By Lance McCarthy
We talk a lot about remodeling an existing home, but sometimes the best solution is a complete solution–ground up construction. This may be on a brand new lot, or could mean removing an existing house and starting over. There are perks to going new…
How much does a new house cost?
The #1 question we get from people is the ever popular…wait for it…”How much is a new house?”
Check out our budget brackets below to get some generic rule of thumb cost ranges.
Budget Brackets
Level 1: Conservative Choices $150-200 psf
Nothing fancy, just good solid space
- Utilities are ready
- The site doesn’t need much work
- Story-and-a-half or two story
- Wood or vinyl siding
- Composite shingles
- Vinyl windows
Level 2: Standard choices $180-250 psf
Some room for fun
- May require utilities brought in
- May require site shaping
- Stucco
- Clad windows
Level 3: Full Custom $250-350+ psf
Focus on quality
- Full basement foundation
- May be some challenges to overcome
- Brick or stone exterior
- Clad windows
- Clay tile or slate roof
- Custom interior finish
Of course each custom home (and client) is unique, and a personalized budget should be developed for your project during a collaborative design process.
Some of our favorite custom home design elements:
- Just right A floor plan designed by a talented architect is a thing of beauty, and can create a home that becomes ground zero for a great life.
- Situation on the lot It is hard to overstate how important the house orientation is. Face it the wrong way and you can end up making a great house feel like a prison.
- Let there be light! Many older homes don’t have enough windows. Newly designed homes make that problem disappear.
- Energy to spare We’ve come a long way in the last few years. It is now possible to create a very efficient, comfortable house that sips energy instead of guzzling it.
Some of our favorite custom home design elements:
- Production home There are some really great production builders out there, and this may be the right fit, but a production home is designed and built to be sold, not necessarily to be lived in.
- Too cheap to be true We find a lot of advertisements out there for cheap builders that trap a lot of people who just don’t know any different. Take your time picking the team.
- Foundations matter If something goes wrong on a new house, it likely involves the foundation. Make sure you know how water is getting handled, and how the land is graded around the house to prevent future issues.
- Frankenhouse Great design has a lot to do with picking a “language” for the house to speak. A lot of houses are designed by just tacking on a tall entry or slapping a few more peaks on the roof. Resist the dark side. Stay faithful to the style and you will fall in love.