Ballpark custom builds start at around $150 a square foot and go up to the sky is the limit. A difficult to access site could increase those base costs. Most banks who would finance a build have a wary eye towards homeowner involvement. Most contractors too. It messes up the timeline, and time is money.

Not to say that it is impossible to find ones that will work with you, but in a boom cycle, it will he extremely challenging. Unless you are an all cash build, are OK with an extended timeline, and pay a bit of a premium.

Start your process with a visit to a local architect. A small urban lot will be a bit more difficult to design to than acreage. You want to be sure that you have plenty of time to get this right. Parking and automobile storage is usually the biggest challenge with narrow lots. There simply aren't a lot of ways to do that and have a house look mostly like a house and not a garage with a small accessory building.

Here in the rural south, you could get that built for under $100 a square foot turnkey, but that would be on a slab. Adding a full basement would push it up considerably. There may be other caveats, especially if you want to do some of your own work. Depending upon your local zoning and building departments, there may be limitations on what you're allowed to do, and there may be time limits as well. If you are financing, good luck getting a bank to go along with DIY work. Building codes are changing rapidly, and some areas have stringent requirements that add to the cost as well. Some areas have exorbitant permit fees, too. I have a friend who paid $66,000 in permit fees! By contrast, we only paid $400 in SC. You might want to look into this a little before you even start your design to make sure there are no hidden costs that could torpedo the project before you even start.

Go for a modular that you can get "shelled out," that is, finished to the drywall stage. Then do the kitchen, baths, flooring, and paint yourself. But first, set your budget. Then figure out how many square feet you can get for that budget.

Scone911,

i have been reading about that and I think that may be my option. I know I would have to pay cash for that because I don't think a bank would loan for an unfinished house. I renovated a house from 1918 over several years and I really wish I had lived with the house longer before I did the renovations. By the time I finished it my taste had radically changed and I ending up selling. A shell that had enough to get me a certificate of occupancy may be the solution. The modular I owned was the most trouble free home I have ever owned. I had to move for work and I was sorry to leave behind. Oh, and I sold that house for a profit.

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