# build a house for under 10k



## sw_va

We are wanting a build a house for 10k or less. As of now we have a homemade double wide. Trying to get ideas on which way to build it. It will need to be as energy efficent as possible. Thanks to everyone.


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## cnsper

You build an energy efficient house with thermal mass in mind. Forget about the R factor when you have mass.

Logs
Straw bales
cord wood
cob
earth bags
tires

If you have a hastings near you they have some good books that you can look at.


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## Friknnewguy

Federal GSA auctions online often have Surplus , used FEMA modular housing for sale cheap . Never bought anything from them so I don't know any kind of details , but it's free to look it up .


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## Marcus

Some of the used FEMA housing from Katrina goes for well under $10K if you're close to La. or East Texas.


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## lilmissy0740

sw_va said:


> We are wanting a build a house for 10k or less. As of now we have a homemade double wide. Trying to get ideas on which way to build it. It will need to be as energy efficent as possible. Thanks to everyone.


We put on a log addition with the chinking, we got the logs cut at a local saw mill, did the rest all by ourselves and it cost about $3000. We heat with a wood burner so it is always nice and toasty. In that price is 3 purchased windows and French doors.


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## Bobbb

-Cut your own logs. Mill them or have them milled. 
-Dig up lots of fieldstone, and I mean lots, and use it to cover the exterior of your house.
-Cut even more logs and mill them so that you have the lumber required to build a double walled house, thus having 12"-16" inch thick walls and very low heating/cooling costs.
-Go rent a concrete cutting saw and then go find yourself an outcropping of granite, limestone or whatever rock appeals to you and cut out floor tiles and kitchen counters.
-Cut up even more logs and have them milled so that you can stick frame your roof instead of using trusses.
-Cover the roof with either cedar shakes that you've cut yourself or find some slate and hack that into shingles.

Every product that you buy for your house has a labor value embedded into price alongside the manufacturer's charges for capital equipment, distribution, sales expenses, and profit. The actual material value of the items that you buy is a small fraction of what they cost you. If saving money is of paramount importance to you then you're going to need to trade your labor for the labor of the people who make housing products. 

Don't buy ceramic tiles, make your own. Don't buy a kitchen sink, find a big, "soft" rock and carve one yourself. Don't buy wood flooring, make it yourself. 

Trade your time and your effort and make stuff rather than paying other people to make it for you.


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## seanallen

Ennergy efficient as possible: underground. Dirtpacked n stacked tires for retaining walls. Self milled logs for joists. Several different roof systems to choose from. Underground is best for efficiency, though.


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## sw_va

I would not be able to go underground. I have experince in all construction trades but very little in masonry. I would do log cabin just not sure on how. I have about 20 double pane windows and a couple of doors. As of now there is t1-11 on our doublewide that i will be taken of when tear it down. The trailer is 30x80 i plan on using most of the stuff from the trailer.


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## Bobbb

sw_va said:


> I would not be able to go underground. I have experince in all construction trades but very little in masonry. I would do log cabin just not sure on how. I have about 20 double pane windows and a couple of doors. As of now there is t1-11 on our doublewide that i will be taken of when tear it down. The trailer is 30x80 i plan on using most of the stuff from the trailer.


You might be in for a nasty surprise, depending on your local building code, if you try to use aluminum double windows. In many places that's a no-go.


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## sw_va

All of my windows are vinyl. We put them in a few years back.


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## cnsper

log cabins are easy. Look up butt and pass method of building. I tell you that this is the best way to build a cabin, I have seen it. There is no settling even if you use green wood.


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## Magus

sw_va said:


> We are wanting a build a house for 10k or less. As of now we have a homemade double wide. Trying to get ideas on which way to build it. It will need to be as energy efficent as possible. Thanks to everyone.


Use oak palettes.they're normally free if you know who to ask and provide extra strong bases and walls, not to mention the fork lift gap is just right for cramming full of insulation,ALSO. Many demolition companies will gladly give you the leftovers rather than pay the dump fee.


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## Tirediron

Have a look at this link 
http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/shelter_book.html
especially this book. 
http://www.shelterpub.com/_home_work/HW-book.html

Big piece of advice LOOSE your political leanings during your search, it is easy to overlook Ideas from people who you would normaly disagree with.


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## lilmissy0740

This is how we did ours


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## readytogo

sw_va said:


> We are wanting a build a house for 10k or less. As of now we have a homemade double wide. Trying to get ideas on which way to build it. It will need to be as energy efficent as possible. Thanks to everyone.


http://tinyhouseblog.com/tag/bodega-house-plans/


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## Woody

What is wrong with beefing up what you already have?


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## cnsper

Maybe it is not theirs?


