need a full time natural builder for 2016 for great pay

Earlier this year I offered $10,000 for somebody to build the freezer wofati. I also offered $6700 to do a full upgrade to allerton abbey. I was also offereing to pay to finish wofati 0.8. And once all of those are done, I think there can be something to be arranged to finish the 10x10 wofati.

Some work has now been done on allerton abbey - and it looks like it a canadian will show up any day now and get to work on finishing that. The other projects still need to be done.

I think there is a long list of projects to be done, and lots of things that could be tried. At the same time, if a professional natural builder is here working on this stuff there are several possible paths:

- I think that a pro could earn $10,000 per month getting this stuff done. Probably with one helper.

- It is possible that a pro could coordinate workshops with the projects to boost the income even further.

- In time, this position could be leveraged even further to increase the income even further. Training others on the lab to subcontract. Building structures and flipping them.

- A lot of this stuff will be videos and who knows what we might do with the footage, but it could end up being a career leverage point.

- I think a pro could net $100,000 per year here pretty easily. Not only do I have about $30,000 worth of projects ready to be done asap, but if a real pro were here, I think there are about $40,000 more worth of projects to be lined up the first year, and about $20,000 worth of workshop income.

I also think that it is possible that there are natural builders that will be less professional than they think. Or they have conventional building experience and find that it does not map quickly to natural building. And the first project they take on might take 40 times longer than they originally thought. Hence the bounty system: a pro will complete these projects quickly and rack up a lot of bounties. Somebody with less experience will take longer - thus their annual income will be smaller.

The key is that I want to have somebody lined up to work on one or more of these projects this upcoming building season. Hopefully somebody with many years of natural building experience. Somebody that can lead workshops. Somebody that has listened to at least 200 of the podcasts and will live here.

So I am putting this out there in the hopes that this will happen.

I wrote about the professional pay aspect here.

wofati dreamin'!



We have some temporary help though we are still looking.

I created some flyers to send with some friends going to a conference. Here in both picture and .pdf format are flyers about the natural builder position.

Edit: removed attachments because they are now out of date.

Paul,

I am interested. Please contact me via the email which you now have.

I am a scrappy, budget oriented construction professional that is self motivated and knows how to complete a project hell or high water.
I first built bridge and hospital foundations and I now build PV and CPV solar power stations. I transitioned to solar in order to do something more sustainable and am now a bit disillusioned with realities of the industry. I have self studied alternative construction practices since college but my practical experience is limited. However, the interest and problem solving ability is there and I'm certain that I could tackle your projects successfully.

To be fully transparent, I would not attempt to make 100k in the first year but, this target could likely be achieved in the next few years. I would need a business relationship that allowed for some limited offsite work as well. The ultimate goal would be a fulltime, fully leveraged career as a natural builder /educator / entrepreneur.

I decided to buy rural property and create a self sufficient lifestyle with limited commuting to fund necessities. I have recently completed a road trip of the PNW that brought me as far north as Missoula. I would like to accomplish the land purchase in the next year or so. Since making this decision, which I have ALWAYS dreamed of, I discovered the survival podcast and became a voracious listener. This is where I first heard of Wheaton labs, Ants etc. I will gladly accelerate my listening of your podcasts as I understand this a requirement for your consideration.

Please reach out if you are interested in discussing a business relationship. If not, I hope our paths cross in some other way. Thanks. CB

Craig Brashers wrote:Paul,

I am interested. Please contact me via the email which you now have.

Hi Craig, welcome to the forums! Now there's a decent first post. By what you wrote above, do you mean you've sent an e-mail to Paul?

Jocelyn,

Thanks for noticing my post. No I did not send Paul an email. I was refering to my initial signup information. I figured Paul would have administrative rights to that information and could use it if he was at all interested.

I'm uncertain how to contact either one of you outside this public forum so i just fired off a reply to Paul's post. Perhaps PM is more appropriate...
Please let me know if there is interst in private dialogue about "bounties".

