Do you guys like A-frames? We certainly do!

I built a 1400+ square foot A-frame last year in North Washington State we too get cold and snow...it was much cheaper to build than my original thought of a logcabin...by combining the roof and walls this saves money yet you do lose living space...I love mine its quaint and rustic yet modern.. I could care less how my A-frame stacks up against any other A-frame on any social media, though...Best Wishes!

So... Don't build a giant impractical A frame if you want to turn a profit on Air BNB. Got it.

The cost was so high because of building a DIY cabin you were looking at an A frame McMansion. NO comparison

I can't imagine 'standing out on social media' being a criteria for the type of home I choose.

I'm pretty sure the reason you don't like a frames is because you weren't going to build it yourself, A frames were made to be constructed by amateurs, kind-of like an Ikea house. They're super easy to build because the walls and roof are the same thing, so you can basically make 50 degree angles with the rafters and lift them into place.

When Social media dictates you're life lol

TRUTH is what got me because you were sincere about not only the actual home but your overall content strategy around that..

I'm still gonna build an A frame

I really, really tried to get your purpose for this video. What im left with is that its not cost affective. I think maybe your area of the country, supply issues and higher builder costs of Northern states are more the issue. Not all Northern states. In Southern Appalachia we build A-frames that are Very cost efficient wich are very affordable. I know in Maine through my builder friends that it's way more efficient and affordable to go with A-frames than traditional which are alot more complicated to build and it gets pretty cold in Maine. So to anyone thinking of an A-frame dont get scared off because of someone else's experience do your own research, just sayin.

The quality of this Video is so immaculate that when I saw you only had 1.6k subs I was shocked. Love this content. keep making more videos.

I'm a builder in Northern Michigan. We're over in Alpena and do not see a lot of A-frames. There are a few and I've always been intrigued by them and have also considered a build out for a short term rental. Another cost efficient method I am considering is a mountain style (shed roof). Its interesting to see how different styles come and go and how people tend to gravitate back to the old school simple methods!

Thank you for sharing the complete and detailed A-frame cabin construction process from design to completed construction.

This is very good video..the editing is amazing...I remember when yall were first starting out. Levi Kelly is dominating this airbnb tour space, but I remember at that time you and a few others were just starting out. Cheers to much more success in this industry and youtube (I am a small youtuber on another channel).

This video was extremely helpful. Thank you.

I love A Frames; as a matter of fact I'm looking bc I want a tiny home. Thank you for sharing!

I'm glad I found this. I'm also in Michigan and have been tossing around an A frame construction like yours (just not elevated). Sounds like it isn't as cheap as I thought it would be

Two years from now: Someone will make a video about how they are not going to build a tower design because it's tough to stand out from all the other tower designs. We're building round.

Very useful video, thank you

Great job on your video and very good points as well. Maybe because I'm not from a social media generation, but for me I have zero thought of standing out or not. An A-Frame can do well with spray foam insulation, foundation with insulation and in floor heating/HVAC provided by geo-thermal. Geo-thermal BTW even works exceptionally well even in Northern Mi where I also live (Cheboygan). Spray foam and geo-thermal are both items that make you cry once but pay huge dividends in the long run. My older home (but well insulated) has a 15 year old geo-thermal system and my biggest electric bill in the coldest winter months has never exceeded $240. I'm also a big user of electric in general.

@northofnowhere thanks a lot for sharing all this information. Can I ask if you considered to use sandwich panel for the roof ?

Great points, l am obsessed with A Frames and it does appear to be a global trend, this type of home has become the architectural zeitgeist. A collective longing for the ambience, the fireplace, the soaring ceilings, the windows, the environment.

My parents and I built my a-frame in the Canadian Rockies. My dad has built 6 houses previously and this was by far the most complicated build. Had a known how complicated it was I would have chosen another design. We couldn't even get anyone to come spray it so it required very deep wells for a lot of insulation. But when I was looking to stay in an Airbnb to see if I would like an A-frame, there was not one anywhere near me. I would have to fly out to the coast of Canada or to the states. There are a couple of smaller ones being built in the area, which I assume are for Airbnb, and there is another large one that is private. It was way more expensive and way more work but I do have to say I adore it

5:36 - That style of adding onto an A-frame makes a lot of sense. It also makes it stand out among other typical designs. The addition is a great place to put the bathroom and utilities, and doesn't have to cost a ton. *One thing to consider:* Some _VERY_ profitable rentals were built on the cheap with bare-bones amenities - as the *location* is more important to the guests than the comforts of a modern house. Many people who rent these places simply want a quaint "rustic" getaway in nature, and will spend most of their time outdoors, not the house itself. Thus the outdoor amenities - like a porch with furniture, a fire pit, hot tub, etc. - are perhaps more important than a pristine modern interior.

