Cost to build a home?

[tokamak 6442]

We are interested in building a house in the 'burbs of Houston. We chose a floor plan we liked with the David Weekley BOYL folks and they gave us an estimate of about $140/sf. Honestly that seems reasonable enough but given lot prices in the area we're interested in and our budget, we'd need to be at something more like $120-125/sf to make the numbers work for us.

So here's the question - is it possible that by "shopping around", we'd be able to find someone that could beat DW significantly on price, or are we going to find everyone to be in pretty much the same range? Would going with an architect + a contractor as opposed to a big production homebuilder result in significant savings?

[miguelito 11312]

add more square feet to make the $/sf go down.  boom.

 

I'd get some other bids, just to be sure, but I'd expect the numbers to be somewhat close.

[tokamak 6442]

9 minutes ago, miguelito said:

add more square feet to make the $/sf go down.  boom.

 

I'd get some other bids, just to be sure, but I'd expect the numbers to be somewhat close.

I wondered about that. I guess the relationship isn't linear because all the lot prep costs, etc stay the same?

We don't really need (or even want) more space than the plan we picked (~3100 sf), but my wife is concerned about resale value because with the numbers we have in front of us, we'd be significantly higher on a per square foot basis than what similar houses are selling for.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

27 minutes ago, miguelito said:

add more square feet to make the $/sf go down.  boom.

 

I'd get some other bids, just to be sure, but I'd expect the numbers to be somewhat close.

Yeah that'll cut costs......

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4977]

A lot of your proce per square foot costs come from kitchens and bathrooms. If you cut out a few things like granite countertops or upgraded cabinets that can have a big effect on the price per square foot. Just try to make cuts where you can easily upgrade later when you have the spare money. Even something like leaving off crown molding can make a difference, and that's pretty easy to do yourself later on down the road.

[El Tri 412]

if you're building a home i assume you're planning on staying there a long time. a bit premature to think about resale value.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, El Tri said:

if you're building a home i assume you're planning on staying there a long time. a bit premature to think about resale value.

Never too early to think about resale value and should be factored into your design decisions from the get go.  Obviously the Longer you plan to be there the less of a consideration it is, but it's always something to consider.

[Dendox 102]

In the San Antonio area, thats about the going rate.  Maybe a little high.

A good small local builder can beat that price and probably provide you a better overall product.  

There is a lot of truth to the statements above.  adding easy square footage allows you to get better return on your initial investment (think bonus room over the garage).  While that sq ft is not free, it is cheaper sq ft than the lower level and helps you on resale (assuming that is a true concern of yours).  the overall cost of the home is, obviously, greater.  I can't tell if your concern is with the overall cost of the home or the comparables

 

[tokamak 6442]

32 minutes ago, Dendox said:

In the San Antonio area, thats about the going rate.  Maybe a little high.

A good small local builder can beat that price and probably provide you a better overall product.  

There is a lot of truth to the statements above.  adding easy square footage allows you to get better return on your initial investment (think bonus room over the garage).  While that sq ft is not free, it is cheaper sq ft than the lower level and helps you on resale (assuming that is a true concern of yours).  the overall cost of the home is, obviously, greater.  I can't tell if your concern is with the overall cost of the home or the comparables

 

It's both, but moreso comparables. There's a house similar to what we'd want to build currently for sale at about $207/sf. It's approximately 500 sq ft bigger than the plan we picked and from looking at the pictures, is finished out very nicely - probably nicer than what we'd be able to afford (lots of "antique doors sourced from a real New England farmhouse!" and silly shit like that).

Including the lot, we're looking at something like $220/sf to build, assuming we don't go a penny over the estimate we've been given (lol). The overall cost is tight but doable, but the fact that we'd be so much more expensive per sf than a nicer house down the street is what we're having trouble with. We do intend to stay in the home for a long time, which mitigates things somewhat.

