I like what he's done and I'd love to do it if I could somehow work around a few issues such as: I have a job, I can't build a house 8 hours a day for 30 weeks (1500 hours) and I can't get the land deal he did.
I'd be really interested in seeing an easily repeatable solution that doesn't come down to living in squalor.
I like what he's done and I'd love to do it if I could somehow work around a few issues such as:
I have a job:
Go down to 50-60%, adjust living expenses accordingly
I can't build a house 8 hours a day for 30 weeks (1500 hours)
So go a bit more than 30 Weeks. Let's assume you work 3 days a week (60%). If you average 4 hours a day on the days you work and 8 hours on the days you don't, you'll be done in 60 weeks. Also there is nothing that says you have to work on the project alone. If you have just one person helping you 50% of the time, then you're down to 45 weeks.
I can't get the land deal he did
Have you tried? Sure you probably won't get land next door to where you're living right now, but if you're willing to relocate finding cheap or even free land is far from impossible.
No one said that it was easy, and I'll be first to admit that it's not for me and I'm not even going to try. But I'm also sure that for someone who really wanted to do it and was willing to make the necessary sacrifices it's certainly an option.
The whole point of having that job is you can generate more value doing that than, say, spending the better part of a year building a house full-time. By spending 8 hours a day for 30 weeks writing software (or whatever you do besides HN), you can support yourself, dependents, and laborers who in turn will build you a house - that's a pretty darned good deal on your part. Good job on adding so much wealth to society!
Sure his solution isn't "easily repeatable" and involves living in squalor. He's not giving up productivity to build the house, but you would be. As such, it's a step up for him, and a step down for you. If it was "easily repeatable" it wouldn't entail 1500 hours of labor, or ~$100K to buy it.
What does resemble an "easily repeatable" solution is http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/plans where you can start with the plans for a really minimal home for $17, little box bungalows for $99, or more normal looking houses (albeit tiny) for a few hundred. Most are designed for small trailer frames, so you can build one in your spare time with supplies as cheap as you willing to get, find suitable cheap/odd land, and haul it there when ready.
Upshot is you pay high prices because the alternative is doing serious labor yourself.
I'd be really interested in seeing an easily repeatable solution that doesn't come down to living in squalor.