Estimate price per sq ft new construction without land cost

[ADVentive]

We are in the process, and are at about $130/sf not including the land. We were at $115/sf before we added a bunch of options.

[Casquie]

Hello,
I'm new to this site.
I would appreciate a reference to a few quality builders who can work with a 125-135 sq ft budget for a modest modern style open floor plan. Currently researching land for sale in Wake county - Cary/Raleigh area.
Thank you!

[movininnc]

Originally Posted by HomeHuntress

We finished construction last year on land we owned and ended up at about $84/sf. All brick, tile, hardwoods, granite, well and septic.

And yes, definitely cheaper to build up than out.

May I ask, how did you do that? I want to do that!

Did you do some or all of the work yourselves? Are you "in the business" and therefore got materials at discounted prices?

I would love to build a 1500-1600 SF home if I could do it for something close to that price. I am tired of big house with big upkeep demands.

[HomeHuntress]

Sorry, I've been away for ages but still want to reply if you're still interested.

I think economies of scale and wise choices really helped us. Our home is about 4200 sf. We didn't do fancy roof lines or create a geometrically unique footprint. It's basically an L shaped house with a simple roof. All wet areas (kitchen, wet bar, bathrooms, laundry) are placed so we didn't have to run a lot of extra plumbing or wiring. The stove is on an exterior wall to decrease venting costs. We have granite in all areas, but for spaces that didn't need much (kids baths, laundry) we used remnants. So we didn't have a lot of wasted materials. Also, we didn't waste space in our house. Every inch of it is usable. As a result we were able to finish 3/4 of the attic to create a generous man cave and half bath. The other 1/4 is used for storage and the HVAC unit.

We didn't do any of the work (if only you knew how laughable that is ) and we had no connections. I think we just made smart decisions and had a contractor that really educated us on how to stick to our budget while still getting a nicely finished, well built home.