Someone smart is going to suggest that we just buy the comparable house and that's an option. We plan to take a good look at it, but judging just from photos I don't expect it to be a great fit for what we want. You never know.

[Bernard 879]

17 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Someone smart is going to suggest that we just buy the comparable house and that's an option.

You beat me to it. What makes it "nicer" than what you're going to build, yet still less desirable?

Bernard

[Bernard 879]

You can always do it yourself: https://www.ubuildit.com/offices/texas/houston-galleria/

I wouldn't, but that's just me.

Bernard

Edited September 6, 2018 by Bernard

[tokamak 6442]

You beat me to it. What makes it "nicer" than what you're going to build, yet still less desirable?
Bernard

The interior design is nice, but not to our taste. Floorplan isn't ideal and the backyard is very small, as well.

[LebongJames 1814]

That seems pretty reasonable. We built a house last year. Well actually we signed April 1 2016 but completed June 9th 2017. We were at $133/sq ft if you don’t count covered patio attached to slab to sq ft.

[Digdogger 1344]

Build a basement.  It adds square footage for basically free, is hidden from the tax man and is a convenient hiding place

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

59 minutes ago, Digdogger said:

Build a basement.  It adds square footage for basically free, is hidden from the tax man and is a convenient hiding place

Except for the cost of the 6-8 extra block courses, related steel and grouting, stair, waterproofing,  increased HVAC sizing, conc. Slab.  It's a $10-$30k cost difference.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Onboard 2.0

[Oakbrook 67]

1 hour ago, Digdogger said:

Build a basement.

In Houston, TX?  Not recommended.

14 hours ago, Bernard said:

You can always do it yourself: https://www.ubuildit.com/offices/texas/houston-galleria/

Reminds me of story . . .

while house hunting a couple of years ago, It was amusing how easy it was to spot “You Build-it” homes.  They usually look like crap.  Something designed by an amateur.

There are exceptions, one of which the wife & kids liked.  I could still tell from details like quirky floor plan, weird finishing carpentry details, missing anchor bolts on garage support columns, etc. that something wasn’t right.  I asked our realtor to find out who the builder was.  Sure enough, it was a U-Buildit type house. 

I’m sure there are folks that could pull off a quality self build, but they are by far the exception to the rule.  They prob have some type of background in construction.

[Moby Ric 2058]

$140/sf in Houston sounds really high especially form a spec home builder like David Weekly.  $120 seems more reasonable even if it were custom.  

[HOOKEM4 5044]

1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Except for the cost of the 6-8 extra block courses, related steel and grouting, stair, waterproofing,  increased HVAC sizing, conc. Slab.  It's a $10-$30k cost difference.

 

23 minutes ago, Oakbrook said:

In Houston, TX?  Not recommended.

 

Josef Fritzl doesn't play by the same rules as you people. He actually fucks.

Edited September 7, 2018 by HOOKEM4

[Digdogger 1344]

2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Except for the cost of the 6-8 extra block courses, related steel and grouting, stair, waterproofing,  increased HVAC sizing, conc. Slab.  It's a $10-$30k cost difference.

I consider $10-30k basically free #pointonepercenter

 

1 hour ago, Oakbrook said:

In Houston, TX?  Not recommended.

Put in a floor drain, obviously

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

3 minutes ago, Digdogger said:

I consider $10-30k basically free #pointonepercenter

 

Put in a floor drain, obviously

$30K... free ?  Well aren't you the Daddy Warbucks......   I mean in the general scope of cost it's not a gigantic number, and it's cheap space for sure, but its also one of the first things clients eliminate when budgets become tight.  

[tokamak 6442]

12 hours ago, LebongJames said:

That seems pretty reasonable. We built a house last year. Well actually we signed April 1 2016 but completed June 9th 2017. We were at $133/sq ft if you don’t count covered patio attached to slab to sq ft.

What level of finish inside if you don't mind me asking? Hardwoods, crown molding, granite, etc? What builder?

