Building a house vs buying one

[farmo83]

What is everyone's thoughts on the above and or experiences?

My wife and I do not need to move at all and there are days I much more then my wife just say we should stay here. We bought our current home with the intention of never moving, however we've both been quite blessed in our careers and are doing much better financially. Also this was the first home we bought, some stuff we wanted, we don't give a crap about. Other stuff has proven to be much move valuable then anticipated.

I have maintained if look long enough well find something we can both agree on. My wife recently brought up buying some land and just building. I'm not opposed to this but don't know much about this process.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

If the finances could support it I would always build. You never have to settle when you build (other than financially limited to going crazy).

If you buy there’s always something you are compromising on.

Right now in this market and this materials shortage I would do neither but wait. But that’s me.

 

[Lunatic Fringe]

Takes longer than you planned.
Costs more than you planned.
Causes more fights than you planned.
If you survive all that, it's more rewarding than you planned.

 

[monkeyswrench]

Never built for myself. Worked on other's custom stuff though. If you build, buy the land you want, and study the views. Like have a picnic or two, and spend time on the land at different times of day, multiple days. It sounds goofy and hippy, but what trees will stay, the direction of the breeze and the way the light flows. When you have that figured, then design the home that has your needs, using the topography you have. Also take into account what rooms you will spend most of your time.

Worked on some really neat houses, that were kind of "dropped" on the lot. Just twisting it 10 degrees would have made huge improvements. Seen wonderful views from the kitchen, but not from the den or living room.

 

[LuauLounge]

Regardless of buying or building, spend a ton of time around the property. Traffic patterns, neighbors, change by the hour and you want to know what’s not going to work.
Moved to a different area and rented a house for 2 years before we ended up buying a house a block away. Getting ready to sell after 37 years.

 

[rivermobster]

I'm Serious interested in hearing from those that have done this as well.

Great question.

 

[dribble]

I've did it when I was 35. It was good. I had a General Contractor but on my days off I worked along side him and learned a lot. I did it at a time where a lot of trades people weren't real busy. We went from site prep to move in in 18 weeks and came in under budget. That said, I did make some mistakes. Overthought some things and didn't think enough about others. I want to do it again and fix what I missed. I built the house in 1992 for 285K including plans, permits, fees, flat work, the deck and the lot itself. Which was one acre of horse property with all utilities and access to Folsom Lake. We sold it when we divorced in 2015 for 615K. It recently sold for 1.1 million. My advice:

Don't try and reinvent the wheel. Build it with selling it later in mind. Use a known floor plan or hire a very competent architect. Remember if you use a known plan and make any changes it will need to be re-engineered. Be decisive. When someone asks how do you want this or that, give them an answer now. Have the electrician stub lots of electricity outside, run a 2"PVC under all flatwork and stub a gas line for your BBQ. It'll be cheaper in the long run to do good base molding, crown molding window casing etc as part of the build. Either you or your wife is in charge. Talk things over quickly and compromise a lot. In my case I was in charge, including deciding on certain colors etc. And lastly, figure out what you need for garage size then double it. Here is a pic from the real estate listing when we sold.

 

[baja-chris]

First one I designed and hired low bidder to draw plans then used low bidder for the GC. Huge mess, huge mistake. Was great to see it done but it had issues and the process sucked. My fault. Second one I designed, hired legit architect who caught and fixed stuff I overlooked. Then hired GC with best reputation, above average cost. Then I hired a project manager who was the only one I dealt with and the first thing he did was negotiate lower prices to cover his cost. Project ran smooth and was enjoyable.

 

[baja-chris]

Project manager actually brought GC to me.

 

[mesquito_creek]

Unless you plan on physically building it yourself… you will have a hard time as an owner/builder finding the economy of scale competing for trades/subs.

If you just buy a lot and hire a reputable Gc home builder you are good to go, but it’s not going to be cheap compared to a high volume builder (tract or semi custom).

