best and cheapest way o build a house

Karen is right, you may have a neighbor report you to the Parenting Police. That happened to us. We were very lucky that we had the foundation for a house started that we could show them and had the travel trailer with kitchen and bath in it. They let us alone since they could see we were working on a "real house".

that is stupid, the Parent "control" service steps out of line all the time, I don't know how the service get's it's power, but I wouldn't think that just because the neighbors whine, means they bring out the 10 white vans and guns.

The 1K trailer was in pretty bad shape. It would need to be re-wired, has holes (big enogh to fall through) in the kitchen and living room floor, the toilet is leaning the bathroom. I figure with the cost of repairing it, moving it, getting septic put in, I'd spend about the entire 6K on it. It think I'd rather go with the panel cabin kit. It'll be new and weather tight. I can add on to it in the spring. City water is available on this property and the realtor thinks that includes sewer. He'll let me know on Sunday when we go see the land. It's in NE AL. THere are no restrictions on building.

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Sometimes the last minute is the best one.

Sandra, I think that a mobile or even a travel trailer would work for you and the girls for this winter--my parents lived in a 22 ft one travel trailer, moving back and forth from Utah in the summer to Arizona in winter for several years, so you CAN do it, although you'd be crowded. You could scrounge free pallets and put together a quick shelter for you goats if you're taking them, too. The pallets, a few T posts to hold them together and some plywood for the roof, cover the entire thing with a tarp and you've got a fairly waterproof shelter for them. You can also use the pallets for firewood if you don't have dry wood on the place to use. A lot of travel trailers have small bathrooms, and you could put the waste water hose into buckets, then compost or whatever the waste if you don't want to do the sawdust toilet thing. I have to admire your spunk, gal! You've had some really tough times, but you always spring back and look forward. Some straw bales around the bottom of either a mobile or travel trailer, whichever you can find reasonable with the cash you have on hand, would help insulate during the cold months, too. Some of the travel trailers have awnings that could be extended to give you a little extra "living" area on good days, just to sit outside, eat, or whatever. I hope the land looks good, I came on here today to see what you had decided, then realized today was the day you were going to check it out. DO be sure to check the codes before you sign anything or put any money down, tho. Good luck, and let us know what happens. Jan in Co

Before you give up on mobile homes, my advice is to check with mobile home parks near your land. The managers will know who is about to lose theirs due to unpaid lot rent, etc. Don't check the newer nicer parks. The older established parks often have abandoned homes. I've seen fairly good ones go for $1,000 or less. The cost to move will be between $500 and $1500 depending on how far, how big, etc. Old used mobile homes are plentiful and cheap, if you know where to look. I've done it as an investor. As an owner, I gave one away once just to have it moved off my land.

Lowes used to carry the kits that this company sells but then they quit for some reason. We were going to go that route if we stayed in FL but we didn't.

Up here, I wanted something with a better R-factor. They are nice though.

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Only IMMORAL people are against MORALITY.

sancraft, i hope everything works out for you with the land and the move. My family and i just move to our little peice of heaven about a month ago. This is what we did for winter quarters. I love the look of cordwood and i also love the ease of construction.
My wife and i built a round cordwood house for the winter. Its 20 foot circle. I started by setting green locust post approx. 6 inches around. I set 9 of these also one big one 10 inches across in the center of the building. We then just infilled the post with 18 inch cordwood, its green and the bark is on. We used a variety of hardwoods. The cordwood is not mortared, just dry stacked as tightly as possible. Used green poles for the rafter system. The walls are being finished up today and tommorrow i need to cut some more cordwood. Rafters are in place. We will go with a cob floor. We have no electricity but we do have a waterline on our property. We use one of those invalid type toilets. The kind on a frame, it has a little bucket for the dirty end. We just use a couple of plastic grocery sacks and empty once a day into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Sometimes i dump into small pit a cup or so of lime and fill the pit back in. Or i will sometimes haul one or two of the buckets to a dumpster. The little cabin will be chinked with a cob like substance dug right out of the ground. Did i mention that this whole cabin is built right on the ground i.e. no foundation. I have banked earth about 2 foot or so up the bottom of the wall. It is really cool looking. We also have a small camping trailer but it will be mainly used for storage this winter. Total cost of cabin so far $27.00 for a little quickcrete and chainsaw gas and oil, some big nails and thats it. I scrounged windows the basic plumbing parts we need were free etc. I figure another $30-$50 will finish the cabin. It will have a tin roof (also free) covered with stawbales for insulation( staw was bartered for, basically free) I already had a small woodburner and all the other necessities. I started to build this cabin only 4 days ago. I should be ready to live in by next weekend. Just me and my wife have built this thing. Now mind you it won't last forever, it proably wont be livable after a year or so but it will make a dandy goat house.But it only has to get us thru till next summer, and it will. By the way this is the first house i ever built, well a chicken coop or too, and i have worked on different aspects of constructions and i read alot and i mean alot. We are going to build a cordwood house come spring, the footer has already been dug for about half of it. Well good luck in what you do. If you have any questions just ask. WCR.

desdawg :

I recently read an article about a new book that claimed folks with your attitude probably descended from Scots-Irish, specifically the ones that fled Scotland to Ulster, Ireland then on to America where they settled in the Appilachians ridge and eventually spread from Pa to Ala. It exactly explained my heritage and now I'm right proud to be rebellious! The article also hinted that most red-necks are Scots-Irish descendants. Well, dang, I'm proud to be one of those, too. Watch for the book...it's coming out soon.

