March 22nd, 2021 — Talk Me Off a LEDGE! Should We Redesign?!

March 22, 2021

Y’all talk me off a ledge!!! I’m about to throw away the $15k we’ve spent on our current design and start over. I’m absolutely in love!!!! 😍😭 I had no idea it was possible to do a gravel floor or a moss wall!! All I want is to live in the forest and in a glass cabin and this design 💯 embodies that!

COMMENTS:

131 Comments

  • ActiveSeraphina AhernGorgeous
  • Nicole Vollmer BeckThis is absolutely beautiful just make sure if you go this route the glass is bulletproof and zombie proof I’m just saying because 2020 and 2021 has so far been real wild. 🤣
  • Rachel McCash CroninNicole Vollmer Beck I’ve been looking into zoo grade glass actually 😂😂😂 mainly because bears and wildlife. I’m sure zoo grade would work for zombies too? 🤣
    • Rachel McCash CroninNicco Macintyre haha yes! The glass that keeps the grizzly bears and lions in their enclosure—I’ve been asking about it for residential use. Only for the main level though lol 💰
  • Jackie Elizabeth CorleyOh wow!!
  • Gianina HaymakerSoooo I love this! But it’s honestly going to be entirely your call because only you know what that 15k is to you. I would cringe at losing that much money and might not go through but if it’s something you could swallow the loss to and it not hurt your family or finances then I would DO IT ! ❤️
  • Prince Rocwow
  • Shelby WilsonLet’s see the current design! And then I’ll know whether its a good idea or not to throw away the $15k 😂
  • Isabel StrelzikBut how do you clean a gravel floor?!
    • Joanie LovellYou don’t, there’s usually filtration system underneath so you can sanitize and hose it down….
  • Lilu OteroI’m gonna stay quite lol
  • Melissa Hoffman
  • Nicole RogersWill you be getting the pool too? 🥰
  • Kat DavidsonYessss I’ve been looking at living wallsI can’t remember the name of the company at the top of my head but their displays are amazing
  • Ariel ElizabethThis is beautiful 😍😍😍Our cabin was a A frame. I loved it. No electricity or running water. Very rustic and wild living. It made me appreciate nature more. 💖
  • Shannon DonnaBeautifullll
  • Baylor TooherWhere is this
  • Jenna Stamps$15k is a lot of money but this is amazing!
  • Mary FelipeAbsolutely beautiful!! OMG the house of my dreams in the forest ❤️❤️❤️
  • Andrew FraserI would say go for the design you like most. You will be living in it daily. Don’t want to regret that you could have or should have.
  • Michele EdlingThat’s gorgeous! But I’m sure anything you choose will be wonderful
  • Sheryl-Anne SurprenantAMAZING house! I’ve been looking into a-frames as well. I love the windows, the communion with nature. And that bedroom: looking up at the stars every night… Wow! Hope you get your dream house, Rachel! xx
  • Lauren MooreGirl 😍😍😍 if I can come visit!! Lol
  • Joyann Brockwell🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
  • Kim Spidle OverpeckGorgeous!!!!
  • David TerryWill the gravel floor have contact with the cold ground below or will there be insulation between the ground and the gravel? I’m just thinking that in the cold winter that gravel could possible transmit a lot of cold inside the house.
    • Rachel McCash CroninDavid Terry I honestly have no idea— I didn’t know gravel could be a luxury finish option until about an hour ago lol. But this is good to keep in mind and ask! 🙌🏼
    • Jayme MarquezRachel McCash Cronin also consider the kids throwing that gravel all over the house…at least MY kids would😂….but maybe a river rock floor “tiled” in?
  • Ashley Dawn McLaughlinDooooo it😅
  • ActiveRayann ReigenbornGirrrrrl, I can’t! I can’t do it! I can’t talk you off the ledge. 😯Do it!
  • Cassie MacKenzieYohhh this is freakin gorgeous! I love this idea
  • Jayme MarquezCan you incorporate pieces of what you love about this in your design you’ve already invested in? Like that bathroom 😲❤️❤️❤️ If you guys decide to do a whole new design let me know…we paid $1050 for our home design.
