New Home Construction Costs

[scoutcub]

Hello All -

I'm currently in the process of clearing some land for a home in northern Ohio, and trying to get some very ROUGH building/material figures for budgeting purposes.
A few specific questions come to mind first.....is the most expensive part of building the foundation and framing? Any formulas for cost of square footage for both? We're contemplating approx 3000' either ranch or 1 1/2 story.
And....to brick or stone the entire house (ala maintenance free) how much % would that add over conventional siding?
And....I'm assuming I should have a well, septic, and power to the site before starting foundation work?
I'm currently working overseas so about the only thing I can do from here is consult this fine board of experience....before I get home and engage an architect/builder. I am also following several building threads with great interest.....thanks in advance!

 

[20 20]

I believe it works out to around $100+ per sq foot?? Foundation well and septic will be extra.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I just last month signed the contract to start building on my new house in Bismarck Arkansas, (Hot Springs County). It is 2308 heated area and 4400 under roof for $187,500. I think the most expensive part is the kitchen. Depending on the amount you want to spend, cabinets can run you from $10K to $50k. I think my allowance was for $16K. $6.50 per sq foot for flooring including installation cost. $5600 for windows and exterior doors. $1500 for light fixtures. You will need to specify the level of quality that you want and materials to use. For instance if you want granite counter tops allow $30 per sq foot to install + cost of material. Natural stone flooring can go from $3-30 per sq foot or more depending on what you select. Concrete is about $165 per cubic yard in may area .
Payment for my house is $20K at finishing of foundation, rough in plumbing and slab floors.
$40K at completion of framing, decking and ordering brick.
$50K at completion of windows, doors, roofing, electrical, insulation and sheet rock, plumbing and HVAC rough in.
$20K at completion of interior finishing, paint, brick and vinyl siding
$57k at completion of interior trim, paint, closets,cabinets, electrical fixtures, HVAC units
Hope this helps. Note that payments may or may not necessarily reflect total cost of installation of those items.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Forget, that is $81 per sq foot cost for heated area, or $42.50 under roof cost. This doesn't include cost of land, sewer, water or electrical power to house. Some of the allowances are somewhat low and will likely spend a little more to upgrade. We have priced out windows and doors and we will be under on that, but flooring was figured on hardwood floor and we will be putting in some marble in about half the house so that will go up, but the hardwood flooring will be a little less I think so it may equal out. We were thinking of granite counter tops but will likely get formica at least in the kitchen.
Sewer and water costs were $6500 contracted thru a licensed plumber. That was the first thing I had put in to service my shop which I built last year.

 

[scoutcub]

Gary;

Hey thanks a lot, very useful info. I'm assuming you're hiring a GC to do everything? I was contemplating being the GC myself, and hiring the subs in. I'd like to pay cash as I go, until I'm out and have to finally pony up to the construction loan/mortgage. I can swing the well, septic and power, but I'm looking for rough figures on how much the foundation and rough framing would be separately. I'm already paying on the land, so that's not a factor. I'd like to go poured walls, probably 10 or 12" thick. I have the equipment to dig the foundation, so it would be the setup and pour only. But I think I read the foundation and framing are the 2 biggest costs in new construction?
I'm curious how the $$ breakdown works in your case? I can see the 20K for the concrete, and 40K for framing, but the 57K for interior work? Is that inclusive of just those items listed?
I do agree with you in that kitchen costs can go thru the roof. (no pun intended) We upgraded our counters to granite, pretty spendy but nice. And I could never understand why wooden boxes with door can cost so much?? (cabinets)

Again, thank you very much for sharing your home details...

 

[herd]

Putting the house "in the dry" is the cheapest and quickest part. You can usually figure 1/3 of overall cost to do that, with a poured wall basement, that might be a little higher. Finishing the outside figure brick or stone will be twice as high as vinyl.

The inside is where the money is at, sheetrock walls are relevatively inexpensive, but everything else will be expensive. Your mechanicals (HVAC, Elec, Plumbing, etc) plus your kitchens, bath, and floor coverings and trim will be where the big money is at. Someone said $100/sq ft, that's pretty close on a nicely built and finished house. You can do $80/sq ft but not finished as nice.

If you act as the General Contractor, you can save a good 10-15%, but man, been there, done that, it is almost a fulltime job. A word of advice tho, if you start out with your every move to save money, then you will not be happy with the house in the end. Thinking you can cut back here and there to save on initial costs and come back in later for the niceties will only cost you dearly in the longrun. By far, any new construction is cheaper that Retro construction. The best time to get what you want is upfront, not later on. I say that with a bias tho, let me explain.

In late 2004, I bought a 1920 sf modular home and delivered price was $63,000. Vinyl siding, 7/12 roof pitch, 30 yr shingles, and I put in on a permanent brick/block foundation wall and about 45 piers. I bought the house raw, meaning sheetrock was hung, not finished, doors, mouldings, were included but not installed, cabinets were in place, and appliance incljuded. Long story short, 7 months and $12,000 later I moved in. I finished the entire inside, sheetrock, painting, trim/moldings, by myself.

