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Old 08-08-2010, 08:46 AM   #1
dykg
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Default ave cost per Sq ft for new home in lakes region?

I thought I ask forum members what they think is the average square ft price for a new home in the lakes region. Just a standard new home, no special or customized work,etc. Trying to get an idea? or where could I find this info?
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Dykg
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Old 08-08-2010, 11:09 AM   #2
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Default Costs

My estimate would be about $125-$135 per square foot with no sitework.
Good luck
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Old 08-09-2010, 06:47 PM   #3
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Default Cost per sqft

We recently completed a home in the Lakes Region that included a garage and a custom kitchen that came in at $151 per sqft (it did include the sitework). $135 is a good number for a basic house.
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Old 08-09-2010, 07:02 PM   #4
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Default Completing a home.

And we are coming out at $140 a sq ft.

It is energy star approved with open air source system and propane backup.

If you want energy star rating, you need to call PSNH first and have them give you the materials for energy star approval. We hired a well known Lakes Region builder who claims to be knowledgeble on energy star homes. It wasn't until he finished the framing installed the windows and doors, and roofing when we contacted PSNH. The house was far from being compliant. Because the energy star compliant was a written agreement, we were able to get out of the contract and hire another builder to finish. We had to pay extra to bring the house up to compliant. As 'Holmes on Homes' says, Never trust a builder.
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Old 08-10-2010, 11:21 AM   #5
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I will take a two story Arts and Crafts for $151/sf, please. (Broome Building, I just grabbed your number from your post and I am not slighting you or making any implications, just illustrating a point)

A 2500 sf Ranch will not have the same SF price as the Arts and Crafts mentioned above.

When building a home you need to draw a circle on a piece of paper and within that circle make 3 pie pieces. Each gets a name, Price, Quality of Finish and Square Footage. The owner gets to pick two and the builder dictates the third.

You will be a far more satisfied customer if you eliminate the thought of what your home will cost you per square foot. It is a method that is proven completely unreliable and unless you are purchasing a modular home will never be accurate.

My post is to show that what someone considers a standard home may be very different than anothers. The reason the general square foot number does not work is that there are 25 different components to building a home and depending on the selections made in any one of those sub catagories, the number for the exact same envelope can vary greatly from one customer to the next. For example; one person may want carpet, while another hardwood. One person may want vinyl siding and the other Fibercement or vinyl rail vs cedar or composite. The options are almost infinate in the number of different combinations of choices.

Basically when expecting a home to fall into a specific value per sf, you are setting yourself up for a big let-down in either sticker shock or buyers remorse. Do yourself a favor and have a detailed estimate put together by a builder that you might want to work with. This will give you a budget reality check and tell you if you need to tone down some selections or if you can go for the upgraded kitchen as you found room in the budget.

Last edited by jmen24; 08-10-2010 at 12:36 PM.
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Old 08-10-2010, 03:56 PM   #6
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hi dykg my name is Eric from Eric's & Phil's Home Improvement and i can do a basic home for $135 sq ft. with no sitework. I can get the site work done but that would be more. We do it all from frame to finish. You can check us out at www.ericnphilshomeimprovement.com and see all the work we do and pic of work we did. We can build your home to your design. Feel free to contact me at (603) 509-3880 and i would be glad to give you a free estimate.

Thank you
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Old 08-10-2010, 06:14 PM   #7
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Default Price per sqft

People have asked for years what the cost per square foot is. They ask because it gives them a level of comfort. An experienced builder can give a pretty accurate price per sqft. but it does take a good set of prints, seeing and walking the lot you are intending to build on and a level of trust and respect between the builder and subcontractors. I have spent many evenings getting to know and working with homeowners helping balance a budget and desires. I have found the greatest variable to typically be site work and wells. Everything else is fairly easy to calculate.
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Old 08-10-2010, 06:41 PM   #8
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by dykg View Post
I thought I ask forum members what they think is the average square ft price for a new home in the lakes region. Just a standard new home, no special or customized work,etc. Trying to get an idea? or where could I find this info?
thanks,
Dykg
Hello

My name is Scott Compton of Scott Compton Builder. In my experience, I have come up with square foot pricing by reviewing scope of work and speciality items requested by customer, pricing accordingly and dividing square foot of project into my estimate. In my opion, this is the only fair and reliable way to achieve an accurate square foot price. If you wish we can discuss this further, I can be reached at 603-234-1277 or 603-279-1029.
Have a great night.
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Old 08-11-2010, 07:19 AM   #9
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So, if everyone has their own tried and true method, but they are all different, how is the customer supposed to know who is right.

www.foremostbuilders.com
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Old 08-11-2010, 03:36 PM   #10
Sue Doe-Nym
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmen24 View Post
I will take a two story Arts and Crafts for $151/sf, please. (Broome Building, I just grabbed your number from your post and I am not slighting you or making any implications, just illustrating a point)

A 2500 sf Ranch will not have the same SF price as the Arts and Crafts mentioned above.

