New construction bonus room with steps down into it???
12 years ago
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First steps for a new construction custom or semi custom home
Comments (19)Rory20, the $200/SF rule of thumb budget would be for a custom designed home. A builder's tract development or an individual house from a builder MAY be less, depending on lots of things, i.e., land and development costs, size and amenities, demand, etc. A $/SF cost is only a very rough approximation and it's only useful purpose is in very preliminary initial budgeting. As I mentioned the Zillow web site (and similar ones) lets you quickly compare actual prices of existing and new houses for sale to get a quick sense of cost ranges, what may be appealing and what may not. The best way to become familiar with the cost of houses in areas of your choice, and what they include, is...to look, look, look at them! Each and every builder has their own approach to customization, from a little to a lot. You have to go out and investigate. The old rule of thumb is that existing houses tend to cost less than new ones. While not always true, it's good to keep in mind. One of the best things to do before a dedicated search is for you and your spouse to make a list (to which you BOTH agree) of the "must have" spaces and amenities, and a second list of "nice to have" spaces and amenities. The lists are of little value if you don't both agree. The purpose of the list is to establish some important criteria by which to evaluate the houses you see, rather than simply getting carried away by some of the glitz and upgraded features that are common in model homes. Thus, when you visit homes, look beyond the surface "glitz" and try to evaluate the "bones" of the house to see if they will fit your lifestyle and budget. Everyone has their own priority list, but my recommendation for the top priorities in choosing a house are: 1) location; 2) immediate neighborhood, improvements, schools, transportation, etc; 3) individual house. Unfortunately, IMO, some folks make a purchase decision simply on house amenities such as granite counter tops, a buffalo tub and a MBR walk-in closet large enough for a basketball game. Builders know this and construct their houses accordingly. This is why so many builder's houses are so similar. So know what you really need and want before beginning your search. Good luck on your hunt!...See MoreWill the cupping hardwood floors on our new construction lie down?
Comments (48)If it is cupping, it looks pretty slight to me. Cupping--unless it's evident shortly after installation--is usually the result of moisture imbalances which are due to environmental conditions outside the contractor's control. Cupping is more evident the wider the flooring width which is why I recommend engineered hardwood for widths greater than 3" As a point of calibration, the performance standard published in NAHB's Residential Construction Performance Guidelines for Professional Builders and Remodelers is: "Cupping or crowning in hardwood floor boards will not exceed 1 /16 inch in height in a 3-inch maximum span measured perpendicular to the long axis of the board. Cupping or crowning appearing after installation may result from fluctuations in the moisture conditions in the house, causing a noticeable curvature in the face of the floor boards. Cupping or crowning caused by exposure to moisture beyond the contractor’s control is not the contractor’s responsibility." If the OP wants to minimize cupping, they'll need to control the relative humidity in the living space as well as the space below the floor. If it's a basement or crawl space, moisture controls need to be in place and some amount of conditioning may be required....See MoreNew construction cost downs
Comments (41)Flo - I disagree but it may be a matter of perspective. Cabinets, appliances, counters, flooring, lights are expensive and represent dollars at the end. My appliance budget is bigger than my foundation... by a lot Flooring+cabinets+counter roughly equal framing. And my house is not a simple shape at all. Obviously you can light a room for $10 or a $1000. So it really depends on what level house we are talking about. But, in my experience, mechanicals are 50% rough and 50% final. That is house level independent. Lastly, permitting is relatively cheap and can take a while. I have been "building" since September and have only spent $70k or so. Or 10% of budget. Hope that doesn't mean that this is a 7 year build.... Foundation -6% Framing - 13% Brick/siding - 4% Rough plumb, electric, hvac -4% All rough estimates of course....See MorePlanning for future bonus room in new house construction
Comments (14)We did what you are contemplating but thought we would save money and tax Bill. It was less expensive and we designed HVAC to be easy add later. I put loads of electricals so we had flexibility down the road. That was less cost to do at construction. Certain fire code items were needed as well. Truthfully, that was about 2/3 of the cost. So, we saved but then when we finished off that was cash out of pocket. So it’s a choice. If I had it to do again, I would do it all at initial build. Ours was 750 sq ft heated/cool space. And I wouldn’t have had the mess after moving in. Getting sheetrock up to second floor was messy! Good luck....See MoreRelated Professionals
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