As we’ve talked to and shown various people around here the work we’re doing, a frequently asked question is “What makes you qualified to do this?”
Hmmm. Interesting question. I sometimes explain that Brad used to do construction. And while that has been very helpful in some areas, the reality is that much of what we’re doing is new to both of us.
So the answer is that we are bold and think we can do it.
My general feeling is that traditional education in many professions is less valuable than good common sense and hard work. To me, this is no different. We do a lot of research and try to think things out well in advance, but at some point you just plunge ahead and try it. If it doesn’t work, you try something else. If you work hard and smart, things generally work out.
A couple people have agreed with this saying that really anyone could build a house; you just need to want to do it and then to do the work. Both people who shared this perspective with us were professional contractors.
For some, “qualified” might mean “member of the guild”.
Are you facing any permit/inspection issues that require that a licensed professional be involved (connecting main electricity to the fuse box and verifying the wiring, for example)?
The tendency for some is to underbuild, but, on the contrary, by doing the labor yourself, you may be able to invest in overbuilding where it counts, too.
Keep up the good work.
On permits/licenses, as an “owner-builder,” we had an option to either go through regular inspections or to opt out of that. For reasons I can’t entirely remember, we decided to go ahead and have regular inspections. (It had to do with possible benefits if we ever sell and a general feeling that we would be doing a quality job.) We have heard that they are more stringent on inspections for owner-builders, but we haven’t had any problems.
There is no requirement that a licensed professional be involved. In fact, many of the construction professionals around here are not licensed contractors (for reasons that I suspect involve not wanting to pay the fee, as well as a general disdain for government that is prevalent here).
I think we are overbuilding in most cases, because, as Brad says, we can. The bigger challenge has been the many little peculiarities of building code that don’t seem to us to be “better” building, but are just random requirements. The building inspectors have been helpful though at coaching us on what to make sure to do at various stages.
Free to make your own decisions.
Free to follow your dreams.
Free to build a home of your own.
How strange that some would wonder
if you’re qualified to be FREE.
I bought the same Xantrex System, 2 inverters, 390 amp hour battery back up, 3 charge controllers, 36 Mitsubishi panels. What qualifies me to do this is one, the three quotes I got for the system were all north of 75k. Including installation, my total costs will be under 40k. 30k savings is the incentive. The rest comes down to research and hiring contractors to to the portions you shouldn’t do. Example, connecting the box to the main, I used a licensed electrician.