I encourage everyone to go attempt to build a house for themselves. It takes away the armchair quarterbacking once you add up the Home Depot receipts.

* * *

I did this actually, and the pluses were:

- Dollar cost was 1/4 to 1/3 what a builder estimated. (Labor savings)

- I saw continuous progress with no surprise delays.

- It was easier and cheaper to do custom solutions or adjustments as unforseen issues came up.

- Was fun and I learned a lot.

Minuses:

- Material costs were higher than if contractors bought due to retail purchasing.

- It took over a year, versus 5-6 month estimate from builders.

- Was a lot of personal time and learning.

>It took over a year, versus 5-6 month estimate from builders.

Depending on how they actually worked in practice, it may have taken them a year too.

The Stud Pack channel on YT is now essentially a father-son general contracting duo who recently relocated to Houston from somewhere in Louisiana, and are building a new house (and demolishing an old one).

They have excellent general contractor skills, but no experience in whole house construction. It has already been an interesting ride (as of now, they have dealt with soil conditions and dug grade beam trenches for the garage foundation), and there's still 98% of it left to play out over time.