She told me that my brother had just "married" her daughter and now son-in-law a few weeks ago. The day after we became friends on Fb, she made a post about a book they had written. "How to build a low-cost house of stone". So, I sent her a message and told her how we had just purchased property and asked her about their stone house. She sent me a copy of her book and I got it in the mail today!
They had moved from Arizona and wanted a simpler life where they could be close to hunting and fishing so they found 2 acres near the tiny town of Sweet. Taking a summer and the manpower of their two young daughters and themselves, they built their home in 1973 for $2,090. No, I didn't leave out a zero - $2,000. The rocks were all free - they picked them themselves, and basically the only tools they used were an electric cement mixer, shovels, and trowels. It's a 3 bedroom home, single story and they even had a great time doing it. I'm already halfway through the book. It's super easy to read, lots of pictures and tips, and so easy to understand.
Stone homes seem to last for many, many years. Wouldn't it be something to spend next summer doing something like this? The picture below is as close to their house as I could find, but, their roof is better and they have lots of windows!
