South Dakota couple built a 3,600 sq. ft. home for $410,000 — but 3 advantages helped make it possible

Mike Crisolago

Sun, August 2, 2026 at 3:30 PM GMT+3 6 min read

shutterstock.com / Irene Miller

When Allison Brown and her husband bought land in a South Dakota golfing community in 2022, they planned to hire a contractor to build them a house. But after receiving estimates of between $650,000 and $800,000 for the job, they told People that they decided to make themselves a home.

So the couple began building in April 2025, managing the project while getting their hands dirty with "rock hauling, siding, insulation, flooring and masonry" among other tasks, along with shopping for deals on decor and working weekends and holidays to complete the job. A year later, they finished their family's new 3,600-square-foot home.

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And along with the gratification of knowing that they built their own home, the couple also had the satisfaction of beating contractor estimates by doing it for about $410,000 — or nearly $400,000 less than some of the quotes they received.

"You need to be fully confident that no matter what issues come your way, you're going to make it happen… it just takes determination and perseverance," Brown told People of the house build. "If you have those, you're good to go."

And while that may be true, the couple also enjoyed a few other advantages that allowed them to make their dream home a reality.

The factors that helped make a $410,000 dream home build possible

The average cost to build a new home in the U.S. is $322,924, according to Angi.com, with a general range between $138,769 and $530,862. Of course, the site adds, various factors can impact the price, from labor costs to the number of bedrooms you want — which, they warn, can add between $20,000 and $80,000 per bedroom to the cost of the home.

As well, there's also location, location, location. A new build in California ($458,000) will cost you more than one in Michigan ($291,000).

A 2024 survey by Hippo Insurance, meanwhile, warns that errors during DIY home projects cost 58% of homeowners extra cash, while almost half of homeowners underestimated the time commitment required to finish their project.

With that said, finishing a 3,600-square-foot home in about a year proved a remarkable achievement for Brown and her husband. But the couple also has three factors working in their favor beyond "determination and perseverance":

1. Brown's husband and father-in-law are both experienced homebuilders

This was likely the couple's biggest advantage. Brown told People that her husband learned the craft of homebuilding from his father and that that deep knowledge "was a huge factor in why we were able to make this happen."

2. They were able to save for the project thanks to incredibly low living expenses

Before building their home, Brown and her husband and children lived in a 1,500-square-foot trailer where total monthly expenses were about $600 — allowing them to save for the homebuilding project.

Brown added that, "If we had a traditional mortgage or rent payment that was double that, we never would have been able to save like we did."

3. Their savings also meant that they could keep their trailer as an added income source

Funding your own home build can get costly. Luckily, Brown and her husband kept their trailer and converted it into an Airbnb, creating another income source that allowed her to

"make more money than if [she] got a regular 9-5 job."

None of this, of course, takes away from what Brown — who didn't return Moneywise's request for comment — and her husband accomplished in building their home. It simply offers important context for anyone looking to emulate their example and build their own dream home.

The hidden costs and challenges that can derail your dream home

It's crucial to remember that there's more that goes into building your own home than financing and construction know-how.

Daniel Amodeo, President of Amo Realty, has helped customers buy land, as well as new and existing homes, for nearly 20 years. He told Moneywise that "a piece of land that looks inexpensive can quickly become very expensive if it requires significant grading or utility work."

He says prospective builders "should understand zoning restrictions, utility availability, septic or sewer requirements" and other site-related issues, prepare for unexpected expenses and remember that, aside from construction costs, "financing costs, insurance, taxes, landscaping, utility connections and other expenses" all add up.

Oren Amir, founder of Go Home Builders — a Los Angeles-based design-build company — told Moneywise that "building a house is not one large project." Instead, he explained, "it is dozens of small businesses arriving at the same address, and someone has to make sure they all work from the same plan."

Amir said prospective owner-builders should honestly assess whether they have the time, organization and technical judgment to coordinate subcontractors, schedules, materials and other demands of the job. He added that common missteps — including starting before designs are finalized, ordering materials too early and overlooking how one trade affects another during a build — can lead to mistakes that cost time and money.

Amodeo ultimately recommends comparing the total cost of building a home with the cost of buying a comparable home in the same area because sometimes "existing homes may offer better value once you factor in land, site work, permits, financing and construction costs."

Zillow, for example, reports that the average South Dakota home costs $325,618 — around $84,000 less than Brown and her husband paid to build their own home.

And Amir added that, if you do build your own home, consider hiring an experienced construction manager or consultant to review plans, compare bids and catch any problems early.

"The smartest owner-builder is not the person who proves they can do everything alone," Amir said. "It is the person who recognizes which mistakes are too expensive to learn firsthand."