How To Build A House For Under $20,000
86Outlining The Project
Building a home for under $20,000 is a topic that requires some definition. Here are the parameters for the house I put together single handed in southeastern Arizona:
1. We're talking about the shell only, i.e. the foundation, walls, windows, entry doors, and roof that constitute a barrier to the elements. Not included are floors; ours will be simple and cheap but added later, not included as part of the initial building effort--unless you count bare dirt, which is what we have at the moment. In other words, our Little House On The Prairie has a floor that is the prairie--um, well, the desert....
2. The exterior dimensions are 36' x 36', amounting to 1,296 square feet in total, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, a storage hallway, and a combination area that will serve as both the kitchen and dining room. Laundry facilities may or may not be included; in order to avoid claustrophobia, those may be located in a separate structure at a later date.
3. The construction type is "hybrid earthbag home". Yes, I coined that term, but it fits. The walls are of earthbag construction, but only for the first six feet of height. Above that is a very short frame stud wall topped by a quite ordinary roof system composed of trusses, sheathing, tarpaper, and steel roofing panels.
The Expense Record As It Happened
CATEGORY 1: THE HOME ITSELF (INCL. SEPTIC SYSTEM)
Date......... ...Expense Detail....................................Amount..................Subtotal
09/01/09..... Soil analysis & site plan .........................$ 550......................$ 550
09/01/09......County building permits..........................$ 485...................$ 1,035
09/02/09......Concrete foundation blocks....................$ 505...................$ 1,540
09/05/09......Sandbags...............................................$ 275...................$ 1,815
09/05/09......Curved needles & thread.........................$ 58....................$ 1,873
09/06/09......Exterior doors.........................................$ 235....................$ 2,108
09/07/09......Stucco "How To" card set.........................$ 12....................$ 2,120
09/12/09......10 spikes, 100d (12 inch)...........................$ 7....................$ 2,127
09/14/09.......Materials for work table............................$ 43....................$ 2,170
09/16/09.......Cash to Gary (septic)..........................$ 2,450....................$ 4,620
09/16/09.......Barbed wire (6 rolls)...............................$ 414....................$ 5,034
09/18/09.......Lug wrench for semi...............................$ 106....................$ 5,140
09/18/09......Cheater pipe for lug wrench......................$ 17....................$ 5,157
09/27/09......Laser level................................................$ 60.....................$ 5,217
09/29/09......Cash to Gary (septic done!).................$ 2,300....................$ 7,517
10/10/09......3" PVC, fittings, glue..................................$ 32....................$ 7,549
10/26/09......600 sandbags (total 1600)......................$ 185....................$ 7,734
11/04/09......2" x 12" plank, 4 rebar @ 4'......................$ 20.....................$ 7,754
11/09/09......Roll of staple-making wire...........................$ 7.....................$ 7,761
11/09/09......Corner & control joints..............................$ 52.....................$ 7,813
11/09/09......3 rolls of stucco furring net.....................$ 177......................$ 7,990
11/10/09......8 windows...............................................$ 502......................$ 8,492
11/11/09......2" x 12" planks, 100d spikes...................$ 193......................$ 8,685
11/18/09......Staple wire..................................................$ 6......................$ 8,691
11/18/09......2" x 4" (18), 2" x 12" (2).............................$ 54.....................$ 8,745
12/01/09......5 gallon bucket............................................$ 3.....................$ 8,768
12/06/09......100 sandbags............................................$ 40.....................$ 8,808
12/08/09.......2"x12"s, spikes, mend.plates...................$ 292.....................$ 9,100
12/12/09.......Hurricane & strap ties, nails.....................$ 177.....................$ 9,277
12/12/09.......5 gal.paint, Skilsaw blades.........................$ 75.....................$ 9,352
12/15/09.......Trusses.................................................$ 1,576...................$ 10,928
12/15/09.......Framing & sheathing lumber..................$ 1,136...................$12,064
12/15/09.......Nails............................................................$ 50..................$ 12,114
12/15/09.......Glue..............................................................$ 3..................$ 12,117
