About Lemelia Bonner Expertise New Home Consultant specializing in alternative building/purchasing methods. Expertise in all types of building systems, incl. but not limited to: modular, post & beam, panelized, dome, solar, experimental. Good familiarity with products, quality, processes and service of all leading manufacturers. Can also assist with locating specialized lenders, reputable owner-builder programs and affordable custom design services. For more on modular home design, visit the expert`s website at www.custom-wise.com.
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Followup To
Question -
What is the absolute cheapest way for someone without appreciable building skills or finances to end up with a liveable home?
Answer -
Hi, Dave
Just a few questions for you before I respond. Are we assuming that land for this home is already purchased or available? Where would the home be located (what part of U.S.)? Would any part of the project be financed? If so, approximately how much in loan funds or cash would be going toward the home building?
Lemelia
Thank you for your questions. Assume the land is available, I can factor that in. East Central Indiana. As far as materials here, there are trees and sod. I don't think there is much free sand or clay. There may be pleanty of scrap lumber but I'm not sure. I will finance only if necessary, and part of it surely will be, at least well-digging or water hookup, septic hole digging, and maybe foundation. I may even want to contract out all the labor but try to keep everything at a bare minimum. Let's say 100% of money will go to the building rather than the land. Thanks again.
Answer Dave,
This is a really good question, and a really tough one to answer. Actually, it's the reason I have become so well acquainted with practically every alternative building method known to man. I have long searched for the perfect solution for my own family (I'm a single mother of two now, with limited income). There are a lot of considerations to think about, and I look at it this way: There are four types of currency for a building project 1) cash on hand or funds you can afford to finance; 2)material you can get for free from the land or salvage; 3) donations or discounts you can get by bartering other goods or services; 4)your own labor and the labor of friends or family. And I guess we all have these things in differing amounts. The other thing that's very individualized is what one considers to be a habitable and comfortable home. For some, that may be a simple yurt, while others may want a very solid home or the incorporation of natural energy systems. And, of course, the least expensive homes in terms of cost always seem to be the ones that are most labor intensive, and much depends on how handy you and/or your family and friends are and how much time and energy you are willing to give to the building project. I personally am starting to lean toward a combination of inexpensive prefabricated components (second hand, but in very good condition) and a shell constructed of concrete block using the dry stack method. To be more specific, I have been looking into very inexpensive, repossessed modular homes, available locally so that no high transport costs are involved. I'm thinking of using a typical pier foundation on top of a concrete pad that extends beyond the outer dimensions of the building. This would make it livable while I complete the rest of the costruction, which would consist of a dry stacked building envelope and a second roof, most likely metal and with an overhang on the southern exposure. On that side, I would create a semi greenhouse. The rear of the house (accessible through back windows) wounld have louvered vents, as would the front of the house from the floor of the house to the concrete pad. And I would most likely fill the space under the house with large stones. This would allow air to circulate freely around the inner structure, heating and cooling it naturally. ow this is just something I am personally considering, because the initial cost would be quite low and provide a livable house, and the finished outer structure could be completed in stages as time and funds allowed. Of course, there a dozens more possibilities, many of them cheaper, but you just need to think about your climate in Indiana, what kind of environment you'd want in the interior of the house, how much work you want to do both on building and maintaining the house, and what is aesthetically pleasing to you in a finished home. I've probably been more than confusing than helpful in my answer to your question, but look at tires, look at straw bales, look at rammed earth and dry-stacked concrete block, cordwood, stacked dimensional lumber (very pretty and very easy). Those are about the best cheap alternatives I can recommend.
