As a young architect with a young family, I am looking into building a house versus buying one. However, being a young architect, our funds are limited so I am looking at ways to lower costs in terms of materials and labor. Here are some of my ideas:
1. 2 story with a simple rectangular foundation
2. single gable roof starting about 4′ high on the second floor, with shed dormers on either side
3. eliminate drywall from ceilings; paint exposed joists/sheathing
4. thru-fastened metal roof
5. plywood sheathing with battens for exterior; could be sided in future
6. straight run stairs
Please give me your comments on the above and any other ideas you may have. I want to emphasize that I don’t want to build a cheap house, I want to build something that is efficient in terms of construction. I live in central PA and am hoping to build it for around $50 – $60/sf. Is that unreasonable?
I read this forum almost daily and enjoy all of the discussions. Thanks for the help.
Craig Z.
Replies
wouldn't a simple 2 story "farm house" style sized to 4x8 sheets be easier?
there was a similar thread but I can't remeber when
bobl Volo Non Voleo Joe's cheat sheet
You are in a unique position to apply what you do to learning in your career and to understanding the position many of your future clients will be in. Make use of it.
1. Plain rectangular is efficient for construction and for heating. A cape style used to be considered the most efficient bar none, but I believe that is arguable now.
2. above - Cape stles incorporate the center chimney and stairwell.
3. Forget about eliminating the ceiling drywall. It will cause as many problems as it saves, won't save money, creates extra headaches for wife cleaning cobwebs, etc, etc, etc.
4. the metal roof is cheaper on per sq ft per year of life expectancy basis, but somewhat more expensive than twenty year shingles to start with so you more economic initial cost is the composiion shingle roof.
5. The ply sounds like a good option. Window trim methodology is the open question.
6. straight run on stairs is negligable savings, especially if you have to do inefficient layout of rooms to have it.
One place you can spend a lot of money is on windows. Choose size, placement and brand carefully.
Excellence is its own reward!
I think you could use osb and vinyl siding for less than the cost of the ply. Good quality ply is expensive + clear high quality battens are also expensive, and you will use a good bit of paint, which is no small expense either. Plywood will shed paint faster than a good solid lumber siding too. Remember that vinyl is not final, you could change that later on.
If I was an architecht, I would try to design a house that suits my needs while being an attractive shape without all the different roof elevations and other usless frivolity I see all the time. Maybe you can come up with something truely original, but still within the norms for a house. I like the look of old houses that have been added onto over the years, so I might try for that look rather than a rectangular box myself, with a comfortable sitting porch (and a porch swing).
My prejudice shows, I didn' t think of vinyl but you are probably right.
The way to create a sense of beauty without expensive complications is to use good proportions..
Excellence is its own reward!
I despise vinyl, but it has it's places. Properly done it is fairly attractive, especially if nice trim pieces are used.
My thought would be to build in phases. Perhaps first build a modest size house (2 br 2 bth), full basement, etc. Later add a master bed/bath, fireplaces, front porch, garage, study, deck/patio and other things as your needs change (kids) and your income rises. You would need a master plan but I am sure you know this. Cape cods are easy to add on to and look good afterwards. By the way I don't think you can get a CO with an exposed ceiling. Are you going to be the GC or do some of the work yourself? Good luck it sounds like fun.
J.
You might think of this also as an Advertisement of your architect abilities. Kind of like a Model home.
Roofing lumber isnt pretty, not even with paint. Wane, Knots and rotary cut ply can look ugly over time, even with paint. You's also could run into insulation difficulties with this route.
Plywood sheathing even with battens will degrade over time. It would be a constant upkeep issue IMO.
However as an architect, you might consider doing sweat equity into your home to save costs. And you can learn sometimes what works on paper doesnt work in the field. And what works in the field might not work on paper :) This could also help establish some contacts with contractors in your area to help boost your business and His/hers
Craig --
One thing you might do first is find yourself a good tax accountant, one who does income taxes for some of the top architects in your area. Anything a professional does for "continuing education" is deductible. In my business, if I buy movie tickets or a TV set, they're all deductible for that reason. It may well be that much of what you spend on this project can be deducted, especially if it's interesting or unusual. If you're in the Los Angeles area, I can recommend a great tax guy.
And building it yourself really is legitimately the best continuing education you can do. It proves to potential clients that you know how those lines on paper become a house in the real world. Check out the "What to show on plans" thread -- I'd much rather have an architect who built one house with his own hands than one who had drawn dozens that had to be re-designed on site by the contractors.
-- J.S.
>I'd much rather have an architect who built one house with his own hands than one who had drawn dozens that had to be re-designed on site by the contractors.
This is indeed something people seem to respond to. That doesn't mean your house has to be perfect. After all, you're not a builder. I like my design, for example, but my finish work isn't something I often brag about. As prospective clients walk around the house, we discuss why I designed it as I did, and my thoughts on traffic flow, and the structural decisions I made, etc. We don't talk about how I install baseboard. You'll be in a wonderful position to talk to them about low-cost alternatives to things, about materials you use, and spaces you choose for different rooms. There are big potential advantages to having your own house in your portfolio.
"I'd much rather have an architect who built one house with his own hands than one who had drawn dozens that had to be re-designed on site by the contractors."
I don't like that idea too much, based on past experience. did trusses for an architect once who wanted to "help" the contractor build his own house. The plans were screwed up but he didn't want to admit it. So he wouldn't believe anything I told him. I was so mad at the clown that I wanted to smack him something fierce.
I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.
"I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded."
Love it - now go back to the blanket factory and 'warm up' to this idea. LOL.
Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, it's great if they learn from experience. But if they have the experience and *still* don't learn, AARGH! What can you do?
-- J.S.
