chuck, that quote came from kevin, he is gonna build my new home, keep in mind that doesn't include the land, I just was curious about building cost! also keep in mind it is only 1700 sq ft, 240 is not really low, and yes I will see ya wednesday, and don't listen to shane, I was in front all day

I dont know what the building materials cost in your area, (concrete, lumber) but the actual cost to build a 2 x 6 home in Az. with decent upgrades, tile roof, midrange flooring should be in the 75/85 dollar a square foot range, thats assuming you have a standard size garage and porch included. No septic tank etc. A contractor is normally going to charge around 30/40 for his fee. That doesn't include extras like marble or granite counter tops, hard wood (or any premium flooring), built in wall units etc.
My business partner and I built a custom 3500 sq ft home (almost 5000 under roof) to sell 3 years ago for 220,000 turnkey(not including the lot). that was about 63.00 a square foot. 2 fire places, corian counter tops, full lengh porch, septic tank,wet bar, 3 car oversized garage, tile roof, 18" tile through-out. Since that time concrete has almost doubled, lumber has almost doubled, labor and other materials haven't changed much, permits are the same.
We did another one last year, same floor plan, and it was almost 78.00 a square foot.
We originally purchased 5 lots so we have three to go, its a good thing we did because the lots have almost doubled!!!!

To make my point, 120/130 a square foot is not too much, make sure you get a good flooring allowance and everything else you want in a contract, make sure the builder has a contractors license, check him for complaints, and go look at some of his work.

Good Golly!!!!!!!!!!
I can't believe how prices vary around the country.
I design/build large custom homes in the Greenwich CT area as well as into Westchester CO. NY area.
I can't touch anything for under $250 per sq. foot. Add in the brick or stone siding, slate roof, heavy trim package (add a $40,000 allowance for appliances just as an example) & were talking $300-400 per foot depending on alot of variables

Jeff, is this one of the homes you built? Very nice!

Build me one of those at LOTO.

And a couple more and you can sign the dotted line....

The labor and cost of doing business are killer in the Northeast.

Your right Rick. My next home I'm setting up a team and we'll do everything. A-Z...

Back in Canada I had never built a house in more than 3 month (one in 28 days) and here freakn nobody shows up you can't plane crap....

Ah.... the northeast.....land of the unemployables. Pay them 20.00 per hr.
still cant get them to show up for work. Half of them you have to wake them
up and drive them to the site yourself. Ya know,because they cant afford
a car because they cant live on a grand a week. Ya know , the money is
for the important things, like crack,cigarettes,beer,playin the horses and
pot. The major staples in their lives.

amen tu yuh bro . my men all complain but try to get them to produce is something else. lazy overpaid ascholes.

That's why I got out of the building business, material costs go up and you have to sell your labor low.
Why can't a contractor get away with telling the customer "well, sorry , labor cost's are up" customer's understand material cost's fluctuating, why is it different with labor?

What happens when fuel cost's go up? we just pay it and b*tch about it. But labor cost's always stay the same - no matter what the industry.

I think I'll go into work tommorrow and tell my boss that over the weekend the cost of Purchasing/Logistic Mgr's went up by $20,000 a year - Maybe then I can afford a used boat.



Sorry everyone, I'm just venting, and in one helluva mood this morning...

To answer the question, I'd base about $120-130 sq ft to do it right, go less than that and you'll have a new house that doesn't have the "nice" things in it (nice countertops, lighting fixtures, plumbing, good flooring/carpet, etc.)

Maybe not the right thread to vent on, but, had to get it off my chest.

Good luck if you decide to build, I'd be glad to help you any way I can.

I back a couple of small builders, but I still don't understand much about house costs.

For example, in my area, a step-up home (usually a person's third home purchase, with appx 2000sf, island kitchen, drop in fireplace, hardwood den, decent moulding in the formal rooms, and a 2 car garage) has a COST (to the builder) of around $100 a foot.

30 miles away, the same home has a COST of around $80 a foot.

In some of you guys' areas if could have a cost of $65 a foot, up to $175 a foot.

WHY?