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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> Easiest would seem to be buy a place and remodel it. :)

I think Keith is correct. The question is final quality. I have been 
rebuilding, remodeling, redoing, and adding onto the Heartwood shack 
for about thirty years but Chris and I have decided that we will 
spend no more money on it because if we live long enough it will come 
down and be replaced.

Some houses are not worth remodeling. We love our old shack but it 
mostly sits on a stone foundation with no footing, nothing is level, 
and, worst, the ceilings are at seven feet.

Don's question is what is easiest. I think the answer is qualified by 
the skill of the builder. Masonry, carpentry, finish carpentry, 
roofing, stuccoing, plastering, and the rest are all easy for those 
with large experience but hard for novices.

If starting from dirt, in general and figuring average skills, I 
think easiest is slab foundation, stick-frame walls, roof trusses, 
scored plywood exterior sheathing/finish, sheetrock inside. Finish 
such as kitchen cabinetry has essentially unlimited parameters 
depending on the skill of the builder. I lean to open shelves.