Howdy All,
I am brand new to this website, so if this topic has been covered already or should be posted elsewhere please let me know.
My wife and I recently bought some land and are wanting to build our own house on it. We prefer to do most of the work ourselves and understand there are somethings we just cannot do, i.e. pour a foundation, have plumbing stubbed up out of the foundation, etc.
Aside from this we are looking for prices on what we can expect to pay for materials related to building a house, whether it be metal or a traditional wood framed house.
What are some the surprises those who built there own house came across? What turned out to be the hardest or easiest parts of construction?
What are some good websites to visit to get ideas?
Thanks for your time,
Craig

 

Welcome to the forums Craig

To hard to even give a guess as to how much $ While labor is a large portion of a new home cost, the type of home and material used can vary greatly in cost.

I built my home around an older MH while we lived in it Fortunetly I was able to take my time and pay as I went. There is a lot of work involved in building a house. Seldom does it ever cost less than estimated. Changes happen often and cost money!!! If you build on a time table [typical bldg loan expires in 1 yr] there can be a lot of stress involved also. The bank will want to know how and what type of timetable so they can be convinced that you can diy a house that will both pass inspections and get finished.

As the TV commercial says X $ for this and that but when your done and can say "I did it myself" = priceless

 

Thanks for the info Mark,
Here is a little more information on what we have. There is a metal building on the property that has been finished out as a small apartment....approx 600 sqft. We are planning to live in it while we build. Our goal is to build as we have cash for material. For example, we have priced an engineered foundation and it will run around 10K. We want to get that done by people who know what they are doing. Most of the framing will be down by my dad, an uncle, myself and a buddy or two. Between my family and friends I have almost all of the building skills needed to complete a house. Time and cash are our biggest foes. So essentially I will work a bunch of overtime for a couple of months (especially in August), then slow down and build, then repeat the overtime again and so on. Our goal is to not finance the cost. Why? With the exception of financing our land we are some of those "crazy people who want to pay cash for everything", no government conspiracies or anything like that. When it is all said and done we don't want a 15 or 30 year note to pay on. Anyways, probably more information given than needed but this is what we are trying to do.
Thanks,
Craig

 

Menards has some online home designs with prices. I believe they are not package deals but only cumualtive prices of the materials. I don;t think it includes all things needed in a house but I believe they explain that in the fine print.

I think they also offer a costing service where they will calculate tally the material for your design and price it for you. You would have to talk to them for that.

If you design the building, be prepared to have an engineer stamp the design as acceptable to whatever standards your area requires. Roof loads, general structural strength, HVAC system, plumbing system, electrical systems are all areas that require qualified designers to approve a specific installation. Your area may require an architect/engineer approve the designs. Check with your local building department for some input on all that.

If you buy a print/design, the building department will still need to approve it. It may not meet the specific requirements in your area.


btw: if you get a construction loan and convert to a mortgage, as long as you do not have a prepayment penalty, there is nothing from paying large sums of money to reduce the total payoff. If you do this correctly, you will simply pay off the loan very early. Yes, you will have some interest involved but that may allow a faster build. You can then work all the OT you want after that and pay off the mortgage.

 

Hi Nap,
Thanks for the Menards tip. I will also check into the construction loan to a mortgage, I hadn't thought about this before now. Just one more reason I started seeking information before jumping in.
I have a little work to do concerning building codes. We are out in the middle of nowhere, the closest city is roughly 15 - 20 miles away. So there isn't a city inspector. Don't know if the county has a building inspector or not. I wouldn't do anything shoddy or cheap to save a buck, but will check to see what is required.
Thanks again,
Craig

 

Your county zoning dept should be able to explain what is needed in the way of permits and inspections. Some counties have few inspections but almost always, septic and electrical inspections are required.

 

I suggest looking into some "unconventional" building techniques that may save you time and money. I recall reading a blog of a family in Texas, near Austin I think, building their own house from concrete blocks. For the climate, the building material was perfect, and the methods simple enough that it was like putting together mortarted legos. They employed old-fashioned designs that kept the house cool in summer and warm in winter without the use of AC (I think they had a central wood burning stove for cold days though). I am sure they had to jump through a few hoops to convince the building planners that this was kosher, but in the end they had a beautiful custom house, finished adobe style, with lots of cool features like custom bath designs and whatnot, all DIY. Straw bale is another option, but the concrete block may be easier and less expensive.

As for price, I really have no idea. Some of these unconventional buildings claim to save alot for your square foot, but I am sure it has to do alot with what the design looks like, availability of materials, etc.

Oh wait! I found the website of that concrete block house - do a google search on Gimme Shelter for a website on texasmusicforge.com.

Have fun and good luck!

 

Thanks to everyone for the information. We really appreciate it! Logcabincook, I will check out the website you mentioned.
Have a good and safe Memorial Day Weekend,
Craig

P.S. As veteran of the first Desert Storm please take a moment this weekend and remember those who have died for this country and those who are in harms way. No need to involve political affiliations, if what we are doing is right or wrong, just a moment to think about the sacrifices made / being made to make this a great nation.