HELP ME DECIDE!

[bigweights]

Im looking to build/buy my own home.  My fiance and I have been looking at modulars, and doublewides.  The price for a 1220 sq ft modular is $70,000 and the price for the double wide that is 1173 sq ft is $52,000.  The modular is way out of our price range once you add in the site work.  The double wide is more in our price range but I dont like the fact that double wides depreciate.  I was wondering if I could build a 28x36 single story ranch cheaper and better built than the double wide.  The house would have a 6/12 pitch truss roof and basement.  I would do all work except the basement, well, electricity from local utility.  How much do you think a small house this size would cost to build?  The house would be similiar to the grandfather or volks cottage. 

[Alan Gage]

Our local building supplier ran some numbers for one of the builders in town. He was tired of people bringing in modular homes because they thought they were cheaper. He wanted to know if he could build something for the same price or less. After running the numbers they found out that yes, he could build a house for someone cheaper than they could bring in a modular.

They came up with $27/square foot for materials with cheap cabinets and doors. $33/square foot with nicer stuff. That didn't include foundation, plumbing, or electrical. Basically the frame, siding, roofing, sheetrock, windows, doors, cabinets, and couters. No labor their either, only materials.

I figured since I was doing all my own labor I shouldn't be too far over this. Not quite. I think I'll end up with about $50/square foot by the time I'm done. I thought I'd be well under that but things add up and the budget tends to get pushed aside as you get more involved. An extra $500 here or there doesn't seem like much at the time but it adds up quick. Not that it's a bad thing. It's your house, you should make it how you want it. Cheaper to do it now that retrofit later.

$50/square foot is the average price I found when researching here before I started. I thought I could beat it easily. Guess not.

My build so far:

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10497.0

What's your time frame? It's going to take a while. I'm doing all the work, except the foundation, myself. I started early this spring and just about have the outside buttoned up. Now I need to finish the interior plumbing, insulate, sheetrock, etc.... Everything takes longer than you think it will. I can count on one hand the number of days I haven't worked on the house this spring/summer/fall. Minimum 8 hour days on the weekends. Some over 12 when the sun was up longer and most around 10 hours. I've taken at least 3 full weeks off work and lots of days here and there as well as getting out early most days. I haven't kept track of hours but I'm sure I've averaged 40 hours/week on the house. I've quite literally done nothing else this summer. I have no family or other commitments to attend to. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed it. It's been great.  If you have friends/family to help that would speed things up. Other than a hand here and there for heavy stuff I've been alone, which is how I prefer it.

Good luck and have fun whatever you do!

Alan

[Squirl]

Alan has one of the better examples that I can think of.  Great advice too.

Where you are building will affect the price too.

If I remember correctly Alan is in a colder climate.  He is also spending a little extra by going with higher quality materials.  Plywood, better insulated windows, etc.  With the same quality materials that go into most modulars $30-$40/ square foot might be able to be accomplished.  There are a lot of variables.  If you have a home salvage store, active craigslist, or Habitat restore, you can save a few $$.

Be careful with the design.  There are many people here who are happy to help educate and walk you through the concepts.  Don't just try and size up many of the buildings shown here.  They are thinner and smaller.  It is just a common mistake.  With that size you will probably need trusses, an interior load bearing wall, heafty ridge beam, or some combination there of for the roof.

I do it as a hobby.  It is a long process, but at the end of the day I have something to show for it.

[bigweights]

Thanks for the info guys!  I live right next to the canadian border in NY.  Alan what kind of foundation did you do, I've never seen that before.  So anywhere from 40-50 a sq ft, did that include your foundation Alan?  I will be doing a gable truss roof.  How much more is the hip roof? 

[dug]

If cash is the main issue I honestly think that with where the housing market is now you would most likely be money ahead to shop around and purchase something already built. If you're lucky you may find vacant land that already has water, electric, and septic on site (we did), if not be prepared to pony up. In addition to these perks you can also get things like garages, outbuildings, graded roads, etc., etc. when purchasing an existing home.

I am not at all trying to discourage you or anyone else from building, I am 75% done with mine and regret nothing! You get the satisfaction of doing it yourself and doing it how you want it. I just wanted to point out that it may not always be the cheapest housing alternative.

