Hi! I'm Jonathan... just joined tonight. I really like what I see here! My wife and I are saving up to build our own house. Our goal is to build the absolute minimum necessary to meet our family's needs. I like the 2-story universal cottage plan - it is a perfect size. How cheaply do you think it can be built (land/utilities not included)? Here are some things I've thought of to cut costs:
1. Eliminate the front porch entirely (perhaps put a small roof over the doorway/stoop)
2. 24" stud spacing (we'll need to use 2x6 because of our harsh climate)
3. Smaller/fewer windows sized and located according to stud locations
4. No master bathroom on the second floor (make it a 1.75 bath house)
Any other cost saving measures you can recommend? Anyone have a guess what the total construction cost would be if I did it myself with value materials?
Welcome to the forum, Jonathan. :)
Check out Jimmy Cason's House. I think it will answer a lot of your questions and there is some pricing info there too as I remember.
http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1136612461
I am building a 2 story 20' house as we speak. Here are my thoughts. Some things can be cut or changed to save money while other things should never be cut out.
Stick with 2x4s 16"oc. 2x6's are gonna cost alot more plus your windows will cost more.
drop the porch, you can add it real easy down the road.
If you are doing all your own plumbing it only costs a couple hundred bucks more to put in a tub. (think resale)
Remember windows make a small house feel bigger and you wont need to have lights on during the day. You can find windows for 50 bucks each on craigslist.
This is my second house I have built with John's plans. Cutting costs will cost you money when you sell. I can tell you that first hand! I could have built my 1st little house on a full basement for like 9k at the time. I went with the post and pier to save the cash because my budget was real tight. Well when I sold the house it would have sold for 40k more with the basement.
Here is my budget so far
14K walkout basement and site work
7500 Lumber order for dry shell
500 all windows
1000 3 doors
In all do respect, 2 x 6's will not cost that much more than 2 x 4's and you will have more room to insulate, which will save you more money in the long run.
You can really put any "type" of window in, it just depends how you trim that window out.
Also, go with the 16" spacing. More solid and easier to finish the interior.
Just one man's opinion though! Good luck with your project. :)
True ..... around here an 8' 2x6 costs about a buck more.
My thinking was that he was trying to save money on lumber by using 2x6's at 24"oc rather then the 2x4's.
My point was just that when he goes to sell, things like a full bath and more windows will bring a higher price then 2x6 walls.
I agree with your thoughts on the windows and bathrooms.
However, I think people need to build what they want, not neccessarily what someone in the future may want. If you are going to live somewhere for a long time....you need to be happy!
It bothers me sometimes that when I was buidling my cabin I had to do things this way and that way because of the building inspector. I would want to do something unique and he would always say;
"Well if you sell the place..blah...blah...blah...".
I am not spending all this time and money to build the cabin of my dreams to sell it!! Sorry...just ranting! :-/
Thanks for the replies. I really want the 2x6 for insulation. Fewer studs (24" on center) also = less heat leaching. I've seen houses on a frosty morning where you could see the entire framing structure in the frost pattern on the insulation! There was no frost over the framed portion because heat was coming through at those points.
This is going to be the house we will spend our lives in. We want a humble house that is just adequate for our needs. We are planning on doing a geothermal (ground temp) heat pump as well as solar/wind power generation with a battery shed (24 V array w/dual invertor). We will have a well and septic, so our house will truly be self-sufficient - "don't owe nobody nuttin'!" That is our dream - not to have a SINGLE bill (aaaahhhh... won't that be wonderful!). We only want to spend money on matters of quality pertaining to accomplishing this dream.
The reason I asked about the budget is that we want to set a target for our savings. A realistic target - one that we can afford, and one that will build the house we need.
I've heard that windows cost 2x a wall of similar area. Also, windows are not efficient insulators. Somewhere I read that by going with smaller windows and pushing them to the corners of the room you can make the light splash down the walls and this will make the room feel larger.
Anyway, thanks for the tips... any more?
If going 24 inch centers -as is often mentioned here, plan on 5/8 sheetrock for a straighter wall. 1/2 gets wavy on 24" centers.
QuoteIf going 24 inch centers -as is often mentioned here, plan on 5/8 sheetrock for a straighter wall. 1/2 gets wavy on 24" centers.
Thanks for the tip. That will push up the cost a little. Is there an cheaper alternative to sheetrock for interior finishing?
This is my first post here so pardon me for just jumping in...
I really like the idea of 24" OC stud spacing if you combine it with 22" double hung windows- No jack studs or double headers needed. See the US Department of Energy's "Advanced Wall Framing" fact sheet at http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/documents/pdfs/26449.pdf. Even if you only incorporate some of their suggestions it should both reduce lumber and increase energy efficiency.
Exterior siding choice may be more limited- some of the engineered siding products require 16" nailing intervals. If you have to sheath the entire exterior for wind or seismic requirements consider a shear-rated siding such as T-111 or Hardipanel.
Also if building the house on a budget why not initially leave the second floor completely unfinished- stub out the plumbing and electrical but otherwise leave it as an attic. Then as time and finances dictate you can finish it off.
Jim
California
Future Builder
Thanks Jim! For me, the size of the 2-story universal is barely big enough for my family as is (4 kids + hopefully a couple more in the plans). We would need all of that space at a minimum in order to function.
