What's a good range for estimating residential construction cost in Austin, TX? (Not including land.)
Hoping it makes sense to build a small place rather than buy an old house - but I'm not sure if I should be budgeting $150 per sf or significantly more.
Are there any resources out there that help estimate costs using different materials - steel frame vs wood vs masonry?
MEANS prices vary a lot from market to market, and prices have no doubt come down since it was last published. The best way to get a feel for price is to talk to several homebuilders - not just one. Describe the level of finish you want as completely as you can. Things are pretty slow out there so you shouldn't have too hard a time getting contractors to talk about a hypothetical project with you.
You may also want to talk to your lender about how big a loan you can get. From what I'm hearing, credit is still tight, even for the well-qualified.
I have not found Means or other estimating books very useful for residential construction.
Residential just varies so widely in every aspect of what you're doing.
Just some of the factors to take account for:
What type of contractor are you going to use - some guy who typically builds spec homes for $100 a s.f., or a custom home builder who charges 15 to 20% of construction cost.
What subcontractors are going to be working the job? Do you want the best, someone decent, or someone cheap?
What level of finishes do you want? Top of the line, middle of the road, on the cheap?
What's your total square footage relative to the number of rooms?
Is this what most contractors would consider "basic construction", or is this a unique home with complicated or time consuming details?
You should be able to get an idea of what homes are going for on a per s.f. basis by talking with some different contractors/builders.
Clients typically have a budget in mind, and we can compare that budget to what they're asking for, and that against what the cost range of homes are going for.
What I do when putting together a cost estimate for a home, is to look at the items that I would consider typical construction, and start pricing those out. I call around different subs or suppliers that I know and get pricing on those items. That would include items such as permitting, sitework, foundations, paving, framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc. As I do this, I compare the numbers to my budget to see if I think I'm in line. If so, then I work my way into more detailed estimates. Appliances, plumbing and lighting fixtures, flooring, wall finishes, cabinetry, specialties, doors, windows, landscaping, etc...
Sep 15, 09 5:39 pm ·
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Residential Construction Costs in Texas
What's a good range for estimating residential construction cost in Austin, TX? (Not including land.)
Hoping it makes sense to build a small place rather than buy an old house - but I'm not sure if I should be budgeting $150 per sf or significantly more.
Are there any resources out there that help estimate costs using different materials - steel frame vs wood vs masonry?
you need a MEANS book,son.
MEANS prices vary a lot from market to market, and prices have no doubt come down since it was last published. The best way to get a feel for price is to talk to several homebuilders - not just one. Describe the level of finish you want as completely as you can. Things are pretty slow out there so you shouldn't have too hard a time getting contractors to talk about a hypothetical project with you.
You may also want to talk to your lender about how big a loan you can get. From what I'm hearing, credit is still tight, even for the well-qualified.
I have not found Means or other estimating books very useful for residential construction.
Residential just varies so widely in every aspect of what you're doing.
Just some of the factors to take account for:
What type of contractor are you going to use - some guy who typically builds spec homes for $100 a s.f., or a custom home builder who charges 15 to 20% of construction cost.
What subcontractors are going to be working the job? Do you want the best, someone decent, or someone cheap?
What level of finishes do you want? Top of the line, middle of the road, on the cheap?
What's your total square footage relative to the number of rooms?
Is this what most contractors would consider "basic construction", or is this a unique home with complicated or time consuming details?
You should be able to get an idea of what homes are going for on a per s.f. basis by talking with some different contractors/builders.
Clients typically have a budget in mind, and we can compare that budget to what they're asking for, and that against what the cost range of homes are going for.
What I do when putting together a cost estimate for a home, is to look at the items that I would consider typical construction, and start pricing those out. I call around different subs or suppliers that I know and get pricing on those items. That would include items such as permitting, sitework, foundations, paving, framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc. As I do this, I compare the numbers to my budget to see if I think I'm in line. If so, then I work my way into more detailed estimates. Appliances, plumbing and lighting fixtures, flooring, wall finishes, cabinetry, specialties, doors, windows, landscaping, etc...
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