Woodside is one of the most expensive and exclusive towns in the United States. An acre of land there is at least $2M (more likely $3M) and that is before removal of an existing older home, grading, etc. You will not find land to support a house of this size there for $1M. You don't say where you are but it's sort of implied you're in the bay area. If so, then you'll have trouble finding land anywhere convenient that could support a property of this size for that budget. You might find some larger plots further up 84 towards Skyline, down south on 17 in the Los Gatos Mountains beyond Saratoga. I suspect you will like these locations even less though unless you enjoy being remote or have a business reason to be so far south. For most people on this forum, the real estate market in the SF Bay area and on the Peninsula in particular is just completely bonkers so please suspend your disbelief for a moment if you've not participated in this market. If you just like this style of house and could live with a 1/4-1/3 acre lot you may be able to find land in Redwood City's Emerald Hills neighborhood (also zipcode 94062) for the low $1Ms. It is very hard to find even quarter acre lots in the bay area as residential land has been saturated since the early 1970s, so you will be buying an existing house to tear down & replace. Existing homes on the peninsula range from $1M for a 1500sqft house on a 6000sqft (San Carlos/Redwood City area) lot to $2-3M for a 2500sqft house on a 11000sqft lot (Los Altos/Palo Alto area). In the lower density neighborhoods (Woodside, Portola Valley, Atherton, Los Altos Hills) you are looking at at least $2M for a teardown on an undesirable acre lot. In Atherton it's going to be $3-4M for a teardown on an acre. This is the cost of living inside the Silicon Valley bubble. A note on resale: In the right parts of the Bay Area it should be pretty easy to re-sell a property in the $2-4M range, unless there's something significantly weird about it. When you spend more than that, or move off the beaten track a little bit, you're looking at multiple months to sell (vs. multiple weeks). It should be possible to build this number of square feet for much less elsewhere in the country, but note that there is an expectation of quality/architectural detail in the San Francisco Peninsula's affluent hillside communities that is not easily replicated for less $ elsewhere.

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.

Yeah I'm coming to conclusion I have to make sure I get multiple bids on everything and a builder who is okay with that and use a cost plus model. Going to be a pain. In my case I can say the quotes no matter what have been coming back at what the bank appraisal likely will be. On one plan, which I ended up not going with I got 3 quotes on 2900 soft with unfinished basement. One was $480, one $430 and one $400....all fixed price quotes, above average finishes. all told same things.

I too live in Montana. We are in the process of design and build. We examined a number of alternatives from using a modular home (different than a trailer, different than a manufactured home) and the issue of basement vs 2nd story. with a modular home, it is cheaper to build up. With the traditional stick built house, it’s cheaper to add a finished basement. With the finished basement, it is important to inquire about the means they use to pour and form the foundation. In our case, the foundation walls are a dual insulation remain in place form. Meaning there is 8-10 inches of insulation on both the exterior and interior wall. The concrete is then poured into the cavity of that form. This not only adds energy efficiency below grade, but it also adds that “ground water” vapor barrier. that said, there is a difference in how basements and 2nd stories are appraised. Typically below grade is valued at 40-50% of the above grade story. Think of it like this, your main floor is 1000 sq ft. It appraised at 100 per sq ft. The basement is 1000 sq ft. Even if it mirrors the main floor, it might only appraise at $40-$50 per sq ft. Where as if that basement was an above grade story, it would appraise at the $100 sq ft. keep this mind, as it affects appraisal value, but may not influence a resale value in the same manner. It is best to contact a local real estate agent, and a local appraiser to inquire about these specifics in your area.