Can we build a 2000+ sq ft house for under $500?
Zipporah Esposito
3 years ago
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JJ
3 years agoFlo Mangan
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Floorplan review (4BR, 2000 sq ft)
Comments (13)First your questions: - You'll use the front door for your daily entrance? Do you have anything under the "up" stairs? Could you do a small-but-expensive-to-build bench under the staircase? Something with hooks instead of a real closet? And then you could make the linen closet, which is around the corner, a small coat closet. I think this is one of the main problems in this house -- it's going to be a daily hassle, and it's going to be in plain sight -- but the real answer is that you need more space by the door. - No, I don't think the front door to the kitchen is too far for unloading groceries. But I do think the pantry inadequate for a family, and with the sink on that end of the island, you don't really have a spot to set down your grocery bags while you sort and put away. In fact, I don't like the whole kitchen. Oh, It'll LOOK great -- angled island overlooking the main living space -- but you have little storage (the angles in the island are space hogs) and the layout isn't functional (too much empty space in the middle, which means empty steps). The real issue is that kitchens work best when they're rectangular (more wall space, which equals more counterspace ... and this one's a square). Lavender Lass' layout with a square island is a big improvement. I wonder if it wouldn't be even better if it were "flip flopped" with the dining area. That would place the dining room, which is usually neater than the kitchen, dead-ahead of the front door, and the kitchen seems better in that more tucked-away spot. While I'm mentioning Lavender's plan, I think her master bath /closet layout is top-notch. I was thinking that space was too small, but she nailed it. If you want a tub, you could lose the sink against the left-hand wall and put one in that spot. - Before you declare the dining room bigger than necessary, keep in mind that your only back-door access is through the dining room, and those bar stools that back up to the table eat up more space than you might imagine. And as your kids grow, they'll require more space. I think it's fine, but not oversized. - Piano -- no clue. - I'd put the TV above a fireplace. If you plan for this, you can make the fireplace on the short side (no lovely hearth the right height for seating), the angle won't be a problem, and if you go with gas you'll have more control over the heat. - Sewing machine -- I'd put it in the guest room. Maybe a craft /sewing table inside the guest closet? That way it could be hidden by doors. Of course, you should plan ahead for good lighting, if you go into the closet. And my own thoughts: - How is this plan roughly 52x52? It appears to be about 1.5Xs as long as it is deep. - I would bring the master bath, dining room, and hall bath "out" 2' to meet the kitchen's bump-out. Bump-outs are expensive to build, and simplifying the footprint would give you a bit more space ... for about the same price. Using the same thought process, I would bring the front door forward to meet the edge of the staircase ... and I would make the great room's bump out ONE bump instead of two staggered bumps. - Since the great room is on the cozy side, I'd make the space in the "indent" a built-in windowseat with bookshelves or drawers or baskets underneath. It would look fantastic, and it would provide the space for toys that you want. - I'm a bit concerned about the entrance to the master bedroom. Can you get big furniture through that turn? And will the dining room furniture block the doorway? My kids (and my husband) are bad about leaving their dining room chairs pulled out from the table. - I assume the baby will eventually move upstairs, and the downstairs room will become the guest room. That's a good plan, though I see that you're struggling for space in other areas -- you need more pantry space, you need a closet by the front door. I don't know that I'd be willing to devote so much space to occasional guests when the family needs it for everyday life. I like the above suggestion to build in a Murphy bed. I'd consider making the baby's room into more of a den ... make it 2/3 of the size of the current room, allowing for a closet at the front door (though the staircase is still a problem), and this can be a place for your piano as well as the murphy bed. Plus, with an open floor plan like this, it's nice to have a small away-room somewhere. I think a den or a flex-space like this would serve your family better than four full-fledged bedrooms. You could use it as a baby's room now, but I personally wouldn't have any problem putting the baby upstairs as early as six months or so. And realistically, since you don't yet own the lot, if the baby's already here, he or she will be at least a year old before this house exists. Upstairs isn't far away. Another thought: If your main purpose in doing the guest-room-downstairs is to have a baby's room for the next couple years, I'd ask whether this is the right time to build. If you wait a couple years 'til the baby is no longer a baby-baby, would you be more able to let go of that downstairs room /let that space go towards a larger family space instead of a temporary nursery? - If you go with more of a den, consider whether you need the full bath in this position. I just had a shower replaced in my girls' hall bath, and it was not quite 3K. We're not talking about pocket change. - The four-year old's closet is SMALL. Good-sized closets mean the kids' rooms stay clean. I'd look at moving the closet to the other wall; it could be larger, and it would provide a sound barrier between the two rooms. - I'd lose the double sinks in the kids' upstairs bedroom. They'll never use them at the same time anyway, and two sinks means you give up drawer space underneath. - The laundry room looks okay, but if you could make it a scant 1' wider, you could have floor-to-ceiling shelves across from the washer/dryer -- what wonderful storage that would be. It might also give you some folding space. I'd give up the sink next to the washer/dryer (I have never had a sink in the laundry room and don't really know what I'd do with it) in favor of a place to stack baskets of dirties waiting for the machine....See MoreThoughts/suggestions on new 2,500 sq ft family ranch build?
