Cost Per Sqare Foot

[jm1fd]

Okay...so I'm thinking about finding a lot somewhere, and building a house....before I sit down and talk to an architect and start searching for a lot, I need to figure out about how much it would cost to build the house.... I was thinking about 1000-1200 sqft, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, nothing fancy, middle of the road, some kind of easy to maintain exterior, brick or maybe metal. Then a mostly detatched oversized 2 car garage with a garage apartment above. Also considering building a duplex (1400-1500 sqft) with a garage apartment in back. So roughly how much am I lookin at per square foot?

[pineda]

What part of town? What type of builder? How long do you plan to live there? Lots of variables to consider. Out in the sticks where I am just south of the Woodlands there is a new subdivision by Centex (I think) advertising new homes from $44.00 square foot. This is considerably cheaper to buy than building one yourself with a builder. Even thirty year old homes out here are running $75.00 square foot, but people (especially first time buyers) like the smell of "new", so this is hurting resales a little. Might want to consider just rehabbing existing housing, if at all possible. Just a thought...

[jm1fd]

What part of town? What type of builder? How long do you plan to live there? Lots of variables to consider. Out in the sticks where I am just south of the Woodlands there is a new subdivision by Centex (I think) advertising new homes from $44.00 square foot. This is considerably cheaper to buy than building one yourself with a builder. Even thirty year old homes out here are running $75.00 square foot, but people (especially first time buyers) like the smell of "new", so this is hurting resales a little. Might want to consider just rehabbing existing housing, if at all possible. Just a thought...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Part of town...inside the loop on the west side is what I'm aiming for. Type of builder? What do ya mean exactly? I'd probably live there for 5-10 years, and keep it indefinetly if the numbers make sense. Rehabs...ugh. Mostly they're too expensive because they're priced high-ish, and need a bunch of work, or they're priced cheap, and a bidding war ensues.

[pineda]

Remember, when you're building your dream house but you don't plan on staying there forever, you will need to build not to what you really want but what the general population is looking to buy in 5-10 years. To get some ideas, spend some quality time at the following website, it's loaded with a wealth of valuable information that will help make you a more informed decision on what will probably be the biggest investment in your life:

TAMU Real Estate Center

Funny real estate story for all you Dilbert fans out there:

Dilbert's Ultimate Home

[rps324]

Would an architect know the approximate building cost? Surely we have some out there that can shed some light. Getting with an architect would probably be your best starting point I would think. Land prices are still okay around the 1st ward, but are very high anywhere in the West end South of Washington. Brooke-Smith over there kind of northeast of N. Main, west of 45, inside the loop might have some options for land.

[jm1fd]

Would an architect know the approximate building cost?  Surely we have some out there that can shed some light.  Getting with an architect would probably be your best starting point I would think.  Land prices are still okay around the 1st ward, but are very high anywhere in the West end South of Washington.  Brooke-Smith over there kind of northeast of N. Main, west of 45, inside the loop might have some options for land.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah...I figured we'd have some people on here who'd at least have a better idea than I would about cost...

I don't mind somewhat high land prices...that's the main reason for having a duplex and or garage apartment....to help offset the high cost of the land.

[jm1fd]

Any new members around who might be able to answer my original question?

[Matt36]

I would give you my best guess, but you would probably want a better explanation than I can give. So try this website. It is fun if anything.

Building Cost

[jm1fd]

I would give you my best guess, but you would probably want a better explanation than I can give.  So try this website.  It is fun if anything. 

Building Cost

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep....I've played around with that site, it won't let you configure a living space above a garage....only garage and living space on the same level.

[eL O]

as mentioned above, at $70/sq.ft. you could build a nice house (including hardwoods, granite tops, grohe fixtures) but that does not include the contractors fee of 15%+. If you are interested in designing/building a home or have any questions, drop me a message...i'd be happy to help you with your project.

[jscarbor]

First post.

I'm thinking the $70 per foot price sounds about right for a typical type home with the above mentioned amenities from a previous post. I do think a 1200 square footer might be a little small though? Especially with land costing what it does inside the loop. It could be hard to sell down the road if you under build. Obviously you have other fees that are important like bank fees, title policies, arch, engineering, soils testing...

[Trophy Property]

First post.

I'm thinking the $70 per foot price sounds about right for a typical type home with the above mentioned amenities from a previous post. I do think a 1200 square footer might be a little small though? Especially with land costing what it does inside the loop. It could be hard to sell down the road if you under build. Obviously you have other fees that are important like bank fees, title policies, arch, engineering, soils testing...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And finding a lot inside the loop for less than $25 a foot is pretty hard to do (unless you are looking on the East side, and this is still pretty hard to find).