12/31/09.......Nails, lumber, bricks, braces.................... $ 424..................$ 12,541
01/03/10.......Nails, drill bits, rebar, saw blade..................$ 56.................$ 12,597
01/03/10.......Safety goggles, cord...................................$ 10.................$ 12,607
01/04/10.......Gas installation textbook(s).........................$ 63.................$ 12,670
01/12/10.......Steel roofing panels & accessories........ $ 1,798................$ 14,468
01/15/10.......Booster pump.............................................$ 116................$ 14,584
01/19/10.......8d nails........................................................$ 54.................$ 14,638
01/26/10.......Extension cords 100' x 2..............................$ 82.................$ 14,720
01/29/10.......9 rolls roofing felt, 1 pallet OSB.................$ 683.................$ 15,403
01/29/10.......Staple gun, staples......................................$ 27.................$ 15,430
01/29/10.......Burgundy roofing screws.............................$ 94.................$ 15,524
02/10/10.......Diablo Skilsaw blade....................................$ 15.................$ 15,539
02/16/10.......8d nails, ABS pipe/couplings.....................$ 105..................$ 15,644
02/16/10.......Paint, brush, rollers.....................................$ 30..................$ 15,674
Overall, not bad. We even got a snow day as a brief distraction--just one, with the white stuff gone by noon on the valley floor, but pretty while it lasted.
Journal Updates
I've never been a great keeper of journals but did jot down a note here and there over the months. Here they are, such as they are:
09/29/09 Progress Status Update: Septic installation, all inspections, site plan, building permits, water line trenching, and homesite leveling all finished and paid.
10/26/09 Progress Status Update: Concrete foundation blocks set, water & septic lines stubbed in, door casements built & installed (with doors), 4 rows of earthbags (21.5") laid.
11/09/09 Progress Status Update: Eight rows of earthbags laid.
12/31/09 Progress Status Update: After wind took down 2 walls, rebuilt. Now top-framed, needs interior bearing wall next, then trusses (onsite now).
01/30/10 Progress Status Update: Trusses up, sheathing (OSB) done.
02/15/10 Progress Status Update: Shell entirely done except for a coat of anti-UV paint and (when weather warms a bit) stucco.
Okay, let's get this budget boondoggle published and call it a night--plenty of paint to apply tomorrow with brush and roller....
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Wow Ghost, I didn't think there was such a thing as making a house partially with earthbags. It's eye-opening the things that you can do.
Um, Sara Tonyn, I did use hemp in one place: Before building an interior bearing wall to center-support the roof trusses, it seemed advisable to make a "string net". That net was set up by (a) stretching a piece of string across the outside walls--the string running directly above the bearing-wall-to-be--and (b) at right angles, running several strings across the other two walls. This provided a way to be sure I didn't make that interior wall too HIGH, which would have been a real pain come truss-installation time. And...the string was made of hemp, doncha know. :)
Flightkeeper, I didn't know it could be done, either, until I did it. Fascinating footnote: The thermal mass provided by the bags is clearly already doing what it's designed to do. During the coldest part of last night (3 to 4 a.m.), the temperature inside the house held at 12 degrees warmer than did the temp inside the unheated steel storage shed where I sleep. The bags were "feeding" the day's absorbed warmth into the home.
And that's without the stucco in place to stop drafts or any insulation whatsoever installed.
This place should be awesomely efficient and comfortable once it's completed. Today, when Pam got overheated while cleaning out a tent belonging to the young man we recently evicted, she was able to come into the house where I put a chair for her to sit...at a comfy 62 degrees. In the camper it was about 80, and probably 90 in the tent.
Err Ghost, what's this about not being much of a journal keeper? I could point to some great hubs that very effectively journal your progress!!! Oh you've already pointed to them.
Good to see the thermal efficiency is better than you hoped. Gotta keep those fuel bills down or your low cost house will ruin you.
Personally, I think all these people who are pretending to "go green" should take some lessons here....in addition to being cost effective to build, it will keep floods out, sustain warmth in the cold weather, and using wind power for electricity, sure sounds to me as if it beats all these expensive homes that people are having foreclosed on daily all to heck, now doesn't it.....
