Building a Smiling Woods Yurt

[spaldon]

We are contemplating buying land and building a Smiling WOods Yurt. We like the idea of longevity and solidity with the wooden walls. I am wondering if anyone has done this about how much they spent for construction. I have estimated out that after purchasing the kit and having it shipped and building a post and pier foundation that we are starting around 82,000 before building costs. I have no clue how to estimate how much to actually put the structure together or who I would even get to help me do that? I basically need all the information I can get before we put our home on the market next week. We are in northern NJ. Thank you!

[Bob Rowlands]

I can't help you with hard costs only guesswork. Your yurt supplier might be able to give you a rough idea of estimating yurt erection and platform costs in your area of the country. They might be able to give you a lead on construction company they have worked with.

If you are building a 30' platform, I'd guess 50K for deck and yurt erection. 25K for permits, plumbing base, and electric off pole to your site. 40K for interior walls plumbing drywall, some cabs and doors, flooring, bath. etc. that includes labor. Add 10% for 'whatever' and I 'll guess 125K. This might be way high, it might be way low, it might be close. Beats me but that is my guess based on being a carpenter. NJ is expensive relative to CO where I live. If you get a crew of contstruction 'hlppies' that do alternative structures it might be a whole lot less. This is mere speculation. ALWAYS figure it will be more than you expect and 10% is a reasonable overage on any hard cost breakdown. For sure you need good numbers f you go to bank for construction loan. If you outright sell your home and make 200K clear after taxes you just might not need a loan.


Anyway, good luck.

[Bob Rowlands]

It's very expensive to build nowadays. Keep in mind most of that cost is this. There aren't enough zeros in the income of land sales, developers, builders, banks, suppliers, and people that flap their gums to make a living. All the people on the cream end that drive new vehicles, are fat and have soft hands, and see money way differently then the lean tough guys on site actually doing the work.

You CAN find crews that will do good work for very reasonable cost relative to 'mainstream' companies. The way to find these guys is through asking friends, walking on construction sites where framers are working and asking them. You gotta be creative.

Another thing, if there's a fat old guy that climbs out of a new truck doing the estimating he will likely be more expensive than a young lean guy that looks like he works. You can tell alot by looking at what shape the estimater is in, and how rough his hands are, and how transparent he is in conversation. Just saying.

[spaldon]

Thank you bob. We are working to find local contractors to work with us

Originally Posted by Bob Rowlands

It's very expensive to build nowadays. Keep in mind most of that cost is this. There aren't enough zeros in the income of land sales, developers, builders, banks, suppliers, and people that flap their gums to make a living. All the people on the cream end that drive new vehicles, are fat and have soft hands, and see money way differently then the lean tough guys on site actually doing the work.

You CAN find crews that will do good work for very reasonable cost relative to 'mainstream' companies. The way to find these guys is through asking friends, walking on construction sites where framers are working and asking them. You gotta be creative.

Another thing, if there's a fat old guy that climbs out of a new truck doing the estimating he will likely be more expensive than a young lean guy that looks like he works. You can tell alot by looking at what shape the estimater is in, and how rough his hands are, and how transparent he is in conversation. Just saying.

[Asheville Yurt Company]

Hi Spaldon,

Usual construction costs run about $120-$150 per square foot for move-in but depends a lot on interior finishes and how much work you do yourself or are willing to manage yourself.

It also depends on your local labor costs of course. Keep in mind that the cheapest isn't always the best. Just look for someone who does what they say they will do, not take shortcuts, and don't do "deposits" for work coming up. That should keep you with relatively reliable help.

Many places you can be your own General Contractor if you are building your own home but be prepared for a pretty steep learning curve if you haven't done it before. It's not rocket science but you need attention to detail.

Good luck with your build!

Nate
Asheville Yurt Company

[Bob Rowlands]

I've been a carpenter since 1973. The building industry has its share of bottom dwellers. There are also plenty of good tradesmen as well. You need to talk with folks you might be hiring to where you sense they aren't full of crap. You really need to go with a gut feeling. Are they on time for your meeting? Did they smile and shake your hand? Do they look like they work? Are they taking notes? Have they been around your area a few years? Is there a work portfolio in their phone? Do they have contacts for others they have worked for? How transparent are they?

Guys that show up walk around hands in pocket holding a phone, and write a dollar number on a business card are gonna take short cuts. You can tell how much detail oriented they are by how they pay attention to detail on site.

You can get more info about what to talk about with contractors, online. The more detail oriented they are the better. Anyone that has followed my posts here over the years could tell you I'm an 'A' dog in that regard. Good luck.