This was awesome. You’ve nailed the story telling, and that makes total sense. Thanks for sharing this was really great advice.

Build it yourself, it ll take some time but be super cheap. I want one in Mi in the UP thats what brought me here. What ever you guys do, GL

2020 lumber prices were insane. I’m sure if you quoted it night the price will be way more reasonable. Your point about the saturation of A frames on the market is super valid though! Looking forward to seeing how you guys put a twist on the A-Frame!

Absolutely phenomenal video ! I am about to build a home in the mountains and was looking at an A-Frame. This has made me seriously re think that idea! Also, I cannot find anyone who can build one so there is also that…….

which software are you using for design?

So basically you hired and hired and hired to have something completely impractical designed and built and then wondered why it was too expensive. They're not meant to be gigantic buildings.. they're meant to be small and potentially built by 1 man. This is just predatory real estate.

Great Video! Was also sold on an A-Frame until i saw the perfect tower several months ago. Build a home for the next 50 years and thats a Modern Tower. 👍

Interesting video! Have some property under contract near Jackson hole and was wanting to build an A frame for air bnb as well but may look into other options. Thanks!

Interesting information and well presented. I really liked the input on changes to Air B&B that could impact a property if you were renting it or A-B&Bing it. I have been researching building an a-frame because of the snow load problem in Alaska and cutting costs compared to traditional box building. With 1 caveat I found pretty much the direct opposite on costs though. The caveat is that contractors (the average contractor) typically doesn't know what to do with nontraditional building techniques and either doesn't know how to bid it or just ask stupid prices hoping you go away but will build it if you are dumb enough to pay them. I actually had two contractors tell me $400 a square foot is that number for them (in the height of covid). One also told me they treat each floor as the same square footage as the bottom floor even if it's just a loft on each end.

There are a couple large old A frames in my neighborhood. They stand out in from the craftsman style and Tudors that were popular in the area at the time.

Im convinced. I definitely want an a frame.

We had one drawn up and put builder is charging $240/sqft. It’ll be in northern NM. It’s 1000sqft and lumber quote was $115k! I think that’s steep and will shop around.

Great video and thanks for sharing your experience. There are so many variables in this process, such as location. We built our Aframe (3550sqft) in the Midwest and managed to come in at $250-$260 / sqft (~$230 / sqft excluding land cost). We went with a kit from one of the companies you mentioned (~$90K cost for LVL lumber, sheathing, etc.) We got extremely lucky with our contractor who was will commit to a cost+ contract. This gave us much needed flexibility and transparency throughout the build. Also, building a larger cabin helps with cost efficiency as well. Doing this is only pragmatic if there's demand for larger capacity stays in your area.

There’s pros and cons to every housing style. Depends on what you want. Makes sense why you chose what you did. I would sacrifice living space for an A-frame. But I decided to live in a ranch style house built in 51, rather than a bigger two-three story house that looks like a box with what I consider no character. It comes with some challenges as beating and cooling isn’t as effective. All down to preference.

I happen to be building an A-Frame in the next town over from you. I'm going for one over a basement, so it's effectively a normal house, sunk halfway into the ground. Antrim county is beautiful.

The value in an a frame is simplicity and low cost if you keep it simple… and do it yourself. Hiring someone else, well, it’s going to be pricey.

Yo guys I am impressed! Excellent video production quality and editing. You guys have a highly underrated channel. Keep going!

Just found your channel and have subscribed. Good content. Where will you be building? I notice you wearing a Short’s hat; my wife and I just purchased property in Antrim County to be closer to family. We will be building our home in the near future so will be following your journey to learn what I can.

