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We have fallen hard for a piece of land, but don't have any inkling of what it would cost to build a relatively small (2500 - 2800 sq. ft.) home here. In case some detail helps: we're hoping to use as much "green" material as possible, and are thinking of a farmhouse-type layout with a deep front porch and attached garage, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths (including a master suite with walk-in closets), vaulted ceilings, a living room with a fireplace, mud room, large kitchen, hardwood floors, thermal windows, but no opulent finishes like heated floors. Any information, whether on specific builders or a ballpark idea of cost, would be hugely appreciated.
However, in Fairfield county, you could probably anticipate between $ 200-250 a square foot. That does not take into consideration your site purchase cost, your site development costs or the cost for architect/ designer /plans, etc.
Best option I think would be to look through some design books, pick out a plan that is close to what you want and shop that basic plan around to several builders.
Also decide if you want a stick built home or a modular. Modular may be a bit less expensive. In which case you could visit a few modular show rooms, look at their plan books and ask for a basic quote. You're not asking of anything strange or unusual so you would be able to find something similar to what you want. It would be a starting point. In fact many modular builders have their plans online.
Thanks for the responses so far - they're very helpful. A few details I neglected to add: the lot cost includes sewer and gas, so I think that should help bring down the building costs. We'd need to build a driveway, but the egress road would already be paved.
You still have to pay to hook up to the sewer, water and gas as well as electric and cable. For general budget purposes the cost per square foot is about right but keep in mind that as you add things to the house the price goes up quickly. Plan for unforeseen things. Definitely talk to a builder for a better budget. Good luck, Jay
Meglion - I've done some initial looking into a similarly sized home. I would be surprised to find it for under $400k for the home, unless you are willing to GC most of the work yourself. One caveat - be VERY careful with the builder you choose. Even one's that appear reputable may not be. Ask questions like how many other builds they have going at once, how long they've worked with the subcontractors, can they then re-sub the work... ask for references for not just the last few builds but also builds they completed more than a year ago to see how the home holds up past the 1 yr warranty phase. Be very clear about the allowances for things, and have them be realistic and not build in pricing for a small amount of the cheapest stuff. Oh, and do EVERYTHING in writing. Even if you have a conversation about something, send an email and require a written acknowledgement.
A good friend moved into her new home 6 months ago (not in Fairfield) and is in the final steps of approaching arbitration because they house is a mess. Plans werent followed properly, mold problems, hacked together with unknown subs, poor construction, mistakes with change orders, and flat out lies and other problems. Oh, and she now has a sinkhole in her front yard because of mistakes with drainage and the pitch of the land. And he was an allegedly reputable builder. Moral of the story - be careful.
We have fallen hard for a piece of land, but don't have any inkling of what it would cost to build a relatively small (2500 - 2800 sq. ft.) home here. In case some detail helps: we're hoping to use as much "green" material as possible, and are thinking of a farmhouse-type layout with a deep front porch and attached garage, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths (including a master suite with walk-in closets), vaulted ceilings, a living room with a fireplace, mud room, large kitchen, hardwood floors, thermal windows, but no opulent finishes like heated floors. Any information, whether on specific builders or a ballpark idea of cost, would be hugely appreciated.
Can you fit all of that within the size you listed?
It's now 2014 and we are thinking the same thing!
Did you ever build, and if so, what turned out to be general cost per sq ft here in Fairfield County.
Thanks! Chris
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