5 years from now you will likely see costs 1.25-1.75x the inflation rate higher than today, in my experience. Construction costs are subject to code changes, worldwide commodity supply vs demand, and higher taxes & insurance requirements... all of which rarely decrease, but sometimes plateau.

I haven't built 8' ceilings since the early 2000s as the current standard is 10' and occasionally 9', 12' on higher end stuff. I did a few cost exercises then using a $2 per per sq ft per 1' of added height. I'm sure it's significantly more now. Many trades and materials are impacted. At 10' the electrician slows down as they have to get on a ladder just to string lines.

Masonry is usually the most expensive siding, stucco or lap is less. Comp shingles are least, concrete tile is more and the structure is built heavier to support, steel separates you from more money according to my roofer.

Talk to a local builder. Usually you see standards in each price range that are mostly chosen due to cost.

Costs vary by region. To get a feel for what's most cost effective in your area look at what production builders are doing.

I think the key is that you have no idea what materials inflation will do over the next 5 years. In the last year and a half, interest rates have gone up more than I expected. This alone reduces your buying power. They are projected to continue to increase. I swear if I built 4 years ago, I would've saved 25% on materials/labor. These costs have skyrocketed.

You can get some idea on materials by going to a building supply store and various vendors. For example, I went to a brick/stone supplier to see what I liked. DH hates the idea of manufactured stone. So I was able to get an idea on the price difference of the materials.

You can also go into open houses for new construction homes. They often have a price sheet that shows various upgrades a home may have had. Even things like the upgraded cost for taller doors due to 10+ ft ceilings.

"Is there a way to cost that stuff out?..."?

Yes, and no. As others have said, time always results in increases in materials and labor. So pricing out items today for a possible use in 5 years is largely a pointless activity.

That said, developing a relative sense of the expense of a range of materials is always a useful exercise. For example, panelized siding materials tend to be less expensive than individual piece siding materials. Wood or artificial material siding tends to be less expensive than brick or stone masonry, etc.

Materials and labor, however, are only two ingredients in the expense of construction of a home. The most significant element in expense is the design of the home, i.e., the plan layout, the spatial and volumetric areas, the relative efficiency of "net usable" to "overall gross" areas, the complexity and detailing of the exterior, the site preparations and improvements, fees and approvals, etc. This is the primary area for attention if budgetary requirements are significant.

Said differently, building a rambling, complex design will always be more expensive than an efficient, simple design...sometimes by an order of magnitude.

It's common for many consumers to focus on materials, features and finishes as a strategy for holding costs down. They don't understand that large, rambling, inefficient houses, with oversized three-car garages are designs which are large economic sinkholes from the outset.

And then, after one-time first costs, there are recurring operating costs...but that's yet another story!

Good luck with your learning!

Kudos to you for considering the cost implications of various material and design choices before beginning design. You will be well served by engaging your builder early in the design phase so the design can be informed by real world cost information.

I think I wasn't clear or didn't emphasize the issue as well as I could have. Jeffrey R got close. I'm not concerned about exact costs projected into the future. I'm interested in the general factors that raise the cost of the house. Jeffrey mentioned the issue with electricians and 10-ft ceilings. I would not have thought of that. I don't have a preference for 8, 9, or 10 ft ceilings. Estimating $2/psf per foot of height is helpful. Knowing that in advance I would plan now for 9-ft ceilings (if that helps the electrician) instead of 10-ft. What does wall height do as far as sheetrock? It comes in many sizes, so are the installers faster with a certain ceiling height?

Now that I'm thinking about this, the issue comes in when you start using non-standard sizes of materials. The installer has to cut and trim more, or in the case of electricians, moving ladders around. Windows come in stock sizes or custom.

A plain box with a flat roof would be the least expensive, but I would want a little more architectural interest than that. The house will be in the Austin area. In Texas an ostentatious elevation view with arched windows, glass entryways, oversized sconces, columns, stone window sills, dentil work, etc., raises your taxes while the simple box appearance drops them to the minimum (times square footage). We have owned many houses between us and have come to know what we like. We only need 2 bedrooms but 3 is more normal for resale. We already know there would be one full bathroom per bedroom. Pathways to the house need to be at least 5-6 feet wide. Any patios or porches need to extend at least 8 feet out from the house. Installed concrete is more expensive than installed wood flooring.

I was hoping there would be a calculator somewhere that could give general or relative cost differences for various changes in a design.

You are looking for something which doesn't exist in tabular form. What you are looking for is called "experience".

It's also important to recognize and define your value system--what's truly important to you, since that will be the determining factor in the most important element of yours or any house--the design of the house, and not its features, fixtures or finishes.

For example, is your most important criterion economy? Minimal first cost? Is a house, to you, simply shelter to keep the wind and rain away? Are you looking at a house as an investment and future resale? Do you and your family have special needs or life styles? Is a house for you a place of respite, encouragement and revitalization?

What is a house to you? That's where you should focus your energies, budgets and activities.

For example, I live in the Texas Hill Country, where the climate is often hot for much of the year, and my house has to not only function well in my climate and for my needs, but also refresh and encourage my spirit and energies for each day's challenges. What that means, among other things, is I'd never have less that 10' flat ceilings. I don't care a whit what that means to a drywall crew. I care about what it means to me. I have to live in the house. The drywall crew doesn't.

That's the vein of thinking I recommend you consider.

Good luck on your project.

5 years from now you will likely see costs 1.25-1.75x the inflation rate higher than today, in my experience.

That's a huge jump for five years! Why do you think prices will inflate so quickly in the near future?