to build or buy fish house?

[jimmy40]

I want a 6.5' x 14' retractable house. I know I can save money if I do it myself, but is it worth it.Where can a guy get plans for trailers and houses? thanks in advance, jimmy40.

[mnhunter2]

I am just finishing my first retractable house and I must say that it has taken a lot more time then I thought. If you are a very talented builder and your time is not worth a lot of money I have found building my own house to be very rewarding. But you will not save a lot of money if you want to build a house like the pro's build, now if you have a lot of scrouged material and don't care how much it weights you can do it.

[R_B]

I agree with mnhunter2. It took longer than I thought but it is much more rewarding. You have to take your time to get things right. I was not able to find plans. I made them up as I went.

[BigWormin]

I also agree, I finished mine about 3 weeks ago and stuck some serious time into it. I built a 8x12 house on skids. Probably save alittle money, I wouldn't imagine much though by the time it was all said and done. I do have to say that it was much more rewarding than just buying one, plus it was tons of fun building it and you can customize it to your likings. This is my first "permanant shack", and i'll tell ya, there is nothing like getting the wake up call from the eel pout on my rattle reels in the early AM and then busting out the rod and jiggin for the eye's in my boxers.... on the ice Then after prime time, go back to bed for abit. I'm loving it!

[End of the Line]

I have built one retractable too. A few years ago when material prices were much less. Steel and wood have both more than doubled since 2001. I agree with the time factor too, its labor intensive and you probably wont save a ton of money. I am currently planning on building another this summer for the next winter season. The only reason I build my own is that the manufacturers, and there are more than 40, dont have the options in frame, weight and suspension design that I desire. So therefore I have to build my own. It is a very time consuming project that requires reasonable detail. I have designed my own plans, not sure where you would buy them if thats what your looking for.