New Home Construction Cost

mad_footer

I am in the process of building a new home in North Carolina. I am trying to figure out what is a fair cost to frame the house. The house is about 3,200 square feet with a 588 square foot unfinished bonus room on the second floor. A supplier that I have spoken to has come back with a materials price for the framing (including roof trusses) of over $88,000 - this is just the materials and no labor for the framing. That number just blew me away and was double what I was estimating. I know materials prices have been rising for sometime right now, but do you think this a fair number. I have attached a couple of images of the design plans.

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K2

More info on what is included for 88k. Siding, windows, exterior trim???

Glasshousebltr

Bet your windows and doors take up a lot of that 88. If you build a house that cut up and that big you'd better expect some larger figures.

The last one I did of that size was in Chandlersburg Va, I got a little over 25,000 to frame it from the walk out up and set the windows, but that was 92' or 93'.

Bob

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Bob

mad_footer

This price does not include siding, windows, trim, etc. I have separate pricing for all those items and those prices seem reasonable. The pricing for the framing labor is around $37K or about $10/sq ft which also seems reasonable. The $88K is only for the framing materials.

K2

Comparing prices per lineal ft. or per board ft. should be easy. You might want to get a couple of more take-offs. A house like yours is hard to estimate lumber for and a salesman could easily be 25% off either way.

Glasshousebltr

37 uh? Maybe I should have stayed in framing. I did the Chandlersburg house in 11 days and came out smelling like a rose.......well.....that is......until the ex reached up my library and pulled out all the mis-information.

Bob

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Bob

ContractorSon

The house design does have a good deal of roofing angles (stick frame likely,not trusses)bay windows,and varying elevations...

I did a CAD-CAM on our present home design and it came up with 1800 2x6s alone for exterior/load bearing walls,all over 10 ft long,some up to 16 feet. Then add in the 2x10 floor joists,roofing members,etc and the lumber will be very costly. Sturd-i-floor at 26$/sheet with 4100 sq feet,90 square of roof with mainly a 14/12 pitch (1.5 story),etc..
TJIs,some cedar siding,etc... Very expensive in lumber!

747

That house finished has high 3 wrote all over it to me. If not more. I personally think 88,000 sounds high but what do i no.

747

Oh i missed the back of the house with the walkout running the length. I think 4 now.

The Yaz Man

That is way out of whack, I am doing a 2400s/f house now soup to nuts. No trusses all stick. Your framing labor is incredible for the heights and switchbacks your gut could easily have been another $15,000.00.

I think your framer is to low by about that. And the materials are probably $10,000.00 high. I would tip my hand to the framer because when he realizes his mistake he'll suck wind and make you look bad. As far as the materials it's a feel thing. Those are sizeable sections though. Can't you get them re-bid? Or cross check the materials list they were bid off of?

747

You know who could give you a great perspective in this forum concerning your question is cole 21 in my oppion.

JustaFramer

Yep framer's aren't taking it any more. We finally called the big bluff. For years prices were to low. Finishers used to make more money of the house than a framer.

Finisher's have cut their ******************** with the group I work for I get you built it you finish it.


As for you 88k I would get a few estimates then have them fight for you money. Happens all the time here when I tracted there was a different lumber supplier every house same thing with trusses.

Mike R

Footer,

I'm currently building a 3,600 SF home with a complicated roof profile like yours. The home is Nashville, TN. My framing materials (lumber package) were $37,000 and the labor was $25,000. This includes setting the exterior doors and windows, but excludes material costs of the windows / exterior doors (another $12,000).

Steve Nyhof

I'm just finishing a 2850 sq.ft. home (3900 sq.ft. including the basement) and my framing with a simpler roof line and not as cut up and not hipped was $41,000. The framing labor was $28,000. Does your 3600 include a framed basement space, or is that on top?

I would guess that "mad footer's" price is high, however, the truss or rafters alone are going to be more than $20,000.

mad footer, you need to get in touch with a local contractor to help guide the lumber company with other material possibilities. I would also like to see the foundation layout to check your joist spans. If you can keep the spans under 16' you can use a standard 2x10 Doug fir or Nascor - both priced about the same.

Maybe Mike R has some ideas because his prices are terrific! I can not see price differences that great in different parts of the country. I can see labor prices vary a bit.

May I offer a few suggestions, many house plans do not offer a large enough space off the garage entry, the rear entry. The kitchen is none too big so you might consider putting an angle on the rear of the garage wall with only your floor joists. You do not need to change the foundation. When 4 people come through that door they will need a place to go. Also, not sure about NC, but will you need a closet for coats and shoes? Sometimes people fall in love with the outside of a house (what others see and you pay for) and willingly sacrifice your living space (also what you pay for).

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747

were you planing on going with all brick. That is what i assumed for the exterior. Also i'm assuming you probably paid 50-75,000 for just the lot.

Also Steve Nyholf has a excellent suggestion above. We only have one designer builder in my area. I think a designer builder is a assest.

Cole

Hey Now!!

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Joe Carola

Framing lumber is what it is, framing lumber. It would never include windows, siding and exterior trim from where I'm from. For that price just for your framing lumber it should include all siding, windows and trim.

Framing lumber ranges anywhere from $10 s/f to $15 s/f all depending on what's involved. Your price for $88k for your house you can almost build two houses for that. This is an obvious mistake. There is no way in the world that you should pay that or even use that lumber yard. You have to do a take off yourself and give it to each lumberyard and compare prices. It's that simple. If you have your framer lined up already then he should do the take off. I've been framing for 22 years and I do all my lumber lists. I don't let anyone do them because they're always wrong.

I will not do a lumber list if I don't have the job yet because it takes time to do a lumber list and I’ve done it before for some people and didn’t get the job. So if you have the lumber list from this company take all the information from there and write down exactly what they have and then fax them to other lumberyards.

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Joe Carola

Steve Nyhof

Joe Carola is right, you need to at least compare prices, however, you need to back up and find out first what the designer required for material is reasonable. I am guessing you are not a builder and want to build this house yourself to save the contractors fee. I have seen it time and time again, where homeowners spend more money with their purchases, timing costs money, most homes do not ever quite get finished because people run out of money, cabinet handles on hold, no crown moldings or extras, and in the end have still spent $30,000 to $50,000 more than anticipated. With a home the size you are looking to build; you will spend $50,000 more than you plan, at least $10,000 more than if you got several bids from local contractors competing for your business, and you sit back and watch it happen.

I still would like to see the foundation plans because I know how many book and Internet plans are drawn. Many of them are designed by someone who is trying their best to make the home look really nice; and the result is the sacrificing of standard lumber products and practices. In most cases, very few designers even know how to cut construction costs because they have never built a house themselves. And I can promise you it takes more than one before a contractor figures out what can be changed to cut costs.

I apologize if I come across a bit negative, but I tell my customers the truth about what they want. There are always a few where I can tell are not listening because they have this big dream and it usually includes impressing their friends. When people start heading down that road, I ask one question. “How much are you willing to pay every month for the next 30 years to receive a few ‘WOWs’ in the beginning?”

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Steve Nyhof
President; Steve Nyhof Enterprises, Inc.

Mike R

Steve,

I just got my final framing lumber package billing and the total material cost was $40,000. My home is on a crawl space. I did "lock-in" on most of the lumber pricing prior to Hurricane Katrina / Rita.