Cost per square foot question

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mpj13@hotmail.com - 24 Jul 2003 06:55 GMT

Hello everyone. I am planning on building a home for myself in the
future. I live in the Southern Indiana area. It will be a little while
still, maybe a year or so.

What is the standard for cost per sq foot for only materials? And does
that price include the land it is on or is that figured seperate?
Basically I would like to get an idea of what to expect for xx size
home to cost. This home would be average, no thing super fancy. Basic
fixtures, carpet, cabinets and so forth so I can keep it at the low
end of the CPSF range.

I have been told that about $30 PSF is about right for materials only
but I don't know if that is right or not.

Thanks for any info.

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JD - 24 Jul 2003 10:48 GMT

> Hello everyone. I am planning on building a home for myself in the
> future. I live in the Southern Indiana area. It will be a little while
> still, maybe a year or so.
>
> What is the standard for cost per sq foot for only materials?

There is none.

> And does
> that price include the land it is on or is that figured seperate?

Land is always a separate number.

> Basically I would like to get an idea of what to expect for xx size
> home to cost. This home would be average, no thing super fancy. Basic
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> I have been told that about $30 PSF is about right for materials only
> but I don't know if that is right or not.

That's not enough. Besides, you ask for material only numbers but do you
intend to do all of the work yourself? All of the electrical, concrete,
hvac, etc?

Finally, a word of caution. You will not get the same pricing for materials
that the pros get.

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Mark - N1MT - 25 Jul 2003 00:33 GMT

> Hello everyone. I am planning on building a home for myself in the
> future. I live in the Southern Indiana area. It will be a little while
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Thanks for any info.

Unfortunity, its not that easy.

There are a series of questions that need to be asked which can drive
materials cost. I won't attempt to list them all but here are a few
examples...
Concrete work - Is it a full foundation or slab?
Framing - Stick (2x4 or 2x6), metal, type of joist & sheathing
Exterior - wood or vinyl siding, versus masonary type like brick or
stucco
Flooring - hardwood, marble, slate, tile, or carpeting
Kitchen - Custom built cabinets with stone (granite) counters versus
lower quality prefab with formica

Way too many variables to simply plug one number on it. Don't forget,
materials are only a portion of the answer. Things like excavating the
foundation hole typically has no material cost associated with it but
has a large labor & equipment component to it.

In general, when I built my 2,700 sqft house in Connecticut, I spent
somewhere around $100,000 on materials, another $120,000 on labor, and
$80,000 for the land. I have a friend who built a spec house of 3,200
sqft in Connecticut. He spent around $90,000 on materials, $125,000
for labor, and $85,000 for land. In my case (for materials only) I was
around $37/sqft, he was $28/sqft.

Good luck, Mark

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mchiper - 25 Jul 2003 12:02 GMT

>Hello everyone. I am planning on building a home for myself in the
>future. I live in the Southern Indiana area. It will be a little while
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>I have been told that about $30 PSF is about right for materials only
>but I don't know if that is right or not.

What the PSF includes depends on who gives to the number..
Of course. :)

Go here and roll your own..

http://www.building-cost.net/

It's as good a guestimate as any, I suppose.

----- My favorite quote -----
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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Homeowner Forum / Construction / July 2003

Cost per square foot question