I remember using that estimator when dh and I built our house a few years ago. It is very difficult to get a precise estimate because there are so many different factors that can effect your price. That said, it can give you an idea of what things effect your price, ie, more corners, roof lines, lots of foundation work, and the obvious upper end finishes. I just wouldn't go so far as to rely on it for a close estimate.
HTH

My original plan was to build the Thorne Bay on 40 acres of land I own in the Northern LP of Michigan, where the economy has taken its toll on the housing market, like everywhere. It gets us close to DW's family and after having spent the last 26 years in the military moving around like a gypsy, we really want to settle down next year when I retire. We thought we would be able to build the Thorne Bay for considerably less than the cost estimator, but that's the newbie in me. So now, we may look at something smaller, perhaps the Fernley at 2037 sf with an unfinished basement, roughed in bonus room, higher end finishes throughout. I know I can buy something in that area for considerably less than it will cost me to build but since we already own this beautiful 40 acres, I would hate to give up on that dream right now. The big variable is the labor rates for the GC and subs in that local area? Not even sure any builders are building anything new right now given the market there is so slow. BTW - I love the Cedar Court!

We plugged our numbers in there as well. Nearly 3.5 to 4X what the SQFT price is in our area for similar construction. I can't believe it's accurate.

toewsrus - Thank you.

DCRanger--Whoa!!! That cost estimator is WAAAAY off. It came up with $979,383 for my 2494 sq ft house with unfinished bonus & no basement. That's even more than the outrageous quote we got on building the original house we had planned at 4623 sq ft with unfinished bonus & basement with lots of super expensive windows & french doors & expensive finishes! Good heavens!! I just did the math--$392.70 sq ft!!! Definitely something wrong there. Maybe they left off a step & you're supposed to divide the total by 3 or possibly 4?

Just redid the quote using Level 6 for everything & deleted the fireplace and it still came in high at $549,323! Yikes!!

There is a free cost estimator on www.coolhouseplans.com. You can access it when you click on any plan. They didn't have Thorne Bay, but I clicked on a similar plan with 2934 sq ft and it came up with $88.02 sq ft for Michigan as the average--does not include porches, patios, basement, site prep, well, septic, etc. (NC came in at $77 sq ft) They also have a link from there onto another site where you can purchase a more detailed cost estimator (the $24.95 might just be worth it).

Thorne Bay is a beautiful plan with relatively simple lines to it (quite similar to mine, actually). If I was you I would not give up my dream of that house on your 40 acres until you've shopped that plan around to some area builders. Since things are so crazy with the economy right now, I would go to some building suppliers and ask if they can refer you to some quality builders who are in and have remained in good standing through this whole economic crisis. That's how we found ours--the guys at the brick manufacturer gave me the inside scoop on the builder we had planned to use and I finally just asked who they recommended and they had only 2 names for me based on quality & timeliness of paying their subs & suppliers. Also look for someone who doesn't have a lot of overhead as this will also help keep costs reasonable.

I'm waiting on my contractor to get back with me on his quote, but he keeps telling me that it will be within that price range of $115-125 sq ft. I'll let you know when he gets back with us.

Here is a link that might be useful: coolhouseplans website

I like what mydreamhome said about asking at local building supply stores about builders! No one knows the builders better for their work and how they pay their bills than where they do business; very good idea!

For comparison, the Cedar Court model that mydreamhome mentioned would list between $2-2.5 mill in my California town! Lot size would probably be a around 1/3 acre for the lower price range. New construction and total remodels are going for over $500/sq.ft. A top school system with high parental involvement keeps people interested in the town.

Mydreamhome and others,

Too funny! Thanks for running the numbers for me. I thought it was unbelievable but needed others to confirm. Also to get an accurate "rough" estimate, I called an architect in the area we're building and he said a good quality build will run $120-125 sf and you could run as high as $150 sf depending on how fancy you want to be. That sounds reasonable for the area we're building in. Another builder an hour north in Traverse City where it's generally higher pricing advertises the Laurelwood, complete with photos off the website, "to build" http://www.homes.com/listing/124607740/0003_Carroll_Rd_TRAVERSE_CITY_MI_49686. for $150 sf. So I'm looking at $120-$150 sf, plus about $10K for well/septic. The Thorne Bay is back in play, but I'm starting to look harder at something a little smaller like the Fernley which would give us more play money for upgrades. I'll look at the www.coolhouseplans.com. Thanks for the link.

It wasn't too bad for me. $150/sqft for my 4000 sqft house in WA state. I could have easily hit that with another builder and less diligence.