Will it be cheaper to build a home?
Mukul Sehgal
14 days ago
last modified: 14 days ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (14)
Related Discussions
Literally DIY Home Building - Price per square foot?
Comments (47)Hi Cpartist... No, we definitely didn't steal the materials, but we also didn't just go down to HD to buy everything either. There are lots of ways to save money if you're willing to look. For the kitchen we have an L-shaped section of cabinets which includes a built-in sink and dishwasher on one side, a refrigerator on the other side. and stove in the middle. There is also a second short wall of cabinets across from the L-shaped section that includes a double GE convection oven which only cost us about $150. We got it for free because it wasn't working, but it just needed a new board installed which is where the $150 comes in. The cabinets definitely aren't as nice as our cabinets at our main home in Florida, but they certainly aren't made from particle board or something like that. The way we built the house so cheaply was by doing the work ourselves; having the time to spend looking for the best deals on this or that; or finding great deals on items that we could fix or re-purpose for our needs. The wood floors we got from the Lumber Liquidators annual sale. In the bathrooms we installed stone tile in the showers, tile on the floors, and used granite topped vanities bought from Costco for a couple hundred dollars. Ultimately, though, I think the biggest thing that people are missing here is the difference between single level and multi level construction. The biggest expenses in building our house, besides from the high end windows and doors, were the roof and the foundation. Framing out a house is cheap and easy. Adding an extra floor to a house is incredibly cheap and easy, and it basically doubles the square footage. We're working with three stories including the fully finished walk-out basement. That's essentially three times the square footage for little extra cost. We actually could have spent far less on the house. The windows and doors were by far the largest expense, but they are incredibly high quality and they are very well insulated....See MoreCheaper Home Plan
Comments (7)We're building 2000sf main floor, 2000sf basement 400sf of bonus room above garage. It's a basic rectangle, but we feel we helped the looks and livability by adding a covered front and rear porch. Front porch of 9x32=288sf back porch of 16x16=256sf garage of 22x23=506sf So total under roof space of 5450sf. Total contract price of $292,000/5450= $54/sf........now that is cheating a little bit if you only count heated space we're at (basement is not finished, but heated) 292000/4400sf= $66/sf which is still a great number. If you choose not to count basement, 292,000/2400= $121/sf So, depends on how you want to chop it up. With any of the above I feel it was a great value, and partly due to the simple building envelope....See MoreDownsizing by buying cheaper land and building a smaller home?
Comments (12)In our case, we moved from dense suburbs in FL to rural SC. The cost of living is much lower here. We bought 7 acres for about half what a tiny (1/6) acre lot would be in our old neighborhood. We were getting clobbered on property taxes and homeowner's insurance. On just those two items alone, we are saving about $5000 a year. Where our plan is different is that the only way we could afford to do this was by doing a mostly DIY build. Otherwise, we'd have far more invested in our new house than the old one was worth. It's pretty hard to beat the price of an existing home by building a new one, so you might want to look at existing homes in the new area you want to live. By going DIY, we were able to build a very energy efficient fully custom home. It is small (1400 sq ft), but has an insulated walk-out basement, so we could double the useful square footage easily and inexpensively. We went ICF construction, R-50 insulation in the attic, and very good windows. We've been able to keep the house comfortable with a single small (12K BTU) mini-split heat pump, and electric bills have been under $100 for an all-electric home. There will be a lot of custom touches that would be found in higher-end homes. It's a hobby for me, so the time spent isn't much of a factor. The takeaway for us is that we have the house we want, on the land we want, in the climate we want, and no mortgage! Zoning is lax around here, and there are no HOA's to answer to. Above and beyond the energy savings, our house is strong, quiet, and there are no cold spots- the entire house is very even in temperature with no drafts. Everything exceeds code, so we won't have to contend with faulty wiring and plumbing issues. As others have said, developing raw land can get expensive. Bringing in utilities, digging a well and septic, plus a driveway add to the cost. If everything goes well, it still adds up. If there are issues- the sky's the limit. Check into permits and fees, too. The most extreme case I know of is a friend of mine that wanted to build on partial wetlands in CT. He wound up spending $66,000 on permits and fees! By comparison, ours were $480 for a house and barn. I'd have to dig out a bunch of receipts to tell you what we spent on developing our property, but I would guess we spent at least $20K, and we don't have a well. All told, we've probably spent $150K, and that's mostly DIY. Our house in FL did sell for more than that, so I guess technically, we did achieve a savings, as long as I don't count 3 years of my own labor. The real savings will be when we retire, and have lower taxes, insurance and utilities, as well as not having a mortgage....See MoreCost savings in a four corner house?
