About to pull the trigger. How much to build

[Frank W]

Ordering plans Oct 7th for the 20x34 2.5 story standard cabin. My question is what price range can it be built for doing 100% of the labor. I'd like to hear from others that have built their cabin on a extreme budget.

[Frank W]

Wow, I've has lots of views but no replies. The driveway is complete. I have my building permit for the project too. The area where I'll build is cleared but I do have to rent a backhoe to dig some stumps.
I would have already purchased the plans but the guy that sell plans is away till Oct 7th.
My concern is can I complete the house for 40K?

[MountainDon]

We built a 16x30 one floor cabin. Cost was $46 a sq ft. We did all labor except for $500 worth. I'm not sure how that transfers over to a larger multi level structure.

[rick91351]

Wow, I've has lots of views but no replies. The driveway is complete. I have my building permit for the project too. The area where I'll build is cleared but I do have to rent a backhoe to dig some stumps.
I would have already purchased the plans but the guy that sell plans is away till Oct 7th.
My concern is can I complete the house for 40K?

What it costs depends on how good of shopper you are and your circle of friends.  It depends on where you are located.  It depends if you need to drill a well or if water is available.  I depends if you need a septic system.  Some places like here you are looking at $30,000 right there for septic and a well 100' deep with a 1/2 horse pump installed and wired and pipe to your site.

Your best bet is to beat the street and start planing and plotting.  Check with your local lumber yards - to me I do much better there than the big box stores.  Check at the used and distressed building material places if you are trying to really economize.  You can pick up some stuff there of good quality like sinks and toilets - doors and cabinets.  Use Craigslist to the max.  But some people go freaky about that stuff just be a choosy careful shopper.

No one on this forum really can tell you what you can or can not build it for.   Your cost really boils down to your taste and your ability to buy and to build.  Myself I would say you would need more like double that but then I am me and not you.  Some people want to live with sawdust - shavings toilets and single pane windows and chop fire wood and carry water to the max.  To that I say great - WOW I envy you you can.  Live the life you can while you can.  And we might have when we were twenty some and we sort of did but not really.  We both like our creature comforts. 

[Frank W]

Thanks for the replies. I'll install the septic myself(yes, I have a license). That will cost about 3K. Well is 5K including a 1hp pump. Not counting well and septic. I'm wondering if I can build this for under 40k? I found a thread this morning. It said cost can be as low as $35 sq ft. If that's, I'll be fine. I am going to have to rent some equipment, that could eat my budget fast. After searching for house plans for a year, I stumbled here:)

[rick91351]

I am not licensed to do septic but we the property owners in Idaho and I think most states can DIYS.  And I have done a couple.  It still has to be permitted and inspected.  I suspect property owners get inspected a lot closer than commercial contractors.  Here it seems that permitting has doubled in the last four years from when I put this one in.  Someone told me the other day close to $1200 now for a three bedroom.  It was a little over $600 for my permit.  Contractors from Mt. Home to Boise wanted eight to 10K four years ago to come up here.  We are about and hour and a half away from either so three hour shot there and fuel.  I went DIYS.         

If you can get a hole punched and a 1 horse pump hung for 5K you are so lucky.  I talked to Huddleston here very recently - a local driller and he says 10K for the well - six inch hole.  Look for that much again with the pump hung, wired with the relays and pressure tank and pipe ran to the house.  And that is going by the close well logs if a mile and a half to two and a half miles if that is close.  We do have one but it is a low producer a 1.5 gpm and I am wanting to find a lot more water for yard and garden.  So the reason I called them recently.

If you can do one for $35 sq ft you are a lot better shopper than I.  Another thing that is hurting finding bargains is the housing bust.  There is not the miss ordered doors, windows and cabinets out there like there was.  I would stop by the lumber yard I use all the time and he would have a good selection of such and would pass them along at his cost.  But like I say you are the only one that knows what you want to build and how it is going to look and how well it is going to be finished.           

