Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We currently live in Las Cruces in a 3000 sq foot house on 1 acre we bought for $475k. We're considering a move to northern NM (ABQ to SF to Los Alamos). Retired so location to job isn't important. Here's the deal though. In Las Cruces you can get a high end custom home (granite, high ceilings, high end cabinets) for $90-$95 a square foot (exclusive of land of course). We've found some great lots north of ABQ near SF, but the building cost for the house alone, basic construction minus high end features is $150-$200 per sq. Are we just talking to the wrong people? Anyone have a different experience up north?
We're considering a move to northern NM (ABQ to SF to Los Alamos).
Are we just talking to the wrong people? Anyone have a different experience up north?
Generally there is a difference in the cost of housing in Albuquerque vs Santa Fe vs Los Alamos. So it may depend on who you are talking to, I have found different contractors give different estimates. I assume labor differences and competition will make a difference.
I'd consider becoming your own contractor... it's more work of course, but big $ savings. You should have no trouble finding decent workers in the current economy.
Thanks for the input. Actually, the cost basis here in Las Cruces is using a home building company with no self-GC required. We were thinking of buying arch plans from the internet and doing our on GC work. Everyone tells us that's no way to live for nine months, but what doesn't kill you...
I'd consider becoming your own contractor... it's more work of course, but big $ savings. You should have no trouble finding decent workers in the current economy.
Good luck if you have no clue in the field. I don't care if you are retired and this is all you would do all day long. Having zero experience in home construction doesn't lend to a good outcome. It's not as easy as people would think. And these people are talking huge houses so it's like putting a 1,200sqft cabin on piers with basic features. They are talking high end.
I haven't... but I will. I'll hire a guy who does have a lot of construction experience... and large portions of it will things I couldn't easily hire someone to do anyway... like aerated concrete blocks and solar passive and water heat.
I have not tried it, not a whole house at once, but I worked construction part time in my younger years. I have watched a lot of people waste a lot of time and money. When I did electrical work, we wouldn't even give people a quote who needed the job done right away because they were trying to do it by themselves and they needed to schedule the interior workers. Why wouldn't I do electrical work when I had companies who called me? Because the companies who called me were repeat business. If you called me, I know you would not call again once the job was done. So where were my priorities? With the people who were going to continue to feed me. When you called me, I would want a lot of money up front, I might have to go to my other job because of priorities.
You can do it yourself... Maybe...
I have done my own roofing (two houses by myself) , an addition, windows, concrete driveway (with help), tile/bathroom, plumbing of addition, electrical (yes, it met Maryland code and passed inspection) etc. I don't do gutters, asphalt driveways or AC installations. I probably will never to another roof in my lifetime, I'm too old, I know what it takes. I won't pour concrete again in my lifetime, I'm too old, I don't have enough qualified friends, I can get a reputable company to do it. My last concrete slab was farmed out, 6 cu yards, I took photo's in the shade while the pro's did the work.
You can try to do it yourself... Maybe... I think maybe danieloneil01 has a grip on the situation.
I can't speak for contractors in other parts of NM, but here in the Ruidoso area it's a crap shoot finding someone who is dependable, competent and above all, honest! I know MANY horror stories about shoddy construction, abandoned jobs, no-shows or never on time, owner getting double billed because contractor didn't pay HIS bills, etc.
In NM, it's the OWNER's responsibility to make sure the materials purchased for the job are paid for. If a contractor skips out on a job, or declares bankruptcy, or for any other reason fails to pay the building supplier for materials, the homeowner is liable. A lien can be placed on the property until the dispute between homeowner and supplier is settled.
That having been said, I know of good reliable contractors here who do a good job, and because of their good reputations and fully booked schedules, good luck getting them involved in YOUR job.
We currently live in Las Cruces in a 3000 sq foot house on 1 acre we bought for $475k. We're considering a move to northern NM (ABQ to SF to Los Alamos). Retired so location to job isn't important. Here's the deal though. In Las Cruces you can get a high end custom home (granite, high ceilings, high end cabinets) for $90-$95 a square foot (exclusive of land of course). We've found some great lots north of ABQ near SF, but the building cost for the house alone, basic construction minus high end features is $150-$200 per sq. Are we just talking to the wrong people? Anyone have a different experience up north?
Thanks!
I sold my sister's (4/3 stone 2800 sqft) home in Chama on 20 acres for $389,000 last year. High end? You betcha 1/2" marble counter tops and vanities, 3 jacuizzi tubs, Viking and stainless kitchen, top notch stuff right out of Le Cordon Bleu. Right now properties are worth about 1/3 less than they were two years ago.
SF is practically a suburb of ABQ. Homes in Las Cruces cost less for a variety of reasons - labor, materiels, etc. Many of the items that go into a home are brought across the border so the transport costs are less.
If you GC yourself without any experience, you're asking for trouble. Not only are you responsible for payment to the contractors and their subs but also need guarantees for workman's comp. It can get sticky very quickly. Contractors have a bad habit of leaving you in the middle of a job to take another one on the other side of town and then do the same thing over and over again. We put up houses from scratch in a hundred days in Wyoming when I worked on the Rez. Nothing much has changed except the costs. I used to hire skilled carpenters for $7/hr + benefits. If there was a union, it would be four to five times that amount.
I'm re-building a home in Guatemala with local labor. All was going well until the aluminum wiring was found - forbidden in the States and downright dangerous. I have to pay dearly to bring down electricians from the USA. Plus I need to feed and house three men, for another two weeks, until all the supplies are delivered and installed.
Last edited by gaduchman; 04-30-2010 at 02:12 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
