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I have "built" 3 houses. I began knowing nothing. First: forget doing it all yourself. For one person it's about a 10 year job. Believe it! Instead, act as your own contractor. It's all about managing money, materials, and people. There are about 20 sub-contracts to let. It will take you about 8 months from clearing the lot to moving in. It takes me about 2 years to get ready to do a very complicated house. Normally, it will take about an additional 8 months from first decision to clearing the lot. Forget about finding some list of steps to follow. Each house is different. Begin by finding someone who teaches an Owner/Builder class. Look hard. If you don't find a class to introduce you and give you contacts, you will fail. Repeat the course. Make friends with the instructor. Take notes. Keep a list of possible future contacts. You will know you are ready when you can list in considerable detail all the sub-contracts their order and relations to each other. You can save 20 to 30% and get the house you want not what some prostitute architec's idea of what can be built cheaply and sold in the hundreds. It takes balls, but if you dicipline yourself and work hard, you can do it.
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