The Shack - Small Home Renovation

[myhomerenovation]

thanks for sharing this wonderful..such a nice video..!!

[MickScarborough]

Wait! 30 grand for 1/8 acre with a tiny shack in Alaska??? What an absolute ripoff! Dude OMG LOL I can not believe this. No one would pay 30 grand for a postage stamp with a turd on it in an area where land is so abundant and cheap.

[warkilla]

@MickScarborough You obviously haven't lived in Alaska. It's a desirable place to live so unlike the rest of the USA property values haven't depreciated. Land may be abundant outside of the major cities, but not in the city. The lot alone is worth $30 grand today. So I got the lot and the house for the price of just the lot. The little shack has been able to rent out ever since I bought it for over $500/month. So who's the turd now? Owned...

[jeffdustin]

@warkilla Great job on the interior. I'm happy for you that you've got such a nice rent from the property. Way to go!

[warkilla]

@jeffdustin Thanks! After all these years, there's still so much I'd like to do to it but it's still standing which is the most important part :)

[helloclaritabueno]

nice



[tombrisson]

this is really very cozy, a lovely place...have you considered a small woodstove?

[warkilla]

@tombrisson I have... I've looked at quite a few different models. We might have to put one in there in the near future :)

[marybiniol]

i like it..its a place to unwind...you, your friends, dad and grandpa did a good job...

[warkilla]

@marybiniol Thank you! It was a fun project to work on, a true labor of love :) Thanks for watching and your comment.

[arbonac]

I think it's awesome! There is NOTHING like home ownership, and anyone that poo poos the idea needs their head examined.

[veufcliquot]

great job ! and you double your investment, nice to have imagination,friends and believing in yourself eh! and you know you still have alot of options you can ad and make for cheap!

[warkilla]

@veufcliquot thank you...

[MrRoberoni117]

Nice work man. Don't let your friends get you down. I live in a small city and a 1/8th acre is HUGE. You can always build new! Cheers.

[warkilla]

@MrRoberoni117 For alot of people, 1/8th acre is plenty. And you're right, eventually, maybe when I have the property paid off, I can build something new there :) Thanks for watching and leaving a comment :)

[YiuTeub]

your plumbing doesnt freeze at all? I know Mobiles freeze all the time here.

[warkilla]

@YiuTeub Nope, I insulated the skirting (the lower wall that is free floatin and not connected to the ground). I also put the blue foam board insulation on the outside to keep the cold from penetrating from the outside. I didn't insulate the floor so that the heat from above can transfer below. All of the years I've had it it's never frozen (except once) when a friend who was staying there turned the heat off while on a weekend trip. The pipes did freeze and burst then.

[warkilla]

@warkilla They key is to keep the upstairs heated and that heat will keep the crawl space warm. To make sure that never happens again I put a small electric heater in the crawl space set just above 32 degrees. If for some reason the heat upstairs fails, the small heater in the crawl space will kick on.

[infospill]

love shack?

[warkilla]

@infospill Not a love shack, just a fun shack perhaps hehe

[warkilla]

@infospill Thanks!

[855h0le]

30,000 for JUST 1/8th Acre? Theres 15-30 Acres fhat Price ! (Undeveloped too!

[Im just saying, but you made out nice in the ned!! Nice view! Throw in a Gazebo! What state is this anyways??-thanks

[warkilla]

@855h0le $30,000 for a 1/8th acre lot and a livable structure in downtown Homer Alaska with ocean view is a great deal. I know that in other parts of Alaska/the continental united states are are better deals, but for downtown Homer AK, this was a great deal!

[855h0le]

@warkilla Well then I am happy you got it then! I must admit , that View is to kill for !

I take it Alaska or parts thereof is expensive in general or just in real estate?

[warkilla]

@855h0le Fuel is more expensive and so is produce in general. Many products have to be shipped up there so it can cause things to be more expensive than in the states. It's not too bad though.

