The only way your gonna find that answer is to get several quotes from the local GC's....with a 'very' accurate discrip. of what you want in it.

If you follow Jacks details I would say you are looking at $150 /sf and up in Ohio markets. However this is just a rough guess based on the Columbus market. But the style and complexity of the plan, complexity of the roof, pitch, level of detail, quality of finishes ( interior and exterior), appliances etc can all vary the number. However now builders and subs are willing to deal on prices to get the work. Materials and labor are priced better today than the past few years.

It all boils down to the materials. To build with the jack arnold details is a very high end home . . . Cedar shake roof (two or three times as much as high end asphalt), real stone exteriors (not stone veneers), copper gas lanterns, etc. There was one recently built around here and they were at around 175 a square foot, and we are in a relatively inexpensive market. . .

You can obviously build them without the cedar shake roof, etc. but the roof in that design is the focal point so you may lose the look you are after.

The $130/sf number seems reasonable. Cincy market is a bit different. Keep in mind parade type homes are often built with many discounts and donated materials and labor in exchange for advertising. When building a custom , one time build for a client that number is usually higher. I recently helped my gf and her brother build and the cost just for construction ( no builder involved) for ranch plans( 18%-25% higher than 2 story) was about $115/sf on the simpler one. The other was a little higher but was a steep sloping lot, lots of deck, 10 ft plus basement walls with full walkout , 10' first floor walls and cathedral ceilings and generally more complex to build. Both have 3 car garages, custom cabinets nice appliances, lots of wood floors, generators, painted woodwork, 12/12/pitch and generally nice finishes although nothing extravigant.

Athensmomof3: Thanks for the info. I'm not surprised by the $175/sf, but when I first saw the designs I was afraid it might run $250/sf. Someone who built a Jack Arnold just told me that the cost was about $130/sf, though that owner had some contacts that helped to contain costs.

Bigkahuna: Thanks for the insight re: discounted costs in exchange for ads; that hadn't occurred to me. All 3 homearama homes are listed well above $500K, and the developer of one of them told me that nothing is selling above $500K in Cincinnati currently--hence the declining asking prices since the October show.

Also, thanks for insight into cost differential between otherwise comparable one- and two-story plans. I've found 3 different web resources which estimated 20%, 30%, and 40% premiums, respectively. Your 18% to 25% corroborates those figures (and sounds more realistic than the higher end of that range).

I've looked at a number of resources to estimate how much I could save if I acted as GC. Based on the 2007 NAHB survey, almost 36% of construction costs (ex-lot) are overhead. Most of those overhead costs would not apply to me (except builder's insurance, some attorney's fees, misc.) so I estimate that I could save 20% to 33% of construction costs by acting as GC. Is that your impression? (Note: My retired father worked in the homebuilding business until he was 30, and he is willing to help on project.)

That % is about right if you were the GC. BUT, make sure you get GC pricing and NOT consumer pricing....anywhere from 30-50% difference in pricing. If ya gonna go this route, go to as many sites that are building in your area and talk to any subs you can and get pricing for dif. trades. Since you are only building one house, the subs will usually try to quote you consumer pricing. You need to find out what GC's are paying!

I'm going to always be the one to decrease the % saved by building yourself. I'm sure you will save some money but I highly doubt that it would be 20%. The "percentage overhead" is going to be less on a higher end home as overhead will be relatively constant - ie I'm sure the insurance cost is the same on a $150 sq foot home vs a $100 a sq foot home.

I don't know your land and RE commission issues but I suspect that makes up 5-6% of that overhead. You will not change that number (most likely) whether or not you use a GC. In my situation, we had no RE fees (well they were already paid) and we used a GC. But I'm sure my GC would quote 6% if he had a survey to fill out. When I say 6% - I am meaning that overhead would be down to 30% (not about 33% which would be another way of interpreting it). Whether or not you have to pay interest (another overhead number) is totally dependent on you and not whether you use a GC or not. My point is that the 36% number is certainly not what you'd save given GC or not if other factors are held equal. Like you alluded to the 36% number includes some mandatory things but the RE fees and interest (and closing costs) are big numbers.

When you see a house with declining prices, the builder may (probably) be losing money. So if you see a comparative house selling for $500k, it may have been built for $600k. So to think that you could build for $500k is an erroneous conclusion. I know people think builders are always making money and the prices are heavily padded but that is usually not true.

We had a house nearby with a contract price of $825 during construction and it sold for $635 after the original people couldn't close. There was some padding in the original price (I saw the line items) like billing by the hour for the superintendent in addition to a nice builder profit. But even removing profit and salary costs, there was a nice loss on that sale of at least $50k. There was a retained deposit that covered that so the builder was just out his salary expense and the time holding the property - which is not a small number even at 5%.

Thanks, Robin and David.

I'm not sure how much I can save by acting as GC, but the savings will be greater for a higher end house, whether measured in absolute terms or percentage terms; that's because some overhead costs are fixed. For example, if my attorney charges $1000 to draw up contracts and lien waivers, that will be 1% of the cost of a $100,000 house, but only 0.5% of the cost of a $200,000 house.