I have done it 3 times and physically did most the work the first time and probably hired about 1/2 the subs on #2 and 3/4 the subs on #3.

I am on my fourth now and have 4.5 acres and will drop a manufactured home if that says anything about how it grinds you down over time.

 

[JM21]

Oh man, where do I start. I just finished my build and we have been in it for a year. I did it through Covid and that was my biggest hurdle. It caused us to go over budget and well over on time. I built in a rural area which made things more expensive and time consuming. Right after I poured my foundation and prepped to frame lumber went up over 35% in the blink of an eye. Everything inflated. Thank god we put a container on the property and pre ordered big things like appliances, plumbing and electrical fixtures, flooring etc etc. That saved us. I also had a family member with a brain that knows how to do everything when it comes to building and if he wasn’t guiding me I would have been fucked and very over budget. The cost vs value reward is huge along with property taxes depending on where you live. Also, hire a good architect, all the difference in the world. We finished the pool in august, and we are now in the thick of landscaping.

 

[NicPaus]

Beautiful home @JM21

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

We finished our semi custom build in June. I love the house but it was far far far more of a hassle than I planned. I figured everything is new, so I wouldn’t have to deal with much…well, we’ve had people here ever week since we moved in, sometimes multiple times a week, and even multiple times in a day. All different trades. This is a luxury builder too. I’d love to go full custom, but it would only be a top tier builder with a high margin of error on the budget. I’d also want to be nearby for check-ins, questions, design changes, etc.

 

[Go-Fly]

What is everyone's thoughts on the above and or experiences?

My wife and I do not need to move at all and there are days I much more then my wife just say we should stay here. We bought our current home with the intention of never moving, however we've both been quite blessed in our careers and are doing much better financially. Also this was the first home we bought, some stuff we wanted, we don't give a crap about. Other stuff has proven to be much move valuable then anticipated.

I have maintained if look long enough well find something we can both agree on. My wife recently brought up buying some land and just building. I'm not opposed to this but don't know much about this process.

My wife and I have land to build on but, the way things are, we are looking at buying and doing a complete remodel. Delays and timelines are way more flexible when you are dried in up here in the Northwest. Most of the work I will do myself.

 

[golakers]

Almost 1/2 way now. So far so good . Hired highly replible architect and builder. Building from out of state is not easy. My builder gives me a lot of updates

 

[Desert Whaler]

Dream would be to build a 1000 sq. Ft 2 bed 2 bath w/ large front / back patios near bullhead. Spare no expense on insulating & keep it as low maintenance as possible.
Oh yeah, & an attached 2 car garage w/ a pisser.

 

[X Hoser]

Owner/Builder my last 3 homes. They all turned out very nice but it was a FULL TIME JOB! I knew many in the trades so finding subs was the easy part. I also built before the insane increase in the price of supplies. Having a house built right now by a contractor. My only involvement was making a few changes to the original plans and choosing appliances, tile, cabinets, flooring and colors. It won’t be EXACTLY what I would have built, but ABSOLUTELY good enough and completed in half the time it took me.

 

[steamin rice]

Takes longer than you planned.
Costs more than you planned.
Causes more fights than you planned.
If you survive all that, it's more rewarding than you planned.

Nailed it. We built our house in 2004. Over budget and behind schedule, with many decisions and tradeoffs made during the build process. It was a very stressful process and we still didn't end up with the perfect house, but overall we are glad that we did it and we don't plan to move anytime in the foreseeable future.

 

[DLC]

What is everyone's thoughts on the above and or experiences?

My wife and I do not need to move at all and there are days I much more then my wife just say we should stay here. We bought our current home with the intention of never moving, however we've both been quite blessed in our careers and are doing much better financially. Also this was the first home we bought, some stuff we wanted, we don't give a crap about. Other stuff has proven to be much move valuable then anticipated.

