I am looking at either building or buying another home.
My first preference is to build.
I am trying to find a realistic price per square foot.
Does anyone know what constitutes moderate to luxurary?
For instance I would want quality countertops, fireplace, brick, wood floors, tile floor, and carpet in the bedrooms.
I am hearing prices from $50.00 - $100.00 psf.
I have never built a home and I am wondering if I can build for close to the same price of buying an older home?
I'm thinking with us getting closer to retirement age a new home would not be something always needing maintence, I hope.
Any comments?
Depends on what part of the country you're in. In our area the range is more like 90.00 & up. Thats S.E. Texas. On the Gulf Coast in Mississippi it is around 500.00 per sq ft
Depends on what part of the country you're in. In our area the range is more like 90.00 & up. Thats S.E. Texas. On the Gulf Coast in Mississippi it is around 500.00 per sq ft
Miss is that expensive????? wild!
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They sold their home in Oceanside, CA for 599.900.00 four months ago. They took a job transfer, her husband with government, not sure what he does his job classified, but he makes big money . She works for LAPD as a police officer.
I think your numbers are certainly pretty good starting points.
Consider this;
1. the box
2. the site development/permits/fees
3. the land acquisition
If you use a modular home (2-6 boxes) with a stick-built garage or porches, you can easily be in the $50/sf ball-park.
Modular is pretty similiar to stick-built costs with the advantage of the time reduction and reduced weather-related issues.
If your site can accommodate...you can't beat a poured-wall full basement with a walk-out and slab-on-grade for garage and porches ($15-18/sf?). Garage add-ons are always a "phase-able thing but the garage can be very helpful for your utility service entrances and a house central-vac. I think, in general, a poured wall basement is very cost effective against a block foundation. Raise the basement an extra foot (9') and get some natural light options and the future finished spaces will be very affordable (rough in the soil lines for lower level bathroom).
Flag lots can FREAK-YOU out concerning electric, water and sewer development fees as well as the grading and sub-base and surfacing of the long driveway.
Kitchens, bathrooms and custom flooring/finishes are so expensive that you may want to unbundle them from the general contractor who is always looking for a 7-15% mark-ups. If there is any way possible, get the general to establish your shell to get to some kind of U&O and then deal direct with the subs for the pricey finishes (much easier to do with modular installers). Nice "sweat" equity can be realized if a land acquistion can be made that does not require exceptional grading and storm water management measures.
Note: MODULAR DOES NOT have anything to do with double-wide or other type of portable pre-fab homes. A modular is a factory constructed house that is segmented into boxes, normally 2-4. They often have some component of stick-built attachments but they do also include garages although I have not seen many folks include the garage from the modular supplier.
A new site will involve public utility hook-ups (connection fees) that can be pricey. In this area, a water and sewer hook in the street can be in the $3500-7000 EACH, depending on your lot frontage.
Impact fees and permitting....a few calls to your local government and you can learn about these.
Does your site involve a reguired grading plan (not that common in residential construction). Does your site need storm water/runoff containment measures (normally if you are within 1000' of a tributary to a body of water you will).
In my opinion, always go new if possible. The new system commissioning is always preferred over the old system replacement. Site development is purely an overhead cost in the "new".
__________________
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath [James 1:19]
I think your numbers are certainly pretty good starting points.
Consider this;
1. the box
2. the site development/permits/fees
3. the land acquisition
If you use a modular home (2-6 boxes) with a stick-built garage or porches, you can easily be in the $50/sf ball-park.
Modular is pretty similiar to stick-built costs with the advantage of the time reduction and reduced weather-related issues.
If your site can accommodate...you can't beat a poured-wall full basement with a walk-out and slab-on-grade for garage and porches ($15-18/sf?). Garage add-ons are always a "phase-able thing but the garage can be very helpful for your utility service entrances and a house central-vac. I think, in general, a poured wall basement is very cost effective against a block foundation. Raise the basement an extra foot (9') and get some natural light options and the future finished spaces will be very affordable (rough in the soil lines for lower level bathroom).