    • Rachel McCash CroninJayme Marquez wow that is so affordable!! Did that include everything? Septic design? Foundation engineering? Site plan? Our actual house plans were only $2k and then the design fees of everything else for that house is what added up fast. I think we c… See More
    • Brandon LaneRachel McCash Cronin as much as you have done already you could install a septic leach design for about that same price here in Elko. I don’t know what the ground entails though
    • Jeff HerreraAll you need is a perc test from a soil engineer, dig your hole, bury your tank ($1500) and run the pipes from your house. You don’t have to pay a sub to do that. You already own a pretty hefty backhoe. Rachel McCash Cron
    • Jayme MarquezWith a tank like that is there still a leach field? (I think that’s what they’re called 😬)
    • Rachel McCash CroninJeff Herrera yes we have done all of that— perc + foundation drilling —was astronomically priced for us haha I wish we could have spent $1,500. We have to have our septic system engineering plans stamped by a licensed and insured engineer, per our bank guidelines— which was the $5,500 ish we paid. Our system + leach field is a $20k install. Which is pretty standard for our mountain terrain and the challenges we have up here. So many have showed us similar Home Depot specials —but this is not something we can skimp on unfortunately
    • Jeff HerreraRachel McCash Cronin My soil engineering cost $1400.00. Which includes the septic design, perc tests, soil analysis, and excavation inspections all stamped and approved by the county. The septic system will be installed by our crew with our own trackhoe. Amazing that you have to pay so much.
    • Rachel McCash CroninJeff Herrera that’s amazing!! Part of our costs were convincing contractors to get equipment out here—no one would do it. We eventually decided to DIY it—rented a backhoe and tipped it trying to dig our holes. So we ended up buying the backhoe over the damages. We eventually did get an excavator up to redo it—and once the holes were dug—we could schedule the analysis and get the drilling scheduled. It was like 4 different hires because no one company would do the entire job over our mountaintop location. Crazy!! But at least it’s done now lol
    • Jeff HerreraI’m sorry it cost so much. Sounds like your contractors are little prima donna, foo foo, divas. 😜
    • Rachel McCash CroninJeff Herrera duuudddeeeee yes 😩😩😩 it really is not that difficult of a location at all. We drive it multiple times a day lol in a Honda mom truck lol
  • Danielle Young😲 that house is unbelievably gorgeous 🤗
  • Danielle YoungNicholi St Laurent
  • Dina ImankulovaMark Tsurkis honey time to upgrade
  • Jessica Kishthat’s a lot of money to throw away. I didn’t realize that much into nothing physical yet
    • ActiveRachel McCash CroninJessica Kish yes it’s a huge process. Design fees, engineering fees (we needed 3 different engineers-structural, foundation, septic), site plan fees, soil test fees, etc etc. And we did the most affordable options available—could have been wayyyyy higher lol
  • Danielle D’FiennesAs a designer, a gravel floor & moss wall can be integrated into what you already have without throwing away $15K of architectural plans.
    • Rachel McCash CroninWe’d need to add 2 more Aframes and then connect them. But you are right—I do think we could add on to our current design and make adjustments to make it more like this one without completely starting over 🙌🏼😍
  • Erica AndersonAt the end of the day, what’s 15k really? I believe with all my heart you should get what you want. You want it all. Is that asking too much?Nope. You are worth it all, never forget that. Don’t budge. I will take comfort in looking up to those mountains, knowing dreams do come true. You give me hope. ✨💕
  • Alexandra KoganDerek you said our forever home, right?!
  • Tara BryantWow!! 😍
  • Crystal Reese LeeStunning!!!
  • Cameron Davis ReesThat flat roof section wouldn’t be a good idea where you live for snow load. Man, how do you plan on heating that beast in the winter with ALL THOSE WINDOWS? Totally beautiful but being off grid will be a challenge.
    • Rachel McCash CroninCameron Davis Rees I think going with a greenhouse type tech? Our plastic dome greenhouse often hits 80 degrees and it’s just plastic 🤷🏻‍♀️. I feel if we worked in some sort of greenhouse engineering it would keep everything toasty warm!
    • Cameron Davis ReesRachel McCash Cronin ya for the best solar heat gain in the winter months it’s best to have Windows on the south side. The sun is lower and will warm your house but then gets high enough in the summer that the room blocks it in the summer.
