Realistically, I probably won’t be building or ordering my first house online. However, I can definitely see building my own home as a second home purchase option; once I get the hang of buying a first home and home ownership, I’ll feel much more confident in building my own house the next time around. Building a home seems like a daunting task; there are often unexpected delays associated with the actual move-in day. But, the benefits run from getting exactly what you want in a house and floor plan, to having a brand-new house built just for you.
There are many choices out there to make building your own home a little easier, from pre-fab models to House in a Box. House in a box reminds me a little bit of the old-fashioned Sears mail order homes. Though it’s not the same concept (Sears shipped the pre-cut wood to the owner/builder with plans), it’s very similar.
House in a Box has many floor plans and models to choose from that are designed by three different architects. The SugarHouse architect plans offer a Quote Builder option that makes it easy to estimate how much a particular model will cost. Costs are based on the Southeastern United States, so prices must be adjusted for other areas. Using Quote Builder, you select every element of your house, from foundation to appliances. You can order just the shell of the house or customize every aspect down to the moulding, shutters, and appliances. The land, foundation, site prep, rough plumbing, electrical and labor aren’t included in the quote, but House in a Box can assist in recommending a builder. (Another reason building a home sounds a bit daunting – once you factor in all these additional costs, it doesn’t appear to save you any money – but you get exactly what you want.)
The benefit to House in a Box is it’s a modular system that’s flexible. I priced out a traditional Clifton Series home at a little over 1,300 square feet and with every option available, including shutters, moulding, appliances, heating and air, it came to $71,560. Not too bad. If I added in another $150,000 for land, prep, foundation, plumbing/electrical, and labor, it’s still more affordable than many homes in my area. Another option for building my own home.
Do you think you’d build your own home someday? Does this sound like a possibility?
Carnivals I’m in this week: