This one level home is perfect for a Sunbelt region. Steep pitched hip roof and stucco walls add to the curb appeal.

A Lanai (a veranda or roofed patio) and an isolated guest or teenagers bedroom with an adjacent full bath make this house plan a winner.

• 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2-car Front entry garage
• Total Square Feet: 2501
• Footprint: 67ft. 4in. x 74ft. 8in.
• Standard Foundation: Slab
• Exterior Stud Type: concrete block 1st Floor Square Feet: 2501
• Estimated Cost To Build by HDA in Postal Code 75201 is $300,120, or $120 per sq. ft.
• This cost includes a General Contractor’s profit and overhead
• Estimated Cost to build this House using  the  “Residential Building Cost Calculator”, from Craftsman Book  Co is $287,200, or $115 per sq. ft. including the General Contractor’s markup of $33,394
• These costs do not include land or land development costs

HousePlansAndMore.com by HDA, Inc.PLAN # 592-055D-0500

You should keep in mind that the cost to build for this home plan, or any house plan, can vary considerably depending quality of materials selected, and on actual bids from builders.

Until you actually start getting bids from General Contractors it will remain approximate.

Carl

We’ve been researching costs to build an addition to our house here in Honolulu. Your site doesn’t list Hawaii, so I thought I’d contact you.

In discussing with architects and draftsman, we’re getting widely ranging estimates of $100- $350 per sq foot for an add on of a free standing 1000 sq foot residence over our current lanai. Any input is appreciated or info on how to get an accurate estimate.
Mahalo!
Don

Aloha Don,
(Note to readers: I had to look up Mahalo It is an Hawaiian word meaning thanks, gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, regards, and respects)

Unfortunately, you did not give me any of the particulars of your planed addition that affect (greatly) the cost of building a home addition.

Photo of a Lanai courtesy of LA Times Crossword Corner

So, I ran the cost to build calculator found on my “Getting Started” page for building a simple 1,000 sq ft addition in the city of Honolulu.
I used the “Quality Class” # 6, building to minimum code (cheapest), all the way through (No HVAC, only a wall unit A/C), and came up with a total cost of $93,283 using a room addition contractor (General Contractor). That obviously, comes out to $93.28 per sq foot.

You could easily triple that cost depending on the quality of materials and design you choose.

As I have stated in previous posts, the cost per sq ft for small structures (home additions) is almost always higher than for larger structures, because subcontractors may want a few more dollars for their labor because they could be earning more on a larger job for almost the same amount of time, and because expensive costs such as roofs, foundations, etc. are being spread over a smaller sq footage.

Anyway, it’s interesting that I came up with a number close to your lowest bid.

As they say, you’ve only got one way to go, up!

Aloha, (I found out Aloha can also mean “Goodbye”),
Carl

(Aloha Mr. Heldmann,

Thank you for your assistance- greatly appreciated.

Mahalo nui loa- Thank you very much.

Don)

But, I will show you how to determine the approximate cost to build a home, any home in any state.

You will also learn approximately how much the Builder’s (General Contractor’s) profit is.

Why would you want to know how much it costs to build a house or how much profit a builder makes?

Why wouldn’t you? Knowledge (information) is power.

When you know the cost of building a home before you even decide whether to build or not, you are in a better position to decide what size, style, and quality of home you can afford, based on your budget of course, and you are also in a better position to later bargain with a builder.

Before you spend money on home plans for a house you can’t afford, I’ll show you how you can determine what you can afford.

The basic cost to build a house is determined by the size (square footage of living area), design (shape), and the quality & quantity of the materials (and the builder’s profit & overhead)

Here’s a recent letter I received that typifies the dilemma that most people face when trying to decide what to do when it comes to building a new home.

NOTE: This analysis of the cost to build a house will not include the land, any land development cost, or any financing costs.

From: David in Denton, North Carolina

Carl, We are in the process of designing our house and I’m trying to get a cost
estimate of what this house will cost us before we go get plans drawn of a
house that we can’t afford.  We basically have designed a 40 X 50 rectangle
shaped house around 2040 sq. ft. living area with brick veneer, and with vinyl eves.
It will be a 1 story home with a huge unfinished bonus area in the attic to use as storage.
It will have an attached 2 car garage with an 8ft. concrete wrap-a-round porch on the sides and the front.

Any information on an estimate for this type of house would be greatly appreciated.
David

Hi David,

You are wise in trying to determine affordability before spending money on home plans.

I learned that the hard way on my very first house when I had to “toss” the plans I had already purchased and go back and start “at the beginning”, right where you are. But I didn’t have available the “tool” you have.

The cost to build a house is determined by the size (square footage of living area), design (shape, etc.), the quality & quantity of the materials used and the builder’s profit.

Using this excellent tool called the “Residential Building Cost Calculator”, from Craftsman Books, leading experts in construction cost estimating, you can solve your dilemma.

Let me walk you through the cost estimating process using this tool. It is not only an easy and fast process, it is fun.

Image courtesy of  Houseplansandmore.com

The first question you will be asked is “How many corners does this home have?

The more complex the shape of the house is, the more expensive it is to build per square foot of floor area.

The second question you will be asked is “What is the total living area of this house?”

Larger new houses cost more to build than smaller houses but larger homes generally cost less per square foot than smaller homes.

Ranch style (single story) homes cost more per square foot than 2 story homes of the same size and quality.

The third question you will be asked is “What is the quality class of this home?”

New homes vary widely in quality and the quality of construction is a major cost variable.

For the purpose of a preliminary cost to build a house, to see what shape, size, and quality you can afford, I recommend choosing the “Quality Class 6” all the way through, for all choices.

If it turns out you can afford a certain style and size, you can always upgrade your choices!

Now you’ll answer just a few more quick questions and then you’re done.

Is there an attic, balcony, basement, garage or exterior porch?

Is this home in a housing tract?

Is this home built outside the metropolitan area?

What heating and cooling does this house have?

How many fireplaces in this house? And, is it a one story home or multi-story?

What State and Zip code?

You now have a rough estimate of the cost to build a new house based on your input.

Is the cost to build estimate on target? GREAT! If not, start over. It’s FREE and it’s FUN!

Well David I came up with a total cost of $237,607, for a 2,040 sq. ft 1 level home (not the house in the above image) with wrap around porch, central heat & air conditioning, 1,500 sq. ft of unfinished attic space, excluding land, but including the Builder’s or General Contractor’s Markup of $29,579.

Click on image to enlarge.

Good luck,
Carl
byoh.com

We have a budget of $300,000 for our new home.
When we deduct the amount we still owe on our land ($55,000), we have
$245,000 remaining with which to build.

Do we have to deduct the amounts for the well, septic, etc. before determining the amount we have to build the actual house? Or does that all get included into the cost per square foot?

I hope this makes sense.
Thanks
Marsha

Carl, I was looking at the two websites you suggested that have the Free Cost to Build Feature and was wondering was is included in the estimate. Are kitchen (cabinets and counter top), bathrooms and floors included?

Is this the estimate price for the bare walls? It is something to take into consideration when planning a budget because if those things are not included, well, you have to add quite a few dollars to that estimate.
Thanks,
Danny

Hi Marsha, Hi Danny,

Two questions, one answer.
These questions come up all the time and apprehension over what is and what is not included in a typical home building cost estimate is normal.

Here is an image of a cost to build estimate I did for the Sacramento, CA home.

Click on image for a larger view

As you (both) can see, other than specialty items or upgrades (i.e., Geothermal Heat/AC), the items mentioned by both of you are included.

You should keep in mind that the cost to build for this example, or any house plan, can vary considerably depending quality of materials selected, and on actual bids for labor and material.

The estimate for this house is an approximate one based on “average” quality materials and a slab foundation.

Until you actually have home plans and go out and get actual bids, all you will be able to have is a rough estimate of the cost to build your home(s).
Good luck to both of you,
Carl

“Hello, I would like to know about how much I’m looking at $ wise to build a 2 bedroom home in LA County, California.
I already have the land.
Are permits usually included in the total cost?
If not, what is an approx cost for permits?
Cynthia”

Hi Cynthia,

Yes, permits, and fees, are included in the cost to build for all homes in all states. The cost of permits and fees will vary widely from state to state and from locale to locale within any given state.

The cost of permits and fees can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

A phone call to your local building inspection department can give you a run down on what permits you will need and the approximate cost of permits and fees.

Permits are usually required for building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, well, septic, driveways, grading, etc.

Fees are required for water and/or sewer tap-ins, and any other services provided by third parties.

