What would be the best, most inexpensive way to buid a large home? (Toledo: hardwood floors, for sale)

[InspiredLethargy]

We live in Ohio and have had enough with trying to find a large home in decent condition for a reasonable price. It just doesn't happen. We have a large family and need the space. We are considering building. We do not want nor need excess; not looking for granite countertops and rare wood floors. But we need our forever home, so we aren't looking for laminate-everything either. We need quality but simplicity. We see that in the south, Europe and Asia, concrete homes are everywhere, and we wonder if that's the way to go. I actually like the look of a colored-concrete-block home, like they use on commercial buildings. We consider that an unusual home might work well, such as a bi-level where half the home is below grade with sleeping rooms and full-size daylight windows, and the public spaces above.


Without divulging too much info about my family, here's some stats: We will need 5 bedrooms, and at least 2 full baths. Every bedroom must be larger, enough to hold 2 beds and furniture, almost like an Amish home. We may need 2 laundry rooms, but we like the idea of 2 larger full bathrooms with a laundry set in each plus a half bath in the public space. We need a walk-in pantry with a prep sink, almost like a restaurant back-of-the-house would be, a large-ish kitchen and storage space. We do not want a ton of cabinet space since we'd use pantry shelving more; in fact, probably lower cabinets only and no uppers at all. We need a room that will be a library/study/schoolwork area. We would like some porch, veranda, or courtyard space (we like the idea of placing a garage with fences attached to the house to create a courtyard.) We have some ideas, drawings and designs that aren't used widely in homes now.


When you take away $25000 for a septic/well and $35000 for a lot, we must build a home out the door for $100,000 or less. We can't do manufactured. Any ideas on how we should proceed or any builders, architects or professionals that could take something this crazy on?

[SWOH]

Depends entirely on where you are looking to move.

One idea to move to someplace with lower land costs. The tradeoff will be worse schools. For instance, if you are looking to move to the Dayton area, you could reduce your land cost a lot by moving to Jefferson Twp. and many large land sites there have city water and sewer. Same goes for Trotwood.

Second thought is a building conversion. For instance, buy a historic barn surrounded by a couple acres. Have professionals run electric and plumbing within the space, install windows, as well as the necessary water and sewer systems. Then park a RV or two next to it to live out of while you finish off living spaces inside the barn (so drywall work, flooring installation, painting, cabinet installation, and a bunch of other stuff would be optional DIY depending on the budget).

[InspiredLethargy]

Hi SWOH,


Here's some more info on what we'd like to do:
Need to build conventionally, and not looking to remodel. Been there, done that, still have nightmares, haha.
I'm not worried about land costs, we'll go smaller if we have to. We're going to be realistic when it's time to cross that bridge.
Prefer to be off-grid as much as possible. We're not preppers per se, but after living in the city and being at the mercy of city utilities, it would be nice to cut that cord. I know city water/sewer would cut some upfront costs, but with a big family that cost is gone within a few years or less. Our water/sewer bills now are hundreds per month). Going to go all electric (yes I know wood burning/alternate fuel can be cheaper, and we'll add that on when we get the chance, but we need a standard heat source to start with.) With no gas lines the plumbing cost will be less, even if electric costs more per month. (Our gas bills are OUTRAGEOUS...200-400 a month in winter, 50 in summer. We'll take our chances with electric). We may try pricing out adding some solar panels during building but that may have to wait also.


Basically, think energy efficient, good quality (not luxury), cost efficient, conventional, but willing to go outside the suburban large-home Mcmansion stick-built norm to get something modest yet comfortable.

[SWOH]

Given the fact that the budget is $100k, it's going to be near impossible to build a brand new 5-bedroom house that is good quality for that low of a price. Some of the subdivision developers (Ryan and Inverness Homes come to mind, but there are others) will build on lots outside of their subdevelopments, so I'd call the model house at your closest Ryan Homes development first and ask if I were you. They have the economies of scale to make very large purchases and build the overall lowest-cost new houses. Custom builders will have higher costs because every project is unique and they cannot achieve that kind of economy in their purchases.