  • Tammy SudacThis is stunning!! I’d be totally tempted too!!😍😍😍
  • Michael T Hoover***Don’t do it!*** If you can have the architect add some features that you would like for a little more money that’s logical but to threw it all away and start over No! You have already put a lot of effort to getting the plans that you have and it’s a good place to start… It will be a very nice house… And then your next one when you get super rich from your other awesome ideas coming to fruition, then you could build this second one … Because there’s always going to be something better that you realized is possible after you’ve already started something… I would say be be grateful for how far you’ve come so far with this dream and live within the means of what you’ve created so far and after a proper period when you’re means have expanded to comfortably upgrade to a next level, then go there… Lumber prices are way up in just one year and the same house that you already planned is going to be thousands more as it is… It is time to create what you’ve already manifested and that is your first dream… The dreams that arise while creating an original dream are to be created down the road! So I hope that convinces you! 🤠😎You asked I told! 🤗😜💞🥂
    • Rachel McCash CroninMichael T Hoover I think you are right. I’ve been drawing all night on adjusting our current design to add 2 more Aframes. I think one will be the master bedroom (like in this design) and the other a garage. 🤔 Still sketching!!
    • Michael T HooverRachel McCash CroninThere is also the possibility of having a design that allows for adding on later if money needs to be spread out over time… I myself kind of like the idea of having a few different buildings on a property, spread out as long as the property is big enough… I almost want something like a village, lol…Giving a tour saying, “over here is the library hut, over here is the workshop hut, and over there is the bath house hut,” etc, etc, lol… 😁I think part of the aesthetic and psychological design for an A-Frame type a structure, is that there is an inherent appreciation for a little limitation… With an A-frame if your still desiring more living space maybe it’s more of the glass feature that you like then just the cuteness of the triangle… Maybe, I don’t know, just throwing it out there… 💞🌞🥂… But theoretically, what’s wrong with three A frames? Nothing I guess, lol… When I go shopping I literally look at all the things I want to have and picture where they going to go and how I’m going to use them, and then proceed to actually a buy the things that I can actually afford, which is about one tenth of what I want, lol… I tell myself at least I’m a good dreamer! 🤩
  • Christion SadlerLove love love this
  • Chelsea Jade AlvaGorgeous 😍 go for it! Or just add on to your design maybe🤷🏼‍♀️
  • Christina Kraft SwyersThis is awesome!!
  • Marie CarreonObsessed!!!!!!! 😍😍😍
  • Natiana Frankie Scheetz15k is a lot, but you’re going to be living here I’m assuming for a very long time. I guess I’d ask myself what I wanted most in the long run. That design is incredible.
  • Robyn AdamsonThat is absolutely stunning!!! Consider building with industrial hemp. It has a much higher flashpoint than other building materials and can help reduce fire damage. And it would be SO cool! 😜
  • Alissa DabasinskasIt’s pretty but so much glass!! Heating would be a b***h in winter. But you’ll definitely get cool neighbor points for having a home that looks like a resort
    • Rachel McCash CroninAlissa Dabasinskas haha someone else mentioned this. I’m wondering if we could build to greenhouse standards? Our little plastic greenhouse heats up to 80 degrees pretty often and there’s 2 feet of snow outside. I wonder if we do some greenhouse engineering if heating would be easy? 🤔
    • Rachel McCash CroninAlissa Dabasinskas and yes! Pretty much I want to live in a glass house. I’ve told everyone in our team if they put a wall where a window could have gone… disaster!! Lol 😂
  • Julie Ann HubbardIf it’s your dream – go for it ! My guess is you have spent way more than 15k in other ways that did not align with your dream !
  • Tatiana EvansI would do it or alter the designs to be able to add a frames in the futur
  • Karen MontalvoWhere is this?!!!
  • Gayle Bradeen GriffinThat new house design is absolutely beautiful. Oh my gosh and it’s gonna be yours!!! How exciting. I’m excited for you.
  • Rachel Maria BallDooo it!
  • Stephanie AdamsI love this sooo much!
  • Frankie McAdams BarlowBeautiful
  • Emma BrakeYou’d probably spend close to $30K+ designing and engineering this, if that helps talk you off. Also, that house has over $100K worth of glass BEFORE installation. That being said, I’m a firm believer in going fully custom on challenging lots. You’d spend so much building this though that I bet you’d have trouble matching comps so your appraisal and loan process would be much more challenging. But I love it! This is kind of what I’m going for too.
    • Rachel McCash CroninEmma Brake I LOVE your design!!!! Yours kinda got me thinking about separating from Avrame lol. And we’ve come to terms with no matter what we build it will be in the 7 figures. Even something ultra tiny (500 sq/ft) was over half a million. So might as well just build what we want. 🤪💸💸💸 I’m talking to the architects of this home on IG and they seem super excited to design a US Aframe. They are actually affordable!! But design is by far the cheapest part haha . It’s the engineering and everything else that’s adds up fast. I totally could see this being $30k. Afterall our driveway design is $65k 🤪🤪
    • Emma BrakeRachel McCash Cronin The site work is killing us! 😂😭 I don’t know if I’ve told you we’re actually building a tiny house to live in while we build the big house and then it will be a vacation rental. It’s on the extra lot that came with our land and we’ll probably be going with Avrame for that; the only reason we’d go custom is if there are lot limitations which all the engineering should tell us soon, but the priority is fast and cheap so Avrame makes sense, plus I love their mission as a company. Which company are you talking to?
    • Rachel McCash CroninEmma Brake oh man!! Well you know we have a back hoe!! My hubs can help for cheaper I’m sure if it’s something someone not licensed can do lol. He leveled our lot so has some experience haha. And I’m talking to the actual architects of the Aframe I posted! They are Iranian and are willing to take a look and give me an estimate. We are thinking the same thing actually with our build. With the 3 triangle design, we are thinking we could build one triangle and live in it—as we continue to build the last 2 over time with the deck, pool, etc. So we’ll see. These architects are very affordable so I asked my husband and he’s down to pay to see their ideas. I told them our list and to be “highly creative” LOL so I’m kinda excited! Our road and bridges will take a year so we have so much time to think about design and be as thoughtful as possible.
    • Rachel McCash CroninEmma Brake maybe we do lunch one of these days and talk our build project and our experiences so far? What we are doing is stressful, at a minimum we can vent haha but maybe gain ideas too. My hubs has been trying to convince me to switch to a tiny Avrame we can buy for cash and self build while we work on our big house. But I’ve been hesitant about diverting any resources away from the big goal. But seeing y’all’s thoughts has me thinking maybe he is right. We are both doing a huge project so love to grab lunch or even tour yalls site on a warm day and swap stories!
    • Emma BrakeRachel McCash Cronin that would be so fun! We’re in Florida and Ohio until mid April; I’ll write and we’ll set something up once we’re home ❤
  • April Glenn ChandlerGirl, I’m no help. This house is my dream! Do it then invite me to stay for a bit.😍
  • April Glenn ChandlerKendall look at these pictures!!🤩
  • Bonnie SilverI’m in love with this, too
  • Porscha NewtonOmg this is gorgeous!!!
  • Heather Lee LaurenceAll i can picture is bugs in the Moss and pieces of gravel scattered on the other floor and stepping on it and sweeping it all of the time. I like whatever makes my life simpler 😂
  • Jeff HerreraAll that glass is a little too impractical in your particulate climate.
    • Jeff HerreraRachel McCash Cronin The picture of that triple A frame house looks like it’s in a semi tropical climate. A lot of “R” value is lost through windows. Heating that home would be expensive in the winter. You wanted us to talk you out of scrapping your plans. This is a good reason.
    • Rachel McCash CroninJeff Herrera haha right you are! Our current design has two 30 ft window walls. We are off grid and will not have utility bills so totally not worried! As long as we have wood and the sun rises, we will be just fine 😍☀️. But two 30 ft window walls is less than the above design for sure
  • Sharon AndreasThis is so gorgeous… but I imagine in that environment… the windows would need to be cleaned every other month, at minimum. Lotsa work. May be worth it!
    • Rachel McCash CroninSharon Andreas we property manage a cabin down the road and pro cleaning the windows once every few years is all that’s needed actually. And a pro clean is very affordable too! The forest is not as dirty as the city 😍 🌲
    • Sharon AndreasRachel McCash Cronin bird droppings? Sap? Pine tree debris? Really? Wow! Then yea, I say go for lots of windows!
    • Rachel McCash CroninSharon Andreas ohhh no none of that lol. It was mainly dust from the dirt road that needed to be washed off. The trees are not that close to any windows so no issues there. 🙌🏼
  • Hazel JuneThis is soooo beautiful! 😍