Whats the cost of building your own home?

Question

I would like to build a 2750 sq.ft. home as cheap as i can. we are hoping to have 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Were planning to do most of the work ourselves. even though none of us knows what were doing. any advice please tell

thank you, stephanie

Answer 1

No one can tell you the cost but to save money be your on general contractor. Look for in stock builing products that you can live with, special ordering can run up the cost quite a bit. Take written bids for each skilled job that needs to be done from people who are bonded, insured and licenced. Check with your states attorney generals office to see if the contractor has any complaints against them for bad work before you hire them. Ask if they guarantee their work. and if they do have them include that in their bid. Talk with the building inspector to see what fazes of the construction needs to be inspected in your area. Take photos of anything you think may not have been done correctly and ask the inspector or someone who knows if it was done right or not.

Answer 2

I don't know where you are planning to build but in most communities there are strict permit and inspection standards that have to be met. If you build the house without getting the permits and submitting to the inspections, you will end up with a house which may not be safe to live in and which you will have a very hard time selling in the future.

If you do decide to do it yourself and cooperate with the inspectors you will probably find out that every other thing you do is wrong.

For this reason I would suggest that you hire a general contractor and start with a blueprint that has been prepared by a certified architect. Then negotiate with the contractor about which jobs you can do yourself. For example the contractor may suggest that such jobs as the foundation, electrical and plumbing are really critical parts to get right for the inspectors and should be done by licensed subcontractors but that you could do the sheet rock, roofing, inside trim, flooring, etc. The contractor takes the responsibility of getting the work done right for the inspectors. An experienced contractor also knows the right order to do things. If you have to jackhammer up some floor because you forgot to lay a sewer pipe you don't save much by doing it all yourself.

Assuming you do go with a contractor I would also look into some sort of construction insurance. There was case near where I live where a contractor went bankrupt and left unfinished work all over the city. The customers had already paid for the work which in many cases was half finished by subcontractors who had not be fully paid and were filing liens against the customers. They were in danger of having to pay twice for half finished jobs.

Answer 3

I've done this a couple of times. Main thing is to keep the design simple. The more complex, the more expensive.
Next is to do a course on owner building so you have some idea of what you are doing. As you have no idea of what you're doing, don't do it yourself as you won't complete it. Trades people spend years learning how to build, you can't pick it up in 5 minutes. Best to get the various trades in to do the work. You'll save heaps and you won't get into as much trouble.
Do you know someone who does have some idea? You need an adviser on your project. Not someone who says they know, but a person who actually has done it before.
It'll take twice as long as you think, and it's very wearing on relationships.
As for cost, if you keep it simple, you should be able to do it for around $150,000.

Answer 4

If you don't know what you're doing a house isn't a good project to start on.
Cost all depends on how fancy and what quality you want things to be.
You can use $20 plain Jane ceiling fixture in a room or a $2000 chandelier. You can buy $1 a square foot remnant or close out flooring, or use hardwood that costs over $5 per square foot. To many options and to little information.

Answer 5

Doing the work yourselves? Do you know how?

2800 SqFt is a large house; it's mine, ca 1913, minus basement and attic. Essentially more than 10,000 square feet of space.

For a new house, on a country lot, with well, costs about $30,000 to $50,000 to develop. This includes the well and the driveway, as well as the foundation.

Essentially, a grand house starts at a quarter million.

Answer 6

If you do not know what you are doing...please hire a professional. They will not make the mistakes that you make and in the long run it will save you a bunch of money. Lets say you are wanting a basement...did you know that you have to have a hole inspector come to the site and check out the hole you dug for the basement before you can lay the first cinderblock for foundation? Please be careful and good luck to you.

Answer 7

i suppose it will cost you a million considering the high cost of housing materials these days