Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Can somebody literally build their own house? Assuming you've got the land and permits, how possible is it for someone to rent equipment, dig a hole, pour a foundation and bit by bit start putting up a house?
Sure...but that person also needs to have the extensive knowledge of each trade to know what is needed for framing, foundation, plumbing, electrical, etc etc.
If one person knew it all, could get the permits (and get them signed off which may require licensure in most states) and had a lot of money and a lot of time, then I'm certain they could build their own house to code.
Good question. I guess I pose this scenario precisely because of money or trying to save money by doing it yourself. I would assume that the person has enough to buy all the materials and pay for the fees such as permits and utilities but not enough if he were to have pros build it.
Sure...but that person also needs to have the extensive knowledge of each trade to know what is needed for framing, foundation, plumbing, electrical, etc etc.
If one person knew it all, could get the permits (and get them signed off which may require licensure in most states) and had a lot of money and a lot of time, then I'm certain they could build their own house to code.
My question is why?
For things that absolutely require help, then yes, I would have to hire professionals to do it like requiring licensed people submitting permits.
Assuming you know what you are doing - sure. Lots of help on the Internet. Cost estimate, plans, step-for-step instructions etc. https://goo.gl/Jqf2e3 https://goo.gl/VXZiY0
This reminds me of an article I read many years ago-
A guy was building a very modest 2bdrm ranch on a crawl space foundation, he literally built, installed everything himself (other than some framing help). This was a rural area that had no permitting process or inspections. He said he followed every applicable code requirement for the state as if it were to be inspected.
It took him a little over 5yrs to complete. The "learning experience" behind the story was he thought he was saving a tremendous amount of money- in hindsight he figured it costed him somewhere between $16-19k (don't remember the exact number) more plus the five years of his life. Most of the extra expense came from mistakes (waste of material) and replacing materials that were damaged because of being exposed to the elements for so long.
So, there's "building it yourself"^^^ and there's "managing the process yourself"- there's a world of difference!
^ so you're saying that overseeing the project and hand out the work to various trades is better?
I think that makes a lot of sense.
I'm not necessarily saying its "better"- but it's definitely a wiser use of time, money, and resources.
"...a lot of sense" that's where YOU being the GC has to have a lot of COMMON SENSE! And a complete understanding of "critical path", and can sell, negotiate, and settle.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
