Planning for a Home

While I'm beginning to fall in love with our little condo (it has only been four years...) the hubs and I can't help but look towards the future. We have been a little hesitant to jump on a lot of the potentially great deals on the market, particularly because we know first hand that unless something is EXACTLY what we're looking for, it's wiser just to wait it out. And also because our condo is now worth about $20k less than what we owe, so escaping these tiny walls can prove to be a bit of a challenge.

In the meantime, I'm having a blast daydreaming about what our home will look like. The last few years we have had a lot of time to discuss and consider what our ideal place would be like, and this is Our List:

• Location - Ideally Redmond or the Eastside (Redmond, Kirkland, or Woodinville, perhaps Bellevue), but potentially North Seattle (I love Lake Forest Park, Edmonds is nice too).
• Land - .25 acres to 1.0 acre of land - at least enough room for a small garden with a southern exposure.
• Size - House should be no greater than 1500 sq/f - we don't entertain often (if at all), and I don't relish spending a lot of time cleaning.
• Details - Two stories, basement, detached garage with room for woodworking.

Sadly, not a whole lot of homes match our list. They are either way too big or with a teeny tiny plot of land. And basements are really hard to find.

But what if we built our own home? It'd require a good chunk of cash, much more than buying a home outright.. but if we're stuck waiting around anyway, wouldn't it be nice to move over to something that is perfect for us?

This is where Tumbleweed Houses come in. They specialize in small homes (and extremely teeny tiny houses too - we're talking ~100sq/f). All of the plans are built to be efficient and cost effective. And the last year and a half I keep coming back to one plan - the B-53.

This model is a whopping 777sq/ft, with two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Too small? Maybe. But with a fully finished basement you would add another 384 sq/f, for a total of 1161 sq/f of living space.

How much would this cost? Well, with the helpful folks at building-cost.net, the tally comes up to... (drum roll please..) $166,983!

This does not include the cost of land, or bringing utilities to the site, or any government-mandated site development fees. But it is fun to consider- and honestly I'm tempted to find out what percentage of cash is needed to get started on such a project- we're guessing at least 50%. Want to know how the costs breakdown? Click here!