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## twiggie

If you want to go the log cabin route I can't reccomend the foxfire series enough, there's a brilliant section on log cabin building. It covers how to build from the ground up with raw logs and hand tools, the information can be extrapolated to make use of power tools if necessary.


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## Woody

cnsper said:


> Maybe it is not theirs?


Good thought, or maybe they would like to build in a different lcoation, I didn't think of that either.


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## sw_va

The trailer is ours. Its just would like to have something that would be increase in value over time. Its not a bad trailer just think the money that could be used to build something new. A log cabin would be nice but not a have to. We have no bills and are able to save by doing it ourself. We havent bought anything new in almost 7 years except the what we or kids need. The trailer is 30x80 with t1-11 siding all new floors and windows. As of now it has a rubber roof. We heat with wood. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.


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## cowboyhermit

I would also recommend logs if it is possible. Cheap, easy (for the basic methods), good thermal mass and insulation etc. 
I would plan on using chinking, experts can sometimes build a house with tight fitting logs but it is just not worth it imo. For extra insulation/more impenetrable walls you can always add siding inside and or out, with insulation in between, or plaster it level.
Square bale, cob, etc all might work well, depending on a lot of factors.


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## lilmissy0740

cowboyhermit said:


> I would also recommend logs if it is possible. Cheap, easy (for the basic methods), good thermal mass and insulation etc.
> I would plan on using chinking, experts can sometimes build a house with tight fitting logs but it is just not worth it imo. For extra insulation/more impenetrable walls you can always add siding inside and or out, with insulation in between, or plaster it level.
> Square bale, cob, etc all might work well, depending on a lot of factors.


I cut masonry wire, I think that's what it is called. Screwed it to the logs about 1/2" in, placed insulation and chinked. I then had to caulk around the tops cause sometimes it would slide just a bit. It was easy. The first few logs I chinked, well lets just say, yikes! After that it got easier. I mixed sand, mortar and water in my wheel barrel and pushed it wo where ever I needed it.


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## Tirediron

A log house (with multiple rooms, a cabin is a one or two room structure as you would be loudly informed by the owner of a large log house) if well built is one of the few construction method considered not to go obsolete to bankers.

If you have access to large 12''+ logs chinkless building is a nice way to go, and there are some really good books out there. Log construction manual, by Robert Chambers is a really good one. there are also several very informative books by B. Allen Mackie.


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## jennabarnky

Not sure if you want to go that route, but we built our "pole barn" a few years ago and since we did the work ourselves... (By we, I mean my husband and father in law as I was severely pregnant)It is all metal and built on a slab. It is small, living quarters about 800 square foot only. But it also has a two car garage attached and is all finished on the inside, probably much nicer than we could have gotten by with. It was about $12,000. I am sure with modifications, it would be possible to go under 10k. We were only staying there till we got our house built and now we use it as a rental property. It worked out really well for us. Good luck with everything!


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## readytogo

*Shipping Shelters.*

We used to bury them and have at least 5 layers of sand bags on top, on the side of a hill with some foliage in front they become invisible, set on a cement pad you can create a bunker underneath.


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## sw_va

Well after some time. We have decided to fix up what we have and save some money. We plan to buy some more land then were going to build a cabin. It will completely iff grid when we do


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## readytogo

Woody said:


> What is wrong with beefing up what you already have?


That is my way of thinking too Woody,why wasted all that time and money on something for the unknown, make your home as fortified/secured as possible.


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## sw_va

We are working on the house now. At the same time trying to finsh the garage so we can make some money. It may not be much and its not that pretty but its our home and we dont anything for it. I think by owning free and clear we are better off


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## LincTex

Th roof of a shipping container is very weak and cannot hold much weight. My wife and I are going to build a place with four "20 footers" in a square shape with steel trusses over the top for a roof. It'll be 36 by 36 - - and debt free!


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## seanallen

LincTex said:


> Th roof of a shipping container is very weak and cannot hold much weight. My wife and I are going to build a place with four "20 footers" in a square shape with steel trusses over the top for a roof. It'll be 36 by 36 - - and debt free!


I dunno bout that weak roof stuff. On a lot of these jobsites im on i see very freaking heavy stuff on pallets loaded on top of Conex boxes. You know, stuff like pallets of ceramic tile, high dollar items. Tons and tons of it.


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## cowboyhermit

"Weak" would be a relative term here.
They are not designed to have weight on the roof, containers above put all of their load on the corners. Being that the stuff is on pallets is probably what prevents it from bending/denting, by distributing the weight closer to the sides.


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## LincTex

Totally. It has to be the pallets getting the weight over more to the edges. The "hat section" channel on the inside ceiling of my containers is just formed sheet metal! I think the strength would go up a LOT with a piece of angle iron welded to it (on edge) to make an "I-beam" of sorts.


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