Floorplan attached and cost per sqft - Need advice

9 years ago

Hi,

My husband and I have a 1.8 acre lot and try to build a house in a couple of months. We are preparing by reading this forum, but have some basic questions.

1) When someone says the house cost $100 per sqft, could you please explain what it means? If a ranch house has 2000 sqft on the main floor, 400 sqft garage, 1000 sqft finished basement and it is told to be cost $100 per sqft, what would be the total cost? 2000sqft x $100 = $200,000 or (2000 sqft + 400 sqft + 1000 sqft) x $100 = $340,000?

2) We came up with the attached floor plan. We found a floor plan on the internet and my husband made it simple hoping some cost saving. Could you please review whether it has some issue or not?

3) The living sqft of the house is 2400 sqft (excluding garage) and we want to have a basement unfinished. With this simple floor plan, could you please kindly guess how much it will cost? We are living in Missouri, so it is not very expensive area. :)

4) Anybody know how much it will cost if we finish our basement? I just want to know how much we can save if we leave it unfinished..

I really appreciate all your help!!

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Comments (10)

mushcreek
9 years ago
I'm not good at floor plans, but I have a few comments. If that is drawn to scale, bear in mind that the rooms will be somewhat smaller when you deduct the wall thicknesses. Internal walls generally run about 4-1/2" thick, so it adds up. Exterior walls are usually thicker, and can be a lot thicker, depending upon construction method. As an example, the stairwell is only 3' wide, where the inside dimension of a stairwell must be a minimum of 36". You need to draw it with wall thicknesses, including closets.

The little 10 X 6 bedroom isn't really a bedroom, as it doesn't meet code for minimum size of a 'habitable room', and it doesn't appear to have a closet.
millworkman
9 years ago
Square foot pricing is a very rough or basic guide at the best and is not a way to get a house quoted. It really all depends on the chosen materials and level of finishes.

This post was edited by millworkman on Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 6:41
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Hi all, thanks for the inputs and perspectives, definitely appreciate Y’all taking the time to help me think through this! I’ll post a picture of the downstairs layout when I’m at home And try to get a better picture with dimensions added. But for now I’ll speak a little more to the background: This home was built in 1977- it shares a wall (the right side) with ahome that’s the mirror image of it. In fact every home in this neighborhood is the exact same layout so character isn’t much of a concern here @cpartist. This is one of the cheapest areas to live in the city and anyone Purchasing isn’t expecting custom cabinets, high end bathrooms etc. that said 2 showers seems to be a huge perk just from talking to people in the neighborhood with family’s and their issues with the home. When I labeled master bedroom and bathroom, I use that term as the owners bathroom and en-suite, please don’t think of it as what a luxury master bedroom/bathroom might be. This is a modest home and will have modest renovations. It’s just the largest bedroom of the three. There is a closet in the bottom right above the stairs and it will still be a closet in the large bedroom- no plans to change that except to maybe add built in shelving in the future. @misecretary The furniture in the third bedroom represents an office/music room because that’s what it will be used for initially. It already is pretty small so I don’t want to make it any smaller Even if the hallway includes wasted space (Plus the added expense of moving the entire wall, that’s just how it’s set up now). @zannej thanks! Lots of good input and dimensions to consider. I’ll post more info tonight, the plumbing goes directly beneath the toilet. the kitchen is in the top right corner under the third bedroom. I have run this by my realtor as well, moving forward we’re going with a 2 bathroom plan. While I realize a big con means smaller living spaces and smaller bathroom, here is our reasoning for sticking to the 2 bathroom idea: 1- Useful now, trying to coordinate the shower use with people who get ready around the same time is Not convenient (that second bedroom will also be occupied) 2- Useful in resale -I’ve spoken with my realtor who has provided input based on this neighborhood and the type of buyer it would best market to - it seems most people who have kids in the home will greatly appreciate a second bathroom, from a utilization perspective not luxury space -This is a modest neighborhood and a modest starter home, anyone looking for luxury space and finishes would likely not be moving into this neighborhood Our scope is focused on adding a second functioning bathroom and keeping most of the footprint as close to what it is because a) added cost to make big footprint changes and b) we aren’t making changes for a forever home perfect layout, just trying to improve within reason and get experience (very likely we’ll be renting or selling within 5 to 10 years). There’s a lot of wishlist items that will have to wait (bigger closets new kitchen cabinets etc)
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shifrbv
9 years ago
Price per/sq ft is rough estimate.

Let's say basement:
-excavate
-footers
-gravel
-pre-plumbing
-poly
-walls ln ft
-corners
-flatwork
-proofing

Each item adds $/sq ft. So let's say 23$/sq ft. Finishing of that space is nowhere near as expensive as finishing the kitchen with the cabinets. Garage space is ~ cheap.

Foundations and roofs are expensive.

Two stories are cheaper.

Costs depends on soooo many variables it is difficult to predict. With windows - sky is the limit. One can buy $100 WOW window or $1000 Ultrex. Carpets vs wood floors, deep houses can require expensive joists,steel because of span. Same with complex roofs.

it is complex to nail down the price. Software helps. But you have to know how to use it. Some software underestimates, other overestimate the cost.

House like you designed it most likely will cost $350 with full foundation.
dej142
9 years ago
Hi - I've linked to a website that helps you estimate costs. I have no idea how accurate it is, but I've seen it on threads in this forum before and thought it might be a good place for you to start. As for your plan, I think it's nice and functional, but I don't think it's as simple as you might think. What I've learned from the linked website and other posts on here is that every corner increases cost because of the framing work involved (it can also affect energy efficiency as it's harder to insulate). If I'm looking at it correctly, your home has 20 corners. I think that'll make your home more pricey. You might consider eliminating some.

Here is a link that might be useful: Building-Cost.net
bugbite
9 years ago
Speaking of walls, I am designing my new home now.
I downloaded some free design software trials, but was disappointed. Then I ran across the cheapest house layout tool of them all, but it has worked beautifully. After a 30 day trial, it is $39. But I used it for 5 days now and have designed about 12 plans. I put the link below.
You can make the walls any width. I am using 4.5 in for interior and 6.5 Exterior. You change that in 'preferences' under 'walls'.
The easiest way to use it is to do a dimension and than add the wall to the side of the dimension. You can move a wall with the arrow keys.
Sorry I got off the subject.
Bob

Here is a link that might be useful: Easy design tool

This post was edited by bugbite on Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 13:41
littlebug5
9 years ago
Couldn't you get a better idea of price by looking for a COMPLETED similar size-and-shape home, with finishes like you like (tile, flooring, cabinets, etc) that's for sale? Of course, the finished home price would include its lot, but that value would probably be offset by the differential of newly-built vs. used.

The newly-built home will have other associated costs like permitting, excavations, driveways, utility hookups, etc. It usually costs a lot more to build new than it does to buy existing.
robin0919
9 years ago
MC...where do you see that small bedroom?

OP....do you really want the master bed sharing a wall with another bedroom?
mushcreek
9 years ago
I think it's a bathroom- hard to read with old eyes.
robin0919
9 years ago
I know what ya mean....
Iowacommute
9 years ago
Prices vary all over Missouri. Are you building this on acreage or an infill lot? If you are doing it on acreage you have to worry about a perc test and excavation because Missouri can be horrible for clay and rock which will drive up the price.

Floorplan attached and cost per sqft - Need advice

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