Our Mill-End House

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When we sat down to the final reckoning, we discovered that our livable, two-room, 550-square-foot dwelling had cost us in the neighborhood of $200—paid as we went—plus the gas used to haul up the mill ends. Over the next couple of months, of course, we added a few things: bookshelves made from 1 X 12 mill ends, a six-foot kitchen workspace and a heavy homemade door with a Colonial-type latchstring clasp holding it closed. Sixteen-year-old Cary built a porch and step from one-inch mill ends and logs he felled himself.

Moving time marked the end of our building program for the winter, since by then we were faced with 18 inches of snow and—in January—several weeks of below-zero weather. The next two modules would have to wait until spring, when we could tackle the extensive foundation work for our second unit (the first sits right on bedrock).

Meanwhile, our wood-burning range kept us toasty warm through the fuel oil shortages and our Aladdin lamp and 12-volt electrical system gave us light in the midst of power outage reports. George's ham rig and a small CB radio were our links with parts of the outside world. Trips to the local market were still unavoidable, but much less nerve-racking than they used to be. We mailed our substantial seed order and promised ourselves that—by the following winter—home-grown food would also be part of our dream-come-true existence.

So we've been living—in a very full sense of that word—on our paid-for land, in our handwrought house. Mill-end building is one more way to realize a lot of independence with a little bit of cash. Give it a try!

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