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I have grown weary of Colorado. I have lived here all my life, and desire a quieter, more peaceful existence.
The area I am interested in is anywhere from Couer d'Alene to Sandpoint. It doesn't matter. I'm single with no children and unemployed, and this is my plan.
I have always wanted a Queen Anne style home. The ones I can afford are super nice but located in super-horrible places like Kansas (sorry to those from there). Kansas has no mountains or skiing. Plus, they are a renovation nightmare. Asbestos, 400 layers of paint on top of tens of thousands of dollars worth of woodwork, a "sizzling" electrical system, etc.
My home is paid for, and the market for a below-median, "cutie" is insane. It will pay for land, the build of a new home, plus expenses for a few years. I can take my time to finish the interior the way I want it, plus refine my ideas for the books I plan on writing. Hopefully, something good will result in all my labor, and I will find a way to make a living once my home is completed. It's the best I can come up with.
Once Custom Builders and Realtors find out how little I want to spend, they stop responding to my emails and calls.
I have a lot of experience remodeling my home, and can do a lot myself. This includes the framing (I can get a DIY steel kit which I will only need help with the joists and trusses), plumbing, electrical, tile work, cabinetry, hardwood floors, and the stairways. I even installed an evaporative cooler when I was doing my Kitchen remodel since it got too hot to work. I own an Ornamental Mill and can make any type of decorative (non-CNC) architectural millwork you can dream up. The interior of this new home, though small (2200 sq. ft), will blow you away when I'm done.
OK, here are the questions:
1) Land. I see a LOT of properties under $60,000. Up to 10-acres. A good percentage have stubs for utilities already. I can't afford to have a well drilled and major grading. Some properties have natural gas, which I desire for heating, cooking and fireplaces. Yes, I know this is Idaho, so forgive my "forward" thinking. Ideally there is a nice mountain view and wildlife. Lots in towns are smaller, like 1/4 acre, which is OK too. I just want someplace nice to build my home that doesn't cost a lot. So Electrical, water, sewer or septic, and broadband Internet are essential. Gas is the plus. I'm not picky. Blanchard, Spirit Lake, Priest River, and Sandpoint all have numerous properties that seem nice from 1000 miles away. Are any of these really keepers? What do you think I need to spend on land (and where) to get something nice. Blanchard seems really appealing - what's wrong with it? Some properties in the StoneRidge development are $16,000 with all stubs (at least that what the MLS listing says).
2) I would like some referrals for dependable, local independent skilled professionals I can contact to help me with my project. This includes Engineers/Surveyers, Excavation services (including lumber removal and either sale or re-use by milling and kiln drying), Foundation and concrete services, Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC (with knowledge of high velocity and/or radiant systems), Roofers experienced installing stone coated steel panel roofing, and Temporary Labor agencies. Does anyone know anyone who uses prefabricated concrete foundation walls?
3) Any advice on permits and dealing with the local inspectors. I intend to do everything "by the book", observing all national and local code regulations, plus try for Energy Star certification. I see that some counties (Bonner?) require a perc. test, even though you are not going to install a septic system. Things like this.
4) Do you need air conditioning? I desire a subfloor radiant heat system, but if A/C is needed then I plan on a high velocity system, again, ideally, heated by natural gas. Solar power seems nice, but probably is not an affordable option, however I have contacted Backwoods Solar in Sandpoint and am impressed with their knowledge.
I'm looking to create an extremely nice, affordable home in a small community somewhere. My plans are to live there as long as possible, becoming a contributing member of the community to help it grow and prosper, but to also build with consideration for the next owners.
Thank you for your time and advice. I wish you, and everyone and everything you cherish well.
I have built a cabin and I once used a contractor to build the the shell of a commercial shop building that I finished in it's interior.
All I can say is the more extensive you have everything planned in advance, the better off you will be if you plan to do most of the work yourself. And no matter how completely you have planned, the costs will always be more than you figured.
The weather is a major factor that will remain an unknown, and it's a major thing when building. 60 days of bad weather cost me a lot of money.
In my experience, having an extensive network of friends and acquaintances, with many tradesmen among them, is vital.
Being willing to pay them all for short-time use of their skills, or their advice, is also vital, including all the folks who are only able, or willing, to come for a day or two and hold the other end of the board or anchor the ladder while you are up on it.
In my case, I had plenty of these folks, and some wanted no pay other than a good lunch. I was able to swap labor with others, and since my relationship with all of them was pretty long standing, some gave me very valuable tips and advice without putting any work themselves into my projects.
That advice often led to the purchase of tools I didn't expect to need, however. Some of those tools were major purchases that I had little use for afterwards.
Neither of my projects involved neighbors close by who might have complaints about how I was doing things.
Neither had a homeowner's association or something to add restrictions as to what I could build or how to do it, either. The permits for both had few restrictions and were easy to obtain.