I've got a shadow of a memory that we discussed the topic of efficient design several months ago and it got to be a long thread. Anybody remember the title to search or link to?
Excellence is its own reward!
Add things up and I'd bet it's way cheaper to buy existing. Even a major fixer-upper sounds like a better plan.
Why build cheap when you can buy character?
I'm in W.Pa. ...and I know that logic would win the financial contest here.....betting it's the same in central Pa too.
I also see real world flaws in the "build basic then upgrade" plan........when's the time and/or money magically appear? Especially with a young family...they're just gonna keep eating more ya know!
Jeff
.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......
CM....I like the idea of building as small a house as possible right now and adding on later as your funds increase. To avoid vinyl you may want to look into rough sawn board and batten. Its a lot more attractive and easy in the labor department. Can be stained or painted and down the line you can remove the battens and side right over it using whatever you like. Also, when you figure room sizes try and keep the sizes so that all the sheetrock ends in full boards vs. having to add six inch pieces and the like. Same with your bathroom and tile work. Avoid basements to save on costs. Avoid a garage (for now). I don't think youll save much by not rocking the ceilings and the sound penetration between floors may become a bit irratating to you all. If youre carpeting rooms look at S&S Mills and the such down south and order it via mail then hire a local carpet installer. I saved thousandsssss of dollars doing it that way and would never do it any other. Or to save even more, just paint the plywood floors for now either solid colors or the use of stencils.
Sweat equity will also be a tremendous saving factor.
The use of plastic sheeting over the window openings for now will also save you money......lol
Be well
Namaste
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
CMZIMM:
Others have already contributed great info regarding potential cost savings. My plea is for you to avoid what I believe to be a common/obvious "mistake" that I have seen: Make Sure The House Suits The Site. Fortunately, you can really contribute "sweat equity" to this particular task. The returns over the years might outweigh any other initial cost-savings. Many a time I've walked away from a job muttering "If only they had spent a few more hours...."
Regards, and good luck,
Rework
Here's another thought, You don't own the lot yet. Be careful shopping for it. So many places have covenants attached to the property re: size of house, type of roof covering, even colours and windows facing the street. Obeying the covenants can cost you plenty.
Excellence is its own reward!
Craig,
I agree that you have a good opportunity to showcase your talents, and learn somethings along the way. The expandable idea is interesting, seeing that's the route I took ( unintentionally). Personally, I started with a Cariage House, with a 1 bed room apt. on the top. Then when the first child arrived, we added a 2 story addition, with 2 nd bed room on top, and laundry room and 2nd bath on ground level. Now, 12 yrs into this, we are converting the lower level of phase one( former garage & work shop) into a larger kitchen, formal dining rm, and living room. After that the old kitchen, living space up stairs gets remodeled into a master bed- bath suite. What this looks like is a cape, with a 2 story bumpout on one side. If I were to start over, I would have extended myself a bit more back then, and built big enough to start. And this is coming from a guy who loves, eats, and sleeps building. It can be a long process, with costs greater than money.The up side though is, in a few more months( or years), we'll have 2800 sf of pretty nice living space, with a mortgage about the size of the sticker on a luxury SUV. Initial financing was an issue though, as I was'nt a Licensed Contractor back then. Had to jump through some hoops at the bank. To build my own house. Jeff's advice rings in my head. Buy some old character home that;s more affordable, and spend a few years making it your showplace. You'll learn alot about the hands on side. Can work a room at a time, and pay as you go. Just make sure whaever you do, you do it where people can see it.
Brudoggie
Hi Craig- I'm neither a builder nor an architect, but am a mother of younguns'. We just finished building our own home, with a lot of sweat equity (from design thru backhoe driving, electrical, etc). Some ideas that you might want to consider: open floor plan gives you greater ability to change-i.e., a kid's play area off the kitchen could later be converted to a nice dining room. Closets- don't forget those, and if you have to (some places will tax you a higher rate on how many bedrooms, as defined by closets), wardrobes are good standbyes & can be found at antique stores. Someone mentioned forgetting a basement- I would advise otherwise, just don't finish it out immediately- it's a good space to put utilities & laundry that would otherwise take up valuable closet space. It can be finished out later for play space as your family matures (think crazed kids out of school for a week of heavy snow, and later teenagers needing escape space, or parents needing work/play space). When you go to finish it out, you won't have to remove exterior walls, or change roof lines, etc. We put in a laundry shoot and had we had the space, we would have rigged a dumbwaiter (to bring laundry back up). We couldn't find any codes for our laundry shoot in our area, so we approached our codes guy with our reasoning & he loved us. We used really large PVC for the shoot with a branch on it for the first floor bathroom shoot. We stacked our bathrooms on top of eachother (short plumbing runs) so the laundry shoot could be used from both main floors, directly to the laundry below.
When we finished out our old cabin, we poly'd simple pine for trim, used 2x4's (again with poly) for railings & posts, and our contractor helped us out by giving us stuff he got off other job sites -we have some corner posts that came off Marty Stuart's house-wonderful walnut which nicely contrasts with the pine, plus has a great story...
hope that helps... Vivi
A traditional approach was to build a carraige house in the style of choice. You live in the top floor and eventually build your dream house. The carraige house with full guest/in-law quarters above will make you popular with extended family. ...okay, that may not be an asset, but it's a good place to try out materials and architectural elements....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
Craig,
My advise is to stay away from building an inexpensive house, as a show piece, unless you are going to use some new and inovative engineering or style that will attract clients who can afford your services. My experience is that people who want to build for the lowest buck cannot afford your services. You may want to invest in a fixer-upper that can be turned into a demonstration house for your talents. One that will draw people to your ability to plan and exicutea the construction of quality buildings.
Good luck!
Mike