4 ms·

Well that price didn't include labor which was a very substantial part of the cost of a house even then. Also those houses didn't have any mechanicals, which al

by jordanb 10y ago

Well that price didn't include labor which was a very substantial part of the cost of a house even then. Also those houses didn't have any mechanicals, which also drives up the cost of modern housing. And of course the price doesn't include transportation away from the rail lines (which is why so many kit houses are built near the tracks), nor, for that matter, does it include the cost of the land or improvements. I think the biggest problem with postwar housing is the attached garage. That throws absolutely everything off aesthetically. PS: This appears to be a well-preserved example of the above kit house: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1a/fc/e1/1afce1e9d2ed2c4691efe12475a1d50d.jpg http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1a/fc/e1/1afce1e9d2ed... Very handsome building!

timcederman 10y ago
Also doesn't include price of cement, brick, or plaster.
willvarfar 10y ago
I've been doing some pretty ambitious self-build shed projects recently so have a really good handle on material costs. The costs of building houses, from a materials perspective, is around $40000 in Sweden. The labour would be 3x that. I dream of building a proper house, but I already live in a good one.
- iheartmemcache 10y ago
  This is interesting. I have a lot of family in Bergen and they're fairly well off, but that's the arm of the family with whom we don't really talk finance. Is that 40k USD for a complete build in materials of a home, or just for the extension you planned? (200k USD for a full home in materials and labour is quite reasonable). What sort of foundations are common in your region? (I.e., in New England, you have to dig at least X inches below the frost-line, hence why basements are common here-- however in Florida, you'll hit the water table if you try to go even half that far, which is why basements are nearly non-existent there). On the coasts (i.e., your intention is literally to build a home on sandy beach), most foundations are cylinder concrete piers and rebar that go down ~5-10 meters per cylinder (contributing largely to the expense, compared to an average home foundation. (After which, your framing is pretty much going to be standard 2x4 'stick-and-post' truss/stud/post build-outs, while some modern commercial structures opt for steel structure and aluminium framing in lieu of wood.) Do you guys still use the traditional Skiftesverk/Resvirke/Stavverk construction? Has the 'green house' (as in eco-friendly) trend that Germany's been pushing made it into other regions of Europe?
  - willvarfar 10y ago
    Frost line varies greatly depending on where in Sweden you are, as does soil depth, and there are several ways to go about things. In the 70s there was a building boom of brick houses with live-in basements. You can't go around the outskirts of any town or large village without seeing estates of them. However, modern house building has swung back towards wooden housing and I much prefer wood, and was costing a wooden house. The foundations for wooden houses don't have to be very substantial relative to brick. A very modern way to do things is to lay a large 'raft' of thick polystyrene sheets and then pour a thin but reinforced concrete skin with underfloor heating buried in the top of it. You have thicker bits of concrete providing 'beams' around the edges and under any load-bearing walls etc. Another approach is to have a 'creep space' under the house so the first floor is a bit higher than the ground. Anyway, the walls are studwork - normal pine - with fir used for the outside panel, which runs vertically rather than horizontally, with thin strips covering the vertical edges. Very simple, very pretty, lots to paint. Very thick insulation etc. I live in an old house that is 12" high 4" thick timring with vertical panel on front. The materials - if you self build - are not very much at all! House building is not material cost, its time or paying for someone else's time cost. There's a lot of buzz about green houses. Its particularly trendy to have tovtak again. The most striking difference between Swedish and English houses that the Swedish house is much warmer but much cheaper to build and run. Go figure!
pc86 10y ago
As someone with a detached 1-car garage who has to use street parking otherwise, I dream of an attached garage but good lord are they an eyesore 90% of the time! Especially the 3-car variety, I could count on one hand the number of good looking homes I've seen with an attached 3-car garage.
- nommm-nommm 10y ago
  Do you have an example of a good looking home with an attached 3 car garage? Is the garage is hidden in the back or something? I've never seen a three car attached garage that looks good. The majority of two car attached garages are hideous. Though I think the carport looks fine.
  - rm445 10y ago
    One could build a courtyard, or a passage or archway to a garage behind. Or go underground. I think these are expensive options compared to sprawling out like the houses in the article. A large, attached garage is such a pleasant amenity, I totally understand people wanting one - but there's no attractive way of just attaching one to the side of a house. It's essentially a warehouse out of proportion to the other rooms. Perhaps ideally, build on a hill, such that views from most sides are of an attractive hilltop house, while from the garage view it is apparent that much of the house is built on top of the garage.