But in both, I had to follow the pertinent building codes and had to have things inspected as I went along. This also included the approval of the blueprints; I drew my own, but had to pass them to an engineering firm for approval. There were some things that weren't up to code, and they revised those areas. I was charged for both their stamp and for the revisions.
I also had a very long run-up before the construction started. In one case, my plans began 20 months earlier. that was the shop building; it has a steel frame and steel exterior.
In the other, my brother and I began falling logs for the cabin 5 years before I began building it. The materials in that one, lots and lots of finished lumber, came from the trees on our property.
We found a logger who cut them down in return for other trees he logged and sold, and we found a sawyer who cut the timber on site into finished lumber in a similar swap.
After the wood was cut, we banded and stored it in a barn for 3 years to let it air dry before construction began. During that time, I purchased other materials bit by bit and stored them too, so they would be on site when I started. A round trip to town is 80 miles, so I had a lot of materials laid up well in advance.
By doing it this way, I had no trouble finding insurance for the buildings, and in one case, I took out a partial short-term mortgage on one after completion to help put my finances back in order.
That was necessary due to the weather, which not only hung me up for a long time, but caught me at a place where some of the work and materials were damaged before the building was buttoned up and weatherproof.
A Queen Anne home may be the perfect one for you, but they are hell for expensive to build and get all their intricate gingerbread right. As a home type, they are, at least all the ones I've ever seen, quite large as well. The style could present real problems in purchasing a lot, because a Queen Anne built in the middle of a bunch of more modern styled homes would stand out like a sore thumb. Or loom up like an outhouse in the fog, depending on how another person might think of the design.
I suppose one could be built on a very small scale, but smaller would only make all their detailing even harder to do right, and would probably require things like custom window sizes and interior fittings, which will add to the cost.
Given your present circumstances, and given your abilities, I strongly suggest coming out and visiting first, and plan to make your visit a pretty long one. i think you would need some time to look around, develop some professional relationships, and then decide if your plans are viable or not here.
Idaho is a big state. I don't want to be discouraging, but it might be a good idea to look the entire state over before coming. There are some towns here where building a new Queen Anne would fit right in alongside the old ones that are already here, and other towns where building one could be next to impossible, especially if things changed and you had to sell the house. Like Colorado, Idaho is chock full of scenery. But it's more varied here.
The one thing you will find is less hustle and bustle, and fewer people. That's pretty much a given, even around Boise, our largest city. Some Idahoans are beginning to think Boise is a miniature Denver, but I see few comparisons yet, and I seriously doubt Boise will ever resemble anything like the Denver area in the future.
Hope this helps…
Last edited by banjomike; 04-07-2016 at 01:21 AM..
In the Sandpoint area, broadband and natural gas will be your limiting factors. I think banjomike is right (wow, big shocker there ): Boots on the ground are very important when searching here.
When we bought property in Bonner Ct and started thinking about building, we realized that one thing was what we had in mind, and another thing was what was practical. There are reasons why most homes in North Idaho have crawlspaces and metal roofs with a certain pitch--you may find that your dream home just isn't practical for the area, or you may have to work out a compromise plan.
Just remember that wherever you build, you will have neighbors. You're not coming into a vacuum where you can reinvent yourself regardless of your surroundings. Some may think a Queen Anne home next door is the most exhilarating thing imaginable, and others will not be thrilled. Of course you may decide that you don't care, or find a place in the deep woods with no neighbors. But we've found that some context awareness is appreciated by the people you're going to live among.
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Yes, I know this is Idaho, so forgive my "forward" thinking.
Not really sure what you mean by that sentence.
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I will find a way to make a living once my home is completed. It's the best I can come up with.
You choose your own path--but the advice often repeated in this forum is that the job should come first, unless you can work from home. You wouldn't want to have to rent out your beautiful home while you take a job in another town...
Good luck with the writing. It's a wonderful goal, and a wonderful, if periodically stressful life. But it is usually feast or famine, and more famine than feast....
Still, you have a dream, and where would we be if people didn't go boldly toward their dreams? Just be realistic while you're being bold.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Queen Anne is not ez or inexpensive to build. I would start with something smaller (like a shop with apartment). This gives you space to store all the freecycle items you need to collect to build your economical house.
These vintage homes prefer urban / town setting, you can sometimes find the appropriate lot in a small town. Look at homes in Waitsburg, WA for ideas / proper setting in rural PNW. I prefer to buy a trashed place on a beautiful view acreage, and bulldoze the existing home.
Steel framing is not as easy or cheap as it appears, your subs (sheetrock / electricians) are gonna charge you a premium. It is not nearly as 'forgiving' for DIY.
Thank you all for taking your time to reply. I appreciate the advice.
