The Percentages of Owner Builders

Believe it or not, 80% of the homes built in Austria are built by owner builders. Ireland is at the 50% mark.  In fact, most of Europe is at or above 50%.  So where does the U.S. stand?  Approximately 30% of the homes built here are by owner builders.  So why is there such a big difference between the U.S. and Europe?  Does anyone out there know why so many more people in Europe build their own home?

If you are looking for some in-depth analysis, you can check out an international study completed by the National Self Build Association in the UK.

The UK's Big Push

Apparently the UK is on a big push to increase their number of owner builders (a.k.a. Self Builders in the UK).  According to UK housing minister Grant Shapps, "Self builders deliver affordable, greener and more innovatively-designed homes, and make a big contribution to the number of new homes built in this country. But there is still significant opportunity for growth in the sector which can only be opened up if Government and industry work together."

The U.S. Needs to Get with The Program

It's only a matter of time before the people in Washington, D.C. realize that owner built projects add high quality, unique housing while helping the overall economy.  Housing recently hit an all-time high for affordabilty in the U.S.  Why not push it a little further by putting together programs that would make it easier for owner builders to build a new home?

One only needs to look at Habitat for Humanity to see a real success story of people building their own homes.  Sure, the community chips in time and talent to help, but the future homeowners put in a minimum of 500 hours of their own labor to build their home or those of others.  Can you name a similar group in the U.S. that builds homes this way successfully?  Anyone? Anyone?  I'll take the Amish for $1200 Alex.  That's right, the Amish have been helping each other build homes and barns for years.

There's Help for You If You Want it

There is a whole community of people online that are dedicated to helping you build your own home as an owner builder.  There are loads of free videos available as well.  How about you?  Have you ever built your own home or addition?  Have you ever dreamed of building your own home?