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The most basic or preliminary step we can say to construct a new house is to get the cost estimate for house construction. Of course, there are various costs involved if you are building a new house. Also it is very important to identify where you will be spending you money and how much money you must posses before starting construction of house. This blog post will help you in figuring out the costs involved in house construction. Moreover, you will also find the best tools to get a preliminary cost estimate of your construction project. Just by inputting some basic information about your dream house.
Basic Steps for House Construction Cost Estimation
Contents
1. Identify the Floor Plans and Get all the Construction Drawings
The first and foremost step is to get the plans/drawings ready for your house. Contact the local construction consultants to get the blueprints ready for your house as per your requirements. Another option is to search on internet to find a variety of construction plans that fit the size of your plot. It is also possible to customize the drawings available on internet using some drafting software like AutoCAD. Make sure that all the units such as bedrooms, washrooms, kitchen, lobby, stair etc. are properly indicated on the plans and the heights are also defined in sections.
2. Get the Unit Cost, Total Cost and Compare it
Next you need to visit your local contractor or house builder. Share the plans with them in order to get the cost for house construction per square foot. Remember that the cost depends on the styles, size, quality and features of various construction elements in your plan. Now get the unit cost per square foot and multiply it with the total covered area to get the total house construction cost. It is always recommended to choose 2-3 plans with different layouts and get the quotation for each one from contractors and then finalize the layout.
You should also compare the given cost with the actual cost of already constructive houses in your locality. For this, you need to get the total cost of house which is similar in area, size and features to your dream house. Then subtract the land cost from the total cost to have the net construction cost. Finally, divide this value with the total area to get the unit price per square feet. This will give you idea whether the unit price given to you by contractor is low, high or realistic.
3. Consider the Style, Quality and Features of your House
The cost doesn’t only depend on the size and dimensions of your house but also on features and styles that you select from architectural point of view. Talking about style, we refer to the shape and dimensions of various elements like stairs, terrace etc. The cost for the element which is square or rectangular in shape is lesser as compared to round or some special shape. Similarly, if we have multiple stories in a building then the cost will be lesser as compared to a single story with same total square footage.
Quality takes into account the type, color and dimensions of of various construction materials. The cost greatly depends on the quality of material. For example, Marble counter-tops will cost you more as compared to granite counter-tops. Moreover, building features like the roof pitch, overhang dimensions and span lengths will also impact the total budgeted cost of project.
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4. Online Tools for Quick Estimation of Your New House
You can also try some online tools If you need a quick approximate price to build a new house. These tools calculate the approximate total cost to construct a house at your desired location. As the prices of materials and labor rates vary depending on the location of your project so you will have to select the locality first.
Furthermore, its required to provide additional details about building like foundation size, number of floors, doors, windows and interior furnishing. Following are some of the best online home construction cost calculators that provide approximate cost to build house anywhere in USA.
- 1. Remodeling Calculator: This is an online service that provides accurate construction cost to build a new house. All you need to do is to input some basic data like house dimensions, quality of material, location etc. and it will tell you the cost required to build a house in that region. Good thing about this service is that it gives 3 different prices that are labeled as Low-End, Mid-Range and High-End. Please keep in mind that this calculator doesn’t account for the land cost, demolition, clearing and grubbing costs and the cost for the preparation of drawings/plans.
- 2. Cost to Build: This is a very detailed online calculator for quick home construction cost estimation. It requires a lot of information about your building and finally provides you complete cost breakdown for new house construction. There are total 10 section and each section requires multiple inputs that exactly define how exactly your dream house looks like. It just takes 5-10 minutes to input all the required input data and you will get the estimate after filling out all the required information. A good thing about this service is that it is more precise because it considers all the majors aspects that impact the construction costs of a house.
- 3. Building Journal: This online software is able to estimate costs of residential as well as commercial construction projects in USA. This calculator is simpler as compared to previous ones and requires only around 10 input fields. Use this tool to get general idea about the total budgeted you need to have before proceeding with the construction works.
Final Words on House Construction Costs
There are many other online tools/calculators that provide you similar kinds of services but the above 3 are the best ones. The approximate cost to build a house in the USA ranges typically from $150,000 – $442,000. To get a more exact estimate, you need to consider parameters like house dimensions, project location and specific features. Home Advisor also offers a simple tool to get quick price estimate by just a simple input of ZIP Code or Address. I hope you will find these tools useful for the estimation and costing of your house construction project. Good Luck!