# Cheapest way to build yourself?



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

I am looking to purchase rural land that is close to the small suburb I live in but far enough away for relaxed building codes. I was going to build an earthbag home, but I just dont think I can insulate the walls well enough(sometimes it drops to -30). I hear straw bale is an option for insulation but I was set on earthbag for a long time because it's easy to do and I want to build myself. What other building methods do you guys reccomend for someone who wants to get dirty and build themselves?


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

I would think that with earth bags, the walls would be so thick that insulation wouldn't be necessary ??
I have seen videos of straw bale construction. to me it seems to be sort of temporary. If the bales should happen to get moisture in them, I think they would decompose and the house would settle.?
If you have lots of stones on your property, and have enough funds to buy bags of concrete, You could make a wooden, (or metal) form. about a foot deep and a foot wide. fill it with stones and concrete. layering . make sure that the concrete touches the forms thus causing a smooth surface when the forms are removed. when the concrete is set, move the form up or along the wall for the next batch.
I have built a few styrofoam formed walls. very good insulation. but sometimes you need to hire a concrete pump truck. but one I did fill using wheel barrows. the concrete company doesn't like this because if you don't have enough wheel barrows it ties up their truck too long.
...jiminwisc.....


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Check out the Mother Earth News website and read articles about some of the "Earth ship" homes folks have built quite inexpensively. I wouldn't want one, but it's quite interesting.

What's wrong with conventional construction, heavily insulated wood frame construction, SIPS, etc. ?


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

Nothing is wrong with it, it's just more advanced techniques and I want to do everything myself. Could I use conventional methods and still keep it cheap and simple?


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Cheap should not be the first criterion. Yes, affordable, but simply part of the planning. Long term affordability of utilities needs to be considered. 

I love my SIP home. Very affordable to heat and cool.


----------



## Northof49 (Mar 3, 2018)

Stackwall can be inexpensive if you have access to a lot of dry logs.
It is attractive and can be done at your own speed.
This article gives a good explanation.
https://accidentalhippies.com/2016/07/28/cordwood-for-beginners/


----------



## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

How big a structure? That Dictates difficulty and cost of building a lot. A small cabin is easy and cheap to nail together with wood and insulation from home Depot. A three story mcmansion is more complicated and expensive using the same material.

Personally out in the woods on the cheap I'd build some kind of chainsaw pole building thing with styrofoam panels or insulation thrown in the gaps and figure out some way to spackle stucco cement over the whole thing. Or I'd just buy lumber from the hardware store cuz for a small cabin it's not too expensive.

This is a digression but I have this pipe dream for a building however my context is different here in Costa Rica. Here framing metal is a lot cheaper than wood and we put it together with stick welders. there are structural insulated panels but they're way expensive in this economy. But 4*8 styrofoam is cheap! So I'd frame this thing with 2*2 square tubing with 4*8 gaps in between the framing members and tack rebar mesh around the outside. Then is put 2 inch thick styrofoam panels in between the framing members and put drywall up on the inside, sealing the styrofoam in between the drywall and rebar mesh outside. Then stucco the outside with sand mix cement and call it done. Sorry for rambling.


----------



## CKelly78z (Jul 16, 2017)

Straw bale homes need to have both sides of the finished walls smeared in stucco, which is extremely labor intensive. I would worry about moisture also (we just threw away 5 bales from last fall that had a leaking screw hole above them, the insides were black/musty).

If you have access to firewood/logs, I would build a cordwood house with a metal roof that had large overhangs.


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

I heard that covering walls in foam helps a ton. You can get r30 my roof will be a traditional build and earthbag, although labor intensive would be cheapest. I hear mice get in the walls in straw bale.


----------



## Dirtdigging101 (May 13, 2020)

You can think about any building method, then reality sets in.

Much will depend on the land you buy, u will have to deal with codes and zoning.

Very few places without them

But there are ways 

Being off the grid helps, 

If I were u, and I am in a similar place, I am seeking land now. Find your land first.

And figure out the basics first

You must have water

Wells are costly, 

Everything else can be delt with after that


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

Water is hooked up by the city I called the zoning people and since the land is considered rural he said as long as an engineer signs off on it I can basically build whatever I want. As far as utilities go I am already expecting to pay a lot I just want to keep the cost of building the home low and plan on doing most of it myself.


