How Much Would It Cost to Build a Small House?

Have you seen some of the headlines about the housing market as of late? They are not exactly good news for anyone looking to potentially get out of renting or living with their parents anytime soon. The housing market has been on fire, and prices are rising incredibly quickly. It seems that anyone who does not currently own a home is falling rapidly behind those that do, and there is truly no end in sight for when this price escalation might end. Some people are just hoping for a housing market crash so that they can perhaps someday get into their own mortgage. For these reasons and many more, many younger people have taken an interest in the ‘tiny home movement’ or the concept of living in a small house that is potentially more within reach.

The phrase ‘how much would it cost to build a small house’ is searched many times per day, with many of those searches presumably coming from young people who are just looking for a way that they can have their own piece of the American Dream, whatever that may look like for them. Thus, we wanted to take a look today at how much would it cost to build a small house and some of the elements that have to go into getting that small house up off the ground to begin with.

Clear the Land

Building a home from scratch often means that land clearing services are required. These days, it is fairly common that people are looking to more remote areas to set up their homes because the cost of land in those areas is less costly. Remember, the primary concern for many people looking to buy today is how much would it cost to build a small house? They don’t have time to consider other factors such as where their ideal area to live is or any other factors. They have to think about things like landscaping and electricians before they can worry about what the local area has to offer.

It is true that many younger people say that they would like to live in the city, but many of them have come to the conclusion that the only way that they can afford to buy their own home is to live far away from the amenities that the city has to offer. Thus, they are looking at land clearing services to help them out. As of the time of this writing, the national average for land clearing services is about $2,700 per acre. This price tag is largely dependent on what kind of trees and shrubs need to be removed to get the job done, how many hours of work that will entail, and what kind of equipment may need to be used to make it happen. Young people looking to purchase their own home and get the land cleared to make it happen should try to be aware of all of those factors.

The Basic Necessities

We cannot stress enough that the basic necessities of a home are some of the areas where a homeowner may expect to pay the most money to get this work done. It is very common to hear people having to foot rather large invoices for things such as the plumbing that goes into their home, and for AC installation. Some people might even be tempted to skip out on something like an air conditioner for a period of time thinking that it will save them money. However, that is very unlikely to be a good option long-term. Almost no matter where you live in the United States or beyond these days, there is at least some period of time in the year when the weather outside becomes very hot and makes life pretty miserable for anyone living without an AC. You do not want to be in that position.

So, what do these various services cost? We have a quick breakdown here:

• AC Installation: Anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000 depending on the type of air conditioner installed, the provider who does the work, and the geographic area where the home is located.
• Plumbing: Installing brand-new plumbing on a house can run anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000. That said, simple plumbing fixes on an existing home are much less than that. Repairs on this service have a wide range depending on the extent of the damage. You are likely looking at anywhere from $100 to $5,000 depending on the nature and extent of the damage.
• Gutters: We haven’t mentioned gutters yet, but they are also an important part of many homes and should be installed. Gutter installation runs $500-$1,500 on average, and yet it can still be a great investment for you to put some money down on.

These are just a few of the basics that essentially every young person would like to have in a home that they are considering buying. When someone asks ‘how much would it cost to build a small house?’, they have to remember to include the service fees that are associated with these basic necessities. It is not as though a person can simply stop at the explanation of the cost of the physical house itself and think that this is enough to explain the true cost of homeownership. That is just not the case, and any rational person will understand that they need to provide the full picture to make it crystal clear what people are getting into when they buy even a small house.

A Look at the Roof

There is nothing more important to a home than its roof. Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘a roof over your head’? There is a reason why people talk about that as something that is important to them and to the establishment of a home. Those with a roof over their head literally have nothing to worry about in terms of the elements outside. They are protected, and they know it. However, this is part of the answer to how much would it cost to build a small house? You have to get in touch with a roofing company to see what kind of pricing they are offering on roofing services today.

One thing to keep in mind is that roofing services can mean a lot of things. It can mean that you need a siding contractor to come out and take a look at the project that you have at hand. It can mean that you need an entirely new roof built from scratch to go on top of your entirely new home, or it can mean that you merely need some work done on an existing roof that has some holes or other issues with it. Any one of these scenarios is something that you don’t really want to think about, but you know for a fact that they all matter, and that they all go into answering the question of ‘how much would it cost to build a small house?’. There is just no getting around the fact that the roof is an integral part of your home experience, and if you neglect to look into what it costs and how to get it taken care of, then you don’t get a full picture of how much would it cost to build a small house.

A full roof replacement generally goes for between $5,000 to $10,000, though you may fare a little better than that if you go with a local roofer. Sometimes, a local shop will be more interested in making a deal with you just to win your business. Remember, the local shops are not going to have hundreds or even thousands of available jobs on their books like the national chains with. The national operations will simply quote you a price take it or leave it, but a local provider might have the opportunity to help make a better deal with you that is fair both to you and to them.

When you ask “how much would it cost to build a small house?” you should always remember that you cannot get away from the need for a roof. As expensive as this particular element of the project is, there is just no question that you need a roof, and you need a good one. Given that this is an obvious and fair point, how should you approach getting the roof that you know that you need? Again, try to speak with local people and see who they might recommend for this project. The odds are good that people in the area have someone that they can recommend who would be willing to take on this project for less money than some national operation would. They care about getting the job done right for you, and there is no doubt that they will strive to make that happen.

Getting a Garage Door Done Right

Most people need to have a garage for their vehicles as part of their home experience. They may not technically need to have a garage to make their home livable, but they find that having a garage is highly preferred to not having one. After all, they want their home to be the ideal place to come at the end of a long day, and having their car able to pull up into a garage is part of that experience for most people. Thus, getting a price quote on garage door services should help answer part of the question of how much would it cost to build a small house?

The good news here is that garage door services may be the least expensive element of everything that we have discussed today. Typically, a quick garage door fix is not more than $500. In fact, $500 is on the high end of what this service tends to cost. The reality for most people is that they can get away with paying a lot less than that, and that is why so many are flocking to the idea that they can and should have garage door services available to them. They want to fully experience what it is like to come home after a long day out and just have the opportunity to open their garage and park their car right where they want it to go. It is so smooth and so pleasant, and so attainable for many. They just need to find the right person to take care of that garage door so that it will close properly.

This is one final area where you might want to go with a local person to help you with this project rather than some national place. They may be more familiar with your specific garage door type, and they can probably get to you faster than some of those other services. They may or may not have the ability to charge you less money for what they do, but they should at least have the chance to get your service done at a rate that you can afford.

The Beauty of a Home You Can Call Your Own

What is so often missed in the question of how much would it cost to build a small house? Is that the end result is something truly magnificent. People who have their own homes are often much happier than those who rent the place that they live in. They get the chance to build equity in their property, and they land in a place where they can come home each day comfortable in the knowledge that they have worked hard to get where they are. It is a beautiful thing, and it is something that we should not overlook as a society. Think about how magical of a feeling it is to know that you have worked so hard to reach the place that you are today, and it was all accomplished on a reasonable budget. If you can pull that off, then the future for you is likely to be very bright indeed.