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Well, why spend 250.000 on a home built out of wood framing and drywall? You can build it yourself with lumber from Home Depot and some specs. Plumbing and elec
by christofd 17y ago
Well, why spend 250.000 on a home built out of wood framing and drywall? You can build it yourself with lumber from Home Depot and some specs. Plumbing and electrical aren't that hard to figure out. And making walls with drywall and insulation isn't that hard either.
If you take a summer off work, you could probably build a decent house on your own for around 20.000 bucks. And that includes one foot apart floor joists (not the 16 inches common today) for stability. You first of course need the lot and somebody to come by to pour the foundation right.
My two cents. However, I can't currently take a summer off.
- stcredzero 17y agohttp://www.shelter-kit.com/kits.php?kit=lofthouse http://www.shelter-kit.com/kits.php?kit=lofthouse A complete house-kit with outer shell, siding, roofing materials, doors, windows and all fasteners. Can be erected by 2 unskilled people in 2 weeks. Starts at $17,185 I do not work for Shelter-Kit. I would like to build one in Austin, though.
- christofd 17y agoThanks for the link. Very interesting. We need more ideas on how to break through this vicious cycle of paying that much for real estate. Look at the Amish - when an Amish couple marries, or needs an extension on a barn, the whole community gets together and builds a structure within days: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_raising http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_raising
- absconditus 17y agoA family estate with a few acres and a few homes that would eventually be paid off could be one solution.
- stcredzero 17y agoI played music at a wedding for a family that's doing this in rural Louisiana, where land is cheap. (It's the 3rd world.) They have a barn out back and a pool of 3 1980's Mercedes 240 Diesels, and they do all the work themselves. The house started as a 120 year old wood-sided cabin, and they built additions to it to make it much larger. (The additions look like they're part of the original, though!) The wedding was a dance. No wedding cake, just 500 of the most delicious cupcakes, baked by the bride, her mom, and the rest of the family. Party favors were home made jam. Lots of food that was grown by them. It was "Consume the Minimum, Produce the Maximum" all around. Replace money with knowledge, attention, and time.
- tapostrophemo 17y agoSee also http://www.firstdaycottage.com/Main.html http://www.firstdaycottage.com/Main.html . A friend of mine built one (http://www.firstdaycottage.com/pictures/completed/Completed02.jpg http://www.firstdaycottage.com/pictures/completed/Completed0...).