Building a House on a Small Budget
It has always been fashionable to only look at ways of cutting costs when setting out to build a house on a small budget. A focus on cost cutting, though, leads to using all the same old materials and processes, just finding them for less, or doing it for less. Another approach is to incorporate cutting costs with building small and building with what’s available. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Inventory available materials on the building site that could be used to build the house. Stone, wood and even earth are all used in house building. Inventory the materials in any existing buildings that can be used in the construction. The inventory should include a list of the items and the quantity of each.
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2
Draw a floor plan. Keep it small. A house of 1,000 square feet can easily be home to four people, according to the Scottsdale Arizona Green Building Program. Look at all the space available in the plan and find opportunities for built-in storage in places that are normally dead air space, such as the area from the ceiling to the tops of windows and doors. Draw in all plumbing fixtures, lighting, cabinets, counters, windows and doors. Include interior partition walls between rooms.
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3
Determine the material to use for each part of the house. Use more than one material in some places if necessary. Include materials for floors, interior walls, exterior walls, roof and ceilings. Don’t forget to figure in the finish for the inside and outside of exterior walls. Be sure to include weatherproof material for the roof. Once all the materials inventoried in Step 1 are assigned, list any additional materials necessary to finish the structure. Add these to a buy list.
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4
List the windows, doors, cabinets, appliances and fixtures needed for the house. Go room-by-room and list each item included on the drawing. Check to see how much the items cost new by visiting a local home improvement store. Note the prices on the list.
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5
Set up a storage space. Rent space, or establish a secure, weatherproof area for material and fixture storage.
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6
Buy used materials and fixtures at garage sales, estate auctions and flea markets. Compare prices with the cost of purchasing something new and try to get the items for half the cost of new or less. Store the items in the storage space set up in Step 5 until needed.
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7
Provide all the labor for building the house yourself, hiring only when you need to for safety reasons, to satisfy code requirements or to meet critical deadlines.
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Tips & Warnings
Hiring a plumber and electrician for those components can easily save you money in the long run.
Follow all local building, electrical and plumbing codes.
References
- Photo Credit house plans image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
