Starting my project (help me plan)

11 years ago

Hello,

So I have some ideas. But I need help, Bringing them to real life. I will tell you some of my thoughts and perhaps you can guide me into the right direction.

I have not decided where i would like to purchase a lot. I am trying to begin this project keeping in mind i have about 50k to get this idea to a point where its safe to save up or potentially live in the dwelling I am thinking of. Even if it means sleeping in a tent or hammock to save for supplies to get to the next phase.

I am really interested in Foundations and have invested some time to study in soil mechanics in engineering practices and i have learned a little of the basics of foundation construction. I am 27 years old serving in the US Navy so Earn a basic housing allowance which allows me to have a steady monthly deposit on materials.

Here is my idea. I find a lot an hour out from the base that i work to ensure i am getting a reasonable value. I have been looking at large car ports but i have not fond the exact size that i am envisioning; to fill you in i am thinking of a 70' by 70' open steel framed car port if you can imagine that. but before that purchase and the installation of the car port i would have identified a lot with a suitable place to install a foundation. i would camp and live at this lot where i would begin construction.

okay i think that is enough information and any one with the experience i believe can start giving me pieces of advice here and there. i will let the forum go to work and i will take everyones advice very seriously and immures myself in the counsel you fine folks give me.

thank you in advance and god bless.

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Comments (7)

User
11 years ago
Here is my idea. I find a lot an hour out from the base that i work to ensure i am getting a reasonable value.

And then you get transferred ... then what?

i would camp and live at this lot where i would begin construction. Not all locations will let you do this. Some explicitly prohibit it.
dekeoboe
11 years ago
You want to live in a car port an hour from the base? What will you do when you PCS or deploy? How long do you plan on taking to build a house? Many building permits require the house to be finished within a certain amount of time, which may be difficult to do since you are in the Navy and subject to long hours on the job. Plus, when you submit for a building permit you have to have the building plans.
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MyFirstBuild-DeepSea
Original Author
11 years ago
what about if I built something very small; like the size of a studio apartment just big enough to keep my personal belongings safe and a place to sleep. Then I can add on to that Structure piece by piece. I am just trying to let the money they are giving me to rent an overly priced apartment close to base to work.

it would be camping for six months and then I deploy. Plus my girlfriend rents a place so i could stay with here during the week if i needed to. i just need some help in respect to where I should start looking for advice. if i own the Lot then i can PCS deploy go anywhere the lot and whatever i build on it is my property.

I new building permits we going to be involved but I have not looked into how long they last and what i need to get one. it sounds like I need a building plan before i apply for builders permit from what you are saying.

Thank you!
User
11 years ago
Look at buying an existing home and then possibly renting it when you move. Or at permanently camping on the property until you are out of the service and ready to build. Maybe a barn only. Building is much much too involved and regulated for you to be able to do what you are talking about doing. And that's not just the actual building process either. The Health Department regulates the septic and well, and you have to have that first if you are going to live on the property. Otherwise, you risk being fined big bucks and thrown off of your own property for creating a health hazard.

Just save your money for now. THAT is the smartest thing that you can do. And see enough of the world to decide where in it you might want to actually live, rather than decide by your default assignment propinquity.
mrspete
11 years ago
I love camping, but I don't think your plans are realistic. It's tough to sleep outdoors and still make it to work on time and looking presentable -- not for the long haul, and that's what you're talking about. I also share the concern about what'll happen when you're transferred.

For your situation, I suggest you consider a travel trailer. That lets you OWN something now, but it's something moveable.

And save your housing allowance so that when you're ready to part from the military you'll then be able to build exactly what you want, where you want.
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
There's a reason why land away from city center or base is less expensive....not only do you have to invest time to get to and fro, but you have commuting costs including fuel and wear and tear on the vehicle. So what you are seeing as a cost trade-off, really isn't so much of one.

I think it's laudable to want to save and invest now for the future, but as many people recently learned, real estate isn't always the "guaranteed" increased return that it once was....you may buy a hunk of land only to find the base is closed and the value drops like a rock or whatever. Or you may find yourself stuck with a piece of land that is nowhere near where you want to end up and be unable to sell it....esp if it's an hour away from base.

There's so much housing available on the market right now that, if you really want to buy and start small, consider a foreclosure...a lot of them go for a song because they are in such rough shape and you can build and remodel as you have more money...and a lot of the work is already done for you in terms of permitting, sewage, electrical hookups etc. Whatever sweat equity you put in the place will most likely come back to you when you PCS.
dekeoboe
11 years ago
if i own the Lot then i can PCS deploy go anywhere the lot and whatever i build on it is my property.

Not really. Unless you have enough money to buy the lot outright you are going to have to take out a loan to buy the land. Then, when you PCS you are going to have to use your BAH to pay for a place to live at your new base plus be paying on the land loan. There is a reason why many of us did not buy while we were in the military.

Also, with regard to building a smaller place and planning to add on to it. You still need plans. And you need plans for a project that includes the basic structure and then how the additions will be tied into the basic structure. You need to make sure that what you did in phase one does not limit what you planned to do in phase two.