The thought of buying a trailer sounds pretty good to me. I used to live in one in Macomb while I was in college there. I could afford to get one for around five hundred to a thousand and only have to worry about lot rent. That doesn't sound bad to me at all. I'm sure I could learn some few carpentry skills that could get me through for a while!
In my book, it's much better to just pay lot rent of a hundred or so than apartment rent of two hundred plus!!!
HH!!
Michelle

I'll check into some mobiles closer to the area. It was going to cost 3000.00 to move one from here to there. With the cost of repairs, I would use up all my money to have something that I really don't want and not have the funds to build something I do want. If I could get one liveable and set up for about 1500.00 total, I would do it. I was going today to see the land, but the realtor couldn't make it, so we're on for Sunday. I'll keep you posted.

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Sometimes the last minute is the best one.

Wow, am I glad to have found this forum! I recently moved to western NC and am living on a friend's property, in half of a camper that's used for storage, with house - bathroom, kitchen, computer - use right now. I'm going to stay in this area and will be looking at remote tracts of land eventually. (I'd rather spend money on the most amount of land I can get, than on housing!) Anyhow, I've been thinking about what to do for shelter for me, my dogs (in inclement weather), and cats, when we do find that land. Lots of wonderful ideas being posted here, and I haven't even finished reading this thread yet! I'll probably try to do the "cheap mobile home" route while I build my own place, and I love the little cabin on http://www.countryplans.com (only I'd make it a teensy bit larger).

Thanks, everyone! I look forward to getting to know people here and learning from you.

Oh yeah, BTW... I wish you the best of luck, sancraft! I'm looking forward to hearing about your progress.

Sancraft,

Please, please do not have a trailer as a permanant home on your land. The area you bought in is a major tornado region. I don't want to discourage you, but don't put a lot of money into an older trailer that won't last through the spring storms.

Anniebek

I got land in AL in the foothills of Lookout Mountain. The only restriction is no mobile homes, so that won't be an option. We looked at some garage building today with living space above. If we did the same design, but used the bottom as living space too, it would work beautifully. Anyone want to come to a house raising?

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Sometimes the last minute is the best one.

First, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LAND!!!!!
Now, go talk to the county building dept. While the restriction of no mobile homes exists, it may be NO PERMANENT mobile homes. Even very restrictive California will let you put a temporary mobile on while in construction on the permanent house in most counties. (Must be single wide and all other kinds of uncomfortable rules!) The day you get final inspection the mobile must be removed within 30 days. (Usually sold to someone else building a house!)

Here's how it usually works -- you MUST pull permits for your permanent home (which means you need to submit plans. Select a small buildable project for yourself -- the garage w/loft is the easiest built -- only plan on making the downstairs living quarters. You might even be able to have the space for a liveable loft without having to include that in the original submission/permits -- although most counties are pretty smart to that trick!)

The county will give you "X" amount of time to begin -- you might have to get the foundation poured asap -- or they might give you till spring. Ask. Then you will be given a schedule -- generally you have 2-4 years to finish the house. In some areas you might have longer than that. The key is you must make the progress inspection dates (framing inspection at "month X" etc. So make your project realistic.

You'll be surprised how helpful a county building department can be if you will go in and talk to them. Best wishes on your country home!

BW

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BeckyW. "on the sunrise side of the everlasting hills"

Many Many Congrats!! There is no thrill quite like owning a chunk of real estate. How much acreage were you able to get? Can you take pix? If I were younger and nearer, I'd be the first one to your House Raising. I hope you can get on the land very soon.

I frequently mention the book Solviva. There are a number of good ideas in it for dealing with waste water disposal. Permanently, I would sure try to get stick built shelter, however. The garage type building sounds just perfect for your current needs.

I am looking for a pattern I used to have for cobbler aprons to send your way. I first have to find the box of patterns.

Sandi

It's definitely too late in the year to get any type of conventional housing up before winter, even if you are experienced. I would suggest a travel trailer for the winter. This time of year you should be able to pick one up for $1000 or less if you're willing to deal with a small older model. I sold one a couple of years ago for a few hundred bucks- no shower or hot water in it(because it was built without) but everything worked and it was solid.

What you probably could get up before winter is a pole barn, or possibly a block barn if you and the girls are into heavy lifting. You may not even need a permit where you live. Anyway, once you have the structure up, have an electrician wire you a service , lights and a few outlets. Have it inspected and that will get you electricity. If you have a well then water is no problem once you have electric. If you have municipal water, simply run a line for a frost-free hydrant at the barn, have it inspected, and you now have water. Park your digs behind the barn and nobody will be the wiser.

As for the garage/house idea- I think it's great. In BH&G (I think) a few years back they showed a vacation home built by a family using a garage package to start. They put a lot of money into finishing it like an upscale house, but of course that isn't necessary! I wish you the best of luck!

Hi. I am interested in the stacked concrete block idea, with the coating of bonding cement. How does one anchor doors and windows in that?

Best of luck to Sancraft with your building. The nice thing about living in the south is we have quite a bit more time before real winter, and even then it isn't months of ulrelenting cold, snow etc.

Have you thought of strawbale? Small and simple could go up quick, then if you want something else permanently, could be used later for a shed, animals etc. One website has specs on temporary shelters for refugees, disaster victims, etc. put up VERY quickly, nice little square buildings, very well insulated.

A