@clayvaulin >if you have a habitat for humanity near you you can learn how houses are built on the lower priced end of normal
I have observed a number of building techniques and can picture them, but I haven't observed a cheap house being constructed.

>otherwise youd better learn building codes well and find an engineer to sign off on everything to keep the clipboard nazis off your ass.
I'm aware that the government will do everything possible to stop me from having freedom, but ideally they'll never know if it's not visible from the road and I do know a architect and an electrician that ideally could check my work (I'm not planning on pushing the structural envelope either).

>the advantage of a fixer upper is as long as you dont do anything visible from the outside, you dont need a permit or inspections.
You do actually need a permit and inspections for everything, it's just that they clearly can't do anything about what they don't learn about.