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.
The big pitfall I see in his first post was the "over time" aspect of building it by himself. That could be a recipe for absolute wipe-out disaster -- if you end up taking years to finish the odds of actually overspending to point of bankruptcy are quite high.
If you want to SAVE IT ALL upfront and then proceed on a normal timeline that is much more likely to result in something you can live in / eventually sell.
Read the responses above carefully -- filter out the paranoid bank-haters, understand that lenders and other buyers often will not touch a place that was built without permits / municipal inspections. Even hippies owe it to themselves to not "invest" their time and money on materials for an unseallable home, of course compared to a trailer, which similarly will depreciate to worthlessness, at least they can say they "built it themselves"...
One other thing about building over time is weather, the one thing you cannot control and is HELL on materials.
Living in rural MT I've seen "time" homes that have taken over 2 years to complete and the lumber was crap by the time they dried it in resulting either in them tearing out warped/rotted stuff or using what was left outside as kindling.
Once dried in you can take your time but the minute you start laying your first board the clock is ticking between you and mother nature destroying or severely compromising what you started.
Yes, we built 3 houses this way. We did all the work ourselves except foundation, roofing and HVAC. It took about a year for each, working in a casual but steady manner (full-time). Did make a concerted effort to get it closed in quick as possible. It was the most satisfying work I've ever done. OTOH, maybe that's why I have such bad arthritis now.
We did have cash, so no banks breathing down our necks. But it was also "our job" for that time period so we could devote all our time to it. I think it would be pretty hard to accomplish with a regular job too.
I worked for contractors and subs as a secretary/bookkeeper for many years. I've personally known people who built their own houses, and yes, it is possible! Although you need to be careful, do lots of research, maybe find an adviser to help you along the way, etc., it is possible.
In 1999, I met a single divorced mother in her 40s who built her own home with cash. She had no experience, but her father was a general contractor and helped her get it started. Not halfway through he passed away from a heart attack, so she and her two teenage children finished the house. She actually had 5 kids. She reminded me of Kathy Bates in the movie "A Home of Our Own".
She said she used books on carpentry, plumbing, electricity, etc. and followed the instructions. Although she sought advice from friends and relatives, she did most of the work herself. She worked full-time, was wise with her money and every time she had enough would buy more materials and her and the kids would keep working. She built a beautiful 3000 sf, 5 bedroom, 3 bath ranch style home in 2 years, and did a fantastic job. She inspired and encouraged me.
I've read lots of blogs and articles written by all kinds of people, single mothers, retirees, even a 16 year old kid who built their own homes. There are lots of people these days, like me, who don't want to live under a heavy debt load. It's wonderful to be debt free! The tiny house craze has helped! So, anyone who says that it's not possible is probably a sub, GC or mortgage broker who doesn't want people doing it (loss of income to them).
Me and my sister are in our 60s now, and another friend of mine, a single mother, are planning on building our own little tiny house community in the country, 3 little 384 sf cottages, maybe more if more family and friends want to join us. I'm looking forward to it.
Don't listen to the "nay-sayers". If you want to do it, go for it.
In 1999, I met a single divorced mother in her 40s who built her own home with cash. She had no experience, but her father was a general contractor and helped her get it started. Not halfway through he passed away from a heart attack, so she and her two teenage children finished the house. She actually had 5 kids. She reminded me of Kathy Bates in the movie "A Home of Our Own".
She said she used books on carpentry, plumbing, electricity, etc. and followed the instructions. Although she sought advice from friends and relatives, she did most of the work herself. She worked full-time, was wise with her money and every time she had enough would buy more materials and her and the kids would keep working. She built a beautiful 3000 sf, 5 bedroom, 3 bath ranch style home in 2 years, and did a fantastic job. She inspired and encouraged me.
Shelley
That's a great story but very unusual. There are far more wannabe DIY'ers who overestimate their own skills and talent for construction tasks.
In the mid-90s, my sheet-metal worker father decided to build a post-and-beam with cash, to get us out of the worst neighborhood in the city (and a house that was worth 10% of what he'd paid, 8 years earlier. They bought a 20-acre cornfield on a hill, chiseled the beams for the walkout basement and the sill plates, and ran the wire himself. My grandfather, an architect, drew up the plans. My parents hired people to do the well, excavation for the foundation, electricity to the road, leech field/septic, and a plumber... because he's awful with pipes. (Plumbing is my thing, not his.)
After the foundation was poured, we finished it out as a 2bd/1ba (1000sq.ft) apt. and put a steep, tar-paper roof on. We spent the next year finishing the beams and hired a crane/operator and a team of 4 Amish with experience putting it together. They simply cut through the base of the trusses, tore off the roof, and started. We kids pulled off all the paper, burned the rest, and picked up the nails.
This is NY so there was only so much "piecemeal" allowed. There was a temporary cert. of occ. given for the basement (a one-year renewal was available if progress had been made but we hadn't been ready) and a permanent one given for when the actual building was up and simply finished out.
I'd think you might have up to 3 years to do it but, as another poster said, you have to be prepared to contain and protect what has gone into it.
Neighbors did the same, before us, with their log cabin... lived in the basement for a year while prepping/saving for the real building. It saves on housing costs elsewhere and gives real motivation to finish.
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.
Yes! It is possible
