Helical Piers

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djw2112

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Dec 30, 2018
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East Texas
In two years i would like to start building my own tiny house (not on wheels).  The minimum i can go is 750 square feet  so i thought about 900 square feet would be a good starting point for planing.  That would be approx a 30ft x 30ft home.  Which will fit perfectly right were my rv sits now.    I estimate that if i do alot of it myself i can do it for about $12,000  and it will take me about two years to finish since i am physically challenged.

Im thinking small kitchen, 2 bedroom, 1 bath, livingroom, and small dining room.

The most important part is getting the exterior done the first year as the HOA only allows 8 months before the permit expires.  As long as i have the exterior all done by then, i can focus on the inside later as they dont have rules for interiors and i can take my time.

Looking at the cost of foundations, i originally thought i would just go with a normal 2x6 foundation with a small crawl space under the house and set the house on concrete filled sonotube, that would be the least expensive way.  But i would also like to have the house alittle further off the ground than my rv is now, i just feel safer that way. 

Then i started thinking about the wasted space that would be under the house and how could i use that space.

That is when i ran into a thing called a Helical Pier  or some call them screw piers.  They have greatly improved them now days, they dont rust, the bolts dont break, they are much stronger then wood piers, they last pretty much forever, they are very cost effective, and they allow the use of the space under the house for parking or whatever. 

Compared to a concrete foundation which would be around $8000 the helical piers would be less than half of that.  And the piers can be all set in half a day and there is no waiting like there is with concrete, building can start right away on the floor. 

I have a friend that will help me with the electrical and plumbing, i know the heat pump will be about $2000  and i dont plan on having anything fancy for a roof just a simple flat pitched roof for the rain is all we need around here so that should be easy to frame up.      So i think $12,000  is a pretty good starting point.    Then when i am far enough along with the build that i can live in it, i will sell the rv and use that money to finish the house.

I see plans for homes for sale on the net for $500, to me thats alot for a set of plans, maybe i can do my own using some software online.

Some of this technical language i dont understand but it looks like ill need about 30 piles using this documement.

https://helicalpileworld.com/How%20Many%20Piers.pdf

Also with wood piers there is no way to know if your still in mud or not 30ft down, with these they can tell my pressure if its set in the bedrock or not.


Question:  Am i missing any huge expenses here, and has anyone had any experience with a home on piles?

Thanks...

 
NO expierence but you might wish to invistage factory built outer walls. Specifilly the US-Steel "Home a day" system

Day one they dig the basement (or foundation)
Day two pour foundation
Day 3 I suspect is a day of rest
Day 4 Put up walls
Day 5 Roofing and siding
Day 6 Present bill (in your case since you are doing the inside)
 
  If I was to do it all again it would be a large metal building that I could have all my toys inside and park an RV inside it to live in. Get tired of the home just drive it out to the nearest dealer and trade in. 
The other thing is 40' shipping containers can be made into homes and may come out very attractive
 
catblaster said:
 
The other thing is 40' shipping containers can be made into homes and may come out very attractive

There's a show Building Off Grid" or something like that and I've seen them attach 2 or 3 of them together and build a nice house.
 
I am single and I am living in a 33 foot fifth wheel and I could not imagine having more space. I am happy as can be. But then again I have one of the nicest sites in central Florida. ;D
 
Besides the HOA rules, have you verified that the local zoning laws allow the type of foundation and building you're planning? I built one house on a pressure treated wood crawl space foundation that required educating the local building inspector with the help of an industry association before he would sign off on my plans...
 
Unfortunately the HOA will not allow any modified structure in order to make it livable.  Meaning that cargo crates and converting a prebuilt shed cant be done here.

I live in rural Texas so not many code requirments that i know of, but ill ask my neighbor about that as he built his own home and he can give me some info on that.

Dont get me wrong i love my RV, yes it has the perfect space for me.  However, RV's dont improve property value and with the messy neighbor that i have on one side of me im thinking ill be lucky to break even if i ever want to sell it for some reason, and that does not pay for all my sweat equity so far. 

I would actually love to get a new RV when this one is too old but again i need the property value increase so investing in a home im hoping it will improve that for me.  Also you cant get a loan on property that does not have or is going to have a permanent structure on it.  I know that means more property taxes as well but that comes with home ownership.  If i lived in a dryer climate i might be tempted to stick with a RV or at least give it more thought, but as humid as it is around here, even a new rv would be worth next to nothing in less than 10 years.  Humidity is a cancer as we all know to rv's

Ill check the local zoning as well, thats a great idea.

 



 
Not trying to be a downer, but a 900 ft for 12000 dollars. That is not very realistic. You wont get much for 12 grand. I build houses for a living in Canada. Things aren't that much cheaper there. You couldn't frame a garage that size, let alone a whole house. 
 
muskoka guy said:
Not trying to be a downer, but a 900 ft for 12000 dollars. That is not very realistic. You wont get much for 12 grand. I build houses for a living in Canada. Things aren't that much cheaper there. You couldn't frame a garage that size, let alone a whole house.

I dont think your being a downer, its good to know these things.  But im thinking framing is just a bunch of brackets, 2x6's, 2x4's, some half inch plywood,  and the rest is just a vapor barrier, insulation, siding, a couple of windows and two doors.  Im not sure how that adds up to over 12 grand, im curious.

what am i missing? 

I used a materials calculator see below pic....


 

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My first thought is that I'd never start if I were stuck with an HOA. Second, you probably could frame it for $12K but that's because the major cost is in finishing out. I've done it and I'd estimate I spent about $50 per foot.

Ernie
 
Ernie n Tara said:
My first thought is that I'd never start if I were stuck with an HOA.

Good catch right there.  Communities with HOAs are for those that do nothing, not for those that are independent.
 

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