The issue there with that strategy is quality. Ryan and Inverness are both 2X4 construction, which is not wonderfully durable. Facades are vinyl or brick/stone veneer, not real brick or stone. If you are dead set on building new with that budget, again I'd probably start with Ryan Homes, but if that doesn't work out, really consider this company, Unibilt:
Unibilt Custom Homes > Get Started > Customize Your Home

I know a few families who purchased Unibilt homes and are happy with their decision and home quality. And the homes look good, too, no one will ever know it was a manufactured home unless they happened to be around the site when it was brought in.

---

Otherwise, what is probably your best option is to buy an existing home.

This search might help.... covers the whole state of Ohio since I'm not sure where exactly you would like to go, but might be of some use:

Ohio Real Estate - 106 Homes For Sale | Zillow

Within that search, a few houses throughout the state that might work are below.

Southwest Ohio:
1490 Short Cut Rd, Urbana, OH 43078 | Zillow
4364 Swisher Rd, Urbana, OH 43078 | Zillow
6487 Riverbend Dr, Dayton, OH 45415 | Zillow (tradeoff is city utilities for new build)
4310 Spring Hollow Ct, Dayton, OH 45424 | Zillow (same as above)
831 Crestmont Dr, Beavercreek, OH 45431 | Zillow (outdated but good schools)
150 Valley St, Midland, OH 45148 | Zillow
391 Gay St, Williamsburg, OH 45176 | Zillow (this one is beautiful!)

Southeast Ohio:
5500 Marietta Rd, Chillicothe, OH 45601 | Zillow
5270 Oakland Blvd, Portsmouth, OH 45662 | Zillow
11892 State Route 160, Vinton, OH 45686 | Zillow
320 Condor St, Pomeroy, OH 45769 | Zillow (freshly renovated)
3736 Enlow Rd, Albany, OH 45710 | Zillow (a barn)
17099 Glen Slay Rd, Caldwell, OH 43724 | Zillow
301 N 8th St, Cambridge, OH 43725 | Zillow (an estate)
86111 N Bay Rd, Scio, OH 43988 | Zillow (lake living)

Central Ohio:
33 Cheshire St, Delaware, OH 43015 | Zillow (Delaware is booming)
322 N East St, Prospect, OH 43342 | Zillow (neat old farm)
6299 Jacksontown Rd, Heath, OH 43056 | Zillow
21890 Swendal Rd, Butler, OH 44822 | Zillow
7384 Woodlow Dr, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 | Zillow

Northwest Ohio:
2401 State Rte # 53, Port Clinton, OH 43452 | Zillow (right by Lake Erie)
6126 Welsford Ct, Maumee, OH 43537 | Zillow
118 Dorothy Dr, Bryan, OH 43506 | Zillow (backwoods)
2946 Hanover Dr, Lima, OH 45805 | Zillow
2056 Thornapple Dr, Toledo, OH 43614 | Zillow

Northeast Ohio:
16430 Longs Church Rd, East Liverpool, OH 43920 | Zillow
6337 Akron Ave NW, Canal Fulton, OH 44614 | Zillow
377 Crestwood Ave, Wadsworth, OH 44281 | Zillow
630 Plum St, Fairport Harbor, OH 44077 | Zillow
150 S Maple (State Rd 45) St, Orwell, OH 44076 | Zillow
6811 Cheryl Dr, Hiram, OH 44234 | Zillow
5427 Slater Rd, Williamsfield, OH 44093 | Zillow (28 wooded acres come with this one... great opportunity to live in the house at first and either stay there as is or sell it and build new out in the woods)

Good luck!

[Briolat21]

No way you're going to get a modern builder to build 5bdrm 2+ bath, office/school room, etc.. for under $100k.

Modestly, you're probably looking at 2000sq ft -- even if you're bedrooms were tiny - that'd be 10 x 10 - and you're looking at 5!! So you're at a minimum of 500sq ft of bedroom space... and considering you actually want rooms large enough for two sets of bunk beds, plus furniture... you're probably going to need to double that..

So you're best bet is going to be self-built, and very off the grid (a place where you can build rammed earth, or it's equivalent, or concrete)..

THere are some people in the south doing very intersting things with sustainability homes (walls made of stacked/filled tires, etc..).

You're all in budget (land/sewer = $60k according to your figures) makes things a little better .. but still - essentially you sound like you need room for at least 10+ people ... and that's not going to be cheap.

