Construction methods for DIY home building...

[O.S.O.K.]

I am still in the process of getting the land purchased - lawyer has the contract and will forward when OK'd - then I get that signed and all of the other stuff is done - title search, etc..

But I'm thinking ahead. What kind of construction method will I use to build my house?

I've thought of using traditional pier and beam/stick construction... but then there are so many other options.

One that I'm looking at hard is to use conform compressed polystyrene blocks to make the structure - which is then fitted with rebar and filled with concrete. This can be used for making a basement and/or the whole structure. The advantages of this are many. The blocks are really light weight - you off-load them yourself. They are very easy to place and you can literally have the whole structure in-place in a matter of a long day or two. The interior is then laid-out with electical - you just route out the styrofoam to make room for the conduits and outlets and then using adhesive, you place your drywall - no worrying about lining it up with studs... The exterior can be finished in a variety of ways - non of which give away the actual nature of the construction - very cool.

Keep in mind, that all of this is being done by moi. No labor charges. I am comfortable laying out the electric and plumbing - but will have professionals come in and finish off the jobs and inspect what I've done.

My wife likes this idea as it gives her a basement. She's been watching the news and all of the tornados going through the area....

I've been looking at all kinds of stuff - using shipping containers, compressed earth brick. log homes and concrete log homes (these are very cool but not cheap).

The idea is to get something that leaves us with very little if any debt. We will be selling our place in Texas and using the proceeds to pay for the house construction... at least that's the idea.

If all goes well, we should be able to get this all paid in full within 8 years or so.

Anybody have any other ideas for alternative/economical construction methods?