[tejohnso]

Most people talk about land being the main cost barrier, but there are plenty of other costs that add up to the point where you're better off buying a standard resale home.

Having acquired land and being accustomed to living in ~600sqft all my adult life I thought I could build a reasonable living space for about $50,000. Once I started looking into it I ran into:

  - land clearing / prep ~$10,000
  - utility hookups and equipment ~$15,000
  - impact fees & permitting ~$5,000
  - foundation ~$5,000

Then comes the actual house construction. I was hoping for a company that would provide a livable shell that I could then improve upon while living in it. Long story short, it just didn't work out at the price I was hoping for.

[ek750]

I'm curious if you would share the additional costs you found beyond the land/clearing. And what area of the country are you looking at?