In our last article we looked at the total number of owner builders that completed their own dream home last year. So we know a lot of people took on the challenge of building their own home as the general contractor. But where were the most owners builders located? Were there more homes built by owners in the West or South? Let’s take a look at how those homes were distributed throughout the U.S. in 2013 based on the U.S. Census Bureau numbers.
Owner Builders Per U.S. Census Bureau
Owner Builders in South
Looking at the chart above we see that almost half of the owner builders that started homes in 2013 were in the South. The interesting thing is that these numbers over time have been consistent in terms of percentages per region. Yes, the overall number of owner builders dropped during the housing downturn, but the percentages remained pretty consistent. Is there a reason for such a small relative number in the Northeast and large relative number in the South? It could be that building codes and owner builder requirements are less stringent in the Southern states. My experience as a builder is that codes in the northeast are more stringent than most other areas but this may or may not have an impact on the number of owner builders.
Limitations of Census Numbers
There are some limitations to these numbers from the Census Bureau. First, as indicated in the pie chart these percentages are based on single family home starts…not completions. So if someone were to pull a permit and not finish the home, the number is still counted. This is probably a small number but still something to keep in mind. The other limitation is in the survey itself. Since these numbers were gathered from permits pulled, any homes built without a permit would not be counted. My guess is there is probably a higher percentage of owner builders in non-permit issuing areas of the U.S. Remember, about five percent of the population lives outside of municipal jurisdictions and therefore do not apply for a permit when building. So, there is a good chance the numbers tallied by the Census Bureau are understated. However, the relative percentages should still be accurate.
If you missed our last article discussing the total number of owner builders in the U.S. you can check it out here. If you are thinking of building a home and becoming an armchair builder, you may want to check out our latest e-Book, Building a Home: A Step by Step Guide.
