Percentage cost of rough shell vs complete build
cedar32
15 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (11)
vhehn
15 years agobdpeck-charlotte
15 years agoRelated Discussions
What's your rough cost per square foot estimate?
Comments (56)Hey bobyoe! Glad you straightened that out for everyone! However, your comments do raise an issue that "$ per sq. ft" obsessed folks need to think about when they talk to a builder. It's the cost of the whole project that counts, not just the cost of the house. Plus, the features, finishes, and location of the house within a market area can make a 10,000 sq ft house cost less than a 6,000 sq ft. house. No one gave us a good ballpark estimate for things like professional fees, permits, impact fees, drainage systems, or site work before we started. Most of those items were not related to the size of the house. Those costs will end up being about 18% of the total project costs. No one could convince my "$ per sq ft obsessed husband" that the features he wanted in our house were equivalent to building multiple luxury kitchens. He is convinced now :-). Same thing goes for the outside entertainment areas. He thought the covered areas should be priced like a garage. Wrong. The spec'd finishes bring the entertainment areas to a higher cost for build out than any non-plumbed room in the airconditioned space. The thing that I think we could all agree about is that you can buy an existing home at a significantly lower cost per sq. ft. in today's market. Major builders are dumping new 5 and 6 bedroom 8,000 sq ft homes in our county for $600-$800K. Yeah, they are in outlying areas on small lots, but they are brand new homes. So, in addition to size and features, you have to price in: 1. supply and demand, and 2. location within a location. We are in Palm Beach County, Florida. Our lot costs vary from $20 million per acre on the ocean in Palm Beach, $10 million per ocean front acre 15 miles south on the same island, $2-5 million per acre intracoastal waterway on the same island, and $50,000 for a 1/4 acre builder's lot 15 miles west of the ocean where the national builders are dumping their inventory. Why bring lot costs into the discussion? It's because builders will hit you hard for building in an area of high land costs. I guess they think they are entitled to a big premium if you are paying premium prices for your lot. That's my 2 cents for the day!...See MoreBuilding vs buying home costs?
Comments (13)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....See MoreGC building a shell-us doing the rest
Comments (23)YES! It can be done, but you need to be prepared and the "type" to be able to do this. My dh and I are about 2 months shy of moving into our 4100+ sq ft dream home. We could not have done this without being our own GC (for the entire project) and doing a fair amount of work our selves. That along with 4 boys under 8 years and pregnant again (now). It has been somewhat stressful and more time consuming than imaginable. I don't work outside of the home and gc'ing this one. We could not have done this had I not been available so often. We have a strong 14 year marriage and it just seems amazing that we have accomplished this together. YES there is tension, Yes lots of hardwork, YES not enough time with the kids. On the flip side it has been WORTH IT! We have a large, dream home to raise our family in that we can still afford. We did tons of research and we have been very organized throughout and that is necessary. Read some initial books and see if it is something you want to do and have the TIME to do. Best wishes!...See MoreOkay, a cost question on ROUGH electrical. Can you help?
Comments (36)Hi MTVhike, We generally do a 15amp dedicated circuit for the smoke alarms. Every electrical contractor has there own way of wiring up a house. The only thing we do 15amp circuits for is lighting sometimes and smoke alarm. Everything else will be 20amps or above. You would rather have this contractor than one that is putting everything on 15amp circuits. It does also depend how many circuits you are putting in the house. Our circuit layouts: (changes depending on size) 1 20amp each bedroom 1 20amp each bathroom 1 20amp garage 1 50amp for car charger (ready for future use) 1 40amp for stove 1 30amp for A/C 1 20amp exterior 1< 20amp common area receptacles (amount depends on size) 1< 15/20amp common area lighting 1 20amp per 2 small appliance circuits, micro, frig, GD, DW 1 20amp for Washer 1 30amp for dryer additional dedicated circuits per requiest or equipment I believe I got everything, I did it off the top of my head. Overall, this would not be a worry if I saw an electrical contractor installing 20amp circuit for smoke alarms. Hopefully, there was something helpful in there. -Nathan NRG Electric Inc 408-508-5350...See Morecedar32
15 years agoluckymom23
15 years agomeldy_nva
15 years agoarmomto3boys
15 years agokemptoncourt
15 years agoKimberlyinva
15 years agoCarlos Diaz
3 years agomillworkman
3 years ago
Related Stories
GREEN BUILDINGHouzz Tour: Going Completely Off the Grid in Nova Scotia
Powered by sunshine and built with salvaged materials, this Canadian home is an experiment for green building practices
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A Connecticut Beach House Builds New Memories
Extensive renovations make an 8-bedroom summer home ready for a family and many guests
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESConstruction Timelines: What to Know Before You Build
Learn the details of building schedules to lessen frustration, help your project go smoothly and prevent delays
Full StoryCONTRACTOR TIPSBuilding Permits: When a Permit Is Required and When It's Not
In this article, the first in a series exploring permit processes and requirements, learn why and when you might need one
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGInsulation Basics: Heat, R-Value and the Building Envelope
Learn how heat moves through a home and the materials that can stop it, to make sure your insulation is as effective as you think
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDES6 Steps to Planning a Successful Building Project
Put in time on the front end to ensure that your home will match your vision in the end
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESGravel Driveways: Crunching the Pros and Cons
If you want to play rough with your driveway, put away the pavers and choose the rocky road
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESKnow Your House: Components of Efficient Walls
Learn about studs, rough openings and more in traditional platform-frame exterior walls
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESHow to Love Your Kitchen More, Right Now
Make small changes to increase the joy in your kitchen while you cook and bake, without shelling out lots of dough
Full StoryGREAT HOME PROJECTSUpgrade Your House With New Interior Doors
New project for a new year: Enhance your home's architecture with new interior doors you'll love to live with every day
Full Story
madeup_yahoo_com