House Build Cost

11 years ago

Hey everyone. The wife and I are in the midst of getting quotes and are kind of stuck as far as budget. Currently the house is a 2800 sq ft Ranch. Full basement. We are in Wisconsin. We are a little over what we want to spend. My brother in law is a contractor and GCing the whole job for almost nothing. He is doing some of the construction himself and charging us for those services but no fee for the GCing. Below is our current quote break out.

Electrical = 11,000
Flooring = 10,000
Plumbing = 11,000
HVAC = 11,000
Conrete and Foundation = 45,000
Kitchen Cabinets and Granite = 13,000
Drywall = 15,000
Insulation = 6,000
Windows = 16,000
Rough Lumber, Siding, Roof Materials = 50,000
Framing, Siding, Roofing Labor = 21,000
Stone Veneer in Front = 8,000
Garage Doors = 3,000
Fireplace = 2,000
Millwork = 2,400
Finish Carp Labor = 3,000
Doors = 10,000
Vanity's = 2,900
Gutters = 1,500

Total is 241,900

Question is, will taking out like 600-800 sq feet shrink the price much? There would be a front foyer room that would for sure be out which has 3 windows. The other space will come out from making the overall space smaller. The basement price is really what spiked on us and that, I would think, would shrink with smaller sq footage. Thoughts?

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

virgilcarter
11 years ago
Why don't you confer with your brother in law who is GC-ing? That's the value that GCs are supposed to offer.

Everything boils down to time and money!

Good luck on your project.
User
11 years ago
A lot of the prices already seem way too low to be realistic, so if things are tight, then I don't think you are a good candidate for a build. Prices only go up.

The only way that cutting out space brings you under budget is if you're really cutting out space from expensive rooms. Typically foyers and offices aren't the expensive rooms in a build. Rooms with plumbing and special features are the expensive ones.

Overall, the easiest way to cut $$ from the build is to downgrade the features and materials. Simplify the home's shapes and eliminate the foundation jogs and roof changes. Put more into the shell and less into the stuff that covers the shell. That can always be changed out down the road.
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Mistman
11 years ago
That's actually pretty low to build a finished 2800 sq ft home, less than $100 sq ft. I'd make sure those quotes are accurate.
phoggie
11 years ago
From what I am finding out, you might be low on your kitchen cabinets and granite. Mine is about that in my little 1628 sf house.
dyno
11 years ago
Is this 2800 sq ft above ground plus basement?
cleanfreak0419
11 years ago
some cost you may have missed:

permitting
dumpster
port a potty
temp electrical
water/ sewer fees
construction interest
paint and paint labor
appliances
driveway/walkway
landscaping

Does your flooring price include labor? $10K only works out to about $3.50 sq ft. It will be tough to get flooring of any kind installed including material at that price.

I agree with phoggie on the cabinets. My last house was 2600 sq ft and I used kraftmaid cabinets and black galaxy granite. The cost was around $20K including vanities.

Your millwork material quote is low as well. It will be closer to $5000. Crown molding and base moldings are not cheap. Add in any other decorative trim and it could easily go over that amount........and what about stair parts?