[Frank W]

Sounds like the cost of living is pretty high in Idaho.  Georgia is one of the cheapest places to live, and I guess that includes permits. My building permit was $205 plus $250 for a septic permit plus $25 for temporary power permit. I was a little ticked off at a fee for every single permit. Oh yea, the driveway permit was $50. A well in my area is going for $9 a foot or a flat fee of $5K and guaranteed 2000 gallons of water a day. That includes a drilled well, pump,  pressure switch, and bladder tank. I have to trench and run water line to the house.
As far as shopping around for the lowest cost, I have no other choice but to shop for the best deals. There is a local saw mill that cuts only rough lumber and the price is pretty cheap. I hope to do the interior walls with 1X12 rouch cut and the exterior with T1-11 or Hardiplank. Hardiplank sells a copy of the T1-11 4x8 sheets for a dollar cheaper than regular T1-11.
I know a contractor that went out of business. He told me he had a lot of brand new windows and doors he'd sell but I have not talked to him about prices yet. My wife and I want a rustic look. I may build some homemade kitchen cabinets and use second hand fixtures etc. My main concern is getting it dried in. Well be staying in a old GMC motorhome til this gets done and there is 5 of us. 

[Frank W]

I found this calculator. Might be useful to others.http://www.building-cost.net/CompMatrix.asp
It's saying $39K.

[Rob_O]

That link didn't work for me

I'm building a 28*36 garage with attic trusses right now, by the time I am done I expect to have about $25K in the building finished as a bare bones garage inside with a metal roof and sawmill boards on the exterior. It will also have some great views from the attic dormers because I got some really big windows cheap!

If you think permits are easy in Georgia, you need to move to KY. Ag exemption allows me to completely skip the building and zoning permits (just gotta be 300' off the property line), don't need a permit for plumbing (but I do need to turn in a form that I did it) and any homeowner can get an electrical permit for $35. Only thing I can't get out of is the septic permit, it's $150 and I can do the system myself as long as it follows the inspectors design specs

Wish I could get a well punched for $5k

Hope that helps!

[Frank W]

http://www.building-cost.net/

[LuvHartwell]

Hi Frank,

I lost track of cost on my project(actually I stopped wanting to know) but I believe my total cost was around $35K - $37K.  I didn't have to spend any money on a well since one was already in place.  I did about 90% the workself.  I hired a contractor to put on the metal roof and a electrician to do the final electrical hookup and inspection. 

Southern Surplus in Athens is a great place to find all kinds of building material.  About 80% of my tung and groove was purchased there dirt cheap. I purchased all but one of my windows and interior doors there.   They make a nice all wood door thats is perfect for these little houses.

I strongly recommend getting windows that are all the same size. When you're buying 10 or 12 windows you can negotiate a better discount and when it comes time to do your framing it makes things a lot easier since you're just repeating the same window dimensions over and over.  The only exception to that for me was the kitchen window above the kitchen sink which had to be smaller in height. I purchased that one at Home Depot. 

The other thing I did before placing my big lumber order was to get Lowes, Home Depot, 84 Lumber and Adams Supply (Hartwell) in a bidding war for my business.  Over about a week I just keep playing them against each other for a better price until only Lowes was left.  Lots of driving back and forth but for the price of a tank of gas I was able to save about $700 on the total order.  Lowes won the business and also delivered for free.  I'm fairly certain the lumberyard manager and store managers have certain product sales quotas.  Placing a large lumber order near the end of the month when they need it most may help you get a better deal as well.

Best,

Tony

[dablack]

Great advice on the bidding war but that is best case.  To figure cost, I would do worst case.  Build your materials list.  List out every stick of 2x6, every sheet of OSB, everything.  List your tubs, fixture, wiring, switches, EVERYTHING!   When I make a list like this, I use excell and use the price from lowes or HD since I can find the local price quickly online.  Then I write down the model number or part number of the item I'm using as a reference.  DON'T forget fasteners and tools that you don't have.  How are you going to sheath that gable end peak?  Renting a man lift cost money too.  Only then will you have a good GUESS at what it will cost.  OH YEAH!  Don't forget insurance.  The house I was building burned down.   No insurance, cost WAY more than insurance. 

Austin