I have maintained if look long enough well find something we can both agree on. My wife recently brought up buying some land and just building. I'm not opposed to this but don't know much about this process.

I think the be hurdle is Where are you located ??

We did a remodel and hired a designer and it was really easy just took a while.

Some good friends did an “ On your level lot build “ in havasu and they were are really happy. The advantage to that is you can go see the model and have a good idea what your Actually getting

 

[DLC]

I think if I was to do a new build…. I would plan to do 2! One as a trial and flip it after 2 years, gain experience and see how the process goes.

 

[hallett21]

Get a thorough set of drawings. Bare minimum cheap drawings will just cause headaches down the road.

 

[JM21]

Almost 1/2 way now. So far so good . Hired highly replible architect and builder. Building from out of state is not easy. My builder gives me a lot of updates View attachment 1178093 View attachment 1178094

That looks awesome! Where is this?

 

[Cole Trickle]

I would say it depends....

Like mentioned it takes way longer than promise and typically it will go over budget.

If you are currently living in a nice home and can afford to build without selling the current house i would say that would be a huge bonus.

Personally I think the market is turning to a buy vs build as values are decreasing but materials are still really high.

We signed for a custom house in Utah march 2021. I couldn't qualify for two mortgage payments so we sold our So Cal house in June 2021 and made the move as I wanted my son to start the school year at the new city. We were promised the build would be completed by December 2021 and at that point there were no such thing as month to month or 6 month leases in this area. We were fortunate that my father in law lived about 30 minutes from the new house and he graciously allowed us to stay with him as he had extra rooms. Covid , lack of materials and other issues pushed the completion day to the end of June 2022.

The build was a complete PITA and our builder who is know as one of the best in the area would maybe get a 2 star review out of me. They took on way to many builds and the materials and other outside stuff made it practically doomed from the jump. We ended up with a very nice house and we are happy but if we hadn't been here to drive by daily or fix stuff ourselves along the way many many things would not of turned out like I expected or to my satisfaction level....Everything was a fight i'm talking every day it was something.

My wife who is as strong and steady as they come had at least 2 breakdowns along the way dealing with the build and living with her 81 year old dad that seemed to keep falling or hurting himself. We basically lived and worked out of a 10 x 12 bedroom for over a year and had to drive our son 30 minutes to school and soccer several times a day.

Throw in a quickly changing market where interest rates are skyrocketing at the fastest pace in history. If our house would have been completed when expected we would have had a rate in the 2's. Some how some way my broker was able to pull strings/extend and i closed with a 3.8 % rate in the middle of 2022 when rates were in the mid 6's. I was absolutely panicking that my mortgage was going to be nearly 1k more a month than planned so I was practically having my own break down weekly...lol

The good....We absolutely love our house and the price we signed at with our builder was the price we ended up paying. The builder didn't try and weasel there way out of the contract or add extra $$ like so many large builders were doing at the time.

Make sure your marriage is strong and you have a good close place to live to follow the progress like a hawk and all will be good....lol

 

[DC-88]

I would say it depends....


Personally I think the market is turning to a buy vs build as values are decreasing but materials are still really high.

As a guy who's only career has been GC spec,custom building, and carpentry this ^^ is the advice I have been giving my boys who are both a good way toward saving enough to buy Az. homes in 18 -24 months.
The reality in our area (coast), is that in any other market besides 91'-95', 08'until the end of 10', and right now .......there is a big chunk of equity to gain by building because the permit and build process takes a while , so there is never much new inventory. Tearing down an existing residence is step 1 in most cases. For the GC customs are as much of a pain in the ass as they are for the customers, and customers are Vetted very thoroughly on my end for sure. I always stretch the timeline from the onset , and flood out of towners with pictures and updates along the way. At about the 60-70% completion mark I make a bar graph schedule for them that is still slightly padded, but very doable. Some of the builds posted on this site are obviously top notch for their respective areas and building techniques, and some are cringe worthy just from the pics !
However for a customer or homebuyer who can afford it , the best way to get 99% of what one wants ( it will rarely be perfect in hindsight) along with the latest insulation, hvac, solar, battery wall prep, window and door options, flashing, waterproofing, composite trims, roof underlay products, soil prep re-compaction with proper grade, correct drainage, etc etc is to bite the bullet and do a quality design built by a good contractor who builds in that particular area.

