All Forum Posts by: Boe Dillard

Thanks everyone for helping clue me in on the cost per square foot environment!    The property I wanted was taken off zillow after being there just 10 days :)   But as I zero in on the home construction cost, I'm much closer to a realistic budget for the project.

My uncle had one in the bathroom at his house when I was a kid - thought it was an awesome way of getting out of putting the toilet seat down nonsense!

Thanks! I am not going for imported marble but quartz so that kind of helps.  I am doing a couple of crazy things though such as cement fiber siding, deck, electrochromatic window treatment and if possible a tesla roof and some power walls.   So I'll go $210 a square foot for a ballpark plus the land.   The land is about $200k.     When you say $200 per square foot is that for the livable and just assume the garage and basement do count or do you $200 per square foot and then add the cost of an unfinished basement and garage as additional costs?    I'm really trying get a handle on the cost per square foot expression.   I'm sure it is obvious to people who have had a house built but I can't find any info on what it really is.

I was thinking about a heated driveway but there just isn't much snowfall in kingston but if you think of any other crazy things I might want to get don't hesitate to let me know.

Thanks for the info!   I'm looking at a house design that says about 2700 sq feet.  The dimensions of the house with the garage are 64' x 84'.   That includes a two car garage and a small upstairs loft that is about 14'x18'.   My guess is they came up with the square feet by multiplying 64' x about 42'.

1. So I'm taking that the garage is not calculated in the square feet of the house, just finished space?

2. If that is the case, when you say for a ballpark go $200 per square feet - is that based on the finished parts or total square feet of the house - for example if I add a basement to this house - I'm guessing that will add about 30K to the price of the build but not sure if I were to apply your general number if the total square feet of the house is used in that per square foot cost or just take liveable and go with $200 per and then add things like the garage and the basement as totally seperate parts of the estimate.

Sorry for the complex question but it is the only way I'll understand the terms and suggestions of other people.

Thanks.  I appreciate it.  I'm a contractor (not houses) myself.  Once I really have as much as I can prepped with obvious gaps, I'll probably "waste the time" of one of the better rated contractors in that area.   I'm getting good info here as well as just constant searching the web for details about EVERYTHING.

Sure- I just need 12 more cars and a winning lottery ticket - just not in that order.   I am probably building an unfinished basement for the reason it is cheaper per square foot.   I'm still researching waterproofing techniques for the basement as well as less common practices such as putting the insulation outside the cement (basically I'm studying up on every best practice of home building as so many contractors do things differently and that isn't always a good thing).

13 car garage!   Are you looking at my blueprint!?!   Agreed about the contractors - I'm just gathering more info still on every component to try and get the most accurate bid.   I'm gettting closer every day.   Hard to get even pre-estimates on some things such as fiber cement decks or electrochromatic window treatments.

Thanks!   I'm itemizing every single thing I can think of e.g. water heater, lights, faucets, counter tops, permits, surveying, plumbing, electrical, septic, lights, inspections, gutters, dump fee, insulation, framing, exteriror finish, interior finish, networking, solar (although it isn't really cost effective, I really really want a tesla roof), chimney, heat pump, windows, interior doors, exterior doors, garage doors, locks, sinks, showers, etc. with exact models and prices to help me get in the ballpark.  I'm also going to online calculators for insulation, driveways etc - and I'll just have to hope they are remotely accurate.    My situation is this - I've never built a house but just about every house I've ever looked at would require so much overhaul to get me close to what I want for room sizes, room layouts etc. I'd hate to spend my life savings to get about 70% there if you know what I mean.   I'm not very good at compromise :)  I've already figured out what I thought was generous might be about 15% lower than I need.

I know when I was young, my parents had a house built.   They had a very good contractor but he had some personal issues and ended up taking several months longer than the agreed upon contract price.   As a result he had to pay a penalty/ my parents didn't have to pay as much for the house upon completion.   Is there a legal term for this process?   Is this common?

Thanks!