Man Called Nuts For Taking 9 Years Building Home From Horse Barns But Now He’s Debt-Free

Mar 04, 2020 by apost team

Becoming a homeowner can be a stressful and oftentimes expensive proposition from a financial standpoint. In addition to shopping around at multiple banks, there are dozens of forms that you need to fill out to find the best loan for your situation.

About a decade ago, 61-year-old Rob Brian of Mulhall, Oklahoma decided that he was going to circumvent the traditional path of building his dream home. Rather than turning to banks, Rob would build his own home and remained debt-free. After 9 years, Rob’s astounding plan has finally come to fruition.

Rob worked for decades in the oil industry in Alaska. When he moved to Oklahoma, Rob knew that he wanted to settle down, but didn’t want the financial burden that came from borrowing money to build his dream home. Instead, Rob purchased a picturesque 330-acre plot of land and went to work building his home by hand.

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Speaking with reporters from KFOR News in Oklahoma City, Rob said that throughout the whole process, his friends thought that he was nuts. Upon seeing the finished product, Rob’s friends know just how resourceful he was in crafting the 4,000 square foot home. In a tour with KFOR, Rob showed off his new place and has a special message for people who are thinking about buying a home.

Rob says that most of the materials for his home came from the property itself. In designing the home, Rob wanted it to resemble cedar trees standing on a hilltop. The home itself is actually two horse barns tied together. One barn is 50 feet and has most of Rob’s living space while the other is 30 feet and is mostly made up of the kitchen.

In designing the rest of the home, Rob used many forms of recycled material, such as wine bottles for the windows. An array of solar panels also provides Rob with free electricity.

In building the home, Rob also considered the harsh Oklahoma weather. The walls of the home are constructed from materials such as metal, stucco, and straw bales, allowing it to stand up to a near-miss by a tornado.

Finishing up his tour with KFOR News, Rob said that in showing off his home to the public, he hopes to encourage people to build their homes themselves rather than relying on bank loans. The resourceful builder says that if everyone learned from a young age how to effectively wield a hammer, they could live debt-free.

Rob lives in his home with his faithful dog and plans on enjoying his retirement by painting and playing music. In addition to being a skilled builder, Rob is also an accomplished author, having written two books about the history of Mulhall.

What do you think of how Rob built his own home to remain debt-free? Given the opportunity, would you build your own home like Rob or would you prefer a more traditional path to homeownership? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.