 

[golakers]

That looks awesome! Where is this?

LOTO

 

[pronstar]

We bought a fixxer…probably would be money ahead by building from scratch by the time we’re done

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

I would say it depends....

Like mentioned it takes way longer than promise and typically it will go over budget.

If you are currently living in a nice home and can afford to build without selling the current house i would say that would be a huge bonus.

Personally I think the market is turning to a buy vs build as values are decreasing but materials are still really high.

We signed for a custom house in Utah march 2021. I couldn't qualify for two mortgage payments so we sold our So Cal house in June 2021 and made the move as I wanted my son to start the school year at the new city. We were promised the build would be completed by December 2021 and at that point there were no such thing as month to month or 6 month leases in this area. We were fortunate that my father in law lived about 30 minutes from the new house and he graciously allowed us to stay with him as he had extra rooms. Covid , lack of materials and other issues pushed the completion day to the end of June 2022.

The build was a complete PITA and our builder who is know as one of the best in the area would maybe get a 2 star review out of me. They took on way to many builds and the materials and other outside stuff made it practically doomed from the jump. We ended up with a very nice house and we are happy but if we hadn't been here to drive by daily or fix stuff ourselves along the way many many things would not of turned out like I expected or to my satisfaction level....Everything was a fight i'm talking every day it was something.

My wife who is as strong and steady as they come had at least 2 breakdowns along the way dealing with the build and living with her 81 year old dad that seemed to keep falling or hurting himself. We basically lived and worked out of a 10 x 12 bedroom for over a year and had to drive our son 30 minutes to school and soccer several times a day.

Throw in a quickly changing market where interest rates are skyrocketing at the fastest pace in history. If our house would have been completed when expected we would have had a rate in the 2's. Some how some way my broker was able to pull strings/extend and i closed with a 3.8 % rate in the middle of 2022 when rates were in the mid 6's. I was absolutely panicking that my mortgage was going to be nearly 1k more a month than planned so I was practically having my own break down weekly...lol

The good....We absolutely love our house and the price we signed at with our builder was the price we ended up paying. The builder didn't try and weasel there way out of the contract or add extra $$ like so many large builders were doing at the time.

Make sure your marriage is strong and you have a good close place to live to follow the progress like a hawk and all will be good....lol

I think you hit the nail on the head with a high quality builder taking on too many homes at once. There are only so many good tradesmen, and I think these builders are hiring anyone they can to churn these out. Unfortunately, that decreases the fit and finish of the home.

You got a nice rate in June. I had to settle with 4.75, but like you, I’m thankful it wasn’t much worse.

 

[MooreMoney]

We built a new house in 2021 and early 2022. The builder did a great job but a new house doesn’t mean you don’t have things to fix. They are constantly at the house fixes little things all over. Today they are here fixing some settling cracks…

If I were deciding today, I would buy a home. I think you can get better value on a home right now.

 

[HB2Havasu]

Unless yore planning on staying forever and are paying cash I would stay put for a few years. Interest rates are almost double from what they were last year, and real estate prices will continue to retreat until the recession is over in 2024. Just my opinion!

 

[mesquito_creek]

There are two completely different things going on here and I would make sure you know the difference. Some people say “we built a new house”. But they just hired a GC to build a semi/custom. Other people say “we built a new house” and they are the owner/builder/GC. BIG difference.

