Amish builders

[virgil]

Was hoping for some advice. I'm closing on a new piece of hunting land soon and am planning on having a cabin shell built. I got a couple of estimates and was surprised at how high the numbers were. I just got a quote from an Amish builder and the price was much lower. Does anyone have any personal experience with Amish construction? I'd like to hear what you think about the quality of work. Thanks.

[Red]

Where about are you having the work done? I was thinking about having.the amish do.some work for me also but haven't gotten around to.it yet if they do the job for you let us know how it turns out. Good luck

[ncountry]

As a builder and living in the middle of Amish country I have worked side by side with a few. IMO they are no different than us "English" folk.There are some true craftsmen among them in rough construction(barns, etc) to  cabinetry . There are just as many if not more that I wouldn't have build my dog house. I would think for the most part that you would be safe having them build a camp shell. how much you vet them I guess would depend on how long you expect camp to last. Is it something you hope to use for 20 years with little headache or something you plan on passing on to the kids or having real value down the road?

 

 

 

 

Add info....If you have to pull a permit, the Amish usually are not insured or carry workman's comp. You will have to say you are building it yourself..

Edited August 8, 2014 by ncountry

[sidewinder]

quality of work ? Excellent. as far as workmanship goes you get EXACTLY what you you will be paying for(no hidden costs for this or that) and that is honest day work/labor for bottom dollar amount. with that being said............ if it comes down to having to have a permit(legal statement from town village ect ect ect) to build a structure  on your land................ do yourself a HUGE favor and check. the Amish(same goes for Menonite) are not subject to those LAWS but YOU as a TAXPAYER/HOMEOWNER are. they(amish or menonite) can build it and it will be done in no time at a fraction of the cost but............ in a area that a permit is required............ if a STOP work order is filed............... YOU ARE S#@T out of luck.

 

My brother has a neighbor that found this out the hard way(roof replacement) and as i type this 4 weeks later and after the fact................ he still has a blue(tarp) roof and a hearing date with the possibility of fine.

 

just check into it.............. i am NOT speaking ill of one worker over the other.............. just letting you know what may or could happen.

 

best of luck too you.

[ncountry]

quality of work ? Excellent. as far as workmanship goes you get EXACTLY what you you will be paying for(no hidden costs for this or that) and that is honest day work/labor for bottom dollar amount. with that being said............ if it comes down to having to have a permit(legal statement from town village ect ect ect) to build a structure  on your land................ do yourself a HUGE favor and check. the Amish(same goes for Menonite) are not subject to those LAWS but YOU as a TAXPAYER/HOMEOWNER are. they(amish or menonite) can build it and it will be done in no time at a fraction of the cost but............ in a area that a permit is required............ if a STOP work order is filed............... YOU ARE S#@T out of luck.

 

My brother has a neighbor that found this out the hard way(roof replacement) and as i type this 4 weeks later and after the fact................ he still has a blue(tarp) roof and a hearing date with the possibility of fine.

 

just check into it.............. i am NOT speaking ill of one worker over the other.............. just letting you know what may or could happen.

 

best of luck too you.

 

Lol. I was just adding a tip about this.

 

[wooly]

I did a lot of work in new home construction that used an Amish crew that couldn't put a "kit house" together straight and took 3x's as long as the regular framing crews. 

My sister recently had a rock solid shed built and delivered and is extremely happy with it. I had the pleasure of leveling it, and there wasn't a fraction of an inch of twist in that sucker when jacking it up by the corners.

Also have had to help move some Amish made furniture this summer my back is still screaming from that favor.

 

[First-light]

My cabin shell was built be Amish. Couldn't beat the price, quality about the same as regular builder. They did a great job, I would go for it.

[virgil]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll definitely look into the permit question. The site is in the Burlington/New Berlin area. The builder is based in Richfield Springs.

[Pygmy]

Some areas experience "urban crawl" ..In my area we are experiencing " Amish Crawl"... Seems like they have a habit of buying and building houses, barns, etc. right in the middle of my favorite hunting spots..LOL..

As was said by former posters, some are barn builders and some are good finish carpenters.

I'd have to say that any work I have had done by Amish carpenters was very satisfactory and they got it done quickly at a good price.

[wdswtr]

 do yourself a HUGE favor and check. the Amish(same goes for Menonite) are not subject to those LAWS but YOU as a TAXPAYER/HOMEOWNER are. they(amish or menonite) can build it and it will be done in no time at a fraction of the cost but............ in a area that a permit is required

 

This is absolutely false.  I am very close friends with several amish families and one I work with every day.  There is a big misunderstanding between what the "english" people think and the reality of the regulations and taxes.  I hear it all the time Amish dont pay taxes, amish dont need building permits.  Indeed they pay the same taxes we do minus one thing, school tax and that is it.  As far as building permits they have to apply to the same regulations as we do.  The metal shop I weld at just about every day is an amish run business.  Currently there is an addition going on there house, the inspector has been there every step of the way and his permit was applied and approved as well.  In this county however if it is an ag building there is no permit required whether your amish or english.  Now if its your land and your camp its also your responsibility to get the permit if you hire the amish to build it.  Your hiring a builder not a contractor to do all the leg work for you.  If you hire them tell them you want a solid structure that will last forever and unless you got a shabby amish guy he will do as you ask.  Amish are like us in the respect that there are good apples and then there are bad apples.  Just like hiring and english builder go look at there work first, just dont go by pricing alone. 

