Either I have a very unrealistic view of construction costs, or my design is so unusual that builders are bidding high because they just don't know, but the bids I've received for construction are way out of the range I hoped they would be. And I made significant concessions during the design process, in the attempt to keep costs down. This is actually my 3rd set of revisions and the bids are still coming in around 300K for construction. I can't afford that.

In the image above, the main home is the larger "pod". The second structure will be the utility/mud room and the place where the dachshunds will spend their time when I'm not home. The garage is the square section. All under a conventional roof (to save money - I actually wanted a flat roof).

Sometime today, I hope to hear back from one of the lenders about a "pre-qualification" application I submitted late last week. Once I know for certain how much I can qualify to borrow (and whether or not it's in my "comfort zone"), I'll decide how to proceed. I may have to simply write off the architectural fees and start again from scratch, or have the plans adjusted for wood construction, although that would not be my preference. The whole house was designed with the intention of being one I can age into gracefully, while providing maximum safety for myself and the little ones in my care and minimizing likely maintenance costs in the future.

Keep us in your thoughts, gang.