People have become too spoiled in this age of technology...and actually need to get back to basics and a humbler way of living....You got it goin on Ghost!!!
Oh! Yeah! Thanks, Cally--I did sort of overlook the elephant in the room, eh?
As to the thermal efficiency, it's not better than I'd HOPED because I'd HOPED it'd be super-duper-excellent (and it appears it will be). But I didn't dare get my EXPECTATIONS up until consulting the thermometer, true enough....
WealthMadeHealthy, you definitely know how to compliment a guy! Keep it up!
You're absolutely right about it beating all those foreclosed-upon homes...um...did I mention that one such was OURS? The house we bought in Colorado in 2007 (new) at a market value (then) of roughly $242,000...went at foreclosure last December.
And yeah, this one should beat that one all hollow.
I have been watching your project since the end of last year, and it is absolutely intriguing. I am really looking forward to seeing the finished house. Keep 'em coming!
Hey, we're looking forward to moving INTO the finished house! It'll be a while yet, though....
How much was the land that you built it on
I presume you're asking about the price? We bought four acres (the minimum in Cochise County to take advantage of various building code requirements, especially if you're going to do it yourself) at--I'd have to dig out the papers, but I think the total was $59,500, with an option to buy an equal-sized adjoining parcel for the same price within 2 years. It's owner financed on decent terms: Not much down, and the land payment is $508 per month. Plus $20 a month for a well share--the well is available for 5 separate parcels, though we're the only folks living on any of them at the moment. Seller had the water line brought to one back corner of our property; we ran the line up to the homesite from there. Other than that, it was bare land when we got here. It's off grid, and we intend to keep it that way.
The most significant "natural hazards" (not necessarily in this order) are (a) the Mojave green rattlesnake, native to the area, (b) wind, and (c) rains in monsoon season.
I have read in several sources including the material published by CalTech that the pags should be protected from sun light as soon as possible. I wish you best of luck and hope you be happy in your new home but definitely do somethign about covering them up quickly.
Thanks, Optimist. I appreciate the fact that you cared enough to pass on the caution.
As it happens, this hub was published some months back (early spring, 2010). Even at that time, the bags were already protected from the sun's UV rays--with a simple coat of latex paint. The stucco couldn't be added until the weather warmed up considerably, as an overnight drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit could ruin the curing process. We watched the thermometer every day and night, along with the long term weather forecasts. Around May 15, it finally looked safe enough. One week after that, I began adding a sheathing of stucco netting wire, and then a two-coat covering of stucco.
That's been done for some time now. One wall has a coat of paint covering the stucco, but the painting process was delayed so that I could work to finish my wife's bedroom. At the moment, we're pretty much living in my bedroom (she chose to have me do that one first for several reasons).
I'll dig around and see if I've taken a photo that shows the stucco and/or final paint, and hopefully add that to this page.
What was the most labor intensive aspect of your project? Which was the most challenging?
Doc Jake, both of your questions are highly logical--but in a way, for me, also meaningless. No offense; it's just that I'd say the most challenging aspect AND the most challenging is "The Next One".
You'd think filling all those earthbags, one by one, and then placing them on the walls--well, I'd never done anything like that before, and it did take right at two months to build 'em, and a high wind knocked two of those walls flat as a pancake, so that had to be both labor intensive and challnging to a degree.
However, it takes me about a month to finish out each room's interior...the stucco was pretty intense, since I'd never done stucco before, either, and filling in the curves on the earthbags was something a lot of folks thought couldn't even be done...leveling the dirt floors before adding plastic, boards, and rubber flooring pieces can be tricky...putting up the trusses from the ground, single handed with no crane or any other power equipment....
Yep. That's got to be the answer. The most labor intensive aspect will be The Next One. And the most challenging aspect will be The Next One.
NOTHING was (or is) a "slam dunk deal".
ghost32 This is so cool! We have some property in Burns junction Oregon, that this style of home would be great for. Also I have a darling little lot in coos Bay that I am wanting to do something with or sell. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for checking in! We've been living in the home since June of 2010. Ran out of money in late summer--for now--so the flooring didn't quite get finished. All of the moisture (& dust) barrier plastic is in place, plus the sheathing board subflooring, but we're short about a dozen interlocking rubber flooring tiles in the kitchen. No biggie for now, though; at least there's no dirt floor remaining anywhere.
