Cost per square foot is one of the most common questions people ask when planning a custom home, but it’s not necessarily the most useful way to estimate construction costs.
The design, materials, foundation, location, and features of a home can dramatically affect its total cost, even when two homes have identical square footage.
Choosing Your Builder is Like Choosing a New Car
When it’s time to buy a new car or truck for your family or business, do you start out by determining how much per pound you are willing to pay? Of course not.
You choose the right make and model for you based on your needs, what you will be carrying in the vehicle, and the features and upgrades you can’t live without.
As Peter Scholl explains in this video, the same considerations hold true when choosing your builder for your home or commercial construction project. With so many variables in play, comparing cost per square foot between builders becomes meaningless.
What Factors Affect the Cost Per Square Foot of a Custom Home?
As Peter explains, several important features can significantly affect construction costs without necessarily increasing the home’s calculated square footage.
Porches, decks, and bonus rooms:
Front porches, back porches, decks, screened rooms, and certain bonus rooms may not be included in the square footage used for cost comparisons, but they still require materials and labor to construct.
Foundation and basement design:
Building on a slab, crawl space, full basement, or walkout basement involves different construction requirements and costs.
Building materials and finishes:
Choices such as exterior siding and fireplace construction can dramatically change the final cost of a home.
Home design and location:
The structure’s design and where it is being built also influence the overall construction budget.
This is why two custom homes with the same square footage can have very different construction costs.
For another perspective on how home size influences construction costs, read our article, Build Bigger, Pay Less? The Home Building Paradox Explained
How Can You Get an Accurate Estimate for Your Custom Home?
Rather than relying on a general price per square foot, the first step is discussing your home’s design, location, desired features, and budget with an experienced custom home builder.
As Peter explains, we work through these details with clients to determine what they want to build and how the project can fit their budget.
What questions do you need answered?
Scholl Construction is ready to answer all your questions to help make your vision a reality. Call us today at 815-479-0910 to get started, or contact us online to arrange an appointment.
Transcript
How much will my house cost per square foot?
Square foot is one of the most common questions I get ask, but it’s probably the most irrelevant to the cost of a construction project. I relate it to how much is a cup of coffee per gallon or per ounce? It depends if you’re going to a gas station or you’re going to Starbucks. Or, how much is a car per pound? Is it a Mercedes or is it an F 250 truck? It really depends what you put into the house.
Front porches are not typically included in the square footage, but there’s a huge cost associated with those. The back porch, deck and screen rooms are typically not included. There’s a cost associated with those too. Sometimes an architect will draw a bonus room on the top of the garage and the bonus room square footage isn’t included in the square foot cost. Basements make a big difference. Is the house built on a slab? Does it have a crawl space? Is it built on a basement or is it a walkout where there’s a whole other set of windows. Is there a big wall in the back and a concrete patio? To get an accurate cost per square foot, we need to talk about the design of the structure. We haven’t even gotten into the materials yet. You know, is it vinyl siding, regular siding; do you have a full masonry fireplace or a metal box fireplace that’s covered in masonry. All those things have dramatic swings in the cost per square foot. It really depends on what you want to build, where you’re building it and the design of your house. As we get further into the process of working together, we will nail down all those things and work your home into whatever budget you have.