Welcome to this blog about building a home debt-free, by a person with no prior building experience. Is this project possible?

How much money does it take to build a home in 2023?

None! That’s right – it doesn’t take a penny to build a home. For real.

It takes materials, labor, and knowledge. But what if you don’t have any of these? That’s where the money comes in. No everyday person who works 9-5 has the materials, time, and expertise to build something as complicated as a home – we just can’t do it alone…or do we just think we can’t?

Humanity started out in the wilderness, without any of the innovations of the common era. Gradually, over the centuries we’ve become accustomed to the ways of the modern world: huge steel structures, heavy furniture, complex electrical and plumbing work in our homes, and an overarching feeling of intimidation surrounding the very dwellings we live in.

This intimidation makes the average common person like me want to run to the nearest selling entity of a move-in-ready, professionally designed, “safe” abode and beg for favor. But the system caught on long ago: the more needed and in demand an object is, the higher the price tag can go. Eventually though, it doesn’t matter how high the demand for something is, if the price is too high, nobody can afford it anymore which drives the cost back down, right?

Why then, is the cost of a modest 2 bedroom single-family starter home in Nowhere, NC over $250,000? Housing is a fundamental need. So no matter how high the price, we will have to find a way to pay it, and are in essence practically required to live well beyond our means, in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt just for a place to live. This is what we’re used to, but is there a better way?

Why I started the debt-free home project…

Building debt-free isn’t a new idea. After all, our ancestors did it. But even in recent years, there’s a growing movement of people building tiny homes, small dwellings, and mobile structures for far less than the cost of a traditional home. Further, the off-grid lifestyle and tiny house movement caught on so well that many companies are popping up, with offers to build your custom “dream” tiny home for a nominal 6-figure fee – give or take.

Unfortunately, complicated permitting and zoning laws from the county, HOAs, POAs, and the like are strengthening the mentality that a “professional” is required to do any and all hands-on work on your home – even a simple tiny house structure. This drives the cost of building up despite the decrease in house size. We need an alternative.

Of course, building your own home DIY might not be a feasible solution for everyone. But to bring living costs back down to an affordable level, we need to seek alternatives. Those of us who can should attempt a debt-free home project, and learn the skills to build for those who can’t. I hope this project inspires others to step outside their comfort zone as well.

Conclusion

Although it seems like it would take forever to build your own home, how much time do we use up house-hunting, begging banks and mortgage companies, and then stressing over high-costs and debt? If everyone invested that energy in helping each other out, donating time and materials, and caring for their neighbor, maybe we wouldn’t need the banks anymore.

Is it possible to build a debt-free home? Absolutely!

But whether or not I can do it…

To be determined. Follow along to find out!