Build a House out of Stacked 2×4’s

By Robert Jones
Published on July 1, 1983
1 / 5

The house stands on three stub walls built from pressure-treated lumber. 
The house stands on three stub walls built from pressure-treated lumber. 
2 / 5

The completed home, made primarily of stacked lumber, for $5,000 and in less than two months. 
The completed home, made primarily of stacked lumber, for $5,000 and in less than two months. 
3 / 5

The front wall of 2x4's goes up around the door opening (at left), which is cross braced with boards.
The front wall of 2x4's goes up around the door opening (at left), which is cross braced with boards.
4 / 5

The ridge beam was raised one step at a time, between two tracks of vertical 2x4's, while the gable on the nearest end was constructed beneath. 
The ridge beam was raised one step at a time, between two tracks of vertical 2x4's, while the gable on the nearest end was constructed beneath. 
5 / 5

Your own needs in housing will be different from Jones', so pay careful attention to exact standard building material sizes as you design your own home.
Your own needs in housing will be different from Jones', so pay careful attention to exact standard building material sizes as you design your own home.

Are magazine house-building articles and real estate ads just wishbook fantasies for you, mainly because–every month–your bank balance asks the same cold question: “What in the world can you build with a few thousand dollars?”

Well, my solution to that problem is a 24’×24′ home with 3-1/2″-thick, solid wood walls that contains a 9’×12′ bedroom, a full bath, a convenient kitchen, a 12’×24′ living/dining room, a spacious loft, and an 8’×12′ screened porch. It has an open feeling created by a cathedral ceiling lined with knotty pine, the warmth of wooden floors and walls, and the beauty of exposed overhead beams in every room.

This house is both conventional and unique, because it is built mostly from stacks of 2×4 lumber laid broad-face down. In fact, it took nearly two miles of them to construct the house. Now, nailing down 10,000 linear feet of 2×4’s may sound like a job for a covey of carpenters, but–if you are willing to tackle such a task–you can build a house similar to the one I’ve described by yourself. What’s more, you can make it in less than two months using conventional hand tools.

How do I know it can be done? Simple: Between June 21 and August 1, 1982, I built the house pictured here, for less than $5,000.

Save Money and Time by Planning

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368