FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
Design

Comfort and Delight on a Low Mortgage

How one family got the house they wanted for less than $100,000.

By Ross Chapin Issue 116

Synopsis: A pair of first-time home buyers in their 40s sought out Washington architect Ross Chapin to design a just-big-enough house with a detached garage for bike storage and an exercise room for less than $100,000. Chapin didn’t shy away from the challenge; he met it in part by planning for straightforward construction methods, a slab-on-grade foundation, minimal corners, a truss roof, composite siding, vinyl windows, and minimal trim. In his article, Chapin includes some general guidelines for estimating project costs by using variable-square-foot prices and encourages readers to get their builders involved in cost evaluations as soon in the process as possible.

Bill Walton and Rita Lloyd faced a challenge. Unlike many of their peers, neither had bought a house in the early 1980s before prices shot up. Both had been single until they married in their early 40s, and neither had children. Their lives focused around bicycling and outdoor sports, and being renters gave them freedom for their lifestyle. But as newlyweds, Bill and Rita found the dream of owning a home irresistible.

They began their search by looking at older homes within their price range. Problem was, these houses needed so much work that Bill and Rita would likely never see the road over a pair of handlebars again. They both wanted to center their lives around bicycling rather than house projects and thought that a new small house, designed and built on a budget, would be perfect. This type of house has been one of my passions, and that’s how they came to me.

Keep it to $150,000—If they took advantage of Bill’s Veterans Administration loan program, they could purchase a house and land for up to $150,000. Backing out the costs for the site, power, telephone, septic system, driveway, and design and finance costs left a construction budget of $94,000 for the house and a small garage.

Custom construction on this budget is tough to accomplish. For it to work, Bill and Rita had to take a hard look at their true needs and priorities. They met their goal in part because they were able to come to clear decisions. We started by considering the basic shape of the house.

Bill and Rita were most attracted to a 1 1/2- story bungalow, with upstairs spaces tucked into the roof structure. Its stick-by-stick construction and less efficient use of space, however, costs roughly 15% to 25% more than a two-story house with 8-ft. walls and a roof supported by simple 2×4 trusses. A single-story house is also more expensive because it takes more roof and foundation to enclose the same amount of floor space.

General square-foot costs are just that: too general to mean much of anything. That’s because the more costly support spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms, and the inescapable expenses such as septic systems, electric hookups and driveways remain roughly similar regardless of the size of the house. So to gain a clearer picture of where the money goes, I divide the house into parts and study them separately.

Basic living space, for example, may cost $50 to $70 per sq. ft. On the other hand, kitchens and bathrooms may cost $200 or more per sq. ft. because of their plumbing, cabinets and special materials. Stairways, decks and garages have different factors as well. And of course, material selections and details also play a major part in the cost picture.

For more photos and information on building a home under 100,000, click the View PDF button below. 

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
View PDF

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Cutting Small Tile

Cutting small tiles comes with extra challenges. Learn how a simple addition to your saw's sliding table can make cutting small tile easier.

Featured Video

A Modern California Home Wrapped in Rockwool Insulation for Energy Efficiency and Fire Resistance

The designer and builder of the 2018 Fine Homebuilding House detail why they chose mineral-wool batts and high-density boards for all of their insulation needs.

Related Stories

  • Coastal Home That Mimics Nature
  • Reverent Texas Renovation
  • Why I Stopped Giving Free Estimates
  • Decompartmentalizing a 1940s San Francisco Home

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Justin Fink Deck Building Course announcement
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 409: PRO TALK With Passive House Trainer Mariana Pickering
  • Earthquake-Resistant Housing
  • Building Homes to Survive Wildfires
  • Raising and Air-Sealing Tall Walls
View All

Business

View All Business Articles
  • An illustration of a plans, measuring tools, and a calculator
    A Better Way to Budget in Residential Construction
  • Illustration of construction worker looking at plans
    Will the Costs of Residential Building Go Down?
  • An illustration of a plans, measuring tools, and a calculator
    Gross Profit Margin for Building Projects
  • An illustration of a plans, measuring tools, and a calculator
    The Anatomy of a Building Project's Price
View All Business Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2021 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • Tool Guide 2022
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Outdoor Projects
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 308 - July 2022
    • Pretty Good House Book Excerpt: Copper Farmhouse
    • 10 Dos and Don'ts for Electric In-Floor Heat
    • A Sturdy Rail for Outdoor Stairs
  • Issue 307 - June 2022
    • How to Raise a Post-Frame Home
    • Trimming Deck Stairs
    • Evolving an Energy-Efficient Envelope
  • Issue 306 - April/May 2022
    • Framing Stairs to an Out-of-Level Landing
    • Building a Zero-Energy Home for Less
    • Good-Looking and Long-Lasting Traditional Gutters
  • Issue 305 - Feb/March 2022
    • The Steady Surge in Residential Solar
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: William B. Rose
    • How Good Is Your Air Barrier?
  • Issue 304 - Dec 2021/Jan 2022
    • Why You Need Blower-Door Testing
    • Passive-House Standards for Everyone
    • Window Replacement With a Side of Rot Repair

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to set_percent%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in