This will be the first home I have built. My kitchen gut and remodel cost me $6000 including new 150 amp service. Solid maple doors, dovetailed drawers, porcelain tile -all upgraded materials. My neighbor's kitchen (exactly the same house) ran $38,000. My 5 x 7 bathroom cost me $1200, and another neighbor's ran $12,000. They used contractors, I didn't. I plan on saving costs by making all the woodwork myself in addition to doing the rest of the finish work. This will be my "job".
A job is a good idea, but being over 50 the options are limited without current experience. I was a Professional Computer Engineer for a long time, but being out of work for so long, regardless of my skills, doesn't make the cut. I'm not going to work in a WalMart -one of the few that would hire me.
When I'm done, I'm also considering starting a small, probably Internet based architectural millwork business. I'll have the experience then. A single hardwood rope or barley twist Newell sells for $500 - $1000. Fancy balusters are $150 each. I don't have to make a lot, or need a lot of customers to make a decent living.
So, yes, I plan on first visiting, then moving before buying land.
Sorry about the "forward" remark. It was late - I should have said I don't want to use wood as a fuel source if possible.
And, yes, I realize this style of house won't fit in in a lot of places. My choice will have to be careful and adaptable.
So, I'll ask again: Is $60,000 or less going to get me a nice property with utilities ready to begin building? Drilling a well or installing a septic has too many cost variables for me to realistically consider, even if the property is only $15,000.
Will I have problems finding someone to prepare site and build the foundation? A Custom modular home is also a consideration ( if allowed). What about a Plumber or Electrician? I'll only need their services for a couple of days at most.
Anyone else agree about not needing Air conditioning?
So, I'll ask again: Is $60,000 or less going to get me a nice property with utilities ready to begin building? Drilling a well or installing a septic has too many cost variables for me to realistically consider, even if the property is only $15,000.
Will I have problems finding someone to prepare site and build the foundation? A Custom modular home is also a consideration ( if allowed). What about a Plumber or Electrician? I'll only need their services for a couple of days at most.
Anyone else agree about not needing Air conditioning?
Best wishes,
AWR
(1) Yes, you should be able to find about 5 acres in a rural district, or a city lot, for that amount of money, with a well/municipal water, and access to the power grid. Whether that comes with a view ("is nice"), is another question. But you will need a septic permit in Bonner Ct, like you said before, regardless of whether you intend to have a septic tank, an outhouse, a composting toilet, or whatever. The permit is not expensive, but you can't get a permit to build without one. And if it is bare land, you will have to pay for power to be connected to your property, and that can run you several thousand dollars even if it is just drawn from the neighbor's box. Neighbors aren't necessarily close by in rural Idaho, and you're not allowed to dig your own trench. It is the digging of the trench that costs money. So there will be additional expenses. Such as preparing a driveway, running a landline if there is no cell reception, and so forth.
(2) You will have no problem whatsoever getting a licensed excavator to prep the site. He may or may not also build the foundation, but there will be others who can do that. Good plumbers and electricians aren't necessarily easy to find, but there are licensed plumbers and electricians between CdA and Sandpoint, yes. They may take longer than you think, though--a couple of days are probably not going to be enough. Ours took two weeks, and we have a small place. Count on at least $5000 for each of them, for basic (rough-in) plumbing and wiring.
And no, you don't need air conditioning unless you can't stand the few days out of the summer with 100+ degrees, or a summer with temps in the 80s/90s.
Whether you'll fit in is something that you should be able to discern after a few visits. It is a misunderstanding/misrepresentation that there aren't any liberals in rural North Idaho, or that your neighbors will resent your political persuasion. It all depends on how vocal and in-your-face you are, and that goes for any kind of attitude. Being a good neighbor is way more important.
Would you tell us why you've selected North Idaho? Like others have mentioned, it may not be the easiest place to build what you want. Especially if you want natural gas--sorry I didn't notice that requirement before. You should actually select a realtor (Realtor.com is a good place to start) and start working with him or her just to get your criteria realistically tested and narrowed down. It won't cost you anything.
Last edited by Clark Fork Fantast; 04-08-2016 at 06:25 PM..
I'm going to reiterate that up here in Bonner County, you are going to find access to high-speed internet to be a limiting factor. Outside of town, the only high-speed internet is radio-based and its availability is only within line-of-site of the towers. That means an individual property assessment is necessary.
The same goes for air conditioning-it depends on where you are. We have a variety of microclimates and temps can vary widely. I am very, very glad to have AC where we are.
Really, we have a very varied landscape here, so that's why it's so hard to generalize. There's a reason why a person as wise and experienced as banjomike has strongly suggested that you visit first. Again, I wish you luck in finding what you're looking for.
Sorry about the "forward" remark. It was late - I should have said I don't want to use wood as a fuel source if possible.
Wood is a renewable resource, and we would be well served if we used more of it. As it is, our national forests are choking in dead wood that has become tinder for the next conflagration when the right conditions occur.
Dave
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): Boots on the ground are very important when searching here. 
