Building costs in northern New Mexico (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: home builders, to buy, new construction)

[javak]

Does anyone have an idea on what it costs to build a 3000 sq. ft. pueblo house in the Albuquerque / Taos area ? It seems there is plenty of cheap land available in the outskirt areas , but the cost of pre existing homes seems high .

Does it cost less to build a standard quality home or buy one already built ?

[Towanda]

We looked into building a house on our lot in Eldorado near Santa Fe two years ago and the prices were so high for new construction that we had to abandon the idea.

Our solution was to buy an existing house and plan to sell our vacant lot.

We were able to get a 14 year old house in excellent condition with MANY more features than we could have afforded in a house we would have had built in 2007 or 2008, so for us it was a smart decision financially and for the quality of house we got.

I am not sure how all this relates to 2009. I know that prices for existing houses have come down considerably, but I suspect costs for building remain high.

I know you asked about ABQ/Taos, and our experience was in Santa Fe, but I hope this will help you some. I am sure a 3000 sq. ft. house in Taos would be quite pricey and I am not sure there is much "cheap land" there very close to the town.

Best of luck to you!

[debbie at bouontiful]

I asked a builder in Chama that was out of Pagosa Springs and he quoted me 200 a foot. I am wondering if he was just referring to log because he was building a log home in Chama, NM is where I had asked him last year in Oct.

[rybert]

$200/ft seems about right with quality finishes.

[javak]

Thanks for the help . The cost here in TX is about $70 / Sq. Ft for decent quality brick finish construction . I'm not sure why the cost is so high in NM .

[rybert]

Hmmm... I should clarify. By finishes I mean high-end tile, stucco, roofing, equipment, etc. Not just the exterior, but the interior too. $70 seems like a contractors expense, not the price relayed to the customer. $125+ will build you a cookie-cutter in the burbs.

[rgmacm]

cost in OKlahoma for new construction is $70-90/sq ft low end to high end....and of course is also basede on the location of the lot. This includes city utilities...you just have to connect to them at the street or easement... Based on what you've said, I'd think $200 was high too...of course, that probably IS the cost for the region...

[Towanda]

One builder here in Santa Fe gave us an estimate at $250/ft. That's the highest one I have heard -- and he was irritated to find out we thought that was too much and that we passed on the deal.

[trailtramp]

Have recently been getting estimates also...medium seems to be about $130-$150 per foot for decent quality, high end more custom amenities will bring you $175- $200 a foot. Room additions are outrageous compared to building an entire home.

Cookie cutter track home builders will cost around $100 a foot, they get big discounts on materials and hire cheaper laborers.

[bradly]

Yep, even when they build the cookie-cutters in less than 3 weeks..
Pretty bad..


Northern New Mexico always hasnt been so expensive.. when I lived their my home in Espanola was worth about $200,000 less than it is today.


Does Centex homes in Santa Fe really charge over $250?