Plan selection advise

16 years ago

We are planning to build a home in SW Michigan are in the plan selection phase right now. We have two small children and are building after living in our 2 bedroom starter house for the last 10 years. We currently have a budget of 250k for just the house (we own the property) with an absolute max of 300k. We also just found out that the hookup fee for municipal water/sewer is 16,500 so are budget is already suspect. We are having a difficult time selecting a plan, mostly because of the fear we will choose a plan we can't afford to build nicely or choose one that is too small. We have started talking with a builder who told us that for early budgeting start with 100 sq/ft for "pretty barebones" and 21 sq/ft for porches. I tried to pick his brain about different styles and options to get the biggest bang for our buck and he had no advise (other than that he has been pretty helpful).

I have read many threads about various things to decrease the cost of building. i.e. Simple rooflines, 2 story(sometimes), etc. Here is one plan we like

http://www.eplans.com/house-plans.hwx/Q/Plan.HWEPL13476/searchId.121976889/offset.0

We know the wraparound is an extravagance but we would stop it a third of the way around and do an open deck on back. The full bath would be deleted and the half bath would be moved into the hallway closet off of the garage. We like the relaxed country style (we are in a heavily wooded country setting). Other than the porch, this is about as simple as you can get, 1000 sq/ft on top of another 1000 sq/ft.

Another option was something along these lines

http://www.dongardner.com/plan_details.aspx?pid=2896

My wife will only agree to something either 1 story or a full 2 because she wants to be on the same floor as the kids. This plan would have a larger foundation, more complex roof construction, more external detail, more variation in internal ceiling height but various similar plans have less square footage.

My question is if I'm worrying about the wrong things? Using those two plans as an example would they be roughly the same cost to build? The builder just said pick a plan and I will get you some preliminary numbers but I don't want to just buy plans until we find one we can afford.

Here is another example. This is a smaller square footage version of the first plan.

http://www.eplans.com/house-plans.hwx/Q/Plan.HWEPL13468/searchId.121978089/offset.5

It is 400 sq/ft smaller, the other plan is 2 ft wider and 2 ft deeper. Could this plan possibly cost 40k less to build? Just using the old 100 sq/ft estimate.

So anyway, any advise would be appreciated. I have already learned so much from the hours I have spent on this forum.

Thanks

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Comments (4)

lyfia
16 years ago
Somebody posted this link here building cost estimator

I sent it to a friend that recently built and she said it was very close to their actual cost in central TX. They used a stockplan with some minor mods.
tlstanley
16 years ago
Hi! If you are trying to reduce costs, invest your money in structural components, quality windows, etc. Use inexpensive interior finishes, which can always be upgraded later as your budget allows (i.e. flooring, countertops, trim, etc.). Shop around for the best deal (this forum is full of great internet sites) and do not forget to shop the clearance aisles at your neighborhood home improvement stores - you can find some great deals! Good luck and best wishes!
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booboo60
16 years ago
cleverusername,
Just as a precaution; if you are that close or tight to your budget I would find a plan with less sq. ft. with maybe the possibility of adding a room or two down the road; 5-10 yrs. Only because of all the "uncertainties" that are out of your control. I am sure you have noticed on this forum most people run into situations that "bump up" their budget; things like excavation, the cost of concrete, materials that fluctuate in price that are out of our control!

DH and I have stock plans we ordered off the internet and have probably changed our minds numerous times in the last few years. We finally purchased them this year and will start building next spring. But we were able to email the plans to our builder and he told us the approx. price for each plan we showed him. You do not need to buy them to show to a builder to get a decent price estimate. We changed plans a couple of times and usually because they were too costly and over our budget. Hope this helps!
cleverusername
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the advise, this process hasn't been nearly as enjoyable as we would have hoped. Its just so permanent, with financial and other considerations that will linger for the rest of our lives. We haven't even started yet! I think we will just cut the sq footage and see if we can do a daylight basement to finish (if our lot permits). I've gotten so many great ideas off of this site but don't know if I will be able to implement half of them. The fact is that we come from a modest upbringings so whatever home we build we will be happy with, no regrets. I will definitly be trying to build with good base materials. Which brings up a question. What would be the things that would be the most important?

Insulation?
Windows?
2x6 construction (My builder says I would never get my money back)
HVAC?

Where should the money be spent if budget is an issue?

Thanks

Plan selection advise

Comments (4)

lyfia

tlstanley

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booboo60

cleverusername
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Plan selection advise

Comments (4)

lyfia

tlstanley

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booboo60

cleverusernameOriginal Author

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cleverusername
Original Author