How to build a house and keep the cost down? *Design and *Materials? (floor, roofing)
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I'd like to build a house. I've never been involved with building a house so I need some advice.
One of my main criteria is for it to be affordable and simple:
1-What are easier/more affordable Home styles/designs. Would the design of my dreams be much more costly than the cheaper rambler designs?
2-What are easier or affordable materials to construct with? are prefabricated and insulated boards worth using? like the SING boards (they produce a house that looks like a log house). Is it cheaper to go with regular wood frame and boards?
3- I'd want a metal roof with a couple sky windows. would this drastically increase the cost? In the long run this I'd have to believe will pay for itself.
This has to be made for a Minnesota climate, very cold and long winters, with strong storms in the summer. My dream design is the A-framed Cabin/Chalet style (with the a high ceiling, great room, and a loft inside), a wood burning fireplace in the middle with a long chimney that extends upwards radiating heat (no HVAC system installed).. the kind houses you see made from logs, I don't want to construct with logs though. 800 or 1000sq ft on the main floor is good enough. A small basement (for bad weather). Detached garage space. Not sure of this design's cost of construction though compared to a simple rambler.
Photos of the design i'd love to have, but might not go with if building this design = too much of an extra cost
Wood construction, though inexpensive, is a must if you want to suffer from termites, vermin, fire, water damage, UV damage, and a host of other disasters, large or small.
The wife lived in Minnesota for several years. She says the winters are horrible. For that reason I would suggest functional over which method is the most cost efficient. The pics you have included would be ideal for your project with insulated roof decking and metal roofing to avoid the ice daming. I'd proceed with what you have and I'd also look at micro housing, not for the smallness but how to include as much as possible on the interior like storage under the stairs, etc. There's some fabulous innovations in micro housing.
No matter what you ultimately decide you must step up your insulation above the mere norm. Your winters are so severe that the money you save in cheaper insulation will go right up the vent in heating bills. Ranches typically are the most efficient in terms of heating and air conditioning.
I haven't seen a whole lot of homes using skylights lately. I'm assuming it's because it's impossible (or extremely expensive) to build one that has an R value anywhere near what you'd want in a roof. The designs I'm seeing are moving towards more clerestory windows as a replacement for sky windows.
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