re: How Much Cheaper Would A Home Be If The Owner Built It Themselves?

We used to own a man-made stone business. The kind you see on homes, apartments, stores, etc... We did about half residential and half commercial From experience I will tell you that about half the owner builder homes we visited were a disaster area.

First, they normally have enough lumber and plywood piled up in the "cut" pile to build another half a home. Second, I cannot tell you how many times I saw windows installed wrong. Just no way they will be water tight. I have gone into homes where folks thought the stairs into the foyer stuck out to far and decided to push the landing back. The result is some pretty steep stairs where you almost have to turn a bit sideways to go down safely. I have seen gas tight gas lines run up the side of brick or siding into a hole in the second floor. I have been in bed rooms that had 4 windows but outside it had 8. They sheet rocked over the 4 small windows above the large ones. I've seen it all brother.

If you know enough about construction to subcontract it properly and do a few things yourself (CORRECTLY), you can save some significant money and have good equity the day you move in. Only about 30% of the people that do this have the skill set.

If you purchase an owner builder home that didn't require electrical inspections then say a prayer every night and make sure your smoke alarms and fire extinguisher stays charged... just in case.