We have reason to hope finances will improve sometime this year, in which case I'll be adding "stuff" like flush toilets and showers, plumbing the booster pump for better than just gravity water pressure, and a host of other "goodies". But on the other hand, we can live pretty comfortably "as is" for as long as need be, so we're not panicking by a long shot.
We do have a nice, new (last summer) 19 cu. ft. propane powered fridge, a sturdy 2-burner camp stove, and a plumbed utility sink (cold gravity feed water only), plus the washing machine is plumbed.
So we're all good! :)
Congrats! What a great and inspiring project! May this be a testament to what a little brainpower, a lot of sheer will, and two hands can do!
Thanks. We've been living in the house--the Border Fort, as I've come to call it--since June of 2010 now...and I got the last of the dirt floor covered in September. Loving it so far!
I enjoyed reading this hub- it's very informative and interesting...I also like that your home is eco-friendly!!!
Still loving it! We used no heat other than the sun until early November, at which time I installed a 20,000 btu ventless propane wall heater. That heater is supposedly designed for "supplemental heat only" and capable of warming 700 square feet at most, yet it handled our 1100 square feet just fine as the "only in-house heat source"--even during one nasty cold snap (cold for southern Arizona) that dropped temps to 7 degrees Fahrenheit.
At the moment (late March 2011) we're back to using NO heat once again. Just adjusting window openings is enough to take care of "everything" comfort-wise. Right now (sunny, 3:00 p.m.), every window in the house is open and a balmy breeze is wafting fresh air throughout. In-house temp: 73 degrees.
Can't say much about your Green Project but it's definitely an awesome one. For that kind of money (as in my country currency), we can only build a dog kennel.
Ken, I appreciate that...although here, that would a mighty NICE dog kennel.
One thing about it: I didn't do it because I care about "Going Green". Quite frankly, I'm no environmentalist--but DID need to figure out the least expensive way to go. It's QUITE interesting to me that there turned out to be little or no conflict: What was cheapest turned out to be Mostly Green.
Just to update from my last comment made in March 2011: It's now mid-May 2011, and still in the mid-seventies in the house, maintained by doing nothing but opening and closing windows at appropriate times.
Thanks for the update Ghost, hope you are enjoying your home there. :)
We are enjoying it immensely, Ken. Thanks for commenting.
Wow! I would have never thought of a "hybrid earth bag." That's really cool.
leann2800, I understand. In fact, I'm not sure it's ever been done before. At least, I've seen no articles depicting one like this. True, "There is nothing new under the sun", but so far...:)
Note on seasonal temperature changes: In the middle of the hot months (today is July 17, 2011) and with the monsoon rains being kind of flirty but not yet delivering much here, it's HOT. Outside temp around 100, and the inside is averaging close to 90.
Pam, my redhead, is not exactly a happy camper, 4 fans going (in her room only--none elsewhere) and virtually comatose from the heat.
But, though she blames the earthbags, that's not it. It's simply that when nighttime temperatures don't get much below 80 degrees (except briefly, just before dawn), the accumulated heat IN the bags has no way to disspate effectively without warming the interior.
By next year, we expect to have to funds which will allow me to install a small air conditioner for (again) her room only, and she should be a bunch happier.
Thanks for commenting.
I was seriously impressed with your hub and shared it with my husband. He said when he was in the military they built shelters from sandbags but nothing as impressive as the home you built. I am sure if you are clever enough to build a home for less than 20k in this retched economy, you can find the money for Pam's AC. This is a very timely article. I expect many people will have to find some solution to this housing problem. Wishing for the best for you and your wife.
Thanks for the "best wishes". I don't doubt that when your husband was in the military, they COULD have built something this "impressive"--had they figured to live in the thing for umpteen years! :)
i am inspired ghost. . . i live near tempe az. Whr are you guys and how far a drive from tempe az and may i come with my dad to see your amazing achievement? i am learning all i can n planning to build my own small place. david =]
David, we're probably six hours from you, give or take. South to Tucson, on out on I-10, take 90 south to Sierra Vista, then another 20 miles to us. We're right down near the border in the southeast corner (more or less) of Cochise County.
