DIY Home Building: 4 Ways to Build a House Yourself
So you want to know how to build a house yourself? Here are some options on how to build your own home, even if you’ve never done it before.
Building your own house can be an incredibly gratifying experience. Putting in those unique finishes and creating exactly what you want — knowing that you did it all with your own two hands — adds another level of pride to homeownership. Being able to build a house on your own might seem like an impossible dream, but there are actually several ways to build a house without breaking the bank.
DIY home building can be surprisingly affordable, especially if you already have land to build on. HomeLight explored some of the top options in do-it-yourself home construction — from building a tiny house to getting contractor help for the big-ticket items but still finishing the details on your own. We also spoke with experienced brokers and real estate agents to get their take on the best ways to build a house yourself.
Step one: Talk to an expert!
Even if you’re just day-dreaming at this point, it’s never too early to ask a local real estate agent for advice on building a house.
Shell homes
For buyers who don’t want to deal with issues such as putting in a foundation or framing, hiring a contractor to put up a shell can speed up the building process while still leaving you the opportunity to do the bulk of the work yourself. The contractor comes in and puts in the foundation, frames the house, and then leaves the rest to you.
Veteran real estate agent Sandi Van Camp, who is based out of New York State and has 23 years of experience in the industry, says that buyers who enlist a contractor to have a shell home built should keep in mind that all zoning regulations that contractors must adhere to still apply to buyers working on their own house.
“You will still be required to have a zoning inspector sign off on the work,” she says. “So while it’s certainly something you can do, some contractors are leery of building shell homes because if a buyer isn’t qualified to do the work, it could compromise the work the builder has already done.”
The cost for a shell home can vary widely by square footage and region, as well as by the number of subcontractors you might need to hire.
Broker Mary Stewart, who is based near Houston and has 44 years of experience in the real estate industry, says that building your own home can be a viable choice for those seeking an affordable way to become homeowners. “While I’ve worked primarily with buyers who hire contractors for a home build, there are options for those seeking to do everything themselves,” she says.
Stewart suggests that if a buyer really wants to purchase a shell home, they should consider going smaller. “One option is to go through a company that delivers small shell homes,” she says.
If you decide to go with a shell home, you’ll need to already own the land you want to build on, and make sure that the property you buy or lease allows this type of building. You’ll also need all the proper tools for doing the work yourself.
