What does it cost per square foot to build a new home?

      One way or another, this is the most frequent question we get asked. Unfortunately, it is also one of the few questions that we have a simple answer for.  Can you tell me how much it costs to take a vacation or send my kids to college? How much per pound should I expect to spend on a new car? What is the "average cost" of a dinner for two?  These questions contain so many variables that it is impossible for anyone to answer them accurately without first asking several additional questions and gathering much more information. The same is true when calculating the cost to build a new home.

      Let's begin by considering what square foot homebuilding costs really are — nothing more than the total cost of a given project divided by the total number of square feet in that project. So, a 2,000 square foot home with total construction costs of $200,000 would cost $100 per square foot to build. Spend another $50,000 on a gourmet kitchen, an elegant master bath, granite countertops, ceramic tile, hardwood flooring, taller ceilings, vaulted ceilings, log siding, or any other combination of "above average" features or finishes and that same 2,000 square foot house would now cost $125 per square foot to build; an increase of 20 percent.

      Now consider the structure itself. If the house in question is a ranch, with all of the finished area on one floor, the roof would have to be large enough to cover the entire 2,000 feet of living space. Turn that single level ranch into a two-story colonial and the roof size is instantly reduced by 50 percent because the second floor system became the "roof" for half of the area on the first floor. Increase the roof pitch from 5/12 to 12/12 and the roof area (including framing members, sheathing, and shingles) quickly increases by 35 percent. Of course, these examples are oversimplified because they don't consider the size of the foundation, where the foundation for a 2000 Square foot Ranch is going to be twice the size of a foundation for a 2000 square foot 2-Story. Costs of similarly sized homes can also vary considerably due to the shape of the building, the number of corners or offsets in the design, the type of foundation and required local footing depth, the pitch of the roof, and many other design characteristics that are not directly related to the size of the house.  GREEN building products should also enter your thoughts as you build your new home, and we offer many options to help save on energy bills down the road.

      To make matters worse, there really isn't any uniform method of measuring square footage or defining what is included in those numbers. Are you using exterior dimensions or interior dimensions? How do you define heated or unheated space? Have you included the garage or basement or unfinished loft areas in your calculations? What about decks or covered porches? Is the land included in the square foot costs? What about building permits, liability insurance, utility connections, wells, septic systems, driveways, sidewalks, landscaping...

      Price per square foot is a real variable that is really dependent on the selections you make to that home.  A typical entry level finish can range from $75-$100 per square foot, Mid range finish level can range from $100-$125 per square foot, a high end finish can start at $125 per square foot and go well beyond $250 per square foot, again depending on the selections you choose.  This would only be the home itself, in additional to that you would need to include: site development costs, land costs, well & septic (or water & sewer), and landscaping.

      At Tri-County Homes, Inc. we have the plans and pricing tools, to quickly and accurately provide you a guaranteed price on your new home.  We can price out one of our standard models very quickly with many selections of various products for you to choose from.  We can price out custom plans in a few days.  We can help you throughout the home-building process to guide you through the decisions that will affect your lifestyle and your budget. Once the floor plans, specifications and details have been finalized through a construction contract, the price to build your new home is set in stone. The only way the final price changes, is if you yourself change something!