[BadassCeino]

Nice job, you should now do a mobile version, like a container home.

[warkilla]

@BadassCeino Funny you should mention it, I had planned on doing one on a tripple axel trailer so it could be moved. If I ever get the chance to do that I'll post a video!

[IMJUSTSHORTANDWHINNY]

how is the price of Alaska land in other parts of the state?

[warkilla]

@IMJUSTSHORTANDWHINNY Honestly, I have no idea. It really depends on how rural you want to go. In the cities it can be more expensive.

[calmingbrook]

I love it!

[mikehawke54]

Great little house you have cleaned it up very nicely. And I did hear you say one eighth (1/8) of an acre, and well worth it. Good luck!

[HarpSama]

cool lol 30k is ntn for this n 8 acers, if u want to make real money find a way to plant truffels in the soil, or sometype of winter berry lol

[warkilla]

30K for the shack and 1/8th acre not 8, I wish it was 8! haha but for Homer Alaska that's a pretty good price.

[theabogah]

wheres the crapper!

[warkilla]

Ahaha well, it's got one, I may not have shown it in this video. one of these days I'm going to do a followup, I've got some better video of the inside.

[IcyProductionsInc]

well if it comes with 8 acrs then i think that it is a good deal

[warkilla]

haha unfortunately in Homer Alaska the price I mentioned only included 1/8th of an Acre, but believe me that's a steal. I guess that's the price we pay to have a slice of paradise :)

[gaiagale]

I enjoy seeing people's efforts to see value every where.

...would ♥ to see an update as you have replied previously yet I know any video takes lots of time and effort.

...thanks for putting TLC into the wee Homer gem and thanks for sharing : )

[warkilla]

I do have some newer video that I should post an update. I'll see if I can get something done soon :) Thanks for watching!

[gaiagale]

You are most welcome : ) ...it was my pleasure : ) indeed! ...perhaps I'll subscribe so that be sure to see your new posting

[atravldude]

good for you.  great house.

[warkilla]

Hey, thanks for watching, glad you liked it. I need to put up an updated video. I've done a few more things since this video even :)

[19Spencer80]

Great. May I suggest one thing...I live in Michigan and a higher pitch roof helps with snow not building up on the roof...a lot of short roofs here give way each season...I can only guess how much snow that thing gets. Dont want to sound negative only a concern. You did great and probably had fun doing it all.

[warkilla]

Homer can get a fair amount of snow. Probably no more than some parts of Michigan but your suggestion is a good one. I'm going to have to replace the roof at some point, at least the shingles anyhow. I've thought about putting a higher pitched roof on it for the very reason you suggested. Alot of people put metal roofs on their homes in AK so the snow will simply slide off. The shallow pitch and asphalt shingles def. catch the snow hehe.

[codenamecommando]

Great house!

[warkilla]

Thanks, I think so too :)

[FrigglesTheSapien]

i love the kitchen countertop.

Shelves give you more space. And are you putting more windows in?

[warkilla]

I hadn't planned on it but the windows that are in there I want to replace with more energy efficient ones. Thanks for watching :)

[4realestateleads]

wow it looks so much different and better! Great flip dude!

[alzathoth]

you've GOTTA toss some solar panels on that roof! ;)

[warkilla]

That's phase two :) That and possibly a wind turbine, and solar water heater of some kind :) The possibilities are endless! hehe

[undercurrentspaulo]

Thanks...enjoyed your vid

[warkilla]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

[gardenburger]

the shack guy

great job! nice to see a guy live his dream good on ya!

keep posting vids of your work

wade

[anabaptistSue]

That is GREAT! Maybe they will discover oil on your property!

[warkilla]

hehe thanks, although I'd be happier if they found a geothermal resource :) Could put a small geothermal generator on the property :) FREE clean energy :)

[Georgy623]

Thats pretty cool but like...30,000 is to much but still cool

[warkilla]

Actually, you can't even find a chunk of property in Homer Alaska for that price anymore, so actually, it's been a great investment :)

[kenjiro159]

wow, that's very nice. I rather live in a small house.