There are many resources for owner-builders to use. They all agree on the range of likely savings. Carl Heldman's website provides the NAHB survey, if you're interested. Heldman is a professional, but build-yourown-home.com is written by an amateur.

I only know one owner-builder myself. My uncle saved 20% vs. the GC quote 25 years ago, and he approached the project with little or no planning, and few resources to guide him.

The 2007 NAHB survey reported a 9% to 10% net profit, and I know a Chicago builder who told me he typically earned 18% prior to the boom. However, the average builder must be earning less profit now than in 2007, so the potential savings are probably somewhat lower now.

As David notes, it isn't hard to lose that 10% margin on a spec house. As in most areas, one can find better deals in Cincinnati by buying newer existing homes than by building a custom home. For example, I could not reproduce the Homearama homes as cheaply as I could buy the three on the market today. However, I won't obtain the house best-suited to me if I buy an existing house.

Hmmmm.... think your missing some fairly big picture things. First off, as mentioned above, Jack Arnold homes/plans use very high-end materials. (READ: $$) His designs are unusual (READ: subs who usually charge $$ will likely charge $$$$) -- even in this building environment. And, being a GC isn't easy either -- it's hard finding good subs and mistakes now come directy from your pocket.

I guess I would give you the obligatory "Be careful" advice when thinking about about GC'ing a house-- especially one as difficult as a Jack Arnold design. Do not underestimate the difficulty in using builidng products that are not the norm. I say this as someone who is currently GC'ing/doing a massive remodel/addition of a 1920 dutch colonial. Many of the products we used (Davinci synthetic roofing slates, Daikin VR-V air conditioner and heat pump, hydronic in-floor heat, half round gutters, etc) are not typical in our area of Virginia.

Many people come to this forum and ask can I save x percent if I do an Owner/build home. Or, I read in a book that I can save 25 percent as an OB. Honestly, the short answer is yes, but as usual, the honest answer is probably more like 'it depends'.

For our house, doing much of the work and GC'ing other portions has meant that we get to upgrade to better materials that we would never be able to afford if someone else did the work. Thus, at the end of the day, we've spent the same amount of money... just gotten better fixtures and used higher-end supplies.

Also, gc'ing and doing the work has given us other tangible benefits -- we know how to fix things when something goes wrong (you get to know your house intimately...) But on the flip side, it also means there are something things/mistakes that you have to live with -- you can't just call the GC and tell them to fix/change this. (And believe me, there will be things that no one will notice but will haunt you forever...)

Also, you gotta look at the time component too. We're 3 years into our project and we just got walls! And people laugh when I tell them we've got another 3+ years to go. Sadly, they think I'm kidding. Even more sad is that so far, we've always been too idealistic in our time planning. Let's pray it's only 3 years!

I wish you all the best of luck. Just don't think the building thing is easy.

Niff: I don't think it is easy. I've read many books and done quite a bit of leg work over the past year, but it amounts to maybe 20% of the planning required. So far, I've invested "hobby time," but if I commit to the project I won't have the option to put it down. It's not at all clear that the potential savings is worth the time required.

On the other hand, I expect to be heavily involved even if I hire a GC. Just about everyone I know has discovered very important mistakes on their new construction. I won't trust a GC to execute the plans provided. Therefore, I'll be paying a GC to find the subs and supplies and arrange scheduling. That isn't trivial, but it's a poor deal for the money that I'll pay.

This would be different if I worked in the field, had relationships with local pros, and knew someone that I could trust. I know physicians and investors that are extremely competent, conscientious, and trustworthy. I don't know who fits that bill among builders.

Just curious, how does your uncle know he saved 20%? Did he build the house exactly as he received a quote from the builder with no changes? I'm just trying to figure this out.

He obtained a quote for $150K but couldn't afford it, so decided to GC himself. He completed the job for $120K.

The Jack Arnold team responded to my direct inquiry. They told me that cost to build in Tulsa varies from $150/sf to $300/sf, and that I would probably pay > $200/sf. This price excludes garages and porches.

I'd like to compliment them publicly for being so helpful and so frank.

Therefore, I'll be paying a GC to find the subs and supplies and arrange scheduling. That isn't trivial, but it's a poor deal for the money that I'll pay.

How is this gonna be an O/B??? This is exactly what GC's do in the first place.

Robin: If I hire a GC, I will be paying him to find subs and supplies, and handle scheduling. I won't trust him to supervise the subs properly and ensure that the house is well-built and erected according to all of the plan's specs and materials.

In other words, I will be on the site everyday ensuring that the work is done properly--whether I hire a GC or act as my own GC. That supervision is a critical component of a GC's job, but I'm sure I won't trust anyone to handle it properly. Therefore, I'll be paying too much with a standard GC model.

I might be able to find someone solely to locate subs/supplies and arrange schedules for smaller fee, not sure.