Flag lots can FREAK-YOU out concerning electric, water and sewer development fees as well as the grading and sub-base and surfacing of the long driveway.
What do you mean by Flag lots?
Kitchens, bathrooms and custom flooring/finishes are so expensive that you may want to unbundle them from the general contractor who is always looking for a 7-15% mark-ups. If there is any way possible, get the general to establish your shell to get to some kind of U&O and then deal direct with the subs for the pricey finishes (much easier to do with modular installers). Nice "sweat" equity can be realized if a land acquistion can be made that does not require exceptional grading and storm water management measures.
What do you mean by U&O?
Note: MODULAR DOES NOT have anything to do with double-wide or other type of portable pre-fab homes. A modular is a factory constructed house that is segmented into boxes, normally 2-4. They often have some component of stick-built attachments but they do also include garages although I have not seen many folks include the garage from the modular supplier.
Yes, I looked at modular before.
A new site will involve public utility hook-ups (connection fees) that can be pricey. In this area, a water and sewer hook in the street can be in the $3500-7000 EACH, depending on your lot frontage.
Impact fees and permitting....a few calls to your local government and you can learn about these.
What would be impact fees?
Does your site involve a reguired grading plan (not that common in residential construction). Does your site need storm water/runoff containment measures (normally if you are within 1000' of a tributary to a body of water you will).
In my opinion, always go new if possible. The new system commissioning is always preferred over the old system replacement. Site development is purely an overhead cost in the "new".
I found 2 acres that is near a bayou. I am trying to find out if it floods in that area.
I found 2 acres that is near a bayou. I am trying to find out if it floods in that area.
A flag lot is any lot that does have any direct frontage along the public right-of-way (public road). Cross-over agreements have to be "deeded" to create right-of-ways that enable lots behind the lots in front to cross-over the front lot(s). (If you think of a flag on a flag pole, the flag is your lot and the flag pole is the cross-over/right-of-way.
U&O (may have slight local governments twist)
Use and Occupancy; this is your right to inhabit what you are building. It is generally upon the completion of all inspections (Finals). The building and/or fire marshall is normally the last inspection that looks for all the trades (elec, HVAC, plumbing, insulation) to have final inspection and then a U&O is granted. If you are unbundling your job, this can be tricky since Mr. General contractor is kind of KING until the U&O is issued (make sure you consider arbitration clauses). See if payment to the subs can be made direct and just treated as a payment/draw to your General contract. A sub can put a mechanics lean on your property even if the dispute is NOT between you and him. Getting a U&O will be an important strategy if you are trying to get your very pricey finishes to be "bought direct" rather through MR. General contractor's mark-up machine.
Modular has a lot of upside and should be seriously reviewed in your mix of options and approaches. Normally the modular installer will need to be the general contractor during the foundation/basement phase.
Impact fees are just the new way local governments tax you to build. It is an unbundled permit fee supposedly to support the cost of the "impact" of your development on the local roads and schools. If you are in a rural county, maybe this latest form of construction extortion has not found its way to your building site BUT ASK! Impact fees can be crazy money...$5- 15K...bizarre, criminal, government doing what it does best. If they do not exist --great (ask if there is any pending legislation), if they do exist, get the skinny before you purchase the land.
Flood plain data is always available and may impact the way your HVAC and other mechanical system equipment can be set. If you have surface run-off within a 1000' of a body of water, you want to find out if there are any special construction requirements based on the physical proximity (this is often called --critical area. If so, you almost asssuredly will need a grading plan (archetectural drawings for the landscape) and you will certainly be learning all about sediment and storm-water containment. If you have not purchased the land as of yet, be mindful of any reforestation or natural surface water filtering that may be required for site development.
If this will involve a well and septic system you may need to connect with a civil engineering service to get the skinny on well depths, water quality, water conditioning, and infiltration (percolation) for the drain fields/dry wells. Septic companies and well drilling companys know a lot of this stuff but you may get a lot of run around because they will be hesitant to say anything too specific. If any neighbor has developed recently....get to KNOW THEM!
__________________
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath [James 1:19]
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