$100.00 a SF to build?

[papabear]

We are thinking we would like to have a home built here in Wisconsin.It is a very basic home measuring 28'x44' with a two and a half car garage.(28'x68')It would be a little over 1,200 sf,three bedroom,one and a half bath,with all vinyl siding.Basicly it will be a rectangle shape using middle grade materials.Also,it would have a full,poured foundation.
I was given a $100.00 sf figure by the builder without them seeing an actual plan.The question is does $100.00 a sf sound about right taking in all the veriables such as material choices,location,etc.Ofcourse that figure is without the cost of the lot
If anyone that can give me any input I would truly be thankful.Just trying to decide if this is something we should persue before having plans drawn,bothering builders,etc. Thank you

 

[Cottonhawk]

The cost of building depends great deal upon the workmanship, grade of material, complexity of the electrical and plumbing systems, etc. Over here where we live, $100 psf is very reasonable price for middle grade material. One way you can look at it is to compare the price to the houses on the market.

 

[dubba]

Quite a few of the city folk that built some new houses down at the end of my street were apparently happy with 125-130 per square foot

 

[BillyP]

A nice nothing fancy brick house on a concrete slab will run you around $70.00 per sq ft in this area.

 

[sawdust_maker]

$100 a foot is quite reasonable, especially with a full basement. I'd even say its low. A recent basic (modular) home that I saw a price on was closer to $130 a foot. Building materials have gone up quite a bit the last few years. Remember that a lot of the cost of a home is in things like the kitchen and bath. Its easy to go over budget. On the other hand, cheaper components in the kitchen and bath may need replacement sooner.

John

 

[EddieWalker]

An article that I read in one of the trade magazines that I recieve said that the biggest price on building a home was labor. The goal of all the biggest home builders in the country is to cut down on what the spend on labor to improve profits. Their goals were all to get labor expenses to 60% of the house, but none of them are there yet.

Homes here are on slab foundations,( no basements) with brick siding. I can build a mid level home for $60 a foot with some nice features pretty easily. The rectangular shape will help allot at keeping costs down, but then your big expenses will be on finish. Lights, floors, cabinets and all the little stuff will really run up the finish price. Labor here is pretty low. I can get day unskilled labor for $8 to $10 an hour. Skilled trades are in the $15 to $20 an hour range. Remember, Texas doesn't have any state income tax and low property taxes, so we can live better on less per hour then people in other states with higher taxes.

As a comparison, I was involved in a few homes in California about five years ago that were over $300 a ft to build. They were very plane compared to a house that sells for $80 a foot down here.

A $100 a ft house here will put you on a lake, a golf course or a very fancy, high end home with granite counters, real wood floors and crown moldings throughout.

My personal home is only 1,000 sq feet. It's a very small 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom that I built two years ago for $35 a ft. That price will rise this winter when we put in laminate wood flooring. We tried to cut a corner and stain the concrete slab ourselves. That failed pretty bad, so now we're going spend a grand on the wood.

Shop around for your builder. Most will know ways to save you money on your building, or at least point out things on a plan that are costing you extra money. Dormer windows are real nice looking, but when you figure labor, material and finish, they add $2,000 each to a house.

Eddie

 

[Willl]

in this area.

And where might that be ?

 

[BillyP]

And where might that be ?

To be exact, Eagletown OK but I figured my signature would give a hint to the state?

 

[gotrocks]

My thinking on SF pricing is that it is just a "guesstimate" way of doing business.

Say you want to build a compact 3 bedroom with 2 baths and a builder prices it at $100 / SF for 1500 SF = $15,000

Then you decide to change the floor plan and end up with 1650 SF, nothing changes except the room dimensions.
If he charges $100 SF for the additional 150 SF their will be more profit in that job.
Why? Because the most expensive items have not changed.
Number of doors, windows, plumbing fixtures etc.
Another thing that use to bug me is why design a bedroom to be say 10x11 feet. When sheetrocking the walls & ceiling,
most of the time 1 foot will go to the scrap pile, when the carpet is installed a foot is cut off and wasted.
Well that's just my idea that may be open for discussion.
Good luck with your new home. Don't pay in advance.

 

[Kenrik]

My thinking on SF pricing is that it is just a "guesstimate" way of doing business.

Say you want to build a compact 3 bedroom with 2 baths and a builder prices it at $100 / SF for 1500 SF = $15,000

Then you decide to change the floor plan and end up with 1650 SF, nothing changes except the room dimensions.
If he charges $100 SF for the additional 150 SF their will be more profit in that job.
Why? Because the most expensive items have not changed.
Number of doors, windows, plumbing fixtures etc.
Another thing that use to bug me is why design a bedroom to be say 10x11 feet. When sheetrocking the walls & ceiling,
most of the time 1 foot will go to the scrap pile, when the carpet is installed a foot is cut off and wasted.
Well that's just my idea that may be open for discussion.
Good luck with your new home. Don't pay in advance.

I think you should re-check your math... $ 100.00 P/SF. for 1500 SF
is $150,000.00 not $15,000.00.
Depending on where you are located ... compared to the northeast $100.00 P/SF. is a very fair price