Mother's Low-Cost Home-Building Contest: The Winners

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WINNER

Owners: the Marquardts
Designers: the owners
Builders: the owners
Location: Mediapolis, Iowa
Type of Construction: log
Square Footage: 1,580
Material Cost: $8,890
Cost per Square Foot: $5.60
Special features: Half of the 252 logs came from a state forest for $1.00 each; the other half were traded for clearing work. The roof is insulated to R-44, the walls to about R-14, and the floor to R-21. The total heating and cooling bill for 1983 was $158, of which $40 went for chain saw maintenance to keep the two woodstoves supplied.

WINNER

Owners: Richard and Susan Mason
Designers: the owners
Builders: the owners
Location: Charlton, Massachusetts
Type of Construction: post-and-beam
Square Footage: 1,600
Material Cost: $5,690 + $2,600 sawmill
Cost per Square Foot: $3.55
Special features: All timbers were sawn from trees on the property or salvaged from an old barn. The interior paneling and exterior siding were cut from trees onsite, and the chimney was built from fieldstone on-site. All space and water heating comes from a woodstove built by the owners. All wood flooring (pegged and tongueand-groove pine and oak) was cut on-site two years before being laid. The owners plan to recoup the cost of the sawmill by doing outside saw work.

WINNER

Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Glen L. Fletcher Jr.
Designers: the owners Builders: the owners
Location: Lewiston, Michigan
Type of Construction: post-and-beam with cordwood masonry
Square Footage: 1,540
Material Cost: $13,450
Cost per Square Foot: $8.75
Special features: All posts and beams and all cordwood masonry are from cedar logs cut on the owners' land and dried for 2-1/2 years. The owners also salvaged two barns for wood, bricks, and nine tons of stone. All backup heat is from a woodstove.

WINNER

Owner: Leon D. Finley
Designer: the owner
Builder: the owner
Location: Thompson Falls, Montana
Type of Construction: superinsulated, double-wall
Square Footage: 1,150 Material Cost: $6,000
Cost per Square Foot: $5.20
Special features: A very high R-value, a double vapor barrier, and a ground-coupled air exchanger allow this house to be heated by a 1,500-watt space heater at -25°F! Total heating bill for 12 months, from July to July, was $84. The owner estimates that the house could be duplicated for about $9,500.

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