I built a 1200 sq ft A Frame in South Texas on Canyon Lake. It is high spec house wrapped in cedar with a standing seam metal roof backed by titanium sheeting to protect against hail which will kill a roof in my area. Not cheap at all as I could have built a normal 3000 sq foot house for the same money. My house is on a slope so I had concrete piers poured on top of huge block footers that go down to the Texas limestone. I spent $60K on the foundation engineering and materials alone (2012). I am a retired engineer who worked in Seattle, Philly and Texas for that famous aerospace company years ago so my house is definitely overbuilt. I also have 2 X 6 outer walls and spray foam as well as composite laminated beams in the floors and my rafters are also spray foamed as well as the underfloor area. I have a wood stove that gets me through the occasional power outage in the winter and the house is all electric and on a aerobic septic system. I maintain a 75 degree temperature year round (I mostly COOL the house with a/c as it is South Texas) and you can feel the temperature drop as you step into it from the plus 100 degree heat most spring/summer/fall days. It is located across the street that fronts the lake, and the edge of my first floor deck is 14 feet above the ground. It is nestled in live oak trees and folks refer to it as the tree house. The view is outstanding and the sunsets are fantastic. And it is the ONLY A frame on my street as Texans prefer more massive style homes. My tiny house stands out in the crowd. Plus being tiny for a Texas house my property taxes are also tiny as you are taxed on square footage and I just have a 2 bedroom 2 bath. A frames are not for everyone but if you do one correctly you will have a house that will stand out from the crowd.

Now i want an A-frame!

A-frames are simple and cheap to build, as long as you design them on the basis of which materials you have access to. For instance, back in the 60s-70s, you'd find 24' long dimensionnal lumber, which is not the case anymore. That being said, you'll find 20' long dimensionnal lumber pretty much everywhere. For instance, a 2x10x20 currently sells for less than 30 CAD in Quebec. Obviously, that would make the cabin a lot smaller than what you were working on, but that explains the price difference.

Quick question about your lumber package prices. Did you get the AFrame quote when we were still in covid? I know lumber has dropped pretty low this year and I’d be curious what that lumber pack quote would be now on your AFrame.

I think Scandinavian homes are the best fit for the North side of the USA and Canada. A 1 and 1/2-story home would offer a better dwelling area than A-frame, an ideal slope for solar panels ( 40-55 degrees) and won't break the bank.

Whatever you decide on building, make sure you use plenty of nails! Pound them in good now... LOL! Nice video. Thank you.

We have property on Beaver Island MI. Honestly most of the cost for us is LABOR! doing it ourselves will save a ton of $$. We arent building as big as your images as well so we wont need as much material. hope it goes well for your build.

Totally depends on where you’re building your a frame. If you’re building them as an off grid small cabin like you’re supposed to. They ain’t that bad. Lived in one in Alaska.

Could i get some info on the tower..i am going to build 6 units and would like to get some info if possible.

I appreciate anyone that takes the time of making content that's more than them just goofing around on the camera, with that in mind however I feel like people coming your channel should know that you're not here building this stuff for your own personal use, and I definitely feel like the title of your video is kind of I wouldn't say clickbait but it definitely makes someone who doesn't know what your channel is about go oh no what's wrong with a frames I better click it

What is the piece of music in the intro?

In Michigan - subscribed

Interesting topic and video but we stuck around through a long explanation hoping to see the benefits of the tower!

Don't see too many A-Frames in mountains around SoCal - ones that do come on the market are snapped up instantly- maybe a day on the market or have a bidding war. So resale isn't a problem.

A-frames appeal to certain state of mind. When i sit and smoke a joint, I get self indulgent with the geometry and bake in kimberling triangles and euler points. It is impractical perfection. An amusement on paper. One day I'll build a building meant as a teaching demonstration of geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.

The A frames work very good in the jungle here in peru . How do you manage a rain in a tower design?

Nice work on documenting. Your Aframe did appear however to be very large. Maybe too large. Some of the most profitable Airbnbs are the most clever at using space. Also a very interesting very profitable Airbnb is called "The Butterfly" Airbnb built based in Texas. Your new design doesn't have to be a perfect square. You can add some slants to the roof and be just creative enough call attention to itself.

I just checked Airbnb in Ireland we have not even one A frame😂 I found one single story tiny room in Killarney, what looks like A frame.

I like the honesty throughout the video. I learned a lot. Thanks for making it.

cheapest house is the one the builder can frame the quickest, and trades can wire/plumb the easiest etc

Be careful with hitting the windows to get rid of a mosquito. I broke a windshield one time. I didn't realize that after the car was in 120F all day the windows don't need to much pressure to break.

I live in tropical country without snow and logs and Wood are pretty cheap here. Is building A shape house like this will cost more efficient than building a traditional concrete house?