I did a cost estimate for this 4 bedroom house in San Bernardino, CA, back in March of 2008. (The cost to build this house today in 2009 should actually be less!)

You’ll see a “Breakdown of Building Costs for this house on “Cost to Build a House in California”

HOUSEPLANS.COM – PLAN 18-1036

The cost of permits and utilities was $1,941.

Use the “Cost to Build Calculator” (It’s free!) found on my “Getting Started” page and play around with different house sizes and qualities.

Just as a useful tip, you’ll find it doesn’t cost much more to build an extra bedroom or two.

You will also find that it is easier to get financing on a 3 or 4 bedroom than a 2 bedroom house.

A 2 bedroom home will “take a licking” on the appraisal your lender will order.Always build for “resale”. Lenders are always looking at resale value, you should too.

Good luck,
Carl

Lisa”

Hi Lisa,

The $100 /sq ft average cost to build a house you keep hearing about includes everything, including the “Kitchen Sink”

$100 per sq ft however, is what is called the “Median Average” cost.

That means 50% of all houses cost more than $100/sq ft, and 50% cost less than $100/sq ft.

It is a good statistic for giving us a “snapshot” of the housing industry.

It is better than using what is called the “Mean Average”, where the total cost of all houses is divided by the total number of all houses built and the average cost gets “skewed”.

Here is a chart from the National Association of Home Builders depicting the Median cost per sq ft from 1992 through 2008 for major geographical areas in the USA.

Note: MSA’s = Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Click on image to see chart

In the 50% below $100/sq ft, you’ll find houses built for much less, such as in “Tract housing”.

Tract housing = housing consisting of similar houses constructed together on a tract of land.

In the 50% above $100/sq ft, you’ll find houses built for much more, such as in “Custom homes.

Custom home photo courtesy of The Pinnacle Group, Inc

Read my pages on “Cost Estimating” and Cost Estimating Explained” and you WILL have a clearer picture of this often (always?) confusing issue.

By the way, land and/or land development (Building site) is NOT included in any of these “costs per sq ft”.

Thanks for writing. You had a good question.
Carl

Keith & Kathie

Courtesy of monstroushouseplans.com

Monsterhouseplans.com/plan41-247

Total sq ft 1296, 3 Bdr, 2 bth, 509 sq ft garage, slab foundation.

Hi Keith & Kathie,
What a nice looking home! I love stucco and Spanish design. I guess I’ll have to move to the SW.

At $105 per sq ft, excluding septic, I think your builder is giving you a fair deal as I wouldn’t contract a custom home if I couldn’t make at least $20 per sq ft, including the garage. At $105 per sq ft, I doubt if your builder is making $20 per sq ft.

Most of the information on my web site www.byoh.com/ concentrates on the owner builder cost of construction. That is, the owner being the General Contractor, saving approximately $20 -$25 per sq ft., or 25%.

Below, you will find a chart (see below) that gives the median national average cost of new construction (No Land) using a General Contractor. (Prices are still current for 2010)

Your General Contractor (Builder) is “Spot On”!

(Median national average chart. Click on image for a larger view)

Tip: Since you are actually acting as your own Lender for the Construction Loan, be careful how you pay your General Contractor.

Pay him (or her) exactly like the banks do, that is, for work completed and/or materials on the building site. Read my Chapter on Construction Loans in “Be Your Own House Contractor“, or on my “Construction Loan” page on my web site.

Good luck,

Carl

Thanks, Brent

Hi Brent,
I see your confusion. It confuses everyone universally and the answers actually vary from locale to locale.

In my “Cost to Build a House in Indiana” I show the example with an unfinished basement at $100.85 per sq ft, and with a finished basement at $63.38 per sq ft.

If the basement is finished in the same quality as the area above grade and with 2 means of ingress and egress in all habitable areas (excluding baths) then in most locales it can be considered heated living space (area) under roof and the “actual” square footage of the basement is included in the “actual” overall square footage.

For estimating cost, this is always accepted. But, for selling a house the house (if you ever do) you may have to separate the basement square footage from the rest of the house.
A local Realtor can advise you.

Water (well), sewer (septic), and all utilities are always included in the cost per sq. ft., with or without a basement. Garages are always included in the overall cost, but separated out when selling.
Clear as mud, right. Ha, ha.

