For those of you that have built your own home

[TheSiege]

what were some of the most helpful books you bought
do you have a break down of costs?
if not, could you tell me relatively what part was the most expensive then the next expensive and so on
and the square footage of your house

and any more information you might have...

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

4500 sq ft house.
$600k mortgage to pay =(

 

[TheSiege]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
4500 sq ft house.
$600k mortgage to pay =(

no other info?

 

[bctbct]

The Three Little Pigs has some good pointers.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: bctbct
The Three Little Pigs has some good pointers.

:laugh:

 

[TheSiege]

thanks guys

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: TheSiege

Originally posted by: DLeRium
4500 sq ft house.
$600k mortgage to pay =(

no other info?

Judging by the fact that he's in college, I think he'll have to ask mommy and daddy tomorrow morning.

 

[Rogodin2]

I've helped build a few homes, ranging from your standard stick built to your strawbale load bearing home.

I'll be building my new home as a straw bale/post and beam.

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a wonder bread stick build home.

Your costs are varied and you've not made clear what you will subcontract.

Rogo

 

[Rogodin2]

TS

I just read your resume and I wouldn't hire you.

Rogo

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
I've helped build a few homes, ranging from your standard stick built to your strawbale load bearing home.

I'll be building my new home as a straw bale/post and beam.

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a wonder bread stick build home.

Your costs are varied and you've not made clear what you will subcontract.

Rogo

Wonder bread?

Do you mean cookie cutter?

 

[Rogodin2]

I mean wonder bread.

It's my personal ananlogy.

Rogo

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
I've helped build a few homes, ranging from your standard stick built to your strawbale load bearing home.

I'll be building my new home as a straw bale/post and beam.

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a wonder bread stick build home.

Your costs are varied and you've not made clear what you will subcontract.

Rogo

Indeed, SB is the way to go. Mine isn't, but it's close, at R45 in the walls, R65 in the roof.

As a reference, normal homes have R13-R18 (higher is better). Straw Bales have R55 (iirc). We heat our home for ~$70 a winter, in the central UT winters (wood/coal is our primary source of heat).

We didn't build this, but the person who did kept good records, and the most expensive thing was the concrete. Footers+1' thick solid concrete floor (with spanish tile on top of that) x 1200 SF is a LOT of mud, and mud has gone up an insane amount.

 

[TheSiege]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
I've helped build a few homes, ranging from your standard stick built to your strawbale load bearing home.

I'll be building my new home as a straw bale/post and beam.

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a wonder bread stick build home.

Your costs are varied and you've not made clear what you will subcontract.

Rogo

um i didnt ask how much it would cost to build my house, i asked how much it cost to build yours

 

[TheSiege]

Originally posted by: nweaver

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
I've helped build a few homes, ranging from your standard stick built to your strawbale load bearing home.

I'll be building my new home as a straw bale/post and beam.

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a wonder bread stick build home.

Your costs are varied and you've not made clear what you will subcontract.

Rogo

Indeed, SB is the way to go. Mine isn't, but it's close, at R45 in the walls, R65 in the roof.

As a reference, normal homes have R13-R18 (higher is better). Straw Bales have R55 (iirc). We heat our home for ~$70 a winter, in the central UT winters (wood/coal is our primary source of heat).

We didn't build this, but the person who did kept good records, and the most expensive thing was the concrete. Footers+1' thick solid concrete floor (with spanish tile on top of that) x 1200 SF is a LOT of mud, and mud has gone up an insane amount.

nice concrete is the one of the things i can get at cost, my uncle does concrete

 

[piasabird]

I saw a show on this the other day and they used a steel girder frame with the hay bales. They claimed it is cheaper and stronger. This might be because it was a 2 story home. I would think that there would be some load limits that would prohibit too tall of a straw bale structure. I guess that is why they use a framing structure.

 

[Rogodin2]

nweaver

I'll be pouring the slab-it's concrete with 3 400 gallon horizonal water tanks built into the 1st floor. My friend is a foundation expert

You seem to have acquired a home that's effiecent without the work. I'm glad that you recognize the positive attributes of such a home, most people do not.

I'm planning on a metal roof tacked down to 8x2s on cj with two layers of 3" hd foam 4/8s.

It's nice to see someone else (besides BD and Sampson) that understands how we should live.

