My husband and I are in the planning stages of building a new home. Because we have a tight budget we would like to know which plans are more cost effective. The restristions call for a minimum house size of 2500 sq.ft. We'd like to stay as close to that as possible. Is it cheaper to build all one level or to do a 2 story or split level? Is it more effective to build w/ a crawl space or slab? We are in south Louisiana, so no basements!We also want to include Green building practices as well as passive solar design and solar panels if possible. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Two story is definiely cheaper..half the roof, half the foundation compared to one story. As to crawl space vs. slab, being in Pennsylvania, I will let local people comment on that, because I'm not familiar with your soil conditions or the general building practices in Louisiana.

Solar design, if passive in nature, costs nothing but some thought and common sense. Solar panels are seldom used HERE because we do not have enough sunny days. "Green" methods are sometimes controversial...they may be green on your site but anything BUT green where the materials are manufactured.

Thanks for the input! We really appreciate it!