Here’s another view from a friend and distinguished architect, David Moore

“Hi Brent,

There are 2 separate questions here.

The first question is, “How do you calculate the square footage area of your house?” The answer depends on where you’re located and who you ask: your tax assessor, a Realtor, an architect, or a builder.

To avoid confusion, it’s best to break out each type of area and calculate each type separately. Here’s a sample area calculation from one of our designs at http://www.originalhome.com/.
House Area (SF)
•Finished Floor Area: 2,770
•Garage Area: 788
•Basement Area: 1,344
•Covered Porch Area 217
•Deck Area: 210
The Basement area in this house is unfinished. If some or the entire Basement were finished, the area would be broken out separately.

If someone gives you a total area which is not broken out, ask them what’s included. Most areas are calculated to the face of the exterior wall. Double-height spaces including the top flight of stairs are generally only counted once, and Basement stairs are counted as finished area only if they are finished.

The second question is, “What costs are actually included in a ‘cost per square foot’?”. Again, the answer depends on who you ask and where you’re asking. In a rural area without sewers or city water, site costs vary widely and probably aren’t included in a square foot cost. In a suburban area with small lots and public utilities, site costs may be included.

To be sure you’re comparing apples to apples; always ask for a breakdown of what’s included.”

David Moore, Architect
Original Home Plans, LLC
http://www.originalhome.com/
203 389 8999 (9-5 EST)

I am concerned because we have never done this before and want to make sure the bid is fair.

I know our contractor is reputable. However, I am not one to go into anything blindly and like to double check before I commit to things.

How do I go about verifying the prices are in the right range for things?

Thanks for your help.

Brandi

Hi Brandi,

I have a few of questions for you before I can give you some tips or ideas.

1. What do you mean by, “verifying the prices are in the right range for things?” Do you mean the “allowances” the builder is giving you for items such as flooring, light fixtures, cabinets, countertops, etc.?

2. Did you get any bids from other builders to compare?

3. Will you be getting a construction loan/mortgage, and if you are, has the lender ordered an appraisal yet to determine what your house (with land) will be worth (market value) when it is complete?

4. Is the builder pushing for a quick OK from you?

Let me know the answers to these questions and I’ll try to get back to you.

Thanks for writing,
Carl

“Thanks Carl,

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. By verifying prices I mean more on the actually construction part of it like excavation prices, plumbing, sheet rocking, painting, cost of brick….those types of things. Our contractor has provided us with a spreadsheet that breaks down the cost but I don’t know if those costs are in the range of where they are supposed to be. I myself actually priced all the cabinetry, fixtures, appliances…etc and provided those prices to our contractor.

2. We live in a very small rural community so we have actually only met with one contractor because the others all do an hourly rate versus a total cost bid. We wanted to do the total cost bid versus totaling it as we went along

3. My husband is actually meeting with the appraiser today to do the “walk through” of the plans to get the construction loan. We already own our land.

4. He is not pushing for a quick OK, I’m just want to make sure we are on the right track because this will be the largest purchase/investment I have made and I want to verify we are making an intelligent and researched decision.

I don’t know if this will help too but were are building a 2 story 2730 sq ft house with 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1 1/2 bath, a formal living and dining area, a family room, screened in porch, unfinished basement with a partial brick front and siding around the rest of the house.

The current bid price for everything is $372,000.

Thank you again.
Brandi”

Hi Brandi,

It is unusual that your General Contractor would give you his spreadsheet unless he is biding your job on a cost plus basis. Builders usually don’t show their clients their profit.

Of course, they can hide their profit on a spreadsheet by inflating the costs in various categories.

Anyway, that’s irrelevant to what I’m going to tell you.

I wanted to know if he was “pushing” because I think you need to wait for the appraisal before you make a final decision on anything.

Sadly, appraisals are coming in lower that people (and lenders) expect due to declining home values in the current housing market.

Almost NO area of the country has escaped this curse.

If the appraisal comes in too low for you, you can either trim costs that won’t affect appraised values, or wait until the housing market recovers.

If the appraisal comes in too low for you there are many cost items that can be trimmed without lowering the market value of your proposed house (resale value).

If this is deemed necessary, you can ask your appraiser for suggestions as to where to cut costs without lowering value.