Someone who contracts with a GC is not “building” a house, they are buying a house and have many many more protections…

Someone who is owner/builder is “building” a house and owns all the liability and risk of the build with very little protection…

Owner/builders have all the same warranty requirements as GC in some states for a couple years after the C.O. Is issued

 

[rivermobster]

There are two completely different things going on here and I would make sure you know the difference. Some people say “we built a new house”. But they just hired a GC to build a semi/custom. Other people say “we built a new house” and they are the owner/builder/GC. BIG difference.

Someone who contracts with a GC is not “building” a house, they are buying a house and have many many more protections…

Someone who is owner/builder is “building” a house and owns all the liability and risk of the build with very little protection…

Owner/builders have all the same warranty requirements as GC in some states for a couple years after the C.O. Is issued

I'm kinna trippin on people who had track homes built, saying they built their own homes?

I suppose a lot of the process is similar, but then again, not really.

I'd like to do/see the whole thing done from scratch rather just picking a floor plan and changing it up a bit.

I think this is what the OP was asking about?

How did you guys that did if from scratch decide on the plot of land?

 

[Sportin' Wood]

I was a C36 plumbing contractor for many years. We did everything from mansions to tract houses. I am only interested in building a house if it is in an area that does not require permits, and I don't have to deal with a bureaucrat telling me things don't meet the code. A plywood shack in the woods is about all I got left in me.

I've seen nothing but trouble in couples trying to build custom homes. I'm not willing to trade five years of my life building a house.

Put me in the camp that agrees building a home means you are the GC.

 

[scottchbrite]

I'm kinna trippin on people who had track homes built, saying they built their own homes?

I suppose a lot of the process is similar, but then again, not really.

I'd like to do/see the whole thing done from scratch rather just picking a floor plan and changing it up a bit.

I think this is what the OP was asking about?

How did you guys that did if from scratch decide on the plot of land?

I didn’t decide. She did . In all seriousness, we searched our area for at least a year. Like @monkeyswrench said, we visited the lot at various times of the day and we saw it in 2 different seasons before pulling the trigger. Then we had months of negotiations, due diligence (ex: Indian artifacts, AB 52), etc.

Im A good example here. I owner built my house. I’m not a contractor, but my wife and I play the part well She is in commercial real estate and property management and we also have a commercial RE day porter/handyman business, along with my job. We know a ton of subs and contractors. Im very fortunate because I have a friend that allowed me to list him as the GC for the construction loan. i did kick him down an admin fee for that. We bought a 5 acre parcel. We sat on it for a few years before breaking ground. My wife designed the whole house while I did the civil engineering side. I literally worked at the property everyday I wasnt at work. I drove tractors, drove nails, ran wiring, painted, drywall and cleaned. I would do it again. It was an awesome family experience. My wife and I fought more building the pool.

 

[rivermobster]

I didn’t decide. She did . In all seriousness, we searched our area for at least a year. Like @monkeyswrench said, we visited the lot at various times of the day and we saw it in 2 different seasons before pulling the trigger. Then we had months of negotiations, due diligence (ex: Indian artifacts, AB 52), etc.

Im A good example here. I owner built my house. I’m not a contractor, but my wife and I play the part well She is in commercial real estate and property management and we also have a commercial RE day porter/handyman business, along with my job. We know a ton of subs and contractors. Im very fortunate because I have a friend that allowed me to list him as the GC for the construction loan. i did kick him down an admin fee for that. We bought a 5 acre parcel. We sat on it for a few years before breaking ground. My wife designed the whole house while I did the civil engineering side. I literally worked at the property everyday I wasnt at the work. I drove tractors, drove nails, ran wiring, painted, drywall and cleaned. I would do it again. It was an awesome family experience. My wife and I fought more building the pool.

Without being Too nosey...

Do you feel like you had equity when everything was all said and done?

Or would have it been less expensive to buy something all done?

This would be my main concern. Thanks.