When building a home you need to draw a circle on a piece of paper and within that circle make 3 pie pieces. Each gets a name, Price, Quality of Finish and Square Footage. The owner gets to pick two and the builder dictates the third.

You will be a far more satisfied customer if you eliminate the thought of what your home will cost you per square foot. It is a method that is proven completely unreliable and unless you are purchasing a modular home will never be accurate.

My post is to show that what someone considers a standard home may be very different than anothers. The reason the general square foot number does not work is that there are 25 different components to building a home and depending on the selections made in any one of those sub catagories, the number for the exact same envelope can vary greatly from one customer to the next. For example; one person may want carpet, while another hardwood. One person may want vinyl siding and the other Fibercement or vinyl rail vs cedar or composite. The options are almost infinate in the number of different combinations of choices.

Basically when expecting a home to fall into a specific value per sf, you are setting yourself up for a big let-down in either sticker shock or buyers remorse. Do yourself a favor and have a detailed estimate put together by a builder that you might want to work with. This will give you a budget reality check and tell you if you need to tone down some selections or if you can go for the upgraded kitchen as you found room in the budget.
It's a shame that more people don't realize or want to understand the excellent points you make.
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Old 08-11-2010, 08:00 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmen24 View Post
So, if everyone has their own tried and true method, but they are all different, how is the customer supposed to know who is right.

www.foremostbuilders.com
Jmen, I alwas stop to read things you post. It always has relevant information regarding what is being asked and a level of honesty that is often overlooked in todays world. I believe we all myself included being a contractor, try to steer people in the right direction especially on this forum. If one person can be helped by one of us weather it be getting a good price, or a quality job from someone one this forum we have helped out this online community and should feel good about doing so.
There have been way to many people taken advantage of and do not trust any type of contractor that it gives us all a bad rap.
I will be the first to admit I do drop the ball from time to time for what ever reason, but always try and make it right in the end.
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Old 08-12-2010, 07:05 AM   #12
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Hi - I've built two houses from the ground up. In both cases, I did the complete plans myself, and then had help in building. In the 2nd house, I had a lot of help building. The first time around, I was part of the framing crew, and did everything after the frame was tight to the weather myself. It took 8 years to finish (finish being a relative term!), and I was a LOT younger than today

The 2nd time around, I didn't actually do all that much myself, aside from being my own general contractor.

Having done this, I don't believe there is any good way of figuring costs based on square footage. Square footage isn't the main factor influencing the cost. It's the type of construction, materials involved and of course the fittings and fixtures (kitchen, baths, etc.).

I recently found the "list", with costs, for all of the components of the house starting with the site work. Everything is listed. From memory, it is something like this:

bringing in power and phone service (a $20,000 expense in my case)
site work
excevation (of the foundation)
forms and foundation (including concrete and rebar)
framing (which included the roof)
chimney and fireplace
exterior doors and windows (a BIG cost)
siding (another big cost)
wiring
plumbing
insulation (double wall construction)
drywall
floors (oak)
stairs
floor and stair finishing
interior doors (real wood panel doors add up)
finish grade and landscaping (just grass)
driveway paving (a major expense)
heating system
exterior decks and porches

I took it from there and did everything else myself (kitchen, baths, finish work, except for the floors).

Some items such as the foundation are pretty much per-foot. Even the framing can be reasonably calculated. Other things such as the floors, windows and siding vary greatly depending on what you pick.

Don't skimp on the windows or insulation. Do double walls (I did it, and it's not that expensive) if you can, and use low E argon tripple glazed if possible with most of the glass facing south. Include entrance air locks (2 doors and a small hall). Consider solar right up front - even if you don't install it right away. Anything to make that house more energy efficient.

Use a furnace that goes cold between firings. We could talk about heating system design all day, but since that's not the purpose of the thread - I'll leave it for now

Absolutely include a full foundation drain, beneath the floor and around the outside. Tar the outside of the foundation. Fill the area under the basement floor with crushed stone, and all around the outside - at the footings. Use preforated PVC inside and outside of the foundation and have the whole thing drain to DAYLIGHT. Put layers of thick poly over the stone, under the floor. Put lots of thick poly and construction paper over the stone over stone around the outside, and use sand to backfill immediately around the foundation. You will have a bone-dry basement if you do this right. I can personally attest to the effectiveness of such a system, having done it twice. And yes, water sometimes comes from drain outlet (about 50 feet from the house) during very heavy rains, attesting to the fact that there would have been dampness in the basement had the water not been carried away !

Ventilate that drain system with 4 inch PVC running from the drain, up through the attic to the outside. It will naturally provide some air movement, and if there is any radon, it will be naturally ventilated away.

This is probably a good time to build a house, with building slow at the moment.

Good luck with the project (and your marriage is solid, right? )

Regards,

Steve
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