Do you have friends/etc.. that can help you to build this yourself? That's your best way to keep cost down - is to not pay labor charges. But that's a huge undertaking. My coworker built his own traditional framed house (he and his family did all the work with the exception of a very few trades they contracted out). No idea what his overall savings were, but I'd guess probably 30% at a minimum. Of course it also took him about a full year, and he was working on the house every evening/night/weekend - around his own full time job.

[InspiredLethargy]

Thanks SWOH, that was awesomely thorough, thanks Briolat...trust me, if I could have bought something that would work well for us by now I would have. And I still will, if I see something first.


We can't build ourselves, and there's no one to help us. The whole "economy of quantity" thing is what I figure could make it easier to accomplish this. I think the way things were done when the US went through it's huge building phase in the late 1800's/early 1900's might be right on: All the same flooring throughout the house (except maybe tile in the baths/kitchen), larger but all the same standard windows (no bays, no rounds), no special-order anything, keep the house footprint to a 4-corner to cut on labor, no goofy roof lines, no dormers, no weird paint finishes, etc. Just keep it simple.


I walk into some of these new houses sometimes, and I can see what I'd cut. I don't want a kitchen full of cabinets, I want enough to hold up the counter. I don't want fancy $400 plumbing fixtures. I don't want Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors, I want whatever I can get a good price on a whole-house deal for wood floors, whatever the kind or color. I don't want ceiling fans or jetted tubs. I don't want top-of-the-line appliances, because we're hard on them anyway. I don't need a house with pre-installed surround sound (who the heck really needs that in the under $200k price range?) or even a security system. I don't want tray ceilings or step-down family rooms. 12 by 12 bedrooms are fine. I don't need "his and hers" sinks or closets. I don't need cavernous walk-in closets. I don't need an attic. I don't even really need a garage. I need what equivocates to a functionable dorm, or small motel, lol.

[Briolat21]

Even so - understanding that you want the "plain jane" house (functional, not necessarily sexy) ..

getting to that low of a price per sqft for traditional framed housing is going to be really difficult.

Most of the builders are much closer to $100 / sq ft -- more depending on finishes.

We were just under that # when we built, and that was WITH doing a plain jain house (sheet vinyl instead of tile, no crown, no trim, laminate counterops, plain oak boring cabinets). Had we gone for fancy finishes it would have pushed considerably higher.

I wish you considerable luck, I just don't know how you accomplish it. I suppose if you figure out a way - come back and update the thread so a future person looking to do the same thing can benefit from your wisdom... ?

[woxyroxme]

The only hope you have of building something with your size requirements on your budget is a steel building which I know you may think "pole barn" but steel houses are growing in popularity because they are affordable and non combustible. The only contractor I know of that does this is General Steel.

[rrtechno]

Your mention of concrete earlier immediately made me think of Superior Walls. Precast, fully insulated panels with wiring chases and integrated steel studs ready for finishing. I just don't know if you are going to meet your budget figure with those by the time you add finishing. We did our 1500 sq ft basement and 24 x 28 garage foundation last year for just under $18,000. This included the panels plus installation, but did not include the site prep or any finishing work. Let me know. I gan link you to more information if you are interested.

These can be stacked for multiple story structures.

[InspiredLethargy]

Yes, exactly...I think a stick-built is probably going to run me more than something non-traditional. I am absolutely willing to consider steel buildings or concrete block or ICF or any other prefabricated type (but not "manufactured"). If any of you have links that would be really helpful. As long as it's finance-able, sturdy, and well-regarded as a building material I'm willing to look into it.


Of course, the other main problem is design. I have some drawings of what I'd like, just because I ran around my house with a measuring tape, measured everything I minimally needed and set it down to paper, but I'm hoping to find a builder than can reliably and confidently build something simple (like an Amish home). When I call around, many can't build from anything but pre-existing architectural drawings, and I'm worried I'm going to have to bring a designer, architect or engineer in to draw the plans, and that's going to add a few thousand on as well.


I have even called some builders to ask what a ballpark multi-family home would cost to build, but you know no one will toss out any numbers, even if I ask what they've built in the past. I am a bottom-line kind of person and I can't make decisions with half-information and guesstimates.