Feel free to drop me an email (click on my profile, then click on the "contact" button under my picture). We can take it from there, including specific directions if you do decide to come on down. The way the earthbags are laid out won't show in the house now (stucco outside, another wall inside), but we have a small "sound baffle" wall set up to block noise from the generator, so I can show you exactly haw that works.
Any time! :)
Yes Sir! :D will contact you very soon. i wanted to go learn how to do this at cal tech earth but they wanna charge me thousands of dollars to go out n study with them n that doesnt include a place to stay while learning thr buildn systems. How the heck can they say they offer an affordable salution to the problem of affordable living if i gotta spend most my budget just to learn in the USA? They claim to teach people in haiti for free. i am determined to find affordable solutions. Thanks for shining a light of Hope for me Ghost :) ttysoon. . . Peace, david =]
Not a problem, David; we (my wife and I) are more than glad to help.
May the blessings be.
Thanks for posting the details on your impressive project. I have been learning about these construction methods for a few years now and really appreciate people that put in extra work to document their projects. Information like this isn't always common and can be very helpful. I plan on building an earth bag structure in Colorado and can't wait to get started. Congratulations on all your success and I wish you the best in the future!
Back atcha on the good wishes.
We just left (Parachute) Colorado in early 2009....
You're an inspiration to us all Ghost32. I've always liked the less common construction techniques (Earthbag, Cordwood, Straw Bale, etc). Voted up!
Thanks for the Vote up.
Today (1/10/2012) we're well into our second winter in the (outwardly) completed home. Just a month ago, having some improvement in our cash flow situation, I got the flush toilets purchased and installed on "box floors" in the two bathrooms. Plus, 20 interlocking rubber floor tiles are on order to finish out the kitchen floor (I under-calculated the wastage the first time around for the overall house).
And, last but definitely not least, we've also got an awesome clawfoot bathtub on order.
Now, for hot water and a power source for the booster pump...:)
I can certainly relate. It is funny you mention "outwardly complete". As I have discovered, if you want to make sure things take a long time to get completed, just move in. And of course money certainly slows things down. There just never seems to be enough of it, in our pockets anyway.
Can't add anything to that; you pretty much said it all. :)
This is awesome, awesome information. Thank you so much!
Jessica, you're very, very welcome.
I have been looking into earthbag construction for a couple of years now and I'm ready to make the leap.
I'm wondering if I can re-use the bags that our pellet stove pellets are shipped in, rather than the woven poly bags. We have hundreds of them saved up, but I'm not sure that they will work.
Any thoughts?
Thanks so much for posting all of this. This blog is what finally convinced my wife that an earthbag home can be attractive. :)
Adam, I'd think you SHOULD be able to use the pellet bags. A couple of considerations, since I don't know the details of those bags, though:
1. UV exposure during construction. The poly bags I used were rated to resist deterioration from the sunlight for 1200 hours, which I figured gave me 3 months of "margin" before they had to be covered (with a coat of paint at first, stucco later). If your pellet bags are not able to do that, you might need to cover them more quickly than I did.
2. Size. The poly bags filled to a "workable height" (ends folded under, neither sewn nor tied) turned out to provide a "building block" that averaged right at 11 inches in width and 5 1/2 inches in height. (Length varied some because, being hand-filled, some ended up containing a bit more dirt than others.)
One way to "discover" if your bags will work for your purposes or not: You might try filling a bag, lay it flat with the open end folded under to keep from losing the dirt, slap it flat a bit (I used 30" pieces of 2" x 12" planking for the purpose), then take some measurements.
Glad to hear this page was helpful. :)
Thanks so much for the quick reply!
I think I'm going to try building a small chicken coop first to test these. UV exposure was my concern as well.
I'm in Montana and having a tough time finding woven poly bags. Do you have a good source for reasonably priced bags? The cheapest quote so far is out of KS and I'm looking at $.45/bag at 18"x30".
