What's the least expensive way to build a home?
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Why would you even think of doing that. No wonder insurance rates in this country are going through the roof! Every hurricane and tornado people lose their roofs - or even their entire homes! How redicolus and preventable! It rains and peoples roofs leak; it rains even more and water destroys the cheap foundations; it snows and peoples roofs collapse; mud slides - and the whole house comes down because of cheap foundations; etc..
I lived in Hong Kong for 20 years and everything - including roofs are built of steel reinforced poured concrete. The result: You're in a direct hit Typhoon (cat 5 hurricane) and you're at home watching TV because nothing happens - no power loss - no phone loss - no cable loss - no nothing (wires are all under ground). Mud slides - no problem - the building stays put because rather than just cheaply flattening the soil and building on top of it, they drill concrete pillars all the way down into the cliff. Snow.. - well, it doesn't snow there but even if it did - it wouldn't be an issue because there are no wooden / particle board roofs!
Either we Americans are dumb - or we're even dumber; we think by building cheap that we're saving money - but we fail to realize that we keep having to rebuild over and over again either paying for it out of our own pockets or having insurance companies pay for it. Either way: We're paying and paying and paying! I say build it right in first place and then you'll never have to worry about it again! Wake up America!
inherit it
go to the beach and bulid it with ur children lol
By using cardboard boxes.
Get a group of friends together with various skills and help each other build homes using metal crates and other materials for recycling. Less you contract out the cheaper it is.
When you build a home, your not inheriting it, your building it and the cheapest way is to go with cash and not to the bank! Well you wanted an answer!
There is no magic way to build a home cheaply. It always depends on what you can do with your own means without using external resources. For example you may be able to design it on your own, or you may have a source to buy materials at the lowest possible cost.
My suggestion is to hire a very capable foreman and in close cooperation with him always select your own subcontractors at low rates. Try to have very strict terms in the contracts and do not allow for special materials etc. Avoid a construction company, thus you will save the extra cost of their profit.
In Canada - the construction is even cheaper than in the USA. Terrible craftsmanship. All particle board and brick facadesto make it look like solid brick. Also, particle board with stucko to make it look like something solit. Real garbage.
Try looking into Bale houses.
www.balehouse.com
If you don't know what this is, it is building a house out of bales of straw or hay. There are bale houses that are over 100 years old in the mid-west. You can find lots of places on the net, or books in the store about them. They are relatively inexpensive, compared to conventional houses, are more energy efficient and more flexible in design.
There are also Cement houses, ConcreteNetwork.com
There are a lot of alternative ways to build a home that may be less expensive than the more traditional methods. Also check into the various alternative heating and cooling systems.
Good luck.
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