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I just ran the house we just put out for bid through the calculator. I had to guess at some of the category selections because what we are doing doesn't exactly match their 'quality guidelines' The prices I am getting in the bids from local well respected builders is about 70% of what the calculator came up with ($350,000 v $500,000)
I'm going to run it through with some variations in the quality of several sub areas to see what it comes up with when I get a chance in the next few days.
FL- you have to have a license to do just about anything.
GA- you have to have a "general license"
SC- you have to have a "residential license"
NC- you have to have a "general contractor's license"
So, if you think you're going to be doing any "construction" you're going to school first- is it worth it for "one" house?
Up here in the NW you can assume you will pay $85/ sq ft. That's a two story crawlspace with builder grade (ie low quality, mdf, laminate, Formica, etc) furnishings. 1,600 sq ft 4 bedrooms is what sells up here fast. We build them for about $170,000 and sell them @ $215,000. They don't stay on the market for more then a week.
That's also a builders price, where they do multiple house's a month and get around 20% off what you would as a homeowner-builder. You start to put higher grade things in the house, like your brick, and that price jumps through the roof faster then you will realize.
You must also realize that there are permitting fee's, design fee's, late comers fee's, and just about any other fee you can think of. Which you must obtain before starting construction. There are also approval times that can take much longer then you might think. Don't be surprised if it takes you 6-12 months just to obtain permits.
I'd say your amount is very close to what it will cost you, land not included. Best thing to do is get 3-4 bids on everything for the best prices. You'll be shocked at the highs and lows. If a contractor doesn't want the work they will bid it outrageously high. We recently saw a bid come in at $32,000 where the next guy came in at $3,700.
If your not a developer and you don't do this for a living you'll be shocked at how long it takes and how much it really costs to build what "you want". Your first step is obtaining the right land, and start the permitting process as soon as possible, otherwise you'll be looking down a very long road.
Thanks everyone for the comments! A lot of useful info.
Right now I am here in Texas trying to save cash. And also paying off my temporary house here, so in a mean time I can only do planning. But I am really excited about building new customized house in a future. Need to save as much $$ as I can.
The website you reference provides many services to the trade for estimating and projecting cost The fee calculator is a very compacted version that enables you to select from groups (class) and get a general idea of the cost.
My experience has been pretty must the same a MidValleyDad, with bids coming in about 25% lower than the calculator. However, because you are selecting from preset class of materials and amenities, what you think is a premium class on the calculator may be calculated as a mid level build by the contractor. That usually means your upping the quality class for a particular item in that group but you may not be upping the class for everything in that group. An example would be that although you are getting a 24K gold plated toilet in the master bath, it doesn't mean you are also installing 24k gold plated toilets in all the other rooms. So by picking the class to cover that one toilet, they assume you are also getting gold tubs and showers throughout the whole house along with hand painted marble tiles. That's why their amounts come in higher because you cant upgrade the tile in the kitchen without it assuming your upgrading the tile in the entire house and price it accordingly.
Use it as a good tool to get an idea but go through the breakdown and you'll see savings all over just because they made assumptions.
If something bad happens and OP needs to sell, its a huge turn off for potential buyers.
OP doing a lot of it yourself will save a bunch of cash.
I'm talking $100k arena at least.
However there are some things I personally wouldn't screw around with, over here the laws are very tight. I built an extension to my house (hired builders) and they had to resubmit plans because the City kept changing the regulations pretty much monthly.
Also in the construction industry (Australia anyway) you get price rises MONTHLY. So any raw material you can buy now will save you thousands in a year or two.
A lot of the larger trade supply type places will have a lot of "second" stock. I used to work in construction and got a beautiful stained glass door for $50 and some $300 taps for $20.
Our company used to supply huge building companies who order these things in bulk and sometimes get the count wrong, or drop something leaving a tiny chip so it cannot be used. Once we had to replace 100 doors which were stolen because someone ordered them in too soon and they had to sit unlocked overnight. Builders can be very dumb.
I agree completely. So many people hate those detached garages because you park the car in the garage, then walk directly into the rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc. Yay. Also, another thing you need to consider is your new location. Location, location, location is key. Houston housing prices are pretty low. You likely won't get as lucky elsewhere, so you have to factor the price of your lot in. If you're moving somewhere else in TX, you should be able to swing your price range. Also, building yourself can end up being a lot pricier than you expected. Be sure and get the approprate building permits. Can you build the whole thing yourself, or do you need help from a builder? Are you truly motivated to do everything yourself? Where will you live in the meantime? And if you need to hire a builder, keep in mind that they always take longer and cost more than they claim they will. Always. Good luck with your decision.
