I just bought an acre of land near a lake and i want to build something i can live in year round but....?

Question

I'm not sure what to build up there, i was thinking i could build a 20 by 20 insulated shack up there, just something that wouldn't cost much because i kind of spent most of my money of buying the land.

Answer 1

Try a Modular Home.  

Answer 2

A beautiful teepee-a yurt, or if you want something bigger, a quaker barn.  Go to the library and look at some books on alternative building and housing-there are some amazing places in usa.

Answer 3

There are many alternate housing options. Some of it depends on the climate. If you live in a dry climate you can build a dwelling from "paper crete" This is a mixture of paper and sand and portland cement and water. It can be poured into slip forms or made into blocks and used like bricks.

Hay bales have been used for over 100 years to make houses in some parts of the country.

I saw a cabin once that used flattened 55 gallon metal drums for the roof.

One problem you might have is getting around building codes.

There are magazines with good articles about alternate housing like "Mother Earth News".

Answer 4

  you can put in a mobile home then build onto it or around it. there are some nice deals on luxury repos.  where i live many people do that and then make them permanent by stucco-ing over them and putting them onto a foundation. or some people put in a mobile home while they build a separate permanent home and keep the mobile home for storage or for rental property

                                        good luck,

Answer 5

I recently saw a report on the local news about a man that built his own house and is hauling it around and doing seminars on how to build a very small house at a very low price (about $20,000, I think). It kind of reminded me of a shed.  But he had a main living area, bathroom, kitchen area, and a sleeping area.  Unfortunately, I do not recall his name or the TV channel.  I'll do some checking and see if I can dig it up for you.....

Also, while watching HGTV, I saw a pilot who purchased one of those galvanized buildings for a hanger.  Well, to make a long story short, he built his own house on the INSIDE of the hanger.  He even got creative and made the outside look like outside of storefronts.....a barbershop, an ice cream shop, etc...... Anyway, I mention this because buying a small galvanized building can be done cheaper than building a house.  It's food for thought.....  HGTV does a lot of programs on homes that are considered Extreme or unique.  I would investigate what's out there and see if there aren't some ideas that might help you.

Answer 6

what sortof price range were you thinking of that would help as you could go from anything from a shack to a small house/barn