Comments (7)Your question is impossible to answer. The costs associated with corners arise from a.) increased labor, due to slowed work pace, and b.) material waste, which means that all corners are not the same. An exterior clad in bricks, where every brick is individually placed by the mason, is likely to cost you little more whether you have excess corners or not, while an exterior clad in siding is going to run into higher costs because a house with lots of corners means that factory lengths of siding can't go directly on the wall, they now have to be cut to precise length and there are many more cuts involved, and so your labor + wastage costs go up. On the other hand, if each jig and jag on the house was designed to accommodate an uncut piece of siding, then the laborers can work without many interruptions for measuring and cutting and so the corners don't add much cost compared to the smaller size corners. Now scale up to all of the different components in a house, flooring, drywall, duct runs, etc, every time a process needs to slow down will cost you money, (this need not be just corners - it's cheaper per sq. ft. to put flooring in a gymnasium than into a rectangular house of the same size but with 20 rooms.) A house in the shape of a + sign, with 4 equal sized wings, and a simple cross gable roof line, will involve 8 corners but because each of those wings if of equal size the work doesn't slow down as much and there isn't nearly as much wastage as seen in another house with 8 corners, but with unequal size sections, with a more complicated roof line, etc, so we get back to my opening point, it's impossible to answer in a generalized way. You have two sides to your equation and each side deals with the relationship between material costs, labor hours and labor efficiency. Your 2700 square house uses more material, probably has less waste, has higher labor efficiency but also more labor due to greater sf. The 2400 sf house uses less material, has more wastage, uses less labor per sf but at some parts of the construction process the labor efficiency per sf declines and so you pay more for labor. The answer to your question is in the details of your two designs....See MoreMukul Sehgal
14 days agodan1888
14 days agoZumi
14 days agolast modified: 14 days ago3onthetree
14 days agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
14 days agoDavid Cary
14 days agolast modified: 14 days agoMark Bischak, Architect
13 days agodan1888
13 days agochispa
13 days agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
11 days agoMrs Pete
10 days ago
Related Stories
MATERIALSHow Lumber Shortages Are Affecting Home Builds Globally
Houzz editors around the world report on how countries are adapting to an unprecedented shortage of construction wood
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESSo You Want to Build: 7 Steps to Creating a New Home
Get the house you envision — and even enjoy the process — by following this architect's guide to building a new home
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGBuilding Green: How Your Home Ties Into Its Community
You can reduce your environmental footprint in a number of ways. Here are some ideas to consider when deciding where to live
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: A Portland Couple Builds Their Dream Retirement Home
An Oregon couple emphasizes indoor-outdoor living and accessible design in their energy-efficient, visitor-friendly house
Full StoryHOMES AROUND THE WORLDMy Houzz: When an Architect Builds Her Dream Home
This architect wasn’t afraid to make bold design choices, such as an upper-story central courtyard and a rooftop pool
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: 3 Buildings Make for 1 Ideal Artist's Home
With a studio perched between a main suite and a guest cabana, a modern Texas home has all the bases covered
Full StoryARCHITECTURE3 Home Design Solutions to Challenging Building Lots
You don't need to throw in the towel on an irregular homesite; today's designers are finding innovative ways to rise to the challenge
Full StoryCONTEMPORARY HOMESHouzz Tour: Family Builds Its Dream Home on a Wooded Hillside
Light-filled spaces and modern furnishings suit an active family in a California foothill community
Full StoryHandmade Home: Build a Simple Flower Box
Inexpensive wood, a few tools and a little handiwork can yield a fresh look for your windows
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Couple Build Their Dream Modern-Farmhouse-Style Home
A Texas interior designer and her family combine reclaimed wood, polished concrete, built-ins and vintage pieces in their new house
Full Story
just_janni