How much does it cost to build a house in NH?

[Lex]

Instead of buying a house in NH we are thinking of bying land and then building our own house. Possibly get a trailer to live in while we build the house. So here is my question: Would it be possible to build a house (4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, basement, 3 garage) in NH for around $150-200k? Under the following conditions: we are going to be our own contractors (we'll still hire someone to come and check on certain critical jobs) and we'll only hire workers to put in the foundation, frame/walls and roof of the house while we do the interior ourselves (we'll put in floors, kitchen cabinets, bath tub/toilet, etc).

I think this probably isn't the best place to ask this question but I'm just looking for any kind of input on anyone in NH who has built their own house and what their experience was.

Any advice on buying/renting a trailer to live in for a year or so while the house is being built? How much do they usually run for? Are there better alternatives than getting a trailer?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Russell Kanning]

You should be able to do things here as cheap or cheaper than where you live.

[FTL_Ian]

I'd like to custom build a home up there as well, but I'll have to hire someone to do it all for me, as I'm totally worthless when it comes to being handy.

If anyone knows of a good builder, post some info please!

[Lex]

Land cost alone would run you in excess of $125k.  Electrical and plumbing in NH have to be done by licensed master electricians and plumbers.

$125k seems a little exaggerated, unless you are including other costs...

Here are some decent looking properties I've been able to find:

$65,000 - 13.12 acres - Wentworth, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=222602&T=4

$55,000 - 17.9 acres - Canaan, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=205207&T=4

$54,900 - 11.41 acres - Newbury, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=212328&T=4

$49,900 - 13.9 acres - Acworth, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=189242&T=4

$45,000 - 34.9 acres - Northwood, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=214347&T=4

$34,000 - 25 acres - Rumney, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=214749&T=4

$74,500 - 14.7 acres - Enfield, NH
http://www.pruverani.com/view_listing_land.asp?MLS=225820&T=4

Assuming you actuallly had house building experience your subcontracting work would be in excess of $ 90.00 psf.  2,400 sq. ft. x 90. = 216,000  plus the cost of land, well, leachfield,  sitework & driveway .

Can you give me your reference for that number? Is there a website that lists these sorts of things to help people figure out how much building your own home in a particular area might cost?

Thanks for the input.

[AlanM]

You can still do your own plumbing and electrical work as far as I know. If you hire someone, they have to be licensed.

[Integrity]

Depending on land cost you are in the ball park,  125 .000  is about right a( little high) in the moast popular areas , but you can get down in the $ 30,sss   way out side thease areas,   and you as the home owner can still plumb , wire, septic, build , and  etc, etc,  yourself in NH,

[Michael Fisher]

New construction requires licensed master electrician and licensed master plumber.? The only way building inspectors allow the next phase to be permited to be built is that each major step is signed off on after completion.? The permiting process starts with a state approved septic design for the number of bedrooms, wetlands approvals to enter property that has any streams that need to be crossed over to include buffers from wetlands (takes additional time) needs approval from Dept. of Environmental Services, and local wetlands group which is selectmen appointed.

Bleh.

[Lex]

Thanks for all your help wholetthedogin?.

A few clarifications: We plan on home schooling our kids, so being near a school is not necessary. Also both me and my wife work from home, I am a software developer and she is a webdesigner, which means that our only requirements for a location are that there is high speed internet, we can afford the land/construction and it has a decent view and the more isolated the better.

We plan on moving to NH sometime next year.

[GT]

New construction requires licensed master electrician and licensed master plumber.? The only way building inspectors allow the next phase to be permited to be built is that each major step is signed off on after completion.? The permiting process starts with a state approved septic design for the number of bedrooms, wetlands approvals to enter property that has any streams that need to be crossed over to include buffers from wetlands (takes additional time) needs approval from Dept. of Environmental Services, and local wetlands group which is selectmen appointed.

Bleh.

My Grandfather retired in Contookook NH in 1976. He built his first house in Lynn Ma and built his second house in NH. My Father, Uncle, brother and me spent the summer driving from MA to NH to help him build it. The first day we got up to NH to do the framing my Dad asked where the plans were.

My Grandfather took out a notebook and tore out a piece of paper. He drew two horizontal lines and several vertical lines. He said to my Uncle and Dad. "We'll put this wall up over there and figure out the rest as we go"

I guess a lot has changed since then.