 

[SoCalDave]

I am in Lakewood and currently adding 875sqf to our existing 1100sqf home as owner/builder. Subbing out some small stuff but most will be handled by family members. In the process of forming the foundation/stem walls and hope to get it poured before x-mas. Family room to be 453sqf, master BR to be 371sqf with our existing BR of 154sqf to be the master bath. Paying cash as I go as well as we are mortgage free.
I hate doing these projects in the winter months...

 

[dribble]

Without being Too nosey...

Do you feel like you had equity when everything was all said and done?

Or would have it been less expensive to buy something all done?

This would be my main concern. Thanks.

I can answer that. In down or depressed markets you can buy a custom house much cheaper than what it costs a GC to build one with no profit. In stable or up markets depending on factors such as permits , fees, we’ll, septic etc you might break even or be slightly ahead when you’re done. In 2010 I bought a five year old 3200 sq ft house that backed up to a green belt for 275K. The going rate per square ft to build that house at the time was about $140. Plus the cost of the land. Would have cost about $550,000 to build that same house.

 

[scottchbrite]

Without being Too nosey...

Do you feel like you had equity when everything was all said and done?

Or would have it been less expensive to buy something all done?

This would be my main concern. Thanks.

We timed it perfectly. We broke ground March of 2018. I was upset because the lumber price went up $4500 before I had locked it in. I laugh at that now seeing what material prices have done since. That was the only price/bid issue we ran into besides adding things or a few small changes. I have damn near doubled my investment. It was so satisfying to see the appraised value when we refied out of the construction loan to the conventional loan. I didn’t do it as an investment though (also didn’t expect to loose money either). I wanted to do it to say I did it. I’ve built all kinds of cool things and wanted to build/GC my own house. It was like building another hot rod, race car, or boat to me. I’m proud to say I was a part of every trade except the plumbing and tile.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Without being Too nosey...

Do you feel like you had equity when everything was all said and done?

Or would have it been less expensive to buy something all done?

This would be my main concern. Thanks.

I can answer for myself.

When we came out and looked in january 2021 we were half serious about moving. Once we came out and spent a couple days we decided we were going to go for it. The beauty an d quality of life just called to us and in truth we had been trying to get out of CA since 03.

When we got here there were very few homes on then market and the ones that were sold for way way over asking price. I had already done my research on different areas and schools and after checking out quite a few neighborhoods we decided on the area. Lots were selling like hot cakes and if you didn't grab one when they came available they were gone in a day or two. We found an area we liked and there were 4 lots available 2 bigger and 2 slightly smaller (bigger got you an extra 10' on the rv side yard for 10k more) We talked to the builder and came over and hung out during the day and decided on the lot that had great backyard sun the entire day as we were gonna do a pool. I wrote a Ernest money deposit for 3k and we went home with a new lot.

By the time we signed the home build price had jumped 20k. We are 699k into this lot and house (.31 lot and a 2700 sq foot 4/3.5 with a 1200 sq foot garage including block walls, front landscaping and 21x65' concrete rv pad. We are another 100k in with then back yard landscaping and pool.

6 months ago this same house would have cost you 170k more to build as then lots went up 100k and the home price went up 70k. I think when our home was completed it would have sold for over a million so building was absolutely cheaper than buying then. We ended up in a very nice upscale neighborhood and most of the houses are 2 story with over 3500 sq ft and rv garages. When we signed it was just land so to see the high-end walls and big houses go up were kind of cool.

I still think the house would sell for 900-950 but things are definitely dropping. Still not a ton of inventory but there are some bigger spec houses currently listed at 925k down from 1.1 without some upgrades or pool.

to give some comparison we sold our 1600 sq ft 3/2 corona house for 700k in June 21 so regardless of how the market goes I'm essentially paying the same mortgage for much much more.

 

[scottchbrite]

Also, we wanted to live in a specific area. We looked at buying and doing a complete reno but it didn’t pencil out. It would of been at least the same money spent. We got “our” house and like I said, it was a project for fun and satisfaction. Everyone talks about permits, but you you pay for them in the cost of any house. You don’t see them come out of your checking account. The area you build in is important too in regards to permits. We are in Riverside County so it wasn’t difficult or overly expensive compared to other cities.