 

[Doc]

Just like hiring an english builder go look at their work first, just dont go by pricing alone. 

 

Now that right there sounds like the best advice I've read on this thread so far.

[bubba]

I guess the permit thing goes with where they live.  As ncountry can attest to, we have had several instances in our area where the amish build a home for themselves and construction was shut down when they did to get permits.  The ACLU and other federal type agencies came to their aid and threatened court proceedings and it was all dropped under the guise of it was against their religion to have a permit as recommended by the states attorney general.   As a former Justice of the peace, I saw how this worked up close and personal.  As far as their work goes, I would hire them in a minute.  Good work at a great price. 

[growalot]

If you are looking to have Amish build...it's not too difficult to check them out...IF...it is like here...one barn goes up and in a matter of just a couple of years they are up all over the place...just go look at some of the work they have done...talk to owners...ppl love talking about their new Amish barns...

[fasteddie]

Curious ---- Do the Amish swear when they hit their thumb with a hammer ?

[wdswtr]

Curious ---- Do the Amish swear when they hit their thumb with a hammer ?

 

LOL most probably wont believe me but they have no curse words that they recognize in there religion.  I have heard some choice words but they wont use them unless they are comfortable around you.  Just because they have different religious beliefs they are still human just like you and I.  I have had some pretty good laughs at some of the things they say and some pretty good shocks too.

[Waldershrek]

This is absolutely false.  I am very close friends with several amish families and one I work with every day.  There is a big misunderstanding between what the "english" people think and the reality of the regulations and taxes.  I hear it all the time Amish dont pay taxes, amish dont need building permits.  Indeed they pay the same taxes we do minus one thing, school tax and that is it.  As far as building permits they have to apply to the same regulations as we do.  The metal shop I weld at just about every day is an amish run business.  Currently there is an addition going on there house, the inspector has been there every step of the way and his permit was applied and approved as well.  In this county however if it is an ag building there is no permit required whether your amish or english.  Now if its your land and your camp its also your responsibility to get the permit if you hire the amish to build it.  Your hiring a builder not a contractor to do all the leg work for you.  If you hire them tell them you want a solid structure that will last forever and unless you got a shabby amish guy he will do as you ask.  Amish are like us in the respect that there are good apples and then there are bad apples.  Just like hiring and english builder go look at there work first, just dont go by pricing alone. 

 

 

They don't pay FICA/Medicaid/Medicare taxes either as they do not utilize those programs as a condition of their religion. If only the rest of us could opt out.

[bubba]

actually if you join the amish, you can opt out.

[Waldershrek]

actually if you join the amish, you can opt out.

 

Well that is true. But that's about the only part of amish life that appeals to me lol

[bubba]

agreed

[wdswtr]

They don't pay FICA/Medicaid/Medicare taxes either as they do not utilize those programs as a condition of their religion. If only the rest of us could opt out.

 

True but some of them depending upon the bishop pay into a community aid system to help there fellow amish when in need.  Specifically medical needs but it is used for other needs as well.  It is a tax but it stays in the community and actually gets used for the purpose intended unlike the same tax system we pay to our own government.  There systems seems to be working much better than ours lol.  The real mind boggling part is hardly ever does one of them take advantage of this available money, they most often will find a different avenue to pay for there own needs and let the money be used for someone else who might have a more severe need for it.  Unlike our welfare system too.  There are bad apples amongst them as well but I have never seen such selfless people in my lifetime and I highly respect them for that.

Edited August 13, 2014 by wdswtr

[Waldershrek]

True but some of them depending upon the bishop pay into a community aid system to help there fellow amish when in need.  Specifically medical needs but it is used for other needs as well.  It is a tax but it stays in the community and actually gets used for the purpose intended unlike the same tax system we pay to our own government.  There systems seems to be working much better than ours lol.  The real mind boggling part is hardly ever does one of them take advantage of this available money, they most often will find a different avenue to pay for there own needs and let the money be used for someone else who might have a more severe need for it.  Unlike our welfare system too.  There are bad apples amongst them as well but I have never seen such selfless people in my lifetime and I highly respect them for that.

 

They would rather help each other as neighbors than rely on government assistance. Can't fault them for that. Work parties are quite common with them. My parents are surrounded by Amish and have grown to become friends with many of them. They aren't bad folks for the most part.