Be well! Love what I see at Permies. Thanks

PS i watched the Fire Science DVD today. Love the groups' humor

Freezer wofaty is it something like this

Craig,

Sorry for the delay in my response. I've been thinking that THE CORRECT response would be for me to create a good, healthy document outlining the different bounty projects here and the amount of bounty for each. Then say that it would be great to have three natural builders come here and take on an available bounty. Odds are that all three will, in time, decide I'm an asshole and leave. But we might get some stuff done along the way.

But I just haven't gotten to that yet.

I do think it would be great to get somebody here and get some shit done.

If nothing else, the berm shed needs to be completed before freeze - and I think josh would like to turn this over to somebody else to run point on, while he focuses on building his own stuff.

Travis is about 97% done with allerton abbey, but I think he would like to turn this over to somebody and be on his way back to canada.

The chateau de poo needs a complete overhaul.

And I think a good project for next year would be to finish wofati 0.8 and finish the 10x10 wofati. And both of those could use some lumber/logs and that would be entirely winter work.

And if a person wanted to take on the freezer wofati project, that would require gathering oodles of logs this winter/spring.

The key is that if a person wanted to be a full time builder here, the first step would be to get here and start doing stuff. In time we would each need to develop a sense of a long term relationship and that would lead to the ability to schedule workshop-like stuff into the next 18 months.

I guess I am saying that I am open to have you come out and give it a try. We can get to know each other and figure out what to do next.

Would that work for you?

After reading your most recent post, it looks as though you need quality help sooner than later. Ive been looking for opportunities like these and am happy to have stumbled upon this site. (Thank you site admin!)
I'll start reviewing the podcasts as well do some research on your organization. It appears you want people to actually committ and through a working relationship evaluate possible future mutual success. I'm your guy, let's talk. I'm eager to get to work on building this kind of life for myself and for you.

As I'm new to this site I won't leave my personal email but it should be attached to my user name.

Thank you.
Best regards.
Josh

More importantly than "commit" would be that once you are here for several months, we get the feeling that you will probably be here for at least year more and can start making plans around that.

Better still is that there are multiple builders here, so there is a Plan A and Plan B.

We scheduled the wofati workshop and then the guy lined up to be the instructor baled. Fortunately we had Emily and Tony able to step in.

I kinda feel like if we have one natural builder here, we might be able to schedule some free (or low cost) workshops that are sorta short notice.

Paul,

My turn to apologize for a delayed reply. Ive been incredibly busy. There is a 50/50 that 10 MW of solar in Idaho will greenlight and tie me up for 2016.

As for WL, The devil will be in the details. Also, i should be able to confirm my availability soon. Perhaps an initial visit is the best way to see things myself and ask the many questions regarding living arrangements and project details.

Can you make time for this? When? Next time we blink it will be the new year....

Craig,

I am nearly always here. When can you come out?

If you are still looking, I am interested. I am a self starter, intelligent hard worker, and easy to get along with. I am willing to live there, and my long term goal is to establish a small organic homestead/farm.

Bad news is, I won't be able to get out there until Feb. Also, my experience is conventional construction, but I am a fast learner, and can learn from reading/research. I am very new to this site and permaculture, but have been reading about homesteading for some time.

I can do just about any part of convential construction, including plumbing and electrical (shhh...don't tell anyboady, but I am not licensed I have all my own tools, and am also familiar with many forms of passive and active solar, and pond maintenance. I am also experienced teaching, writing, and producing videos, so there is some upside potential.

I recognise my availability and experience are not exactly what you are looking for, but please let me know if you might be interested, and we can touch base again as my availability nears.

Thanks!
Brett

Brett,

Come when you can.

You might want to listen to some of the podcasts to see if you can tolerate me - and get an idea of the standards here. Some people with conventional building experience find these standards frustrating.


You might want to take a look at the current bounty list. Here is an excerpt from that thread:

1: somebody with a lot of natural building skill and a lot of conventional building skill. This person arrives with all of their own tools, their own truck, will acquire materials on their own and need zero handholding or training. Can take ownership of a 30 day job and see to it that it gets done - no excuses. This person is $25 per hour.

2: a standard farm hand. Can build fence, do some light carpentry, simple welding, is excellent at chopping and stacking wood, is excellent at driving a tractor, hard working and reliable. Does not come with his own tools or truck. Can take ownership of a two day job and see to it that it gets done - no excuses. $10 per hour.

