[lostbuyer]

in central florida,(or anywhere for that matter)i hear alot of people talk about building,but nobody that says they actually built a house....i havent found any websites or blogs about people who built......does anyone know the price (estimate)of say a 2400 sf. house......i know it depends on material quality,and labor,i figure being your own sub is cheaper,i know people who do everything from concrete slab,plumbing,electric,stucco,pretty much everything there is to a house,and i could do my own,framing,insulation,drywall,finish,paint,tile,s aving alot more that way.....so has anyone built,and have any stories?...or is there a good website or blog out there? any help would be appreciated thanks..

[MyHomeIsInOcala]

You can get info at UBuildIt.com, they work with people that want to build their own home and save money.

[newteacher]

I would be curious about that, too. I plan to rent when we move to Ocala in July, but I would love to purchase a few acres in one of those equestrian developments and start to pay that off and build some equity. Then, in a few years, when we are ready, and the land value has gone up to more than we could afford if we were about to buy it, we will already own our land and we can build our dream house and bring our horse home!
I saw an add for new constuction homes- your lot, starting at 100 grand in the paper, but, I want to make sure that was for a block home, not a modular.

[BahamaBreeze]

I am in the process of building my own house as an owner/builder. I am subcontracting all the work.
Pulled my permit this Monday, had an inspection on Tuesday (failed: had not grounded the house, didn't have a site plan in the box and did'nt have a Port-O-John) passed today (Inspector told me it was the lack of grounding that caused the fail, the others would have been warnings.)
Under roof will be 2500sq.
Expect to come in 105K-115K.
Might start a thread.
This is not for everyone. For sure.

[Prichard]

Rule of thumb - you can expect to pay anywhere from $125/square foot to about $200/square foot for the construction of the house, assuming you own a lot that is cleared, level and filled ready to pull a building permit and build.

A GC's cost to build is anwyere from about $80/sf to $120/sf. For $120/sf a gc can build a high-end product - tile roof, granite counter tops, premium cabinets, high-end trim packages, etc - you get the picture. But, unless you are a GC, you will be paying $150 - 200/sf for top quality.

These are just ball park figures - I'm sure there is some variation on this - so contractors, you're welcome to chime in.

[lostbuyer]

wow bahamabreeze sounds like a hell of a house for under 120k!!!!thats the kind of stuff i wanna hear......i was thinking of saving 40k-60k to get started and then maybe a 50k loan from my dad,interest free of course.lol..and whatever else i needed maybe a loan....because with the prices now a 2500 sf house costs about 350k to 450k in polk county thats just ridiculous....i know prices are going down but it would still take alot of years for prices to be lower for buying vs. building..and i dont want to wait 3,5,7,years or however long it takes,plus im ready to build in about a year and a half....how about any blogs about the subject?anyone?

[lostbuyer]

just talked to my friend,and he told me his uncle is finishing up his 3000sf two story house,and he spent about $62sf...hes a subcontractor so he did alot of the work himself..as i plan to do..sounds like good news to me......i hear two thirds of a homes price is labor,so it makes sense....

[carolac]

True story - there is a builder whose wife decided she was bored at home and wanted to build a house for someone. He's a commercial builder, but the next residential contract the builder got, he let his wife manage it. There was no super on the job site. The wife continued with her usual daily routine, which did not include being on the job site at all. To give you an idea of how the house went, for example, the AC unit was installed in the front yard. I understand Florida will soon require their GCs to have a four year degree.

[dreamofmonterey]

great idea if you plan on living in it forever.

Resale- no way.

[carolac]

Sunny - Reading your message with interest. Are you saying a self-built house would not sell as well as a home built by a regular GC? Not starting something, just looking for your opinion/information. Thanks.

Originally Posted by sunnyhelena

great idea if you plan on living in it forever.

Resale- no way.