Rogo

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
I mean wonder bread.

It's my personal ananlogy.

Rogo

Awesome. Now I'm not confused at all. :beer:

 

[spidey07]

What do you mean by building your own home?

Are you acting as the general contractor, financing and paying the individual companies that build your home the different pieces?

If not and you're paying another GC to do it, then keep on their butt every single day and make sure you have a rock solid contract.

I went with a GC and while he accomodated what I wanted there were places that were shotty/substandard work. And I didn't have a legal leg to stand on.

 

[TheSiege]

more then likely building it from the ground up and sub contracting very little work. framing concrete plumbing and electrical will all be done by my uncle and I. And i am looking into doing the HVAC also

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
nweaver

I'll be pouring the slab-it's concrete with 3 400 gallon horizonal water tanks built into the 1st floor. My friend is a foundation expert

You seem to have acquired a home that's effiecent without the work. I'm glad that you recognize the positive attributes of such a home, most people do not.

I'm planning on a metal roof tacked down to 8x2s on cj with two layers of 3" hd foam 4/8s.

It's nice to see someone else (besides BD and Sampson) that understands how we should live.

Rogo

metal roof, check. Don't have the foam, but I have 3 layers (layered so no air escapes) that equal R65 in the roof. All my electric is rigid EMT that is documented and ties into a large box in the attic. It's roofing is designed to maximize sunlight in the winter, and elminate it in the summer. I like it cold when I sleep, so we do run a swamp cooler in the summer nights, but if you shut windows/doors, it stays very cool all day long.

We have a wood burning stove with 3" of cement surrounding it, so it takes a while to heat up, but you have 10+ hours of heat AFTER the fire goes out. Coal is/was $76 a ton, + $60 to pick it up. I get all the old power poles (not cresoat covered) I want, so it's free, cured wood + gas for the chain saw + sweat to split. We DO have a radiant hot water system, but we don't use it (not nearly as efficient as the stove). I'm thinking of converting that to solar radiant heat, and/or replumb the water to go through the cement of the stove (so I can heat the water with it).

BTW, I am so far from a tree hugger (well, maybe not soo far). It just makes sense. I live (and love) this home because I'm cheap. It's smaller (but my family is small, and I don't need/want a big home) but our mortgage was only for 75K, and payments are low. I want to be out from under my Mortgage within 12 years.

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: piasabird
I saw a show on this the other day and they used a steel girder frame with the hay bales. They claimed it is cheaper and stronger. This might be because it was a 2 story home. I would think that there would be some load limits that would prohibit too tall of a straw bale structure. I guess that is why they use a framing structure.

straw bales are very good structurally, but I don't know if they are OK for more then 2-3 stories.

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
nweaver

I'll be pouring the slab-it's concrete with 3 400 gallon horizonal water tanks built into the 1st floor. My friend is a foundation expert

You seem to have acquired a home that's effiecent without the work. I'm glad that you recognize the positive attributes of such a home, most people do not.

I'm planning on a metal roof tacked down to 8x2s on cj with two layers of 3" hd foam 4/8s.

It's nice to see someone else (besides BD and Sampson) that understands how we should live.

Rogo

even doing the cement yourself, the mud alone is a TON since the late 90's, like 300% increase in cost right there. I need 400 yards for floor alone, that's a few truck loads!

 

[TheSiege]

couldn't straw bale disintegrate over time, and also wouldnt it be a huge fire risk?

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: nweaver

Originally posted by: Rogodin2
nweaver

I'll be pouring the slab-it's concrete with 3 400 gallon horizonal water tanks built into the 1st floor. My friend is a foundation expert

You seem to have acquired a home that's effiecent without the work. I'm glad that you recognize the positive attributes of such a home, most people do not.

I'm planning on a metal roof tacked down to 8x2s on cj with two layers of 3" hd foam 4/8s.

It's nice to see someone else (besides BD and Sampson) that understands how we should live.

Rogo

even doing the cement yourself, the mud alone is a TON since the late 90's, like 300% increase in cost right there. I need 400 yards for floor alone, that's a few truck loads!

400 yards?!! You might need to recheck your math before you order. Even at 1 foot thick floors, that's 10,800 square feet. (There are 9 square feet in a square yard, a yard of concrete is 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet)

 

[Feldenak]

What the fuck is a straw bale home?