by jordanb 10y ago

timcederman 10y ago

Also doesn't include price of cement, brick, or plaster.

willvarfar 10y ago

I've been doing some pretty ambitious self-build shed projects recently so have a really good handle on material costs. The costs of building houses, from a materials perspective, is around $40000 in Sweden. The labour would be 3x that. I dream of building a proper house, but I already live in a good one.

iheartmemcache 10y ago
This is interesting. I have a lot of family in Bergen and they're fairly well off, but that's the arm of the family with whom we don't really talk finance. Is that 40k USD for a complete build in materials of a home, or just for the extension you planned? (200k USD for a full home in materials and labour is quite reasonable). What sort of foundations are common in your region? (I.e., in New England, you have to dig at least X inches below the frost-line, hence why basements are common here-- however in Florida, you'll hit the water table if you try to go even half that far, which is why basements are nearly non-existent there). On the coasts (i.e., your intention is literally to build a home on sandy beach), most foundations are cylinder concrete piers and rebar that go down ~5-10 meters per cylinder (contributing largely to the expense, compared to an average home foundation. (After which, your framing is pretty much going to be standard 2x4 'stick-and-post' truss/stud/post build-outs, while some modern commercial structures opt for steel structure and aluminium framing in lieu of wood.) Do you guys still use the traditional Skiftesverk/Resvirke/Stavverk construction? Has the 'green house' (as in eco-friendly) trend that Germany's been pushing made it into other regions of Europe?
- willvarfar 10y ago
  Frost line varies greatly depending on where in Sweden you are, as does soil depth, and there are several ways to go about things. In the 70s there was a building boom of brick houses with live-in basements. You can't go around the outskirts of any town or large village without seeing estates of them. However, modern house building has swung back towards wooden housing and I much prefer wood, and was costing a wooden house. The foundations for wooden houses don't have to be very substantial relative to brick. A very modern way to do things is to lay a large 'raft' of thick polystyrene sheets and then pour a thin but reinforced concrete skin with underfloor heating buried in the top of it. You have thicker bits of concrete providing 'beams' around the edges and under any load-bearing walls etc. Another approach is to have a 'creep space' under the house so the first floor is a bit higher than the ground. Anyway, the walls are studwork - normal pine - with fir used for the outside panel, which runs vertically rather than horizontally, with thin strips covering the vertical edges. Very simple, very pretty, lots to paint. Very thick insulation etc. I live in an old house that is 12" high 4" thick timring with vertical panel on front. The materials - if you self build - are not very much at all! House building is not material cost, its time or paying for someone else's time cost. There's a lot of buzz about green houses. Its particularly trendy to have tovtak again. The most striking difference between Swedish and English houses that the Swedish house is much warmer but much cheaper to build and run. Go figure!

pc86 10y ago

As someone with a detached 1-car garage who has to use street parking otherwise, I dream of an attached garage but good lord are they an eyesore 90% of the time! Especially the 3-car variety, I could count on one hand the number of good looking homes I've seen with an attached 3-car garage.

nommm-nommm 10y ago
Do you have an example of a good looking home with an attached 3 car garage? Is the garage is hidden in the back or something? I've never seen a three car attached garage that looks good. The majority of two car attached garages are hideous. Though I think the carport looks fine.
- rm445 10y ago
  One could build a courtyard, or a passage or archway to a garage behind. Or go underground. I think these are expensive options compared to sprawling out like the houses in the article. A large, attached garage is such a pleasant amenity, I totally understand people wanting one - but there's no attractive way of just attaching one to the side of a house. It's essentially a warehouse out of proportion to the other rooms. Perhaps ideally, build on a hill, such that views from most sides are of an attractive hilltop house, while from the garage view it is apparent that much of the house is built on top of the garage.