DIY my very first house- GROUND UP!

[Ruby Ruiz]

I am working with my dad in building my very first house. What started as a shed for his tools is well on its way to be a BOMB a** house! 

Here is a picture of the before: We were literally walking on rocks! ha. My dad had full intentions of making this a shop for his tools, but then gave me the idea of building a small home for me and my daughters. I took him up on the offer and let my creativity roll. I sketched out a layout that I thought was functional and asked... Can we do this? And he tells me, "With money everything is possible, Mija"  in a very wise way. haha. 

First rough draft- layout changed a-lot! Framing for the slab

We started with the slab- which included having to really commit to the layout in order to lay down the plumbing. Our plumber guy Adam did a really good job and was very professional throughout the entire time- let me know if you guys need a plumber, happy to connect you with him. Once the slab set, my dad continued with the metal framing. I have always liked warehouse vibes, so using metal piers to frame the shell of the house instead of wood was a no brainier. Plus my dad is a master welder, he builds huge commercial buildings- it made sense. 

Pluming was laid, and prep is done for the cement to be poured Theres my dad with the metal beam lol

Once the shell was up, we enclosed it and insulated the home with spray on insulation. Which- I had no idea- but it's supposed to be BETTER than regular insulation. We then stated to frame the inside walls. Electric and plumbing also need to be done at this stage as all of it will be inside the walls. We called our HVAC guy and decided to have out duct work exposed, only adding to the modern warehouse vibe I am going for. 

Walls, electric, and plumbing

This all brings me to TODAY! My walls are up finally! Next on my list will be the floors, ceiling (since I want a wood ceilings) and the bathroom. 

I will continue to post updates as I go and once done I want to do a cost breakdown! Having the land and being able to build on it, is defiantly a plus. This experience is defiantly making me want to buy land and develop longterm.. any developers on here?