Contrary to many TV shows, increasing the cost of items such as countertops, appliances, cabinets, floor covering, etc. does not increase the value of the house dollar for dollar; it doesn’t increase the value at all!

As to your 1st question, here’s a very rough guide that should help.)

Each category below, is shown with an AVERAGE % of TOTAL BUILDING cost based on statistics from the National Association of Home Builders.

These percentages are not “cast in stone”. They are a guideline only.

(I did the 1st category as an example:)

Permits, fees, surveys 1.5 % ($372,000 x 1.5% = $5,580)
Utilities 1.0 %
Excavation 2.0 %
Foundation, Labor & materials (L & M) 7.0 %
Rough lumber 10.0 %
Rough labor (framing) 10.0 %
Windows/Ext. doors (L & M) 3.0 %
Roofing, (L&M) 4.0 %
Concrete flatwork 2.0 %
Siding (L & M) 6.0 %
Plumbing (L & M) 5.0 %
Heating (L & M) 4.0 %
Electrical (L & M) 4.0 %
Insulation (L & M) 1.5 %
Water (or well) 2.0 %
Sewer (or septic) 2.0 %
Fireplace (L & M) 1.0 %
Drywall (L & M) 5.0 %
Cabinets (& countertops) 4.0 %
Interior trim (L & M) 3.0 %
Painting (L & M) 4.0 %
Appliances 1.0 %
Light fixtures 1.0 %
Floor coverings (L & M) 4.0 %
Driveway 1.5 %
Misc. 5.0 %
Total 100.0 % ($372,000)
(Category Description are from the my FREE Spreadsheets that are available on www.byoh.com/spreadsheets.htm

Here’s another spreadsheet’s version, also from NAHB.
(Click on image to enlarge)

If one cost to build category comes in higher than the percentage shown, something else will have to come in lower, or you will have to increase your overall home building budget.

People have different tastes and priorities on how to spend their money, and different building suppliers and/or subcontractors in different locales have different ways to get you to spend your money.

All this shows the importance of getting an appraisal before you get too far along in the planning process.

You don’t want to overbuild for a given area.

By the way, your current bid for $372,000 = $ 136.26 per sq ft.
This is higher than the national average, but custom homes always are higher.

You might want to read my pages:
Cost Estimating Explained
And
Cost Estimating

I hope all this helps,
Carl

We are building a new home in AL and have an estimate from our General Contractor.

It seems to be on the high side.

The home is 3200 square feet and the price comes out to about $110 per sq. ft.
We are planning to use the energy efficient spray in insulation and have been told it is about 3 to 4 times the cost.

We own the land already, but he will be pouring a drive (extended) for us and we do have to have a septic dug.

Does this sound about right to you for the area we live in?

Thanks so much,

Laura

Hi Laura,

Whether or not your General Contractor’s bid (estimate) is on the high side or not is impossible for me to say.

I don’t have any idea as to what quality of a house you are building, the design of the house, the difficulty of construction due to terrain, design, etc.

Nor do I know how much your builder (GC) has in his contract for allowances for certain items such as flooring, appliances, light fixtures, etc.

On my Getting Started page, you will see a chart giving “Average” and Median Average” cost to build by geographical area.

Click on NAHB logo for chart

$110 per sq. ft. is high compared to the chart, but $110 per sq. ft. wouldn’t be too high for a higher quality “custom home”.

Your relationship with your builder should be built on trust. It is, or will be a long (hopefully) relationship.

If you did not get comparable construction bids from other General Contractors, you should do so now…if it’s not too late.

Most people when building a new house get three general contractor’s bids, check all the builders’ references, and take the middle bid. Then they feel more comfortable.

As for sprayed insulation, I don’t know why you singled out this one item, but the installed cost for sprayed foam insulation runs about $1.25 to $2.25 per square foot, depending on wall thickness and type of foam.

Cellulose wall-spray insulation costs about $1.20 per sq. ft. for an R-19 wall.
Depending on the supplier and geographic regions, installed cost for in-cavity sprayed-on cellulose, fiberglass and mineral wool can be about 50% higher than a typical fiberglass batt installation.

Call a local insulation company and get local pricing for various methods of insulating a house your size.

Extended driveways do cost more money, but a well (don’t forget the well or water tap-in fees) and septic tank are normally part of any GC’s estimates, as are all the required permits.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new house.

Carl