If you guys decide to sell the plan, i would get it! Im trying to make one in the Caribbean.

Where or from whom did you purchase your tower kit

My Dad built one for my family when I was a kid. My parents broke up so we never got to live in it. I have land I'm going to build a mini A-frame to see if it is still what I want. I don't care about trends. I haven't seen any new A-frames built here in Australia. Pity about the cost over there and so many popping up.

I laughed my head off when I saw the title. I can just about assemble an IKEA flat pack let alone a triangular building. But well done you two. ❤

Looking at doing this in south Louisiana.

How much was the total cost for the tower?

I like it, but would make bump-outs on the sides.

Uhhhh how do I get plans like your tower haha I love that that thing!!!!!

The surface area of the roof is going to contribute to a lot of the cost. For a 60 sq meters (646 sq fr) - 6 by 10 meters (20 by 33 ft) house ... The surface area of the roof is 70 degree : 175 sq meters (1,884 sq ft), floor to roof height: 4.46 meters (14.63 ft) 60 degree : 120 sq meters (1,292 sq ft), floor to roof height: 4.05 meters (13.29 ft) 55 degree : 105 sq meters (1,130 sq ft), floor to roof height: 3.80 meters (12.47 ft) 50 degree : 93 sq meters (1,001 sq ft), floor to roof height: 3.54 meters (11.61 ft) 45 degree : 85 sq meters (915 sq ft), floor to roof height: 3.25 meters (10.66 ft) If you don't like stairs you could go with no upper floors, and e.g. a 55 degree roof.

You could do a vented roof deck.

Interesting, I was just checking airbnb here and I can’t find any aframes. Maybe it’s a Michigan thing? Idk

I'm going to buy land and try to build it myself! No where near the size of this design. Think I have a 22 by 34 ft design with the second floor walls going up for feet. And depending on the cost I'll like to do a full basement

Lw case ad A sono straordinarie ed economiche, io le adoro

Nobody said you had to do a roof the same way. There are tons of other alternatives for roofing that can still look nice.

I guess I'm not understanding why you need so much "engineered" lumber for "roof support" when the walls are pitched at such steep angles. Yes, you get a lotta snow. But it's not a snow load anywhere near that of a traditional or flat roof.

What about building an "A" Frame in a much warmer climate like in Arizona or New Mexico?

what software do u use?

Im gonna build one. I have a sawmill and all the trees. Learn by doing. Fuck everybody else.

I used to work in Bellaire :-)

TLDR; don't put your retirement dreams in the hands of AirBnb. (which may or may not even be allowed by the time you finish your cabin in your area)

it's expensive for 4 weathers.. in PH we only have 2 weather so this is the cheapest option..

Don't know what's exactly expensive, it's a timber frame construction,less complicated than standard timber frame house,an 250mm insulation will give you a an ur rating of 0.16-0.18 ,the A frame wall/roof area is basically the same as a one storey houses wall+roof area. Steel sheet roof is cheaper then wooden cladding which is painted and then needs to be repainted every 5 year's.

I'm in MI (lower peninsula) and planned to built an A frame. This was depressing.

Dishing builders of 50s and 60s like that was just wrong on so many levels! Those people were more skilled and their work often was ten times better than workers of today! Otherwise thanks for the info! I think the problem is that A Frames are very popular today and for that reason builders tend to give bigger prices as well.

I'm wondering if in Louisiana it would be cheaper. No real winter

$400 for a metal roof is a steal over here in New York

A Frames are for short people. And If you can build yourself the tower design is way more efficient way to build. A Frames are easy but the roofing is costly for the net square footage. They go up quick but interior space is limited.

Build your own. Way cheaper.

I built a smaller one in our feild near our house. It is very cool, but we don't have to live in it.

Gotta sub to fellow Michiganders.

The point of A frame is not standing out but to have a home resistant to snow loads....

HEY! Guitar guy? No? Yes? 👋🏻👋🏻

Spray foam is EXPENSIVE lol. Quoted a 30x50 quonset, about 35k for 2.5" closed cell insulation. Fuck THAT lol

30 seconds in... I'd like to read that Miss Manners article. At least, I hope that heading is for the advice column and not that someone was mistreating their stepkids like farm animals.

Worrying about whether or not your house stands out on social media seems like an odd thing to factor in.

Ah, yoopers. Gotcha.