[NM_Shooter]

You might consider something other than a one story... wall height is cheaper than roofing and slab combined. 

You can definitely get a 1000 square foot building for $50k if you do the work.  Don't fear the electrical... many places will let you pull the permit after a bit of a test.  That alone will probably save you $2k in labor. 

-f-

[Rob_O]

Don't fear the electrical... many places will let you pull the permit after a bit of a test. 

My "test" was to sign a piece of paper and fill out a check for $25 I passed with flying colors. Dealing with the local utility has "tested" my patience but that's a subject for another thread...

[bigweights]

I want to do a single story because its easier to build. 

[Alan Gage]

Alan what kind of foundation did you do, I've never seen that before.  So anywhere from 40-50 a sq ft, did that include your foundation Alan?  I will be doing a gable truss roof.  How much more is the hip roof?  

It's called a rubble trench foundation. You can find some information online if you search for it. In hindsight I wish I'd gone with a more conventional foundation. I'm unfamiliar with concrete and was looking for a way to sidestep all the form work. Also for environmental reasons (the manufacturing process of portland cement). I also thought it would be a lot cheaper and easier. But the crushed limestone turned out to be a lot more than I thought it would be and it was still a lot of work. It will also be very hard to add on in the future (how do you tie into crushed rock?) and digging down next to the foundation isn't something you can really do for fear of the rock pouring out. I figured it up when I got done with the foundation and I think I only saved a few hundred dollars over what the cost of the concrete would have been. I'm sure there would have been other costs involved with the concrete foundation and it's own set of headaches if I'd gone that way. I'm not saying the rubble foundation was a bad move but I'll be kicking myself if there's a problem. I have a problem with having to do things different than everyone else. It's tough being me sometimes.  

The costs I talked about did include the foundation. It also included the new septic system I had to have installed ($4500). I think the foundation and slab (footing excavation, gravel fill, crushed rock footings, block work, concrete, and labor for the slab pour) was somewhere around $7500. I had to bring in over 100 tons of gravel to build up the pad and fill a large hole and at least 55 tons of crushed limestone for the footings (can't remember for sure).

I don't know how much more it cost for the hip roof trusses. I didn't price it with a gable roof. I'm sure it would be considerably cheaper though (also easier). I spent an extra $800 (I think) for a 15" raised heal. This gives me more insulation over the walls where the top and bottom chords meet.  I'm sure the 3' overhangs added to the cost as well. The hip roof and 3' overhangs also add to the square footage of the roof which means more sheathing and more roofing costs. I think the cost for my trusses was $2800 and the cost of the roofing (plain barn steel) soffit, and fascia cover, was a little more than that.

When I first started planning the house there's no way I would have spent all this extra money on these things. I wanted it cheap. But things changed along the way. You start thinking how small the investment might be over the long run in relation to how it might improve the the house and your feelings about it. The $800 that you saved on windows will seem like the worst thing you ever did if you don't like them once the house is done or have to replace them all in 5 years. Pride starts to be a factor too.

As for the single vs. multi-story: Depending on how much room you need I'm sure it's noticeably cheaper to build up rather than out and probably easier in some ways too. But it's also nice to be able to do everything from a 6' or 8' ladder (or your feet on the ground!). A multi-story house would probably need a steeper pitched roof too. I can comfortably walk around on mine (4/12). 

Alan

[Alan Gage]

If cash is the main issue I honestly think that with where the housing market is now you would most likely be money ahead to shop around and purchase something already built.

Good point. That's certainly the case around here. Before I decided to build I did a lot of looking at what was available on the market. There just wasn't anything available that I wanted more than the land I already had.

Alan

[Squirl]

Thanks Alan. I was looking into rubble trench.  I know I can't do it with my current soils and always wanted to know more about it.  No one ever talks about the drawbacks.  They are always trying to "sell" the method. 

Dug makes a good point.  If you are just looking for shelter, the current housing market may get you a better deal.  When I went looking, all I found was crap in the price range of building my own.  Unless it was newer construction, the energy efficiency was low.  I am going for a Net Zero house.  Not an easy thing in NY.  I am building in Otsego county.