Prefabricate Your Country Home... in the City

(Page 3 of 3)

November/December 1985
By Jack Wade 
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We devoted the next several days to decking the roof with plywood and covering it with roofing felt and shingles, then boxing in the gable ends with studs, plywood, felt, and siding. Remarkably, the cabin was weathertight within two weeks after our arrival at the building site with our materials!

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Back home in the city, we devoted several weeks' spare time to prefabricating—at an enjoyable, leisurely pace—the rest of the exterior components (trim, edging, molding, porches, etc.), which we transported to the site and appended to the structure as our schedules allowed. The total materials cost for this house—including plumbing, wiring, and interior finish—was about $12,000.

FROM NECESSITY TO PROFIT

Because our first modified A-frame was so enjoyable to build and turned out so well, my wife and I decided to build another—this one to sell. When we finished that home, we put together a third, and a fourth . . . until prefabricating houses evolved into a part-time business. So far—with the help of my brother—my wife and I have built six of these low-cost structures, gradually improving the design and our prefabrication and assembly techniques along the way. However, we still rely on the same basic approach used to build the original dwelling . . . doing the prefab work at home, and assembling the parts in record-breaking time on-site.

While the aesthetics of a modified A-frame cabin seem to fit best in a rural setting, there's no reason such a home couldn't be built on a city lot, if that's your need or preference. So check out the accompanying visuals and you just might decide—as my wife and I did several years ago—that a prefabricated modified A-frame could be your low-cost, sparehours, owner-built home.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Those of you who might want detailed information concerning Mr. Wade's prefabricated A-frame—in order to build one of your own or to duplicate the Wades' home business—will be glad to know that Jack Wade has agreed to offer a step-by-step construction booklet to MOTHER's readers. Click here to order. 

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Comments

  • MountainJon 1/14/2008 5:22:35 PM

    Hello, I also got my letter (and check) back from the address
    given, I am currently planning on building a 32 x 32 A-frame with a
    walk out basement, the cheapest blueprints I can get that the
    county will approve are $500. It shouldent be this hard, its an
    A-Frame!?

  • Jeremy 6/24/2007 7:06:51 PM

    I would like to order the A-Frame plans by Jack Wade but it
    looks like the address is wrong. Are the plans still available?
    &nbsp;
    Mother Responds: Yes, the plans are available. They are order
    number 771. You can order them at
    www.motherearthshopping.com
    or by calling 800-234-3368

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