schino

iTrader: (14)

i know the housing market is still really down but ive been looking for houses within a large radius of work and areas that i would like to live and cant find anything i like for under 350k. im a young single guy and could swing a $300k house but dont want to work just to live by spending more.

part of my dilema is that i want a BIG garage/shop so if i buy a house without one we are talking a big chunk of change to put one up on top of a house that would most likely need updating. i love having some open property, while in college me and friends rented a house on 28 acres and i loved having no one around.

with that all said ive been looking at property in the acres, one in particular is 6 acres in PA which has considerably less taxes then jersey. they want 99,000 for it, has a stream running through, is really close to NJ, and right around the corner from an awesome park. it also has a small insufficient garage and a well in place.

Now if i go to build it wouldnt be a conventional house. im thinking something like a 60x120 steel building with 60x40 of it being a house the rest a shop. the steel buildings can be extremely efficient once insulated correctly and would love to have in floor radiant heat. being steel would make for awesome open floor plan which i love.

a good friend of mine has a couple large loaders and his dad is a certified engineer so he could do site plans and all that. so pretty much we would be doing everything if i went this route from leveling land and doing the pad to erecting the building.

anyone have to choose between keeping it easy and buying or going the more diffcult but def more rewarding path of new construction. sorry for the novel

CC05

iTrader: (2)

Building a house really isn't difficult if done right, just more stressful than anything else. Buying one and hunting for the one that you really want is just as difficult and frustrating, IMO. I'm not going to carry on, but my three pieces of advice: 1.) Make sure you and your contractor/builder are on the EXACT SAME level of understanding, always and every time a change is made. 2.) Never, ever try to "swing" the ability to make a payment. Buy/build something comfortable, and have money to spare. In building, you can spend $10K in just blinds, easy. Cabinets, flooring, blinds, and furniture are all more expensive than most ever imagine. 3.) When building a house, when you say you've got a $300K budget, the ending build will end up being $350K, almost always. If you want a $300K house, start building with the intentions of a $225K house. Growing up, we went through A LOT of nice built/bought houses. Make sure you read up and get EVERYTHING dealing with monetary transactions IN WRITING. Location and house style is always up to you, just make sure you realize what's involved in buying (necessary inspections, closing costs, etc.), as opposed to what's involved in building. Locally, there's an older man that's got a 12,000 sq. ft. steel building that he lives in part of, and has the other part as a shop. It's really nice, but it's all in personal taste.

1slow01Z71

iTrader: (36)

Sounds like the metal building and land route is for you. I have to wonder how a woman would feel about living in a metal building though. I dont think I could ever convince her to do that and shes pretty easily pleased, she married me after all

Doing the work yourself if youve got the know-how and time is a good option IMO. I still cant believe how expensive stuff is up there. My 1700sqft house thats 7 years old was only a 100K, but I have a small garage and no room for a shop

CC05

iTrader: (2)

I agree about the prices up there and out in some of the Western states. I've stated before on here that we built a house for under $300K on a few acres, 3800 sq. ft. heated, with a two-car garage. Housing down in South GA is dirt cheap. Then again, my dad lives in a 2600 sq. ft. heated, house on ~110 acres but it's appraised at a good bit. If the bank tells you that you're pre-approved for a certain amount, never try to buy a house at that amount. Also, if you're single, remember that expenses go nuts when you get a wife (and kid(s), if you have them). Never rely on two salaries to pay the bills, if you can help it. Just a word to the wise that I forgot to mention earlier.

JFOLM

iTrader: (8)

I couldn't convince the old lady about the whole steel house idea. Now we are in a house that I am not 100% happy with.


Do it right and do it once.

1slow01Z71

iTrader: (36)

Thats no joke right there. My wife doesnt work, so its all on me(by choice she takes care of the little one and the house) and if I was by myself it would be like I immediately got a 50% raise. No joke. Between additional health insurance, car payment, car insurance, their food, additional utilities cost, health crap, and just the things they want, theyre expensive. I wouldnt ahve it any other way though. So just keep all that in mind like CC said.

JFOLM

iTrader: (8)

That is a good point.

schino

iTrader: (14)

good info here guys. thanks! well i was engaged to get married and looked at buying houses i wasnt happy with partly because a garage would be for her car to sit in.. uhh nooooo goodbye!!! okay it was more to it then that but now im single and not thinking of getting married anytime soon. with such a large shop id be able to do things for people that im always asked to do but dont have the place to do it. i gotta sit down with my buddies dad and go over costs to make sure we are near what im thinking it will cost. i figure nearly 20k in just concrete alone, over 50k for the structure with no accessories so to say. so it would prob be realistic at a little over 200k to have an empty building on this said property. id be in no rush to finish it as ive got a place to live now.

about the ladies not liking it. maybe thats how i weed out the good and bad ones (for me) if she comes back to my place and loves it she must be a keeper!

1slow01Z71

iTrader: (36)

I figure roughly 10K in concrete for the "house" so I doubt youll spend more than 15k on concrete depending on how large of a driveway you want. To figure out concrete cost when figuring on a 6" thick slab(what Id recommend) WidthxLengthx.5(6" thick so half a foot) all divided my 27(feet in a cubic yd). Take that and multiply by your concrete cost per yard. For what Id call a residential mix its ~60$ a yd down here, I figured yours at 75 though since things seem to be a good bit more expensive.

If you get thrifty you can get rebar off jobsites, we throw away so damn much its not even funny. Make sure you use atleast a 6mil poly for vapor barrier, Id recommend an 8 or 10mil if you can get ahold of it. That will allow tile and any other floor coatings to stick better over the long term.

If you need any advice on building it let me know, I build buildings for a living

Wyttrash96

iTrader: (16)

I like your idea. If you go the radiant floor route, I suggest you look into a solar water heater. Or a few of them! Those things are cool.