In my area, everything has picked up--jobs too. Unemployment hasn't dropped drastically though because people who were "off the unemployment rolls" (ie, gave up looking) last year, are back on them now. So overall, more people are working. And, yes, costs have risen in a lot of areas.

When you orient your house, try to have it on a bit of an angle, so that no side faces dead north. The north side tends to be cold and uninviting, and the lack of sunshine encourages mold and algae growth on the siding. We rotated our house about 30 degrees, so the back gets morning sun, although in the winter, the sun just barely hits the back. Our view is directly north, so the temptation would have been to face the house that way, but we still have a great view, and a little sun on the back deck. Make sure your basement is properly detailed to keep moisture out. This includes waterproofing, drainage at the footing, gravel backfill, proper grading away from the foundation for drainage, and gutters to prevent large quantities of water from dumping directly at the top of the foundation. That way, the basement space will be usable and pleasant. Our basement in upstate SC is the exact same temperature range as Annie's, so we haven't added any HVAC, although we may add a mini-split should we use the space. Summer humidity is an issue here in the south, so we run a dehumidifier in the warmer months.

CSKI13, Without other details, I suspect what they meant by "rambling ranch" was that you had a complicated footprint. That adds significantly to the cost. Tom, that's a very simple ranch floorplan. A style like that will be the cheapest possible build, regardless of whether you go stick-built or modular. While that floorplan may not boast a great deal of "flash", it looks like a solid, comfortable place to live. The plumbing's consolidated, the bedroom hall isn't too long, the rooms are a comfortable size. I think the windows in the utility room and the window over the kitchen sink look a little sad ... I'd make them larger, or perhaps embellish them with some window boxes or something. However -- pointing out the obvious -- these ranches are widely available, and a house bought on the resale market is almost always cheaper than a new, custom-built house. With this in mind, why would you put the money and the effort into building? You're not likely to want to stay in this house for the rest of your life. I'd be okay with a no-view dining room; I'd do a banquette against the back wall -- very practical with kids. I'd add another window (or slider) on the left wall of the living room. You have the space, and additional light from a second side would really open up that room. With another 2-4' of width in the utility room you could have a desk and floor-to-ceiling shelving. You'd sit at the desk with your back to the washing machine -- painted a pretty color and accented with a few nice things, this could be "a real room", not just the laundry. This would provide you with an "away space" for one person. You could even include a peek-a-boo window into the kitchen. Of course, this would enlarge the half bath are too ... allowing you BOTH a large closet opening into the bathroom AND a built-in bookshelf opening towards the living room. Sounds like a win-win-win for the low price of 2-4' width in that garage-connector area. Even for a budget project, that little bit extra will add a great deal of liveability to the house. 10-20% savings, if that's the difference between stick and modular, ABSOLUTELY IS a pile of money. If, of course, you end up with a similar-quality product -- and that, I don't know. One last thought: I'm pretty sure my Bible told me it's ALL God's country!

They all will have an out on cost increases. No one will sign a hard number contract without saying that the numbers can change. The materials and labor market both are too volatile to get a hard number with no out. Your best bet is to get other ducks in a row. Setbacks, environmental impacts, electrical increase to the home and new panel so you can run a sub panel in the ADU, sewer route, and hookup fee paid. Impervious limitations figured out. Storm water management. None of that is a minor cost, or an easy thing. Take care of that. If things go belly up, all of that footwork adds value to the next homeowner. Work with an architect for site planning that works with all of that infrastructure planning. Explore an addition to the main house instead. If this is going to happen, all of those infrastructure changes need to be ironed out and checked off. Be ready to go with infrastructure done, and the design paid for, if things cool down in the market. But there’s no way I‘d start any build at the moment. And there is no way I’d bet in any of those modular companies being in business in 3 years time. Too much overhead, and not enough liquidity to weather it. I’d bet strongly on the stick built, when the market has its coming downturn. Conventional builders can operate out of a truck and use subs. They don’t have employees and real estate to drag them down.