Have you considered getting real world estimates from contractors in your area. People here can get you a ballpark guess, but prices vary by region. Get some local estimates.

Pitched roof or flat? Shingles or metal panels? 24' by 12' or 40' by 15'? Concrete foundation, posts on piers, or posts in ground? Open rafters or ceiled? Florida, California, or Iowa? And several more questions before any where close to an answer can be provided.

Since you are in a HOA, drive around to locate the other houses that are the same model. Chances are good someone will have solved this problem already. You can use google streetview to "drive", too. Do you know how much coverage you need? 6 inches, 12 inches, more? A small overhang painted the same color as the house or in white matching the trim would be quite unobtrusive, but if it needs to be 18 or 24 inches or larger, then the HOA will probably take more notice when you put in your proposal for approval. BTW, inviting the HOA board members over when it rains may help your case. Or make a video next time it rains.

There really just isnt big tract build subdivisions in my area. This is a smaller town that we are trying to build in. looking about an hour away, yes there's tract homes within our budget that have the needed square footage. Besides that, i really dont think its a good comparison. The price on a tract home isnt factoring in all the work ill be putting into this house. I mentioned in the other thread, ive looked pretty thoroughly for homes that could work for us in this area and there just arent any. They are either too big, too small, or just cant be split the way we want. As for the sweat equity, yes i could do some of the work like adding kitchen cabinets in an existing bi level. My expertise is mostly cabinets, door building, door hanging, trim, tile, flooring, sheet rock, things like that. Im not a roofer, electrician, plumber, hvac specialist, septic specialist, well specialist. I honestly feel that my sweat equity can be much better taken advantage of in a new build where all the things i can do are needed, and all the things i cant do will be brand new and not possibly needing maintenance in the near future. An older existing house is more likely to need work in areas where my skills wont do much good. As for the sloping lots, thats just whats available at lower cost. For a nice flat lot, price jumps up another 30k or so. there just isnt much available in the area. My builder is the one that suggested a walkout basement could be an efficient way to get the space we need for lower cost. A sloped lot allows for a basement with plenty of light, perfectly livable, and 1 floor above. On a flat lot, you would still need 4 feet of crawl space, then 2 floors above it. With sloped and walkout, your adding another 4 feet of foundation, pouring a slab, and eliminating a whole floor. This second layout with fill is obviously not as efficient as the dug down walkout, and also definitely to the point of more expensive than building on a flat lot. The question is, how much more expensive? Just very rough estimate. Would it be cheaper to spend an extra 30k for a flat lot? As for classifying it as a "budget build", lets change that to building on whats available with budget in mind. Even if we end up building on a lot that has a not so budget excavation and foundation, im still going to do what i can to reduce cost where possible. Cadet heaters, laminate flooring, vinyl siding, etc. Another thing, ive been talking with bank and the budget could possibly be up closer to 300k.