Headed up to the lot today to fell trees and split firewood with a couple of my new favorite tools. I tried out a lot of saws, from generic Home Depot stuff to Shark saws from Japan. My favorite by … Read More

Going over revised plans with my dad, while we were on a short trip to Canada. It was always good to sit down seriously during the day, under good light, and study the plans. But some of the best ideas … Read More

The building site in winter. Many people suggested that I spend as much time as possible at the lot, so that I could see how things changed with the seasons, weather, and time of day. This was excellent advice. I … Read More

Clearing the building site with friends using forestry saws, hatchets, and an axe. Yes, I know that traditional hand tools are very slow compared with a chain saw and hydraulic splitter. But it was fun and rewarding taking the trees … Read More

My designer thought it was pretty funny that I made a foamcore model from the plans, and said “I haven’t seen one of those since I was in school!” Nowadays houses are usually modeled on computers rather than with, you … Read More

Working on house plans! There are four major paths to designing a house: do it all yourself, buy an off-the-shelf plan, hire a designer, or hire an architect. There are also many hybrid methods, such as buying an off-the-shelf plan … Read More

The lot! In the summer of 2017 I picked up 1.3 acres (56,348 square feet) in the hills above Anchorage, off of Goldenview. The whole lot is buildable, and there is a glacial moraine in the back with a view … Read More

Instead of kicking this account off with pretty building photos I’m starting with books. There is SO MUCH to know and learn about housebuilding. I’m starting this process with minimal knowledge about construction, but the project is complex and the … Read More

CONTACT Feel free to get in touch!

Hi, welcome to AK House Project! I started this as a way to document my housebuilding project in Anchorage, Alaska. I purchased land in 2017 and started building fall of 2019. My goal is to be as transparent and informative … Read More