A good friend of mine may be able and willing to loan me the stake I need to start my spec house! This is me, trying not to get too excited! Btw, just got my first set of blueprints printed today, does that make me an architectural designer now? Officially? Or do I have to sell a set first? Here is a computerized photo of the house I designed, and am going to build. Looks as if the house is floating, dunnit? Thats my new invention, the floating foundation. It is really handy in earthquake areas, or floodprone areas. Not so good in high winds though. I guess I should remember to turn the foundation layer back on when doing these views!
Looks old timey - nice.
What do you think about building a spec house with the housing market the way it is now?
Out here it isn't so bad, if you do it right. Scores of builders are still building, and still selling them, and most of them are crap. As a worst case scenario, if it doesn't sell quickly, we can move into it and pay the mortgage as our rent.
Have you done a cost estimate on it yet?
I'm figuring from $130k, to $150k, depending on time overages, and what subcontractors will cost. If I were able to do the plumbing and electrical myself, and had lots of time to play with (mortgage on the loan will be close to 2k a month), I could probably do it for around 100. But it always gets back round to what kind of finish you are looking for. I am hoping that I can put paint grade paneled wainscot everywhere for example, but may end up having to settle for just plain drywall. I don't know if I'll be able to appliance the place or not, and the well may well (pun intended) have to wait until a buyer is found, unless we have to get an occupancy permit so that we can live in it to pay the mortgage. One thing is for certain, I need to get this going, and fast. I haven't been able to find work lately, and am a bit worried for the winter. Like I said, keep your fingers crossed.