he very nature of custom design is such that it is impossible to predict costs exactly until you have a design. Lacking a design, the traditional method is to simply figure a price-per-square-foot. Say you want to build a 2000 square foot home. You run this calculation:

the number of square feet
X a price per square foot
= the total cost of your new home

Presto! You have an cost estimate, right? Well, not necessarily. This figure could be way off the mark. This standard price-per-square-foot method, unfortunately, is often so inaccurate that it has set initial conditions for custom home projects that appear to go ridiculously out of budget. You've heard the stories! In many cases, they haven't "gone out of budget". The estimates were simply inaccurate from the beginning.

BUDGET HORROR STORIES

As the horror stories attest, this standard formula is a dangerous way to go about estimating costs. It has caused untold problems and heartache. Over the years we have many people come to us with plans their builders have put out to bid that have come back WAY out of budget. They want us to look at the plans and give them our opinion. Often, they think the builders are trying to take advantage of them, but it invariably turns out that the design has been out of line for their budget. It's common for designers to lack a solid system for targeting costs, just as it's common for the clients to add size or features during design without confronting the financial consequences.

A project that is out of budget is not a happy project for anyone involved: the home owner, the contractor or the designer. It's in the best interest of everyone to have clear expectations and accurate cost estimates from the beginning of the project.

Our Cost Estimate Worksheet more accurately estimates your home costs before the design work is even begun. Then, as we proceed through the design process, we run new worksheets at critical junctures to inform our customers of cost issues. Many people decide to add things during design and this is fine as long as they are aware and agreeable to their financial implications.

Follow the arrows to learn how we do it.