----------



## Dirtdigging101 (May 13, 2020)

Oh, so u have land, great!!

There are engineered plans available for earth bag building, I have looked at this construction method closely , most structures are relatively small. Sourcing the bags is a bit tricky, and is no place to skimp, bag failure in the future is an issue.

Understan they say you can do what you want, but some level of code will be required, the electric company is not going to connect without inspection, and the health department will be very interested in your septic, .

And everyone nnb e u deal with is going to thinkvtwice.

Not raining on you, but I have been there, I built an all wood foundation once, one inspector went postal on me, sorry old thing, 

I am 63, built 2 complete homes, and have been married to more than one idea or system, 

Also, I have an engineering degree, and technology moves forward, in fact in the last 20 years earth bag has leaped forward!!
On the other hand stuffing wall cavity with insulation is not a very good use of money, there are better ways.

Just a thought, earth bag us very physically demanding, walls need protection from sun and rain during construction

Also consider resale, if u want or need to sell going to be difficult

Paul


----------



## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Again .... Spend some time looking through some of the Mother Earth News archives. Some pretty creative ways of building homes with cheap material and a strong back. The cordwood homes are really neat, and I've also seen where they stacked tires and compacted earth in them, then stucco covered inside and outside faces.

Straw bale construction would bother me. I envision rodents getting into the straw somehow and hollowing it out, or rot and moisture causing problems.


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

That's how I feel about strawbale too. I heard rats can burrow in. I'll go through mother earth now


----------



## mike554 (Jun 9, 2012)

I would either build a sip home or a log cabin. A 4x8 sip is around 80.00 at the place I get them. A small home wouldn't cost that much. You could cover the interior walls with something else when time and money allowed. A log cabin using something like 6x10's or 12's wouldn't be that much either. A rough sawn 6x10x12 (60 bd. ft.) would be about 60.00 and maybe less. You can build both without equipment, I've done it.


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

I heard SIPS cost way more I'll look online to see what kind of prices I'd be paying per panel.


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

Do you have any resources for building with SIPS


----------



## mike554 (Jun 9, 2012)

There are differences in price between companies. I get mine from General Panel in Tn which may be a little too far for you. Most companies have building resources on their websites and there are a couple books available.


----------



## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

Cheap? Find a cave. Or get a yurt. Teepee works too.

Jeff


----------



## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

mike554 said:


> I would either build a sip home or a log cabin. A 4x8 sip is around 80.00 at the place I get them. A small home wouldn't cost that much. You could cover the interior walls with something else when time and money allowed. A log cabin using something like 6x10's or 12's wouldn't be that much either. A rough sawn 6x10x12 (60 bd. ft.) would be about 60.00 and maybe less. You can build both without equipment, I've done it.


See this $80/panel and up is what has me fantasizing about building metal and rebar mesh and styrofoam panels and stucco and drywall like I was rambling about earlier. I'm certain I could do it cheaper and stronger. A friend was telling me about how he had to buy associated hardware and couplings and fittings for window and blah blah blah that really drove the price up too for a sip building. Anyway I digress off topic cuz I don't think structural metal is as common up north as here in central America. But if it is an option, I'd be delighted to share my magic formula


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

*“How strong are SIPs?*

The structural characteristics of SIPs are similar to that of a steel I-beam. The OSB skins act as the flange of the I-beam, while the rigid foam core provides the web. This design gives SIPs an advantage when handling in-plane compressive loads.”

https://www.sips.org/about/frequent...qs-regarding-structural-insulated-panels-sips


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

The savings come after construction.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

*“Structural Insulated Panels Win Against Extreme Weather*
Structural insulated panels withstand Mother Nature's power on a regular basis. Fire, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes demolish thousands of stick-frame homes every year. These same storms leave structural insulated panel homes with little-to-no structural damage.”

Specific examples at this link:
http://www.acmepanel.com/sips-vs-mother-nature.asp


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

If I build a 700-900 square foot home out of SIPS and planned to do most myself how much am I looking at? I did a lot of research on SIPS last night. What about a stick home? I read building a stick home isnt actually that hard and I shouldn't be intimidated.


