Big changes here/Looking at cottage kits...

Horse Fork Farm · #1 11/07/10, 09:10 PM

We just recently lost my Dad to CHF. This leaves my Mom and my younger brother, who is "differently abled" at her house, and us in another house. None of us likes this situation very well. I can think of a million and one things to worry about..

So, already having our old farm for the land, we are looking at housing options. And thats where we walked out in a swamp and began slowly sinking! We would like to maybe do a modest house for 4 (us), with a connected Mommy flat for my Mom and brother. You would think online it would be easy to find that but its really not. Or I find something but its $250,000. +. So I looked at Lowes to see if they had kit houses and found the Katrina homes which look really usable but no cost list to look over. I don't even know if you can buy one unless you were wiped out by the disaster. Might just be for victims...?

Does anybody have any ideas of where to look online or elsewhere? We want to do this as reasonably and simply as possible. Those SIP panels look pretty good when we consider my health, moms age and hubbys work schedule. I wish we could afford some kit house that ships in on a flatbed truck! lol We are definitely not fancy folks (hubby & me) but I would like Moms part to be nicer for her! If you have time and ideas we'd love to hear them! Kathy

Horse Fork Farm · #2 11/07/10, 09:25 PM

Well, I just realized theres a BIG thread on here about SIP panels that I need to go read. Oops...

Jerngen · #3 11/07/10, 09:47 PM

http://www.shelter-kit.com/kits.php?kit=unitone

Give this site a good looking over for some ideas

Txrider · #4 11/07/10, 10:44 PM

How about buying an old house and having it moved to the property?

Horse Fork Farm · #5 11/07/10, 11:01 PM

Actually there is an old house on the farm, but its poorly laid out and right on the property line. The foundation is good but the stuff needed to upgrade-- don't know what that would cost-- plus a new granny flat too.

Horse Fork Farm · #6 11/07/10, 11:03 PM

Its also a historical house I guess. It was one of about 6 United Fuel company houses for the #1 gas well in WV.

tamsam · #7 11/08/10, 01:01 AM

Not knowing where you are in WV but there is a mill here that does log homes and I have heard that they are very reasonable. They are near Salem which is 25 miles west of Clarksburg. They do all the drying, hardwood floors and all. Might be worth checking into. Send me a message and I will get the owners name for you if you like. Good luck. Sam

Troy · #8 11/08/10, 01:20 AM

Have you thought about a Mortin Style building. I know when my former Boss' father passed away they built a little 20 x 30 Mortin Building for his mother to move into on thier farm and converted it into a 2 Bdr house when they had the shell put up they told Mortin what they were doing so they changed the plans so it had trusses 2' On Center instead of 4' O.C. Mortin put up the shell, then they did the interior thierselves. Entire cost was about $30,000 plus concrete for floor. With some time and labor on thier part for interior.

You cannot tell it's a Mortin building from the inside and if you didn't know any better from the outside you would just think it's a small house with metal siding and metal roof.

SpaceCadet12364 · #9 11/08/10, 08:26 AM

We bought a new bull from some nice people down in Georgia, had a metal barn/shed building on the property that they remodeled into a VERY nice house! If I remember correctly, they did most of the interior themselves with a few exceptions....believe they had someone shoot the inside of the structure with that spray-foam insulation? Wish the pics I took while we were there would have turned out.....