By John Rowe.
I wrote a series of articles about five years ago about people somewhere in the process of building their own homes in the Baca. The Crestone area has had a long history of folks homesteading here, building primarily experimental and environmentally friendly houses.
These include homes made of strawbale, cob (mud and straw), adobe block, earthships (tires, rammed earth, and glass), repurposed grain silos, and other materials.
Pete Van Horn is one of those who came here with little building experience and a modest amount of money and who has successfully built his own place. I thought it would be of interest to check on him to see how life has been in these last five years and to find out just how the building experience has contributed to who he is.
EAGLE: So how do you like your earthship home?
PETE: I love my house. It is small but roomy, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I would, however, do a few things differently. I would use better windows (mine were all used) and put in some better floor insulation. I have since discovered that folks who insulate floors well have houses that are much easier to heat.
EAGLE: What else about the building process would you like to pass on to others?
PETE: Find out all you can about the kind of house you are going to build—from YouTube, books, and other builders. Make friends with all the other owner-builders. We are a close knit community, and we help each other out all the time.
Between all of us there is a wealth of knowledge that can come in handy in all phases of construction. Matt Evers (see last month’s The Crestone Eagle owner-builder piece) and I have put together a YouTube website, OwnerBuildersUnite/youtube, to provide another source for do-it-yourselfers.
We post videos there frequently and get hundreds of hits on each one. The emotional and social support from others is valuable as well. The building experience can be overwhelming, and we help each other to hang in with it, for years if needed.
EAGLE: Did you find yourself overwhelmed at times?
PETE: It almost seemed like too much from time to time but I learned to stay focused on the task at hand and just do the next right thing. I also developed a lot of patience—my house took about three years to build.
EAGLE: What surprised you about the building process?
PETE: Despite all my planning, everything cost twice as much as I thought and took twice as long as I thought.
EAGLE: How has building your own home changed you?
PETE: I am more secure and anchored as a person and I have a deeper sense of self-confidence in all areas of my life. There are a lot more things in life that I think I can do. I see life more along the lines of a glass being half full, not half empty.
EAGLE: Crestone has become much more gentrified in the last 10 or 15 years. Has this affected your building?
PETE: I wasn’t here 10 or 15 years ago but I am told that gentrification has caused pressure to be put on builders to finish more quickly and to keep the construction sites less cluttered with equipment and building materials. But I have to say that the fines are very minimal to have to get two or three six-month extensions to the year and a half allowed by Baca Grande Property Owners Association (BGPOA) covenants. And gentrification has made it much easier for those of us who make our living in construction. There are always houses being built and home improvement going on among those who can afford skilled labor.
EAGLE: Any last thoughts?
PETE: The friends and community I have found here are like nothing I have ever experienced before. I truly feel like Crestone is a special place and I look forward to continuing to make a good life here.