[NH]

Thanks for all your help wholetthedogin?.

A few clarifications: We plan on home schooling our kids, so being near a school is not necessary. Also both me and my wife work from home, I am a software developer and she is a webdesigner, which means that our only requirements for a location are that there is high speed internet, we can afford the land/construction and it has a decent view and the more isolated the better.

We plan on moving to NH sometime next year.

Hey cutie I see you found this board!  Have you checked out Grafton?

[mulp]

I don't recognize the part of Illinios from your profile, but coming here from the Indiana and Illinois, and growing a lot older, construction here is a definitely a bit more challanging, and I've only been friends with those who have done it, or that have been custom builders.

You look around and find nice sites in areas that get cold.? You need to think about energy use, and increasingly that should be a big concern.? Some very energy efficient homes are custom built, but the building codes are still no anywhere aggressive enough, in my opinion.? Thus the market focuses on the cost to build, not the cost over a decade, much less five decades.

To get the kind of acreage you're looking at puts you into the areas that get significantly colder than the more densely populated areas.

Also, have you actually lived isolated from people?? I know of people who had great houses with great views, but their wives and kids couldn't handle the isolation - to get together for play group or dance requires travelling long distances on winding roads which in the winter are dark half the time you are doing anything.

Obviously I'm thinking about winter with fuel prices sky high, thinking how far behind I am on cutting wood off my lot, thinking about how I can't afford to upgrade my heating system, thinking about how I might build a little insulated office in my basement that never drops below 45-48F that would be more than well heated by the PC and monitor plus my body heat.? 2000sq-ft is nice until it comes to heating it.? I think it cost about $1000 for utilities two decades ago, but this year I hope to stay reasonably close to $2000 if I keep the house at 48F and heavily supplement with wood.

And about the comment about the schools, you pay school tax on your property no matter whether your kids attend school or not, or even whether you have kids.? NH school costs are pretty near the lowest in the country, but that doesn't mean that the property taxes are low.? One of the controversies these days is the value of scenic view - you buy land and put a house on it yourself, and then it gets assessed, and based on the view you created by your siting, your $200K land plus $200K house is now assessed at $1M based on what it could go from at sale.? This is an issue that may end up in the NH Supreme Court.

On the positive side, home schooling is reasonably well supported and you can selectively use the public schools, say having physed handled by taking the regular school class, or taking shop or biology where they have the facilities.? So, while you intend to home school, you should also check out the school facilities and how flexible they are in working with you.

And you should not underestimate the risks in dealing with water and septic.? A friend who lived in Weare finally had to give his house to the bank because he had spend I think $20K and months working with the well board on his well which some times of the year was producing 100-200 gallons a day, probably the result of a few new houses in the area and now everyone fighting to get at the water.? A great view and great elevation for his ham tower, but when the wife can't do the laundry for the baby...? And as for septic, it seems that NH is either wetland or ledge.

I'm not exactly a newcomer as I've been here for a quarter century, so I'm beginning to figure out how to live here in NH.? Before here it was the midwest and there you could plant a house any where and they pretty much did.? Chicago and Wisconsin and Michigan did get cold and did get snow, but southern NH is milder than midstate south Illinios and Indiana.? Northern and western NH is more like Chicago, etc., except in the spring you normally have mud season; first the roads and driveway are hard to navigate because of snow, then because of mud.

Ah, and another point, construction in NH has been strong for a long time, but so has been employment in general.? Don't think that NH being backwoods means that the workers are paid backwoods wages.? There aren't a lot of experienced workers looking for work, and even young people aren't all that anxious to go into the trades - too many parents are professionals so everyone focuses on college and white collar jobs.? I admit to sort of fostering that view because I suggest that kids thinking computers as a career should learn about machining and programming machine tools, then go on to mechanical engineering, where you will actually know how to design things that can be made.? I sort of assumed that someone would be around to do the making part, but so many of the skilled workers I know are young in their 40s.

Anyway, random thoughts that came to mind as I think back on my thinking over the past five years where I debate selling and finding some land with a small old house to buy and then build on (but probably in Maine, where friends have already done so).

[free55]

Once you have the land, figure about $100 to $140 a square foot.