# How much would it cost to build this house?



## petertdavis (Jul 28, 2004)

On homeplans.com, plan B-7807, I want to build myself a mountain retreat in northern Vermont. Any idea approximately how much a thing like this would cost to build?


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## Nathan (Jul 21, 2003)

Hey Peter! 

Welcome to the board... I'm glad you finally joined. 

When you say that you want to "build myself" do you mean that you will hire someone to do all the work... want to act as the GC... or that you actually want to swing the hammer and you just want materials costs.

Thanks...


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## petertdavis (Jul 28, 2004)

I'd consider being my own GC if I were closer, but I'm about 220 miles off so it would be difficult. Thus, I'd plan on hiring someone to do it. I just wanted to get an idea whether it would make more sense to buy land and build or try to buy an existing house.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2004)

How does anybody answer this question? This is the kind of thing we deal with with customers...how much per sq.ft.?

Without material specification, at least some kind of indication nobody could give you a number.

It is also a very small house, so the price per foot would be much higher than if you were building bigger. 

Do you want hardwood floors or carpet? Granite counter tops or tile? Vinyl windows or wood? Etc...

That house in my market built to our standards would probably cost around $180K to build, not including the deck. 

My experience is that unless you are an experienced GC you WILL NOT save money trying to sub it out yourslef. You might spend less money, but your quality and durability will suffer. When I hear homeowners tell me about the money they saved by being their own GC they always tend to leave out the time they spent, and thier misc. costs like trash removal, etc. Plus the finished project is never as good.

And...unless you want a custom home built for you, I would venture to guess that you will get more for your buck buying and existing home. Having a home built for you is a luxury that allows you to make certain personal choices, but it does cost more.


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## petertdavis (Jul 28, 2004)

No, I'm not planning to sub it out myself. I do have some experience, but as I explained the distance would be the reason I'd hire a GC.

Thank you for your comments, it's very helpful.


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## hatchet (Oct 27, 2003)

Wow - expensive market Unregistered. I've built a similar (1200sf) project for about $60 / sf. It was a mountain community (property costs were huge) - but it was also in Montana which is a bit cheaper than most areas


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2004)

We just finished a custom home project, the cost ended up being about $110/SF. and it wasn't enough. The next one that is coming down is very siimilar it breaks down to about $150/SF, and we still are not tops in our market.

Workers comp. is completley out of control. For every dollar one of my guys earn, I have another dollar in Workers comp and payroll tax just to break even, so I have to sell them for 3x thier earnings? Plus everytime I call a sub or supplier I get notice of cost increases. We are paying 40% more some basic materials (plywood, drywall, etc.) than we were just two years ago.

Four or five years ago I would have dreamed of getting $110/SF for our projects, but now it just isn't enough. It really is kind of crazy. I don't mind, but we do get caught off gaurd sometimes with our costs and it is difficult to deal with homeowners who aren't aware of the rapid increases. Try explaining to a guy why his two room addition will cost as much as his nieghbors second story did 2 years ago.

Enough rant, perhaps this should be a new thread.


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

Here in upstate NY it is similar. I was going to say $120-$150 sq/ft.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Where I am it's about $280.00 a sq. ft.


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## hatchet (Oct 27, 2003)

The one I'm currently working on will end up around the $600 / sf.


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## petertdavis (Jul 28, 2004)

Anything under $200/sqft would be competitive with buying an existing property similar to what I want. Seems like it might be a good possibility for me then.


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## Glasshousebltr (Feb 9, 2004)

Hello and welcome peter,
I build custom homes, but as stated above it's tuff to price out unless you have a pretty complete schedule on the plans.

I'll take a look never the less.

Bob


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## Glasshousebltr (Feb 9, 2004)

Oh yea! looks pretty neat. What part of Vermont?

Bob


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

$280 - $600 is not exactly what I'd call the average home. We've all done custom homes in that range and they are not something you do several times a year. 
I did a two story pantry/bathroom addition. The final cost was around $650 sq/ft. We called it the most expensive pantry in the valley.


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