Building a house during the winter in Payson (Flagstaff, Pine: for sale by owner, new home)

[CrvBlm]

Hey everybody,
Thank you to all the locals (or knowledgeable previous residents) who have been answering Payson and Arizona questions with such awesome details. It has really helped us in planning our next home location.

We are planning on moving to the area in late November and hope to start building our house by mid/late December. We're coming from CT, where such a plan would be ridiculous because of the weather. Is this a reasonable goal for that area? We know the foundation needs some time before we can start building. Do you ever see people building a new home during that time of year?

Also, we have found that many of the available plots of land are in subdivisions which restrict what you can build. We want to build tiny (~400 sq ft). Is there an area that is known to be more flexible in what it allows?

Lastly, is it common for Payson residents to put a 'for sale' sign up on their property without going through a realtor? We've noticed that the land options listed online are not numerous and thought this might be due to people not posting things online/via a realtor.

Thanks!

[AZDesertBrat]

Originally Posted by CrvBlm

Hey everybody,
Thank you to all the locals (or knowledgeable previous residents) who have been answering Payson and Arizona questions with such awesome details. It has really helped us in planning our next home location.

We are planning on moving to the area in late November and hope to start building our house by mid/late December. We're coming from CT, where such a plan would be ridiculous because of the weather. Is this a reasonable goal for that area? We know the foundation needs some time before we can start building. Do you ever see people building a new home during that time of year?

Also, we have found that many of the available plots of land are in subdivisions which restrict what you can build. We want to build tiny (~400 sq ft). Is there an area that is known to be more flexible in what it allows?

Lastly, is it common for Payson residents to put a 'for sale' sign up on their property without going through a realtor? We've noticed that the land options listed online are not numerous and thought this might be due to people not posting things online/via a realtor.

Thanks!

I don't think you'd have much of a problem building a home in winter. There MIGHT be a problem with concrete pouring, if you are going to be doing that. I don't think it can be done if it's really cold/wet but I could be wrong. Hopefully someone else will know more about that. For the most part the weather will likely be clear and sunny enough but not all that warm.

You might check with the building permit people about the rest. I don't know anyone who ever built a house that small.

Yes, they can do a "for sale by owner" and put a sign on their property. You might Google Trulia or Zillow and click on the lots/land option to see what's available. I'm sure there's plenty. OR Google Payson AZ/lots/land/FSBO.

[Ponderosa]

I built my own cabin (1400 sf) in the mountains doing all of the work myself. I worked weekends spring, summer, fall and winter for 3 years. Winter was best because it was cold and so much easier to work, and it snowed and did not rain. The monsoon rains made everything difficult. Lightening, downpours and clay mud everywhere. In winter, there were a few days when I got snowed out and I remember one harrowing day towing a load of material from Flagstaff over an icy road in a blizzard. I am a thousand feet above Payson, so the weather is a little rougher there. Naw, winter is the best time.

There is a subdivision near me that has no restrictions. It is called Clear Creek Pines. There are some cabins as small as that and there are always lots for sale. It is 50 miles north of Payson though, so you have to like the solitude. Also something that you need to be aware of is septic systems can cost a fortune nowadays. The guy next door to me paid 25,000 for his. I have a standard type that cost about 1/10 of that, but the regs are much tougher now than when I built.