Comments (23)As mentioned you are no designer or architect and it's obvious. You need to consider finding a person of design talent or an architect to help you realize your house. I'm a fine artist. When I needed to create my website I didn't sit down and do it myself. I tried, just like you're trying to design a house, but I realized I didn't have the capabilities to do it right, so I hired a professional to do it for me. An architect or person of design talent has gone to school and studied design and architecture. They've been critiqued for their good designs and their bad designs and then they had to work in a firm for 3 years until they were even allowed to take the licensing exams. What you are doing with your list is focusing in on details when you don't even have the big picture yet. A house is not designed by putting boxes together or moving them, but by considering not only the interior, but the exterior and how it sits on the lot at the same time. Your house so far doesn't consider any of that. Taking that list you made above and making the changes will not fix the house because it overall does not work. (I apologize for my bluntness.)...See MoreCost to build a 2200 Sq. Ft DIY home in 2019
Comments (19)Register as a building company and get a sales tax number from your state. Or better yet, don't break the law. ----- I understand wanting to avoid a mortgage, however, I am not sure that you are creating value by doing so. Mortgages are great low interest loans and work well when you need one. You need to think about total cost of ownership of the house rather than just cost to build. Limiting yourself to X dollars to finish the property may just require more money later on in the form of replacement, repair, and energy efficiency costs. Without even considering the non-monetary factors of comfort and livability. If you can build a great house without a mortgage then great, however I would take a great house with a reasonably small mortgage over an OK house without. ----- I second live_wire_oak's concern about flooring at $1 per square from an Amish mill. That seems like a savings on the front end and a massive back ache on the back end....See Morehow much does building 2600 sq ft home cost if I own the land
Comments (16)If you're thinking of this as investment, that looks different. The answer to your "which is better" question is "probably neither." If you build new, I can almost guarantee that you'll lose money on the resale. If you buy existing and renovate, you'll be lucky to break even. And don't forget that every renovation you spend your cash on represents cash you can't invest somewhere else. I'm not an expert on this, but based on what I've seen friends succeed and fail at, there are two ways I know of (there are no doubt others I don't) to make a profit on your personal home. 1. Ideally in a cool market, buy an existing, well maintained home with desirable design in a desirable neighborhood where homes are appreciating. Live in it and maintain it well. Don't attempt any renovations whatsoever. When values are approaching your profit goal and the market is hot, but before the decor and design you bought would be considered "dated," clean it, paint it, buy a new range and a big refrigerator, and sell it. Repeat. 2. Buy a distressed property (foreclosure, estate sale, similar) with fundamentally desirable design in a desirable neighborhood where homes are appreciating. Repair what's broken. Live in the home and maintain it well. When home values in the area are approaching your goal, no sooner, decorate and update based on what's then popular and what's selling. No layout changes, no wall teardowns, no major renovations. Sell when the market is hot. Repeat. Either way, if profit is your main motive, or even a significant one -- from the second you start house hunting, your house is never your home. It's always your potential buyer's home. Don't buy a house because you like it, buy it because your buyer will. Don't change things because you want them that way, change them because your buyer will. If you're thinking in terms of what you need or want in a house (main level bedroom/bath, open floor plan, brick facing, and so on), you're already on the wrong track. I watched that happen to a friend some years ago. She had loads of fun renovating her house, but she got almost none of her costs back when she sold it. She would've been better off to have spent the renovation money on a couple of fun vacations....See MoreSeabornman
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Zipporah EspositoOriginal Author