One of the First Questions-
When I first meet with clients and start
to discuss the ideas they have for the design of their new
home or an addition and/or remodel of their existing home,
it of course does not take more than just a few minutes
before the questions about the cost of construction start to
come out. The first thing to keep in mind is that every
client is on a budget, some kind of budget. And most
people, regardless of their budget, want to know how they
can get the most for their money.
Allow for
Contingencies-
So, I will start by saying, though I
have seen that most people will pay it no mind- When you
figure the rough cost of construction from a preliminary
design, add at least 10-15% to cover things you havent
thought of and/or the inevitable upgrades you will make
during the course of construction. Once you are hip-deep in
the project it is, I have seen time and time again, just
human nature to think, "Well, were only doing this once,
lets go ahead and splurge on the__________." Insert you
favorite expensive finish materials, commercial grade
appliances, fancy Jacuzzi tubs, etc. here. If you then have
a figure you think you cant afford, scale back the scope of
the project and refigure the cost until you get something
you are comfortable with. Okay, I did my duty on that,
though I know you will likely forget all about it.
Estimates Only as Good
as the Plans-
Any means of figuring the cost to
construct a project, is only as good as the level of detail
in your plans. Obviously you want to have some idea of costs
before you get too carried away with your design, but just
keep in mind that the less detail you have in your plan, the
less accurate your estimate may be. So it is best to move
back and forth between the design and cost figures as you
move into more and more detail in your plans. So at first,
you will only be able to obtain a very rough guess.
First of all, about the only way to get
a rough cost when you only have a very basic design with
some preliminary drawings, is to multiply the floor area (at
this point all floors, and include decks, covered patios,
etc.) of either the new house or the addition/remodel
project in square feet and multiply it by a given
cost-per-square-foot figure. Currently, I would use a
multiplier of somewhere between $150 to $300 per square
foot. Quite a big range, I know, but that is just to get us
started, and many high-end projects will run $400 per square
foot and up as well. There are ways in which you can narrow
that range down a bit as you move along through your design
process.
Remodel Costs vs. New
Construction-
Also, with an addition and/or remodel
project, keep in mind that the cost to remodel a certain
area of a house (meaning removing everything down to the
studs to re-wire, re-plumb, re-configure interior walls,
,etc.) is about the same as adding new square footage. I
know that may seem counter-intuitive to some people but it
is true, and commonly accepted among contractors. You have
to figure the time spent in demolition, and all the often
tricky little details to tie-in any new or re-configured
areas properly to the existing will cancel out whatever
savings you might have by having all the rough-framing, etc.
already in place. Thats just the way it is.
Narrowing Things Down-
So, to start narrowing down that
$150-$300 multiplier, you can think of it like this-
First, most of the costs in the higher
end range are in the finishes- cabinets, windows, doors,
flooring, counter-tops, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures,
etc. To stay in the lower end range, you have to get
creative with these finish type items. Shop around for
items you can get locally or that are manufactured in large
quantities out of inexpensive materials. With the advent of
the internet, and also help from local suppliers, it is not
hard to find out about the price ranges for all of these
finish types of items. And there are new materials and
fixtures coming out all the time, so shop a lot. If you
really want the granite counter-tops and Viking ranges,
etc., youll have to figure in the higher range.
