You buy the lot then engage the architect to design a home suitable to the property, location, and family needs. Trying to make square pegs fit round holes can be done, but it involves additional time and expense.

That plan is no $80 a square anywhere. Double it. And then have a cushion for overages. Complicated framing and foundation, and fancy trim will quickly take you over your budget.

Sorry, forgot to mention our lot is 10 acres so just about any plan will work.

I was figuring $90-$95 per square foot.

This post was edited by charannthom on Sat, Oct 25, 14 at 21:18

Under 'Plan Info' they show an option for a planning set of plans, which would be enough to get it quoted, but does not give you permission to use the plans to build a house. They don't show a price for a planning set, but a quick call or email should get you an answer.

That being said, I agree that that design would be way more than $100 sq ft. $75-85, or even $100 would be for a simple ranch with a low pitch roof, builder-grade everything, and probably a stock plan that the builder uses over and over.

Perhaps our approach was different from most. Often I get the impression that plans are chosen based on the exterior appearance of the house. But I live in the interior of the house. So we started looking at plans that incorporated the things and spaces we wanted inside plus being suited to our selected site on the 47 acres we have at this location. Our first level is basically from one plan while the second level is from another plan with modifications to adapt it to the lower level and the exterior of the plan of the house that supplied the lower level. All is not perfect, but changing any of it would lose one advantage to gain another. We really like our house.

Custom homes cost more than average spec builds. Just because new builds in subdivisions using 8 different plans can be had for $80 a square foot doesn't mean that you can build a one off plan on your land for that. As mentioned, double that square footage pricing as a start to a custom home on an undeveloped lot. Stock plans that you intend to modify will cost as much, or more, than using an architect before it's all said and done. They are not designed for your location, property elevation, and other issues that will arise from modification. That all has to be stamped locally before the plans are actually buildable, so you might as well start local first and save yourself the frustration.

If your budget is 250K, then ou may want to plan for phased construction over time, starting with a small 1200 square 2 story box, and planning for a bedroom wing off of that in the future as your first remodel, and a family room wing off of the other side as the second remodel. That's how our grandparents eventually got to the 3000 square foot home, and it still works today if people are on a limited budget. Having it all at once isn't always possible.

MushCreek, thanks for the tip on the planning set! Exactly what I was looking for.

bus_driver, that is a different approach than I've ever heard, but I do like the idea to focus on the interior. You're right, best to worry about the actual part of the house you live in every day, rather than the part you drive towards for a few seconds. Thanks for the insight.

hollysprings, cool idea regarding building in pieces. In our case, we already have a full family and do need all the rooms. Our sacrifice will more likely come in the form of square footage if need be (a different plan) and finishes (laminate vs hardwood, using appliances we already have, etc).
I'm just having a hard time with those numbers. Not because I'm in denial or trying to be contentious, but because I think you're underestimating how very much cheaper it is to build in Texas than just about any other place (cheapest in the country). Especially when I'm read things like this all over the place:

"I agree; you can build a very nice house around here for 120-140 per ft if you already own the dirt. Features should certainly include slab on builders piers, Travertine, granite, custom site built cabinets, lots of custom mill work, top of the line plumbing and light fixtures, high end 8' doors, Dacor/Viking appliances, hand-scraped distressed hard wood floors etc.." (and all agreed with this person. see link for conversation)

We're not looking to go that high-end-- we like simplicity. I realize custom costs more than spec by a long shot, but the averages I'm seeing are not for spec. We're in the country, so no local restrictions, already have well and septic and electric in place, high elevation, out of flood plain, and wouldn't be modifying the purchased plans. So it's surely possible I'm missing something, but I think more probable that local costs here are just that much significantly lower. If anyone is building or has built recently in the area, would love to hear from you on this.

Some other quotes referring to Texas:
"Here you can build a very nice custom home for $100/sf"
"well if you are looking for the cost to build, a lot of "high end" custom builders are building for $100-120/sq ft in the houston area." (Those are both from different discussions on the topic in various forums)

Thanks everyone for taking the time to input!

Here is a link that might be useful: Discussion on cost to build high-end custom

Charannthom, you can find all sorts of discussions and "experts" describing what it costs to build in Texas, Ecuador or anywhere in the world.

None of these have much meaning, since they don't apply to you, your needs and wants, your property costs and the applicable building regulations, cost to improve your property, the price of materials and labor, the extent to which local builders are busy or slack, availability of skilled labor, and a host of other things over which you have no control. Only a builder with current local-area building experience knows about these key pricing issues on a local level.

Regional differences are often enough to make or break a construction budget. And then there are the funds needed for "contingencies" and the "oops" that happen in almost every project.

Thus, "regional averages" won't help much. Trying to budget by using regional average cost/SF numbers from other projects is probably construction roulette--spin the wheel and take your chances!

The only way you will know what it costs to build where you wish is to get a detailed, written contract from one or more builders that's binding for at least 30-60 days. Verbal comments, "estimates" and averages are not worth your time, since they aren't binding, and you have little knowledge about the specific circumstances which comprise the averages.

Your best bet may be to look for recently built homes similar to the one you have in mind and find out their finished cost. Look for recently completed homes similar to your ideas and find out what it took in time and dollars.

Your other "best" option may be to take completed construction documents to several builders you trust and ask for a written estimate and owner-builder contract. Every builder's contract is different, and you may be surprised at what's included (or omitted) from the terms and conditions of one builder versus another.

Don't be surprised if one or more builders asks for a deposit or to be paid for the time it takes to prepare a detailed estimate. Their time is money to them.

You give the impression that you have strong opinions about your situation and proposed project. If so, I strongly suggest you do your full due diligence and not rely on "regional averages" or some thread from this or other Internet-based forum.

Good luck on your project.

This post was edited by virgilcarter on Sun, Oct 26, 14 at 17:15

The discussion you linked to was about building in Houston in 2009 and 2010.

virgilcarter, thank you for the greatly detailed advice! I'll be taking note of it all. Yes you're right, I am pretty strongly "invested" in this project, so to speak. It's a long time coming!

I didn't even notice the date on that discussion-- good catch and thank you!

I definitely don't want to depend on averages for anything, nor do I want to give those estimates for any real weight for their likely differences from my build. Just knew there had to be a way to not spend a ton of money just to possibly have to throw a set of plans away. Looks like a "planning set", as MushCreek suggested, is exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks again, all.

When it comes to selecting plans and trying to decide on one that will fit your taste and your budget, you really have to examine the complexity of the design. The plan you have selected is essentially two structures that are joined together. That will lead to additional exterior finish cost and roof cost, for example, if the garage was more incorporated into the living structure.

To answer the second part of your question, I don't see this being built at $250k with higher end finishes going with a builder. A self build it may be possible. "according to what I've read "average" builds are $75-$85 per heated sq foot", this can be misleading with the plans you have selected for the reasons mentioned above. Based off of heated sq ft would only cover the living structure and would not include the garage/bonus. It is a beautiful plan though.