10 Cheap, Budget-Friendly Ways To Build A House

460 square feet

240 square feet

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Building a barndominium costs $30 to $40 per square foot for basic assembly, compared to $100 to $200 per square foot to build a house.

1. Build Your Own House, With A Contractor.
2. Build Your Own House, Without A Contractor.
3. Build A Simple Box.
4. Choose A Design With A Simple Roof.
5. Build an Energy Efficient Home.
6. Keep Water Usage Areas Together.
7. Skip the Expensive Finishes, For Now.
8. Build A Tiny House.

Building a house for under $30k is difficult, but not impossible. It mostly depends on location, regulations, labor and materials. Building a house with that limited a budget will obviously result in a smaller home with less square footage and it will require efficiency in a way that a larger budget would not.

5 of the world’s cheapest homes.

• Solid home in Skibbereen, County Cork. Price: $51,000.
• Shack living in St Petesburg, Florida. Price $106,000.
• Beachside palace on the coast of Albania. Price $60,000.
• Outer suburbia escape in Victoria, Australia. $79,900.
• A little palace in Gary for $1.

Tips for Saving Money When Building a New Home

1. Choose Stock House Plans.
2. Be Your Own General Contractor.
3. Purchase Building Materials.
4. Assemble Wholesale Cabinets and Countertops.
5. Insist on Standard Sizes.
6. Comparison Shop to Get the Best Bargains.
7. Take on Less-Skilled Jobs.
8. Leave the Final Touches for Yourself.

Here’s how.

1. Set a budget, and stick to it.
2. Give yourself flexibility with the base price.
3. Choose your builder wisely.
4. Ask about closing cost incentives.
5. Can you install it yourself?
6. Do research on your appliances.
7. Don’t knock fake wood floors.
8. Go standard and upgrade later.

The basic rule of thumb is to splurge on the more permanent parts of the home that are difficult to change. That includes the structural parts of the house, such as the foundation, the framing and even the windows.

A 2,000 sq ft living area could cost $200,000 to $260,000 to build. We have found most people end up with higher end finishes in their barndominium thus the higher price per square foot.