Can people really build there own houses?

That's a good question.

To find out I apprenticed myself as a carpenter soon after college and spent the next several years learning how to build houses.


It was a pleasurable experience, and the conclusion I reached was that most people, provided they were physically fit and had the cooperation of their neighbors, could indeed build their own houses with a certain amount of professional assistance.

What's more there were considerable savings to be had if they approached it the right way.  The right way being to build and finance in stages instead of all at one time.  When you consider that financing costs are typically as much as the cost of the house itself, this lesson comes home.

And did I mention:  land is much cheaper outside the cities, where the cost of the building lot often rivals the cost of the house as well.

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