And if you need to hire a builder, keep in mind that they always take longer and cost more than they claim they will. Always.
Well, that's the biggest crock of S#!T I've heard in awhile!
I believe you meant to say; "if you've never (physically) built a house before it will take you longer and cost you more than if you hired a builder to build/manage the process for you."
I agree completely. So many people hate those detached garages because you park the car in the garage, then walk directly into the rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc.
Personally I prefer detached garage. And you can cover a walkway between the house and garage if afraid of rain or snow, no problem at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks
Yay. Also, another thing you need to consider is your new location. Location, location, location is key. Houston housing prices are pretty low. You likely won't get as lucky elsewhere, so you have to factor the price of your lot in.
Houston? I don't think I can buy 1-2 acres of land in River Oaks or in Memorial area for $10-20K and build a custom house here within $200-250K budget.
Houston is quite expensive (River Oaks, Museum District, Rice University, West University, Bellaire, Memorial, Galleria area); prices close to West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, CA. Need at least 1M here. This is real Houston. And how much is property tax here? About 3.5-3.7%. Is this affordable?
What is considered affordable, is not real Houston. There will be huge traffic problems, dangerous diversity, sketchy people, crime, plain industrial landscapes, no scenery...pretty depressive life.
And building cost will be even higher than in Delaware or Maryland, according to this calculator.
In future I would definitely like to move to less populated but affordable area with better demographics, proximity to Atlantic Ocean, good scenery, outdoor opportunities, less property tax, low crime and less traffic.
I definitely like real Houston, but unfortunately I am not an oil king to afford living there.
FL- you have to have a license to do just about anything.
GA- you have to have a "general license"
SC- you have to have a "residential license"
NC- you have to have a "general contractor's license"
So, if you think you're going to be doing any "construction" you're going to school first- is it worth it for "one" house?
Well do they really care in rural areas? I heard people do a lot of house remodeling on their own even in CA with their super crazy regulations and somehow bypass all this crap.
Rural area means more freedom, no stupid HOA restrictions, less government regulations, more flexibility.
And also is it possible to switch between different contractors? For example, one contractor builds foundation, another contractor does only roof, another does only plumbing, etc.
Will they accept working with my own materials? For example, I got some super deal on brick or concrete blocks and only want to use these materials, but not what contractor is offering.
Also building plan. How much will it normally cost? Can I save cost on outsourcing it to another country there they could prepare it for $50-100? Or I have to own land first and let them inspect this land before starting with a building plan (to figure out the type of soil, ground water, etc.)?
Well do they really care in rural areas? I heard people do a lot of house remodeling on their own even in CA with their super crazy regulations and somehow bypass all this crap.
Rural area means more freedom, no stupid HOA restrictions, less government regulations, more flexibility.
What part of "state requirement" did you not understand? If the state requires a license of one kind or another a county or city isn't going to require "less". And just because "a lot of people" do this or that doesn't make it right! Yes, people do some of the crappiest "improvements" and 9/10x's its not to code. Doesn't matter what part of a state you live in- everybody lives by the same laws. HOA's are another country into themselves, as viewed by some people.
And also is it possible to switch between different contractors? For example, one contractor builds foundation, another contractor does only roof, another does only plumbing, etc.
Will they accept working with my own materials? For example, I got some super deal on brick or concrete blocks and only want to use these materials, but not what contractor is offering.
what you would be doing there is "acting" as the "general contractor". You hire the trades to do certain tasks with the materials you supply.
Also building plan. How much will it normally cost? Can I save cost on outsourcing it to another country there they could prepare it for $50-100? Or I have to own land first and let them inspect this land before starting with a building plan (to figure out the type of soil, ground water, etc.)?
if you were to build in a state, county, or city that requires building plans (all), but also requires a "wet seal" (some); good luck with "3rd world country" plans.
If you purchase land that doesn't have municipal services you will have to have perk tests done (this should actually be done PRIOR to purchase)- if it doesn't perk you're not building a residence on it. That responsibility is on you- not the AHJ.
I read good questions, sense great enthusiasm, but I seriously doubt it would be your cup-of-tea. Holding a regular job AND be a GC is not good physically, psychologically, or financially.
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