Building a home is a dream of many. After years of savings, every person tends to have a house that reflects their personality, perfect in every aspect. If you have visited houses for sale in your area and did not like any of them, building one would do for you.
That way you have more control over the space, how it looks, its theme, and layout. Building a custom home is a complicated endeavor, the bottom-line price varies depending on several factors. Even though it is challenging and keeps you on your toes, but with a little heads up of the cost, you will surely make a good decision.
Let’s breakdown the construction cost for a 900 sqft house
Average Cost To Build A 900 sqft House
Now that you have decided to go custom, it’s time you should know about the average construction rates. The average construction cost of building a custom house is $100 to $155 per square foot. This per square foot rate is different for custom luxury homes. Every state or region has its own construction rates established per sqft.
The National Average cost for constructing a house stands at $248000, however, you can build a low-end 900 sqft house between $90000 to $180000. Many other costs should be taken into account that results in a hike in per square foot cost.
Building a custom home can be costly more than purchasing an already built home in the area. Set aside a budget for land cost, financing, finishing out the lot, landscaping, and more.
Average Per Square Foot Cost For House With Basement
It is a no-brainer that building a house with a basement will cost more. About $10 to $100 is added to the construction per square foot cost. Expect the cost to go up to $110 to 300 per square foot for building a house with a basement.
Cost Of Building a House Yourself
If you do not trust the builders and think they are charging too much. You may want to take the reins in your hands and build a house yourself (if only you have experience of building a house previously). Lucky for you, you’d be saving an average of 25% and the new per sqft cost would be around $70.
Labor Cost
Labor costs should be taken into consideration before deciding to construct a custom house. Hire a developer instead of a custom home builder to save some cost. Labor costs differ relative to the house size, complexity, and design.
The average labor cost makes up 39% of the total construction cost or about $34 per square foot. Some average labor costs(excluding Material) are given below
Construction Manager – About 5%-15% of the total project cost.
Bricklayer – average $38 per hour
Framer Cost – Around $10 to $20 per sqft.
Roofer – Starts as low as $5000 and goes up to $10000.
Electrician – An hourly rate between $50-$100.
Plumber – An hourly rate between $50 to $200.
Drywaller Rate – Ranges between $1 to $3.
Architect & Structural Engineer Fee – About $100-$250 per hour
Material Cost
It would be unfair to leave out material cost as it makes up for 41.5% and 51% of the total build cost. The average material per square foot cost is about $50, it increases if a two-storey house is being built.
This material cost includes all the building essentials like framing, foundation, roofing, siding, interior, and exterior doors, windows, insulation, drywall, siding, paint, flooring, bath accessories, electrical, plumbing fixtures, and light fixtures.
Here is a breakdown of material cost per square foot
Foundation, Slab, And Piers – About $4.63 per SF
Brick Hearth And Veneer – Averaged at $0.88 per square foot
Rough & Finish Hardware – Around $0.75 and $0.25, respectively.
Countertops & Cabinets – Average SF cost for countertops is $1.88 and $4.63 for Cabinets.
Roofing & Painting – Close to $6.88 and $4.50, respectively.
Heating & Ducting – More or less $3.63
Carpeting – Around $3.0 per sqft
Wiring – About $4.0/sqft
Factors that Influence Construction Cost
Many factors affect the average rate as the total square footage, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, type of flooring, cabinets, appliances, and more.
Size – The bigger the house, the more the construction cost. More square footage equals higher building costs.
Land – Buying land can be costly, having the land cleared and graded for construction also adds to the cost.
Several floors – Building costs are different for single-storey and multiple stories houses. The number of floors you add to the house increases the overall cost.
Landscaping – Be prepared to spend thousands of dollars on landscaping.
Building Pool – Building pools and decks can be expensive, witness a surge in the price with pool and deck installation.
Fencing – Fencing adds $10 to $30 per foot extra to the total cost. The cost differs relative to the type of fencing used.
Roofing – An average roof cost is around $7211, a high-end solar roof may be installed at $40000 or more.
Appliances – More advanced appliances cost way more than the traditional ones. Internet-operated appliances multiply the cost by two or three times.
Average Building Cost For Different Types of Houses
Costs differ for different types of houses, it is also influenced by the living area and inflation. Here is the average cost of different types of houses.
Modular Home – The average per square foot cost of building a modular home range from $80 to $160.
Pole Barn Home – The building cost of a pole barn house can go as high as $120000.
Shipping Container Home – Expect to spend $60,000 to $90,000 on small shipping container home.
Guest House – Building a guest house may cost around $50000 to $100000.
Tiny House – Since it’s tiny, you would have to spend less on building costs. Pay around $25,000 to $35,000 for the tiny house.
In a nutshell, building a custom house can be tiring and may take a year or more to finish. However, you can take comfort in the fact that it reflects your individuality, beautifully designed by you.
