What Will This Cost?
Q: What will it cost to build a cabin?
A: How long is a string?
That's a pithy way of saying - it will cost as much as you make it cost.
And to further expand on that, I know from running many other types of projects that if I go in ignorant of costs and options and make choices before I understand their impact, my ignorance will become a hidden line item in my budget. As much as I need a blueprint for the cabin, I need a blueprint for the costs and a plan for where the money will come from.
My project needs a budget.
There are some sample budgets out there, and they all look pretty overwhelming so I wanted to understand the steps first. I turned to my old PBS favorite, This Old House, and read this Bob Vila article outlining the timelines for major stages of construction.
I am using this to create an outline for both my Project Plan and my Budget. My outline ends up being a lot longer than I originally imagined, and I tried to stay very high-level. It also made me realize how many decisions I have to make, and how each impacts other decisions.
My rough outline is below. My next step is going to be getting a rough idea of what each phase will cost by doing research.
Phase 1 - Planning & Permitting
- Land
- Pre & Closing
- Permitting
- Surveying
- Design
- Clearing
- Excavation
- Septic
- Electric from the street
- Water from the street
- Foundation
- Framing
- Roofing
- Doors and windows
- External trim & siding
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Walls & ceilings
- Floors
- Interior doors
- fixtures like sink, toilet, tub
- Paint
Other helpful sources:
Some sample costs https://homebuildingsmart.com/sample-home-building-budget/
Downloadable sample budget in Excel from ownerbuilder.org is also useful, but it is complex and I recommend not trying to digest it until you've done some more reading about each topic listed in the Bob Vila post.
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