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Hey, Y'all, we are Justin and Lil plus four kids and one on the way! Three years ago, Justin got out of the Navy, and we had a tough choice to make. Continue living the suburbia lifestyle, or take a risk and do something extraordinary. We decided to take a leap of faith, sell everything and follow our dream to buy raw land, build our own house (by hand), and create a sustainable offgrid homestead! We bought 18 acres of raw land, built a DIY solar power system, moved our family and RV to the property, and started living off the grid (no more utility bills). We invite you to stick around, join us on the journey, and get inspired to make your dreams come true!
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:51 Fire UpThe Tractor: Need More Rafter Boards 02:03 Tractor Pin Stuck: Easy Fix 03:19 Securing First Rafters 04:54 Cutting rafters with template 05:45 Surprise Afternoon T-Storm 06:04 Back to work: Justin's ladder collection 07:45 Fire Up The Tractor 08:51 Raise Rafters with the Tractor 11:02 Install Rafters to Ridge Board 12:03 Aerial Drone Footage 12:17 Lumber delivery 13:22 Cutting 17 more rafters 17:00 Raising rafters on other side 19:36 Closing message
In this video: This week, on our DIY offgrid house build, we have recovered from the hurricane (except for Peach Tree) and are moving full steam ahead on the roof rafters.
Our 1500 sqft house is on piers far off the ground, so it's tricky to plan the roof build. Justin is also flying solo as Lil grows rounder with new baby, so every step must be planned in a manner to be done as a One Man Job. That means Justin is installing one board at a time.
Justin is getting speedy in his cutting, using his dewalt circular saw to prepare the rafters, and the Kubota L47 tractor demonstrates its versatility by slipping in and out of forklifts and front end loaders. The Kubota L47 tractor does a fantastic job of lifting sets of rafters high into the air, and Justin applies elbow grease to get them onto the roof.
Due to Justin's foresight and strategic planning, the actual installation of the rafters goes very smoothly, and Justin says everything is going according to plan.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Southeast Georgia summer afternoon without a thunderstorm. This one catches us by surprise, and everyone gets drenched, including the tools. The storm quickly passes, though, and we are right back to work installing rafters on the other side of the roof.
As usual, it's a melee of chickens, ducks, children, and tools, and the roof is coming along rafter by rafter.
