They came to a Chimorel Introductory Meeting, then logged onto Chimorel’s website and learned how they could save at least 20% building their dream home. They paid a $575 application fee to apply to Chimorel’s Home Builder Program. They did not receive the $5000 down-payment grant (only one of 25 applicants will) but they used their application fee as part of the $2000-5000 cost of learning how to build their home and save 20-50%.

       They talked to a farmer who sold them two acres for $10,000 after discovering that a quarter acre lot offered by a developer would cost $35,000. They modified a stock plan available in a magazine to meet their needs and got the plan approved. They acted as their own general contractor and working with Chimorel were able to buy their materials wholesale, cut tough deals with subcontractors and got some of their friends to help them with part of the work they decided to do themselves. They built a $275,000 home for about $175,000. There were a lot of headaches along the way. Sometimes they wondered if it really was worth it. Then they calculated that after taxes and financing the $100,000 savings would require them to earn an additional $200,000 to get the same house built by a builder. They decided that maybe they could retire a lot sooner than they had planned.