Creative People: Build a Vacation Cottage for ~$30,000?

Question

Adobe, straw bale, used/salvaged material, earthships, sandbags, fell trees, stones, demolition sales, etc.

I'm not talking Martha Stewert's house, but I am talking about a house that is elegant in its design and simplicity that is suitable for weekend visits. I heard from a bunch of people saying it can't be done, I disagree.

Answer 1

I think it could.  I know someone who bought some land and used all the trees to build a cottage.  I am not sure how much the construction cost but most of the material was free, and if you could do the construction yourself you would save a lot of money.  Everything in the house is wooden except for the fireplace, baths and countertops.  It is very nice inside too, I think they used the money they saved to be extravagant in the appliances and bathrooms.

Answer 2

Whether you can do it will depend on what building code you have to follow, if any, how big the place is, how much of the labour you can provide, what materials are available locally, and a few other factors. The actual structure is often fairly cheap. What can really run into money is permits, site prep and access, foundation, utilities, sewage, and interior finishing. Those costs will probably be much the same for any house, regardless of what you build the house itself out of. Check some of that out for the site you have in mind and see what you come up with. If you want something really basic, don't need to follow any building codes and can do much of the labour yourself, you just might be able to do it but it'll be a challenge. Check out pre-fab type stuff, or the kind of thing where they'll deliver a complete package of the materials to build with. Those are often very well-priced.

Answer 3

no thanks.