Which is cheaper - having a basement built or building a story of a house yourself?

Both having a basement and a basic slab floor will require some excavation. The basement will require heavier equipment and more work than just prepping a slab floor. The cost of a basement will be the more expensive of the two. As to what you put on the slab - that's going to have its associated costs too.

Since doing a basement yourself requires you to know how to operate heavy machinery, if you can do that and rent the equipment then it will most certainly be cheaper than paying someone to do it for you. But the cost of that versus the cost of building a second story onto a house yourself, I'd think - or should I say "Guess" is that building the second level yourself will be much less expensive than paying someone to dig a basement for you.

Hope this helps.

'av'a g'day mate.

'')

Boy are you in for a big surprise. Contractors love to run into people like you who know nothing about the trade. They will promise you one thing and deliver another at a new cost. Unless you have a lot of experience in building hire someone to be the general contractor. The over runs will eat you alive.

Everything you do to put down a slab you have to do for a basement. Seweage lines, power lines, etc, except for the brick walls that a basement requires and the first set of floor joist. So, yes a basement is cheap.

You should really visit homes just like the one you want to build and decide if that home is really the one for you because once it's started any change is going to cost you big bucks. So decide and cast it in concrete that the plan you chose is the one you want.

Also, get a good lawyer to write up your contracts between the subcontractors so you don't get taken.

To do most of the work yourself. That is the cheapest way in all honesty. There really is no difference in pricing from stick built to systems built homes. Also, you are on the right track building a 2 story instead of a ranch as most of your cost is eaten up in basement and roof trusses. You considerably cut down basement size and the amount of trusses with a 2 story. My advice, shop around. Get quotes and bids and do not jump into anything. Builders go over, most often, so be careful! Our builder went over 22k on our new house, it was a nightmare! Also, it is ok to cut corners on certain items. You do not need the most expensive tub surround, carpet or countertops. However well insulated windows are a good call. An appraisal will not judge your home by the brand name of the items in it, just that they are newer. Do not stick money in where you do not need to.

With current steel form concrete casting, a basement

is the cheapest floor area you can buy.

Also makes plumbing & wiring a whole lot easier in labor costs.

obviously building it yourself on a slab would be the most affordable option

sorry to say but you needing to ask makes me wonder if you two have the skills or experience needed to even tackle such a project - your basement cost is for raw unfinished space, not a studded, drywalled living space with electric, plumbing, HVAC and flooring.