Cordwood Construction - Costs

Costs

A cordwood home can be constructed for significantly less initial cost than a standard stick frame house of comparable size if labor is done primarily by the owner or volunteers. If a cordwood wall is built competently by its owner, it will not only require less long- term maintenance but also be cheaper to construct. Likewise, if a cordwood house is poorly built with insufficient insulation, heating costs will be higher than a traditional stud frame house.

In a 1998 comparative economic analysis of stud frame, cordwood, straw bale, and cob, cordwood appears to be an economically viable alternative. A two story 2,512 sq ft (233.4 m2). cordwood house in Cherokee, North Carolina outfitted with “high quality tile, tongue and groove pine, Russian woodstove, live earth roof, hand shaped cedar trim, raised panel cabinets, and a handmade pine door,” cost the owner an estimated $52,000. With the owner providing 99% of the labor, the house cost him $20.70 per sq. ft. A comparably sized and furnished stick frame house in 1998 would cost between $75,000- $120,000 with zero owner labor. The 1997 residential cost data shows an "average" trim level 1000- 2,000 sq ft (190 m2). house costing $64.48- $81. 76 per sq. ft. Both the acquisition of materials and source of labor play major roles in the initial cost of building a cordwood house.