Will it be cheaper to build a home?
Mukul Sehgal
12 days ago
last modified: 11 days ago
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Cheaper to build 1 or 2 story home?
Comments (27)"As a physician - I would like to point out that a good way to stay young is to climb stairs. I know - but I just had to say it. Avoiding exercise is the absolutely worst way to grow old gracefully. Making your world all about fewest steps from bedroom to garage to get in SUV and drive whereever is not really an ideal to strive for. Just a thought." First let me say that this is the first time I've posted anything (just joined this evening) so I'm not certain I'm doing things as they should be done, but I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. The quote is from a comment made by a physician named David Cary several posts back. We're looking for a house currently; I don't think we can afford to build at this time and we don't have the luxury of waiting, but we're dealing with the issue of whether we're better off looking for whatever footage we can afford on one level, or whether to consider one with a basement, or whether to go two story. We're around 50 years of age. My dad will be living with us, too, and he's 90. My fiance has knee and back issues. Doctors claim I'm sporting arthritis from stem to stern, top to toe. I've seen the films and tests and have to accept the presence of several ruptured/bulging discs. And time has proven the fibromyalgia diagnosis apparently is true as well. For all that, I'm still a high-functioning individual! I'm not as fast as I used to be, and I can't work as hard as long as I used to, and nothing happens without a pretty hefty dose of pain to go with it, but I have no intention of going non-functioning until I go non-breathing. Having laid that groundwork, I'd like to know if the points laid out in the doc's comment above are still applicable. As long as Dad is all on the ground floor, is it better that we think two story to force us to keep at the stairs? Or is it better to remember that with our personalities, we'll stay active on our own; why not save whatever our bodies will handle for what we want to do, rather than "wasting" whatever we've got on the barest basics of living? Did any of that make any sense? I hope so, as I'm really interested in whatever insights any of you are willing to share with me on this. Thank you so much!...See MoreCheap house?
Comments (2)Why not hire a buyer's agent and let them put you on a search, through the MLS, that will send you EVERY foreclosed listing in your area. If you use only a dedicated site like the one mentioned above, you are not seeing the vast majority of your options....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 Morebuilding a simple modern farm house on a budget
Comments (31)First, I'm sorry about the divorce. I live on a farm...so the first thing you want to consider is do you have space for the things you NEED, not the things you WANT. You don't NEED a pizza oven, but you will need a mudroom. You don't need high ceilings or central vacuum...those are wants. And a basement is not a necessity, either...as for geo-thermal, I think you might want to do some research there, too. What you will NEED...a back up source of heat and power...especially heat. Will you have a well? Did you know without backup power, the well will not work during a power outage...this means toilets will not flush. Animals will not get watered. Difficult to clean or cook anything, even with bottled water. A jack and jill bathroom for kids on the weekends...how about a hall bathroom that is also your guest bath? Kids may not need walk-in closets, but they will need a large enough room for desks to do homework and keep enough stuff they feel comfortable staying over. As for you...realize how much work and expense animals can be...even chickens. Gardening is expensive too, and it all takes commitment. The kids will probably want more than chickens, once they get used to the space...and that means more cost and time. Hey, it's worth it, but be prepared! :) In the house, make sure you have a large pantry, room for a freezer, lots of work area in the kitchen (especially for the garden produce, wine and cheese) and plan on a dining room table that expands. Kids like to have friends over and people are usually pretty informal in the country...so staying around a few hours to sample that wine can turn into a casual dinner. Also...while a generator is great (and you should have one) wood stoves or fireplaces in the living room and maybe the bedroom would be a good idea. Remember, if it gets cold, you do NOT want your water pipes to freeze! Insulate everything and try to keep sinks on inside walls if possible. An island sink in the kitchen might be a good idea. And toilets on inside walls, too. I hope all this helps. Find a builder, who wants to do what YOU want to do, as long as it's feasible with your climate, budget and lifestyle. Best of luck and keep us informed! And post pictures :)...See MoreMukul Sehgal
12 days agodan1888
12 days agoZumi
12 days agolast modified: 12 days ago3onthetree
12 days agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
12 days agoDavid Cary
11 days agolast modified: 11 days agoMark Bischak, Architect
10 days agodan1888
10 days agochispa
10 days agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
9 days agoMrs Pete
7 days ago
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