[warkilla]

I agree! I love trying to figure out how to live comfortably in a very small space. Too many people think they need a huge house to be happy :) Thanks for watching!

[IHATEPRINCETON]

VERY COOL BUT DO YOU HAVE A BATHROOM?

[warkilla]

I do actually. It takes up about a quarter to a third of the inside of the space. It has a put together shower stall. It was in there when I bought it but it works, and I don't see the need to invest a lot of money into the unit as it's not my final dream home :) Anyhow, maybe I'll do an update video for everyone with more footage eventually :) Thanks for watching though :)

[terradyne17]

That's cool.

[warkilla]

Thanks for the compliment! :)

[msfullroller]

Too cute!!!! You did a wonderful job.

[warkilla]

hehe, thanks! I really enjoyed working on it with my family and friends. One of the best experiences of my life, very gratifying :) Thanks for watching :)

[warkilla]

Thanks for the compliment! :)

[giantship]

Hi, great job!, Have you ever considered renting your house to vacationers? A peaceful place would be a wonderful experience for someone from a noisy dirty city for a change even if only for a week or two. You can even put a clause in your rental deal like help with the yard or something. Can you just imagine someone beautifying your yard as they enjoy their leisure time? Thank you for inspireing and motivating people who watch this. I loved it :)

[warkilla]

Hey, thanks for the comment, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I am actually renting it out to a girl who moved to Homer, she's taking really great care of it! I'm glad I was able to inspire and motivate you :) Good luck with any little house project you may decide to tackle after watching my video :) Thanks again for the kind comment :)

[justaguy123456]

You did a good job. I understand about doing that kind of project. Wow, Alaska land is expensive. I bought a house on three acres in northern New York state for $25,000 and then spent $3000 on the renovation. It has been appraised at $54,000. But I am still paying taxes based on the $25,000 price. Cool!

[warkilla]

yeah hehe I wish I was still paying taxes on my original appraisal...they finally reappraised the house and wow did my property taxes go up! Yeah land in Homer Alaska is expensive because there's only so much of it and it's a very desirable place to live. You can find cheaper land in less desirable places though. But I saw this as a good investment so I went for it! Thanks for watching the video :)

[warkilla]

Yeah, my little lot was located right in the middle of downtown Homer, which is a pretty quaint little fishing town in Alaska. Land in town is at a premium so it def. wasn't cheap, but by in town Homer Alaska standards it was a pretty good deal. You can get a couple of acres way out of town maybe but yeah right in town the price is going up. Congrats on your renovation, sounds like alot of fun!

[AminaTheQueen]

You have done a really good job on your home. I recently purchased a home in Maryland, it's not much to look at, but I do see it's potential. I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed because it seems like it's so much I need to do, but watching your video of the transformation has really given me a positive out look about my home. So glad you shared your video. Thanks.

[warkilla]

Hey, thanks for the response. Yeah I was pretty overwhelmed myself but with help from friends and family, slowly but surely the house made it's transformation. Some projects will go slow and you'll feel like you're not making any progress but take photos along the way and you'll be amazed how quickly things can improve as you look back!

[MusclecarsMeditation]

Really enjoyed this video! Thanks for sharing.

[warkilla]

Right on, I'm glad someone found it interesting, and hopefully a little helpful :)

[MusclecarsMeditation]

Of course! I think it was really well-done.

Considering the way that homes in the US have become bloated I hope to see more videos like this!

[Zarbod]

Nice job. I'm moving up next July to do that in a more remote area. Where in Alaska was this?

[warkilla]

Bought this house in Homer.

[warkilla]

This was in Homer Alaska

[warkilla]

That's awesome yeah good luck, when you do it you should take lots of photos and videos and post them on here for people to see :)