estimates

now, to start out, I'm going to list the original estimates we, (my brothers ben, sam and I,) put together. there were just random guesses, with little basis in fact. some of the prices, like the appliences, came from Lowes.

Lumber $1850
Tin Roofing and Siding $1400
Doors $600
Windows $300
Insulation $2100
Fridge $1000
Stove $650
Toilet $50
Sinks $200
Shower $400
Air Conditioners $300
Nails $100
Misc $200
____________________________________________
Total =$9150


now, a couple of notes. firstly, you may notice this is missing a few things. most importantly, cement blocks for the house to be built on. also, house wrap, kitchen sink, etc. I'm going to go over some items that need clarifying.

***Tin Roofing and Siding $1400. The roof being tin just made sense. the siding however was something we thought about for a while. Hardi-board is a common choice, or vinyl siding. however, we dislike the look of most vinyl siding, and there's a chance that the hardi-board would break in transit. (this house is meant to be moved, remember?) tin seemed the logical choice, and ben found some really cool pictures of some tin sided houses in Dwell magazine.
***Doors $600. These were french doors at the beginning of the planning.
***Windows $300. This was for 2-3 windows, I can't remember now. standard size, maybe 3'x4' or something. not insulated though.
***Insulation $2100. This is Icynene insulation. it's generally 3x more expensive then standard insulation, but 5 times more efficient. or that's what we've heard. my cousin installs it, and he's who we learned about it from. he put it into his tiny house, and an energy auditor said the heating and cooling AC bill shouldn't be more the $20 a month. that was with a solid wood door, and 3 small windows. part of the reason for moving is the price I pay every month to live, and getting the electricity bill from $150 to $20-$50 is a huge start.
***Fridge, Stove, AC, Toilet, Sinks. Average prices from Lowes.
***Shower $400. this was the price of a prefab unit from Lowes.

so, at the beginning, we were looking at $9150, a nice good bit from $10,000. however it's missing some major things we need for a house, and also these prices weren't real accurate. so, moving on.