We now have Lowe’s and Home Depots right around the corner. I can call and get a handyman relatively easy. Before 1900, for example, before we had trucks and computers and logistics, how did anyone coordinate building houses? Did they have general contractors?
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Many homesteaders built there homes themselves because it was cheaper and they didn’t have much choice. Basic construction skills were something passed down, or you had to learn from those around you to survive.
In Medieval times peasants would make their own homes and barns. You might pay a local carpenter to make the frame for you, but you had to put in a lot of the effort yourself.
This included processing a lot of the materials yourself like chopping down trees to make logs and boards.
Houses like that were also a lot simpler than what we think of today. Building codes weren’t a thing, there was also no indoor plumbing or electricity. Heat was supplied by a wood fired fireplace or stove.
“An old fashioned barn raising” was also a thing. People would coordinate at Church and come help a farmer put up his barn. While there was a lot of prep (months) required like clearing the land and collecting/preparing the materials, a barn could be raised by a community is as little as 2 days.
If you’re curious Dick Proenneke (1916 – 2003) created a series of videos where he recorded himself building a cabin in Alaska using nothing but handtools and mostly materials collected from the land. In a lot of cases he made the tools himself or partially himself. Techniques that go back to the pioneer days. His videos are easy to find on youtube.
Tools and supplies like nails and concrete could be purchased at the general store or ordered through the mail.
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