Two years later, I built the front porch, 8' wide, 72' long with vinyl railings and columns, cost $10,000. I did all of that myself. This past Novemeber, I began the last addition (from my original plan in '04) of a carport (26x11), screen porch (16x18), covered deck (12x16), and a 240sf (16x15) addition to my den. Cost thus far, $14,000, of which, $7,000 is labor. I no longer can hold out to do my own framing so I had to contract that out.

So, all said and done, when finished, I will have 2,160 heated sf, plus carport, screened porch, deck, and front porch for a cost of about $110,000 and a helluva lot of sweat equity. I can easily sell for at least $175,000 but that's irrevelant, this is my last house.

I can't say it was worth it, for 5.5 years, I have worked on this house or on this property every day, some a little, many days all day. The good news is, I only owe about $25,000 with 4.5 years remaining. So, long-term, it might be worth it, short-term, and if you can afford it, go with a really good GC and a "turn key" deal.

 

[buck12]

Keep in mind that foundation costs in the south are generally much cheaper due to the freeze line. This is the reason basements are not very popular in the south.

 

[herd]

Basements are not popular and are totally uncommon in these parts of the South not because of costs but because of water. The water table here is not too far down and there are ways around that (french drain system/sump pump) but it ain't worth it. We are mostly on very flat ground and surrounded by swamps/wetlands.

But yes, a basement does cost a good bit more and worth it in the right areas.

 

[EddieWalker]

Price to build a house varies with where you are building it. I've built brand new, all brick houses for $55 a foot and sold them for $75 a ft here in East Texas. No basements and slab foundtions. Brick is cheap hear and the labor is also very affordable. Rock is becoming very popular here, and used on almost all the higher end homes. Type of rock and how much is used if a big factor in the cost.

In CA, I worked on homes that cost close to $300 a ft and sold for $320 a ft. Those homes are crap compared to what I can build for $80 a ft here. A $100 sq ft house here is very high end, granite counters, tile floors and vaulted ceilings with a ton of very nice trim work.

When planning a house, a rectangle is going the be the cheapest to build. Think of a moble home and you'll see where the cost savings are. Add to the rectangle and the price to build goes up because it takes longer to build. Foundation work can be a small part of the house, or a big part. It really depends on what you are working with. Once the foundation is in place, it's pretty easy to seal in a house for $15 a ft.

The real money is in finishing the house out. Cabinets, flooring, lights, and trim are just a small part of where all the money goes. Some people are happy with ten dollar door knobs, others have to have $300 door knobs. Carpet is the cheapest flooring, but you don't want it everywhere.

Being your own GC always sounds like a good way to save money, but a good GC will build a much better house then you ever will, and he'll do it both faster and cheaper then you can. Since you don't know what you are doing, and you don't know who you will be hiring, you don't know what you are getting. Here, 15% is the going rate for a good GC to build a house.

One of the trade magazines that I read talked to some of the bigger home builders in the country. They were trying to find ways to cut costs in building a house. Approximately 1/3 of the cost to build the house is materials, the rest is labor and fees. Keep that in mind when trying to figure where you can save money and if you are capable of getting subs to do a quality job for less money, or if you even know what the rate is that a GC would pay. Can you hire a sheetrock crew for less then I can? Do you know if they are BS'ing you in telling you about a special rate to keep his guys busy during these slow times? That's a very common theme going on right now. Do you know what Code is for a house and if you're house is framed properly? If you are building in an area that requires permits, that will help to make sure it' done right because the inspector will do all the checking. If it's an area without permits, then anything is possible.

If I was you, I'd concentrate on finding the best possible plan for you. Watch out for trends, and what's the latest craze. Contact at least five builders in the area you will be building and ask them what their price range is to build a house like the one you want. Don't ask hypotheticals, they can't give you an answer for something that's not real, but with a real plan, they should be able to give you a working number with a budget on what you can use to finish it off to stay in that price range. Be sure to talk to at least five builders. If they have been in business for any time at all, they are good salesman and probaby very personable. Most will make you feel right at home and become your best friend. This is neither good or bad, it's just how most do business.

After you've met will all five, or more, then you can start thinking about the budget, and if you want to try to be the GC.

When given a bid, or budget for a house, you are receiveing hard numbers and soft numbers. Some things can't be changed. You have to have the lumber, but you don't have to have granite counters. It's those things that you use to finish it off is where you can save money, or make it nicer. My budgets are usually pretty fluid once we get to the finish part of a job. I can be way under budget until the end, and then it's just crazy how the money gets spent and how far over budget we go.

The better your plan, the more detail that you consider, the fewer surprises you'll have.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[herd]

Great post eddie, I forgot to mention the part about details and change-order. By far, "change-orders" are the most expensive part of building. Some builders are a little more flexible than others but mostly, when you talk change-order, you talk mucho more dollars.