[lelise]

How much would it cost to build a house, per square foot, in southern VT (the Windsor area)? I realize this is dependant on specifics, but does anyone know a general figure for a basic, well built but not fancy house, per square foot? I would appreciate it! After looking at what we could afford in already built houses, we are thinking it might be best just to find a piece of land and build, probably around 2000 square feet or less. Any thoughts?

[68vette]

I never lived in the Windsor area, but I did live in Central Vermont which is close. I found that the cost was very close. The way you can save is by doing some of the work yourself if you build(ie tile work, trim, paint, fixtures, ect). I found it was most cost effective to buy an older home that needed some work and to fix it up over time. If you do build, pick a good builder that is known to use quality material(you will have to research this). Some builders use cheap material and give what looks like a good price. You don't want to have to replace things a couple of years down the road.

[Lilybeans]

$80-$100 per square foot. Don't forget to figure in the septic system and well, along with the septic permits.

[tkln]

I was given a range of $150-200 per square foot in the Waterbury area...and this was also for a not-fancy smaller home...I would imagine that Windsor might be more reasonable, but I would still budget at least $125 square foot...construction always ends up being more expensive than you plan for!

I would also agree that it's cheaper to buy something that needs work and make it your own...

[lelise]

Thanks! That sounds reasonable. We are afraid of buying a fixer-upper and finding that it needs much more than we anticipated. Also it might be fun to start from scratch. We'll see....