The chicken coop sounds like a solid idea.
Where I bought ALL my bags: 911sandbags.com or let's see if we can get a hyperlink to take:
http://jacobsbagcorp.merchanttribestores.com/index
18" x 30" is too big unless you're Hercules. That'll give you 100# minimum per filled bag. Ouch. My aching back.
Where in MT? That's where I'm originally from.
The link doesn't work on my iPad... But I'll go to the site and do some searching
What size do you recommend?
I'm just about 20 mikes outside of Billings... Toward roundup.
Where are you now?
Looks like that site is down.
I did find 11"x19" poly bags (purple) for $.25/ea. with an order of 1,000. Much better deal than what I had previously found!
Do you think that size will work?
Thanks again for taking the time to help me!
Adam
11" x 19" could work, but I just measured on of my leftover bags and discovered they were (empty) 14" x 26". Which means a couple of things:
1. Each bag lost a bit more than 20% in width and a full 7" in length when filled and tied off.
2. If you tie off an 11" x 19" bag the quick-and-dirty way I did and lose anywhere near that much, your final product could end up being kind of a squatty little thing. Say, 8" x 12", give or take. Were it me doing it, I'd think it might almost be worth tackling those monster 18" x 30" bags--which should end up (filled) in the area of 14 1/2" x 23".
IF I had the width of foundation to allow for that much thickness AND the muscle to manhandle those beefy buggers day in, day out.
The Border Fort's 6 feet of earthbag walls took right at 1300 bags, total, just FYI.
Toward Roundup, eh? Sounds pretty close to where I lived in 1980-81, except my 10 acre place (which later burned in the Hawk Canyon fire, I think it was) was located on the side road to the right that loops out, up, and back into the main highway some miles farther north.
At any rate, I understand the terrain and the climate, for sure.
Currently (since my Colorado trucking job got Obamafied in early 2009), Pam and I've been in southern Arizona, just about a mile off the Mexican Border, SE of Sierra Vista in Cochise County.
OK... figured it was time I actually JOINED this site so I could see your responses quicker! :)
Yeah... you're property would have been pretty close to me. Not exactly a stone's throw, but pretty darned close!
One thought that I had with the pellet bags was that I could pick up a heat sealer and use that to seal off the filled bags. Since those bags are pretty small, I figured the heat sealer would allow me to use more fill material since I wouldn't have to create a flap.
Since I've signed up here, maybe I'll document my progress and see what you think along the way.
I believe one of your posts said that you built an earthbag home in Montana. Was it on the property that burned? I've actually wondered how these structures would hold up to wildfire... always a concern out here.
Thought I'd better post the link to the bags I'm looking at too. Seems like they might be a little harder to find for a reasonable price these days:
Adam: Thanks for the link. Always helpful.
No, I've only built the one earthbag home, and that was right here in Arizona. But I can tell you this about fire: The way this one is put together, the ONLY parts of the structure subject to wildfire are the extended 2" x 4" ends of the rafters. If one of those caught, and then a spark or two managed to find a crack into the attic, it would be all over but the shouting.
However, even the slightest "home defense" (such as with a garden hose) would be pretty effective--and even a temporarily abandoned structure would have better than an even chance of survival. Painted wood does not catch fire as easily as raw wood. The roof panels are steel, and the inch or more of concrete stucco coating the exterior walls...well, that stuff is plumb discouraging to anything flamey.
Better by far than any "regular frame" structure; that's for sure.
The bags themselves could burn if exposed, but once they're "hidden" behind the stucco? No way. In fact, if we ever get an evacuation order during a wildfire (which happened not many miles from here last summer, in 2011), I'm not going ANYWHERE.
Sara Tonyn 2 years ago
I'm totally fascinated by your project! I'm following it as if it were a soap opera, with each hub being an episode ending in a cliffhanger. In fact, I plan to come out and see it for myself as soon as I finish single handedly building myself a car out of hemp, old tires and biochemical waste. See ya soon, Ghost. No need to leave a light on for me. My car and I both have a strong, constant glow. Peace. (You rock!)