How to build a house for £4,000 / $8,000

[dipsydoodle]

A £24m funding package was put together earlier this year to help first-time buyers in Scotland get a foot on the property ladder.

But just how much would they have to spend to build their own home?

The answer could be as little as £4,000.

That is the estimated price tag attached to a property which has been built in southern Scotland over the past four years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7275312.stm

Yes I know - three litle pigs etc. However - when push comes to shove its sometimes necessary to make do although I doubt in this case that was the reason the guy did it.

I assume its called a "green house" :)

[Hissyspit]

1. Tiny Houses and Plans:

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com

You can get on their e-mail list.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Cute. Are the ones who make these ?

[JackintheGreen]

8. Still priced at tens of 1000s of dollars

plus the land necessary to make it pleasant and all of a sudden they're not so very inexpensive

[Hissyspit]

24. See post #21!

I just posted the link for fun! Thus the word "tiny." I didn't mean to imply that it was a solution to the problems in the article. Sorry for any confusion.

For more serious considerations of the issue, google Samuel Mockbee and Rural Studios, Auburn University.

[kineneb]

13. they look like converted tourist cottages

And yes, people around here live in buildings that size, that were at one time rental cottages. They are, no doubt, less efficient on the inside.

Then there is "manufactured housing"... we have one, 1293 sq ft. which is perfect... moderately priced, built in a werehouse (no mold)... came in two pieces on wheels, was bolted together and to the concrete foundation.

[Hissyspit]

23. See post #21.

[NashVegas]

15. $499 Per Sq. Foot for Model #1

From there it goes down with each model, to $391 per sq foot, and then they claim the Z house is $100-200 per square.

I hardly consider that economical.

[Hissyspit]

21. I just posted it because I thought everyone would get a kick out of it!

Thus the word "tiny." I didn't mean to imply that it was a solution to the problems in the article. Sorry for the confusion.

For more serious considerations of the issue, google Samuel Mockbee and Rural Studios, Auburn University.

[NashVegas]

25. Gotcha

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Hissyspit]

22. delete

[SoCalDem]

2. Kind of expect Robin Hood to ride by on his horse..

looks like a little serf house.. I guess we ARE going back.. But horses are more fun than cars anyway..and no one will need cars to go shopping..no one will have money to shop :(

[NightWatcher]

4. do you want to see the home of the future?

That's right storage containers are the homes of the future...

[Sal Minella]

9. Universally consistent and compatible building units, like three-dimensional tatami mats.

or very large Lego blocks. Adaptable to any sort of terrain, termite- and fire-proof, what's not to like.

[NightWatcher]

10. not to mention hurricane proof and tornado proof

I actually am currently researching and engineering some differnt designs for these ISO container homes. Dewell Magazine, Bob Vila and others have covered them in various markets and countries and they make great sense.

[TCJ70]

11. I saw a show on these types of homes...

...and thought they were kind of cool. It's like living in a lego building. If they're shown to be safe, I probably wouldn't mind living in one.

[jwirr]

14. I was thinking about a semi truck trailer. Anyone know the dimensions

of one? I need something to live in on my daughters land that can be separate from her yet near. She hates my dogs.

[NightWatcher]

18. there are a few dift models/sizes

20 and 40 foot lengths. They are 8 feet wide and have 8'6'' or 9'6'' heights. 8'6" is the most popular and cheapest.

they are very easily stackable too

[jwirr]

20. Thank you.

[trof]

26. I've been to a karaoke bar in one. "The Truck"

It was on the side of the highway in front of the ANA Hotel in Narita, Japan.
The place was jumpin' every night. Porto-potties outdoors.

[jwirr]

5. I love it but I can just see the laws that would not allow this in the US. nt

[noamnety]

6. It's allowed here.

My daughter did an internship at emerald earth in California learning natural building techniques.

http://www.emeraldearth.org/index3.htm

[Lorien]

12. Way cool

congrats to your daughter!

:hi:

[kevinbgoode]

7. I like it. . .

one of the things that annoys me tremendously are those people in this country who view size of home as a sign of "success"...and then waste thousands of dollars heating/furnishing homes in which they don't use half the rooms. What is the point of that, anyway?

I'm getting lazier as I get older. . .meaning, I don't want to clean any more than necessary and I want an environment in which I actually USE the space for living - not for display. Heating and cooling costs are not going to go down in the future - and maintenance costs aren't going to get smaller, either. As a middle-aged single person, I'd rather have a small cottage than a place with three-four bedrooms. In fact, ever since I've been single again, I can't imagine wanting anything more than two bedrooms - if one can double as an office. Otherwise, one bedroom is perfectly sufficient.

[redqueen]

16. Hey! My favorite person whom I am not related to just showed me this!

:bounce:

I love it... I want to live in one. :)

[Dukkha]

17. Reminds me of Victoria Station

a long gone restaurant here that was made out of railroad cars
these look like trailer parks for loft yuppies.

[Trillo]

19. Straw-bale construction.

That technique has been around for hundreds of years, presumably it's covered with adobe, which reportedly breathes much differently than cement-based stuccos and tends to prevent water retention in the walls, which is critical towards keeping the straw from molding and decaying. It's nice to have a reminder that our own building codes and inspectors, patented building and hardware gizmos, and contractors' customs results in higher costs, in spite of there being so much 'competition' that supposedly 'lowers price'.

I guess we are living in the age of pseudo-competition, except in the case of imported labor that displaces workers. Welfare for the rich, and the dregs of capitalism for the poor!