Thanks for the tip on the windows. That really makes sense. I'll also check out that link you shared... seems like it might have a lot of tips to help us accomplish our goal of affordable self-reliant shelter. (Aesthetics are secondary... we want to build the most efficient house, then we'll figure out how to make it look good.)
QuoteThis is my first post here so pardon me for just jumping in...
Jim
California
Future Builder
That's what you are supposed to do Jim. :)
Thanks for the input and welcome to the forum.
I have no idea of the cost estimate for this house, so originally kept out of the discussion.
However I do now have my own 2 cents worth to add. My thoughts center around my own plans for a small cabin in the mountains of NM.
Re wall construction: I'm trying to make up my own mind between 2x4 and 2x6 walls. I've got things narrowed down to...
[A] 2x6, 24" O.C. with fiberglass insulation, exterior sheathed in OSB, #30 asphalt felt, vertical furring strips over the felt and either real wood siding of some kind or Hardi plank (for the fire resistance),
OR
2x4, 16" O.C. with 1" of extruded foam added on top of the OSB sheathing (well sealed/taped) and the same exterior siding treatment. The insulation is within R-1 of a fiberglass insulated 2x6 wall, but may be better sealed against air infiltration. The exterior foam offers the additional advantage of cutting off the stud heat leakage.
Without running the numbers ($$) this is what I'm gravitating towards. :-/
Inside, especially if you are doing all the work yourself I don't think there's anything less expensive than drywall, even if you use 5/8", and 5/8 is advised for 24" O.C. framing. My plan is for T&G wood over all interior walls except some in the kitchen area and the bathroom.
Re windows: I wouldn't touch a bargain window from anywhere. It's true they are holes in the wall in more than one way. I'm planning on buying a fairly high quality (not the very best) vinyl framed window with dual paned sealed low-E glass. Possibly with argon gas filling... not certain on that yet. Even without the argon gas they have a U-factor of 0.35, better than the highest recommended Dept. of Energy rating.
I'm also planning the window sizes as to what I want for the view, the light, etc. I'm not going to make them small just to save on energy. I don't want to live in a cave, depressed from lack of natural light. But I'm also not going to build a wall of just windows.
All windows will have exterior shutters, hinged at the sides so they could be easily closed over the windows when vacating the property for a day/week/month or more. As well they will be insulated so when closed, say on a cold night, they will cut down on the heat loss and ameliorate cold drafts which may be noticed more in the end of the cabin furthest from the wood stove.
That's MY opinion.
In response to windows. One way to get GOOD windows and a good price is to have your builder supplier contact their window (Pella – Anderson – Acme {Road Runner brand} – and others distributors to see what windows they are discontinuing. Get a listing of these windows and the sizes, prices, model #, etc.... With a little work and effort you can get some really nice windows at a price that you will like and the wife will love the looks.
Mark
Jonathan are you planning on a basement?
QuoteJonathan are you planning on a basement?
Tough question. It depends on the location and lot. If we build here in Colorado, then probably not. 1) It is hard to find a lot on the plains of Colorado that will permit a walkout/drive under basement, and 2) no tornados in this area. If, however, we decide to build in Wisconsin on a portion of the farm my wife gre up on, then we will probably do a basement because, 1) There is a good chance we could to a drive under garage (or reverse the floors on the plan), 2) there ARE tornados, and 3) it would be nice to have a cellar for storing garden produce through the winter.
Just something to think about Jonathan, Insulation for 24 oc will also be slightly higher than 16 0c, but the 24 still will probably be more affordable.
QuoteJust something to think about Jonathan, Insulation for 24 oc will also be slightly higher than 16 0c, but the 24 still will probably be more affordable.
I think the cost will be about the same, so it is a win for 1) insulation, and 2) headerless framing on 22" windows.
Hi, I just joined today and I also like what I'm reading. My wife and I are considering building the 20x34 or extending it to 20x40. I was a carpenter earlier in life and own all the tools to do the job.
However, I would really love to see somebodies budget for the total project, or for the total house (2 stories 20x34 universal).
Can you post your spreadsheet that shows what it actually cost to finish the project? Cason link to "costs" is dead so if that can be fixed that would be great.
Thanks for all you help and for hosting such a great site.
Robert (robert@leachs.com)
Greetings bibbob!
We can most likely fix the broken link you mentioned. Can you tell us just where it is located.
I have noted a partial cost listing here...
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=1071.170
scroll down to reply # 170
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=1071.0
The link is "Costs" and takes u to a google not found page.
Anybody else finish the project and have a budget and total? I realize that are a lot of varibles but I would like to see somebody's bottom-line.
Thanks,
Robert
Thanks. John and Glenn can find and update that. I'm passing the info along.
It appears that the "COSTS" link has been updated and that it goes to that one I previously mentioned.
Yep, did that today! ;)
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=1071.0
Wonderful thanks. I still would love it if somebody could post their budget for building the 2-story universal. That way we could take their spreadsheet, change any numbers, and have our own budget so we don't have to re-invent the wheel.
Thanks,
Robert (bibbob)
Quote from: MountainDon on November 26, 2007, 10:46:25 AM
Greetings bibbob!
We can most likely fix the broken link you mentioned. Can you tell us just where it is located.
I have noted a partial cost listing here...
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=1071.170
scroll down to reply # 170