f you have been shopping for a custom-built home, you've probably already run up against the difficulty of getting a good cost estimate. People aren't being evasive...there are just a lot of variables in a custom home project.

"IT DEPENDS!"

Ask any designer or builder how much their custom homes cost and they'll say, "It depends." And they are right!
It depends on where the home is being built, the topography of the lot, the time of year, the current local building climate, the size and complexity of the home, the specific design features and choice of finish materials...for starters.

COST PER-SQUARE-FOOT

If you can convince someone to give you a price, he'll probably give it to you in a range using cost-per-square-foot numbers. He might say $110 to $140 per heated square foot or $200-$400 per heated square foot in expensive areas. Many people will then take the lowest price and multiply it by their square foot number. The resulting number can be very inaccurate because these numbers only consider your raw heated square footage and many things that raise costs can't be calculated in this number.

Your heated square foot number, for example, doesn't account for the extra excavation you might need for a sloped site or expansive soils or for that wrap around porch you're dreaming of because the porch is outside and doesn't fall into the heated square footage. Same with vaulted ceilings, upgraded flooring, electrical and more. If you are wanting any special features, have a difficult site, or any one of a number of other things, the standard cost-per-square-foot numbers will be too low. This is a universal truth for all home building projects everywhere.

It's better to estimate accurately before you begin than be shocked later. Many horror stories are born from not understanding this fact and taking those numbers at face value.

THE CATCH-22

It's important to know if you can afford to build the type of home that you want before you sign a contract and go through the design process so you're not caught in a web of financial problems. But it's impossible to get a price until you have a plan! Hmmmm. A dilemma.
This is why we created our Cost Estimate Worksheet to give you a more accurate estimate on the cost of the specific type of home that you want, before it's even designed.
Follow the link in the left navigation bar to our Cost Estimate Worksheet for more information...or just follow the bottom arrows which will lead you there in turn...