onesojourner

It absolutely did. Most houses that are built by general contractors (spec houses) are laughable. I can’t imagine committing to something like that for 30 years. They are complete junk.

Concrete is definitely not cheaper than 2x4 construction. If you do it yourself it is not a whole lot more than stick framing though.

We lived in a 1100 sqft house. We heated with gas and kept our thermometer set at 60 degrees, our utility bill could top $200 a month in the winter. In the summer it was around 80 degrees and we would push $170 amonth. We decided it was time for a change.

We started by buying some land. Then I borrowed a copy of chief architect and learned how to use it. I worked on the design for about 3 months. I tried to maximize solar gain and many other things while designing. Yes it is legal. Why would it not be?

Roughly 200k.