What's it cost to build a house?

[smh]

Have sort of been in the market for a house/condo/etc. for a little while now. The other day I (literally) ran across a vacant lot for sale in one of my favorite neighborhoods. Which, naturally, led me to start thinking about building rather than buying and to ask:

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, advice on what it takes to build a house? Obviously a lot depends on the size and finishing of the house. But as a general statement is it feasible? Or is it something best left to those with absurd amounts of money and free time?

[shinatoo]

I think you can get some great deals right now as none of the house builders are working. The other benefit is you can plan for things like, ground source recovery heating a cooling, water recovery systems, solar and so on. All of those things will save you money in the long run and get you credits from the utilities. As much as 90% of the cost of the systems.

Acting as your own contractor can be both time consuming and expensive, so if you don't want to have the hassle you might consider hiring a builder. They are as varied a any other service provider so do your homework.

[chaglang]

Have sort of been in the market for a house/condo/etc. for a little while now. The other day I (literally) ran across a vacant lot for sale in one of my favorite neighborhoods. Which, naturally, led me to start thinking about building rather than buying and to ask:

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, advice on what it takes to build a house? Obviously a lot depends on the size and finishing of the house. But as a general statement is it feasible? Or is it something best left to those with absurd amounts of money and free time?

The total reno we just finished of our house was so time consuming the we hired a project manager. I wouldn't have been able to keep my day job AND run this project at the same time... and I'm an architect. Building your own is definitely feasible, but I would sit down with a builder or an architect and ask them what they think it would cost. I'm sure that if you call and say you're interested in building a new house you would get the VIP treatment. A rough, rough estimate (not knowing anything about the lot, or what you're looking for) would range anywhere from $175 to $250 a square foot. You can bring that cost down by doing some of the work yourself.

[FangKC]

You didn't mention how many beds/baths/etc.

I just came across these predesigned, prefabricated homes you buy factory assembled and delivered to the site. You would have to have some sort of foundation prepared I assume. You would also have to check with the city code people about this sort of pre-built home and if it conforms to standards.

http://grist.org/list/now-you-can-buy-a ... kea-house/

http://www.ideabox.us/models/confluence-3/

http://www.ideabox.us/models/confluence/

http://www.ideabox.us/models/cottage/

One could add on cubes as well it appears:

http://www.ideabox.us/models/cubes/

They claim to deliver the house in 8 weeks after you have made the decision, and they get the permits etc. before delivery.

http://www.ideabox.us/process/

Of course, you have to consider the house style you choose and if it fits into then neighborhood, or if there will be any opposition or design reviews by the neighborhood association.

[zlohban]

http://www.rocioromero.com/

I too like this home style, size, etc.. The above link is a Missouri company with similar designs. If distance is a cost factor this might save you some money.

[aknowledgeableperson]

prefabricated homes you buy factory assembled and delivered to the site

I believe a house or two like this were built on James A Reed, north of Gregory a few years ago. A few might have been built in JoCo as well.

One of the major problems with these types of homes is how do they comply with local building codes.

[SWFan]

The costs to build a house are increasing far faster than the appreciation of older houses, at least since the housing bubble bust of 2008. We were looking to upgrade from our current house to something a little bigger with a non-split floor plan. We mainly looked at homes that were built in the last 20 years. Initially we included newly built homes, but they just failed in comparison to what we could get buying used so to speak.

Also keep in mind your job stability. If you end up taking a job elsewhere within a few years and have to move you'll likely take a bath on that newly built house, at least in the market we've had for the last four years. Many people discount resale factor. Even if you think it will be your forever home, I still find it applicable to take into account resale value at various stages of your life. Especially if you're considering building a house with some kind of funky function or design that is mostly undesirable to the bulk of home buyers.

I only recommend building your own if you are super picky about what you want. If you're going to be a no compromise buyer then you'll likely not be happy with any house you find, thus building is your only option. But as others above have stated, it can suck up a lot of your time. I had two friends build, and they spent a crazy amount of time managing the project and what the contractors were doing.