 

Also, you were pre-Harvey. I wonder if that's changed things much or if it's back to normal at this point.

Edited September 7, 2018 by tokamak

[phdhorn 6224]

25 minutes ago, Digdogger said:

I consider $10-30k basically free #pointonepercenter

Well, the Euro's had a good exchange rate lately, as you know.  Plus you engineers are good at rigging your own cost-effective solutions.  Usually they last for years!  Decades, even.

[El Tri 412]

3 hours ago, Digdogger said:

Build a basement.  It adds square footage for basically free, is hidden from the tax man and is a convenient hiding place

pretty fucking funny suggestion considering your avatar pic.

[Oakbrook 67]

2 hours ago, Digdogger said:

Put in a floor drain, obviously

Well, in that case, you’re good.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21922]

6 hours ago, Digdogger said:

Build a basement.  It adds square footage for basically free, is hidden from the tax man and is a convenient hiding place

I don't think indoor swimming pools add that much value to a house.

[justhookit 4191]

2 hours ago, tokamak said:

 

 

Also, you were pre-Harvey. I wonder if that's changed things much or if it's back to normal at this point.

Don’t know about Houston, but build prices here in Port A have gone way up since Harvey. Everything from labor to materials is higher. 

[jimmyjazz 46152]

We built a larger (5B 4.5 BA) two-story David Weekly BOYL home in near west Austin about 3 years ago.  Finished cost for a fairly high-end home was $136/sf.  Hardwood floors throughout (save wet areas and stairs), granite and marble throughout, 10-12 foot ceilings, multiple shades of interior paint along with white ceilings (which cost more), all limestone & stucco (no siding), solid core doors throughout, a fair amount of crown moulding, very large covered porches front and back, one fireplace (limestone), land not included.  My only complaint is the quality of the cabinets.  They seem kinda cheap.  They didn't offer any better alternatives, though.

Edited September 8, 2018 by jimmyjazz

[LebongJames 1814]

Granite

upgraded cabinets

large covered patio

wood look tile throughout 

3/3 one story with a study and a game room upstairs

custom staircase railing because it’s the first thing you see when you walk in

All upgraded faucets and a large cast iron farmhouse sink.

no crown molding.

I can’t think of anything else we added that wasn’t included in base house

Custom limestone gas fireplace with stone from the floor to ceiling 

 

[horn4life 3783]

If your build cost is more than the comparables on the Market you are asking for trouble.  As at some point (sometimes not by choice) you will need to sell.  

I personally am not a fan of the ceramic tile wood look tiles. The durability is good but wood has a different feel and warmth to it, IMHO.  I also think that hardwoods give more value to a home than ceramic tile, at least that was the case in the past (wood versus tile.)

 

But if you get exactly what you want and think you are gonna be there a long time the cost becomes less and less a factor.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, horn4life said:

If your build cost is more than the comparables on the Market you are asking for trouble.  As at some point (sometimes not by choice) you will need to sell.  

I personally am not a fan of the ceramic tile wood look tiles. The durability is good but wood has a different feel and warmth to it, IMHO.  I also think that hardwoods give more value to a home than ceramic tile, at least that was the case in the past (wood versus tile.)

 

But if you get exactly what you want and think you are gonna be there a long time the cost becomes less and less a factor.

I agree,  not a fan of ceramic tile looking like wood thing.  I have a client who's considering  this now for a new home I just designed for her...

[Stunns38 3559]

I agree,  not a fan of ceramic tile looking like wood thing.  I have a client who's considering  this now for a new home I just designed for her...

Should only be used on low end homes or in Basements.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

22 minutes ago, Stunns38 said:

 

Should only be used on low end homes or in Basements.

 

Yeah, not on million dollar + homes IMO.

[jimmyjazz 46152]

I think tile can work in high-end homes, but certainly not tile that's made to look like wood.  Might as well go with Pergo at that point.