Makerhouse

Some Useful Tips — The construction of a home is a significant undertaking consisting of several distinct labor phases. At this point in the process, you need to be aware of the steps to participate. Why? …

If you care about the environment, you’ve hopefully looked at ways to reduce your impact. Now that Mkr.house has been operating for a year, we can see how the impact of living in a shared, energy efficient setting compares to the US average: Shelter MakerHouse was built with sustainability in mind…

Mkr.house is a community of makers in Pittsburgh. We believe in open source and transparency. To help others create communities, here are the finances from our first year of operation: While the net loss for year 1 is sizable, many of the expenses are unique to the year of construction…

One of the many things I’d never considered before building a house: lead contamination in soil. Thanks to Flint, Michigan, everyone knows the problems of lead in water. Though less publicized, lead in soil also has health and safety concerns. 70+ years of lead paint and gasoline use has contaminated…

I’m building a house for Makers in Pittsburgh, PA. In case you missed it, here’s Part 1: Why Build a House. Next, we’ll talk about finances for the land, the house, and home ownership. The exact numbers depend on what, where and when you’re building… but here’s a rough guide…

“People think building a house will save their marriage — but, just like having kids, it won’t. Building a house can’t be to fix things, it must be to make a good thing better.” — My real estate agent This is the first in a series I’ll be writing about…