Hockerton House for sale

[vtsnowedin]

I built my own house thirty years ago using some friend and family assistance when more then two hands were needed. The only part I subbed out was the standing seam roofing. But even then concrete was $70/ CY delivered in 9CY loads, plywood was $18/ 4x8 sheet for 3/4" and $11/ st for 1/2". Rough sawed limber from the mill down the road was .10/ bf. I don't remember how much insulation 10-3 copper wire or copper pipe cost back then but it wasn't cheap considering the wages I was making at the time.
Every thing has a price including your own time and to compare one design against another you need to add up all the costs including hours of labor, paid for or not, to asses the value of each design.
When it comes to building houses" A job done right need not be done again. "
It does not appy to shoveling snow though.

[Little John]

Agreed, I know what you mean. But my costs are my costs. Maybe "having a builder build it with paid crews" is simply an expensive way to build a house?

Yes, we've had some volunteer labour because we made the project fun, interesting and provided great food (maybe a 'conventional' build could try that?) but the volunteer aspect is a relatively small proportion compared to the work I've simply done myself or the work we've paid for.

The other way to think about construction costs is to consider how things used to be built. How did people build houses 200, 400, 600 years ago? Much of the work was done with a similar economic model as we're employing - ie doing it yourself + some community help + some expert trades to do the tricky bits. The modern, conventional way of building isn't necessarily the smartest approach.

200, 400, 600 years ago much of the work done was not with a similar economic model as you are employing. People then, as now, were of the species homo-economicus and there will have been a price for community involvement in any specific build.

The "price" paid now is the cultural cache amongst a certain section of the bourgeoisie and petite-bourgeoisie of being able to say they helped to build a "sustainable-eco-dwelling". 200, 400, 600 years ago, we can be reasonably confident the price will have been somewhat more materially beneficial - even if indirectly.