Building house under 100k or even less?

John Weiland wrote:Just throwing this idea in to the ring, more for the cost aspect than the natural building angle.

Pole buildings covered in steel siding have been the go-to design for agricultural building for over 40 years now.  In the past 15 - 20 years, more of these companies are helping to design and build homes based on post and beam construction rather than the more typical stud-frame on slab or foundation approach.  Apparently there is good cost savings, but this may vary by state, codes, etc.  Nevertheless, if moving to a more rural area where post and beam construction firms are common, it may be worth consulting them and some of their past home-building projects to see if it may work for you.  Were I to start from scratch, I would probably have a post and beam ag building erected first and rough it using that immediate shelter while having the same crew/business work on adding an attached building/home for living quarters.  The finished product would be a home designed with your needs in mind directly attached to a larger ag-type building where storage/vehicles/shop items/...and animals?... would be in one place.

This is actually a good idea.  Personally, I like the metal roof and siding both for durability, and for fire resistance.  I have some friends in Eastern Oregon who bought a small ranch as a retirement place (a couple hundred acres).  Big into horses (she's a retired Hollywood stunt rider), they built a metal shop building, then realized they had a choice between the house of their dreams or the indoor arena of their dreams.  The shop building got turned into a very nice small house, and they have the arena of their dreams, LOL!  Also, a church I used to attend in New Hampshire built what is basically a metal pole barn structure for their new church building.  It's finished out very nicely on the inside and looks great.  I wouldn't hesitate to build a metal pole building for a new house.

John Weiland wrote:Just throwing this idea in to the ring, more for the cost aspect than the natural building angle.

Pole buildings covered in steel siding have been the go-to design for agricultural building for over 40 years now.  In the past 15 - 20 years, more of these companies are helping to design and build homes based on post and beam construction rather than the more typical stud-frame on slab or foundation approach.  Apparently there is good cost savings, but this may vary by state, codes, etc.  Nevertheless, if moving to a more rural area where post and beam construction firms are common, it may be worth consulting them and some of their past home-building projects to see if it may work for you.  Were I to start from scratch, I would probably have a post and beam ag building erected first and rough it using that immediate shelter while having the same crew/business work on adding an attached building/home for living quarters.  The finished product would be a home designed with your needs in mind directly attached to a larger ag-type building where storage/vehicles/shop items/...and animals?... would be in one place.

Thank you, John! I will definitely research that; it sounds like a great idea to me.

Hi Kristina
Just wondering if you've read "Mortgage Free" by Rob Roy? It's been my mantra since reading it in 2005 and I've been on my path to self-sufficient freedom ever since. Best of luck!

carrie watson wrote:Hi Kristina
Just wondering if you've read "Mortgage Free" by Rob Roy? It's been my mantra since reading it in 2005 and I've been on my path to self-sufficient freedom ever since. Best of luck!

Hi Carrie! Funny you should mention that; I have started reading that book very recently. It is very fascinating. As far as being mortgage free myself, I think that it may happen. I am starting looking for land, and since I plan to live in it long-term, I want to find it with maximum acreage that I can afford, mortgage or not. I don't know how long it will take me to find land, but if I find something within the year, I will get a mortgage that I can pay off in a year. If I find something in a year or two, then there is a very good chance that I won't have to take on a mortgage. Same thing with the house; if I wait a while then I will have cash to build it. Anyways, I really like the idea of working without a bank, but I will take a chance and get a mortgage if I find something to live in sooner! There are definitely pros and cons. If I do get a mortgage, I want to try and pay it off within 5 years for both house and land, or sooner if I can. Thank you for your input!