----------



## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

Building it isn't hard.

Building it correctly is the trick.

You don't know what you don't know. That is where you get into trouble.


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

I have always been very good at building things on my own. I have made some very complex projects in the past and that's why I feel confident enough to try this. I always do a ton of research before instead of experimenting, and jump all over the place so that's why I ain't trying to narrow down the easiest options here. I liked earthbag cause it is DIY friendly. SIPS seems that way at first, but if you mess up even a little it adds up. Stick frame is pretty forgiving, and getting a permit would be easier as well.


----------



## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

"" as long as our engineer signs off on it,"" can mean a lot.


----------



## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

don't let sip fool you. those panels are heavy. two sheets of osb is about all you want to lift and push around. and that much foam does have some weight, too.
look into a double wall stick built for insulation value.
In cold climates it is the way to go. IDK much about warm climates.
Size of structure matters a lot if you ever get to the point where you might want to sell.
stay away from two story and split level . You are not always going to be young and stairs will kill you..
.....jiminwisc....


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

If no one minds, I will continue to offer info about SIPS. If you don’t want info, let me know nicely, please. 

Tiny house on trailer





DIY family. MANY videos. This is after the slab and sill prep.


----------



## kotori (Nov 15, 2014)

If the issue with an earthbag home is not enough insulation, why not do a double wall concept, where you have two walls and fill the cavity between them with insulation? The two earth bag walls should be plenty by themselves, with the empty space acting as a thermal break, or if they ended up being not enough, you could easily use blow in insulation. If your local dirt is good enough for it, I don't think you'll get cheaper than using it.


----------



## AyeJay (Jun 5, 2020)

kotori said:


> If the issue with an earthbag home is not enough insulation, why not do a double wall concept, where you have two walls and fill the cavity between them with insulation? The two earth bag walls should be plenty by themselves, with the empty space acting as a thermal break, or if they ended up being not enough, you could easily use blow in insulation. If your local dirt is good enough for it, I don't think you'll get cheaper than using it.


I was thinking that, but with just two people I feel making a second wall will take a super long time. After searching all day and reading the local zoning laws extensively, I think converting a 16×50 shed to a home sounds good. I can have plumbing and electric hooked up already for less than 20k, and having lofts of either side of the structure adds space. I'd just have to hook up utilities and insulate it.


----------



## stevewatson3597 (Jul 20, 2020)

I think Earthbag construction is a inexpensive method and natural homebuilding technique that help temporary flood-control dike building. Earthbag home is really very attractive.


----------



## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

Tarp over fallen tree. Crawl in and enjoy. 

Jeff


----------



## kroll (May 18, 2020)

Few yrs ago I work with a guy that was from India or one of those hot as heck countrys. I had ask him how they deal with the heat,he had told me that their dirt walls are 3' thick and the inside stays nice.So insulated,is there a need?


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

My house is like that. Well insulated, low energy costs forever.


----------



## Leech (Mar 27, 2020)

Stick framed walls seem like the easiest part of the house to diy. The hard part is the foundation, roof, and utilities. I fear that many alternatives to walls will make those other things harder.

If you don't feel comfortable stick framing exterior walls, what will be done on the interior? 18"+ thick bath and bedroom walls will eat away at your space real quick. Not to mention where pipes and wires will go. Stick framing is likely going to happen regardless of what the outside walls are made of.


----------



## rebar (Jul 8, 2015)

My plan is to use tried and true high R value stick construction on top of a special 16x20 floating wood foundation on a rubble foundation. No foam as bugs love it. Rockwool 

The trick to this is attention to base leveling, and keeping it dry. I will build a separate pole barn type "roof only structure" much larger than the 16x20 room or rooms, and direct all rain water away.

My hilltop location will stay dry, but my main motivation for these "skid houses" are property taxes and diy. I figure I can save at least $2k annually by living in structures that don't have permanent foundations like my old mobile home. But build structures twice as energy efficient and on level ground with only one step up.. Mechanical's may be a little tricky when the ground heaves in winter, but I only need one bathroom and heave should be minimal if done this way. You could connect a series of rooms together with a flex connector between each.


----------