3: it might take a year or two of assisting a #1 or #2 to build up to "a standard farm hand."

I was recently asked about opportunities here for a bee person. I think it sorta relates, so let me share it here.

I think a level 2 bee person will be paid to care for our current bees
and will set up lots of stuff to capture swarms and prepare to expand
our bee stuff in 20 different ways. Including thinking of cool stuff
so all of our bee stuff will be first class. This would include
figuring out what we should gather for materials. Everything done
should be with a thought toward the systems will do fine if three
years pass and nobody does anything.

I think a level 7 bee person will do everything that a level 2 bee
person will do, but will not need to be paid. Rather, they will have
a collection of business plans. Maybe bee DVDs. Maybe a gathering of
select bee people (so, the rocket mass heater innovators event, but
for bee people). A series of bee classes - beginner to advanced.
Developing a collection of PEP1 stuff for bees, solitary bees and
native pollinators. Innovations like a window in a lang hive. A
level 7 bee person will tell me how their presence on my land is gonna
make both us a fair bit of coin. I think a level 7 bee person will
come up with "super honey: miles from any sprays plus less than one
colony per 40 acres and oceans of polyculture nectar." A full list of
reasons why this honey is better than all other honey. SETTING the
bar for the best honey in the world.

I like the idea of what salatin calls "fiefdoms". Where somebody will
do a business on his land that is not only mutually beneficial to both
(all) parties, but while one person does their business, joel would
get a cut of the income. And then there would be 40 different
"fiefdoms" overlaying the entire property where each helps all the
others. This would be the rough format that a "level 7" would want.

I think the same can be said for a natural builder.

A level 2 natural builder will be paid to knock out bounties here.

A level 7 natural builder will want to be in a business relationship with me where we both benefit. Probably build some tiny wofatis and sell them. And/Or offer a collection of classes throughout the year. Eventually create something that is of huge value to the builder and to me.

Much like in the wheaton eco scale, level 7 stuff sounds crazy to somebody at level 2.

I doubt a level 7 person will come here. But maybe somebody will come here and, in time, will grow into a level 7 person.

Hey everybody! There's a new housing thread that is super relevant to anyone looking to come out to the land - https://permies.com/t/52736/labs/State-Lodging#428013

Hey guys!

I would just like to mention that I am learning more and more about construction and building techniques. I've already bought a few of my own tools but still need to buy a lot more. My interest is derived from the fact that I should need to be able to build and fix my own stuff around my eventual homestead. I've been planning for over a year to head out to the lab and am nearing actually buying my plane ticket to visit (currently waiting on two paychecks from hardwood flooring jobs I did over a week ago :/ ). I should be able to stay for at least a week but maybe more, I'm thinking about three weeks max? My intention with the visit is to see if I can tolerate the weather and if people out there can tolerate me.

I'd like to be able to take on a few of these bounties here and there to make some extra cash to save up and buy a truck, as mine just recently broke down and pay the Ant fee, among other things. I'm not sure if I should buy one out here in California before actually moving out there or just get out there and save up to buy one there. Lots of things could change once I make it out there and see whats going on for myself. I am also very interested in the Ant Village challenge and hope to get a spot before they all fill up, yikes! Although I'm not completely married to the idea as I'm sure if I'm persistent enough there might be a way for me to be a part of the lab/ empire in other ways - even as a gapper or something similar.

Back to the natural building stuff - I am extremely interested in learning more about this. The wofati design is wonderful and I hope to learn how to build one myself and help people build others. I feel like since I'm a lot more open minded about building than a hard core contractor dude that I could be a good fit for a natural builder. I won't be approaching this with a full cup, or even half full. I do know a thing or two about construction and the safe use of tools, etc but without the preconceived notions about "how things should be done" to get in my way it should decrease the learning curve a bit... I hope.

As a side note I am really interested in the Proenneke way of building as well.

Anyway, I thought I'd share this information with the hopes that there will still be some bounties for me to take on once I get out to the lab. I look forward to meeting everyone out there and working hard to learn more about permaculture and homesteading.

Thanks for reading!

Josh