 

[mesquito_creek]

I am in Lakewood and currently adding 875sqf to our existing 1100sqf home as owner/builder. Subbing out some small stuff but most will be handled by family members. In the process of forming the foundation/stem walls and hope to get it poured before x-mas. Family room to be 453sqf, master BR to be 371sqf with our existing BR of 154sqf to be the master bath. Paying cash as I go as well as we are mortgage free.
I hate doing these projects in the winter months...

Remods are probably 1.5 to 2 times harder to owner/builder than new construction in terms of experience...

 

[rivermobster]

Also, we wanted to live in a specific area. We looked at buying and doing a complete reno but it didn’t pencil out. It would of been at least the same money spent. We got “our” house and like I said, it was a project for fun and satisfaction. Everyone talks about permits, but you you pay for them in the cost of any house. You don’t see them come out of your checking account. The area you build in is important too in regards to permits. We are in Riverside County so it wasn’t difficult or overly expensive compared to other cities.

Absolutely on the permit process.

Seems like the tract builders save money on doing plans and engineering one time, and then building shit tons of houses with one or two sets of plans!

I have ideas in my head of exactly HOW I'd want my dream house to be, but I'm sure going from "idea" to "blueprint" is a fairly costly deal.

About pulling power...

One of my website clients does solar. We were talking the other day and he said he can easily fully power a house for about the same money as bringing power to a rural property.

I'm sure @wash11 knows a thing or 2 about this.

 

[scottchbrite]

Absolutely on the permit process.

Seems like the tract builders save money on doing plans and engineering one time, and then building shit tons of houses with one or two sets of plans!

I have ideas in my head of exactly HOW I'd want my dream house to be, but I'm sure going from "idea" to "blueprint" is a fairly costly deal.

About pulling power...

One of my website clients does solar. We were talking the other day and he said he can easily fully power a house for about the same money as bringing power to a rural property.

I'm sure @wash11 knows a thing or 2 about this.

The power is going to be lot/area specific. Part of our due diligence was power and water. We have an Edison vault on our property. It was still 500+ feet of trenching but my bro in law and I did it ourselves. The Edison guy was super cool. Once we had the plans from Edison, he walked me through it all, what was acceptable and even where to source certain materials for it. I did 400 amp service. I had to set the conduit, transformer pad, the pull boxes, and set the panel. My only issue was that I waited too long to start the process with Edison, so we were using generators for a bunch of the construction.
I do have neighbors that are off the grid completely. They saved money on their lot price and have million dollar views of the ocean.

 

[DUNEFLYER]

This was asked:

How did you guys that did if from scratch decide on the plot of land?


For me both times it came down to location.
We found a lot in the area/location we wanted to be in and we designed our homes to fit these lots.

 

[monkeyswrench]

@rivermobster , Build Vs Rehab: I think a lot depends on what you find and where. You may be able to find the perfect lot and view, with 1980's everything. House may not check the boxes, but everything else does. Seen that in looking in Havasu. That's when you crunch numbers, and find out what can be done according to codes.

Also, a financial point of view. Some of us aren't developers, flippers or just straight up ballers. In my case, I bought the land and a modest home...while still owning the other. The house was fairly livable, and it gave us an immediate place to sleep and store tools and equipment. Like my first house, I did this one about one room at a time...weekends. When I was up here full time is when I started ideas with the shop and such. When I sold the other house, I paid of this one. With your current location, you could have a hell of a rental, sell it to one of your kids, or...
Lots of options depending on which way you go.

A former inmate (5o'clocksomewhere) bought a semi-track home up here. Pretty sure he did good on it. He and his family then moved into a trailer for a little bit and built a beautiful home.

Lots of options, just limited by time and money...like everything else!