy a house you go to the bank and get a mortgage.

So already when I was a kid I decided I don't want to take a loan but instead I want to save money for my house. So that's what I have been doing for the last 15-20 years! Of course I haven't been making money all those years so during many of them I was not saving more money but my goal all along was not to have to touch my savings I already had. And I was able to do that, even when studying, thanks to my parents who supported me financially when I studied and also thanks to my first profession, nurses aid, because with that schooling it was super easy to get a job for the summer so I didn't need to touch my savings. Being stingy also has helped. (When me and Mick started spending more time together and did shopping Mick was surprised to learn I thought sun dried tomatoes were too expensive to buy except on special occasions).

Another reason we have the money is that Mick used to own a house in Ireland that he has sold now and there was some money left from that as well.

All along I had thought I'm saving to buy an old house but that dream has changed into building one. I think building one will be more expensive than the houses we looked at for buying. When building you easily might use all the money you have and also it will cost more than expected (or so I have heard).

What ever it ends up costing it wont cost more than we have so I feel safe in that way. And we both feel really lucky to be able to do this project without banks involved. Yes, our savings have come from working from eight till four so being in the working world (and rat race) is necessary sometimes but it is good also to be able to leave it if you want to. Its good to believe in yourself that you can do it too, not only others.

We hope our example inspires others to build small and cheap, from recycled materials and materials you can find from the building spot so that it can be done without loans or lots of money involved.