It really depends on where you live. We are building in Utah and are paying $160 sq ft not including land.

I am on the Seattle side of the mountains and it is much worse over here :)

Cost of living difference is most likely to blame, also it is less populated over there so there isn't so much competition driving prices down. $120/ft with what finishes? That will be more specific I think. If you are getting vinyl floors vs. hardwood floors for example.

Could be worse ... around $300/sq.ft in the Los Angeles area and it does not include land, which is even more expensive.

I'm no expert, but there seem to be many factors that go into the cost of building. Climate plays a factor, it's more expensive to build in a cold climate than warm one. Type of soil and topography. In Texas, there are no basements that I'm aware of or that many hills. Also, ease of transporting goods. Your not too far in Texas from an interstate or port of entry and labor is relatively cheap in Texas. My experience with the housing market in Texas has been you get a lot of home for your money, but it's not necessarily well built. Of course that does not speak for every home, but it has been my experience with my own homes.

we're building in texas now and our bids were around 140 per square foot friends built a comparable home and moved in july of 2013 same builder same neighborhood similiar finishes 108 per square ft lot was not included in either price
cost of building materials has increased very quickly the last few months
our homes are located in zone 1 inland windstorm area (20 miles from the gulf) making the cost somewhat more also

we're building in texas now and our bids were around 140 per square foot friends built a comparable home and moved in july of 2013 same builder same neighborhood similiar finishes 108 per square ft lot was not included in either price
cost of building materials has increased very quickly the last few months
our homes are located in zone 1 inland windstorm area (20 miles from the gulf) making the cost somewhat more also

Yes, there are so many factors! Labour and trade costs in the area, materials cost, climate, etc. We are in Alberta Canada, and for a custom build you are looking generally at a base price of ~$225/sqft and you can get to well above $400!

I've read numerous articles in the last year about housing in Tx. They are in a huge boom now there because of the sky high price of oil!! I've read that GC's there can't build houses fast enough. That will push the prices much higher.

I encourage you to keep getting bids. I also live on the palouse and though I've had friends build for about 130 a sq ft, our contractor said he can get under 100, depending on the house shape and such -- and he's an excellent builder.

I live just 30 miles away down in Lewiston. We looked at doing a custom build a few years ago in a nicer area. The builder at that time quoted $100/sq ft (not including the lot) and that included custom cabinets, granite, hard wood. His name is Lenny Keys and he might build up in Pullman too. He only does custom homes.

If you didn't mind the commute, you should look into building in Lewiston. You can get a really nice (flat!) lot here for a decent price. There are half-acre lots in up-scale subdivisions selling for less than 50K -- which sounds great to me because we are moving to Utah and you can't hardly get a half acre for less than 100K there.

Anyway, the weather is so much nicer down here too -- always warmer, hardly any snow, not too much wind, etc.

Good luck!

Pricing is all about finishes too...cabinetry grade, flooring, tile, millwork, architectural details.

And, some hidden features such as insulation, wiring for electronics and AV. Window upgrade (glass etc...).

I have been amazed for years at the quality home you can get in Texas for much less than most areas...all brick with pool at very affordable prices.

This post was edited by LOTO on Fri, May 2, 14 at 18:43

Building costs are always a factor of:
--Land cost
--Site improvement and landscaping costs
--Material costs
--Labor costs
--Contractor's overhead and profit
--Professional fees
--Regulatory and building code required expenses

and especially,

--Personal preferences and taste

Is there any wonder that costs vary from county to county, state to state and region to region?

This is why it pays to do one's due diligence in such matters. That said it sounds, from the responses above, that there are options within your area, depending (again) on your personal tastes and construction priorities.

Good luck on your project.