House Building Calculator | Estimate Construction Cost

Building Cost Calculator provides accurate construction costs for a new house. You can select different options for trim, quality of materials and other amenities, such as a garage and deck.

Construction cost estimate includes: architectural plans and typical engineering, excavation and erection of a concrete foundation, framing, insulation, heating/cooling, electrical, plumbing, roofing, siding, exterior & interior finishes, as well all materials and labor.

How Much Does It Cost To Build A House?

Building a new house is the best option for those looking to have the design of their dream (which is usually hard to find in the secondary house market).

Moreover, building a new construction house it is often less expensive than buying an existing home.

On the low-end of the cost spectrum you can build a new 2,000 sq. ft. house for as little as $150,00 to $190,000. The average cost of most new construction homes is around $275,000 to $340,000. High-end new construction homes start at $500,000+ and go up to as much as your budget allows.

House Building Cost Calculator provides a variety of construction options for you to choose from.

You can customize flooring options, number of bathrooms, roofing and siding materials, type of windows, add a garage or a deck, etc.

The calculator has a progressive cost per sq. ft. formula, so you can get the most accurate cost estimate.

This means that when your Total square footage is LESS than 1,500, the cost / foot gradually increases to account for additional expenses incurred by the builder, with fewer “billable” square feet.

How To Use Home Building Calculator

1) Enter the foundation size of your home (do not include garage)

2) Enter the number of bathrooms. Note that each additional bathroom requires additional plumbing and materials.

3) Choose build quality. This includes your framing, kitchen, bathrooms, HVAC (AC) system, a heating system (furnace or boiler), house insulation (fiberglass or spray-foam), and other options that you “cannot” select in the calculator.

4) Select the number of levels (floors). Note that living area as well as the amount of siding and the number of windows will proportionately increase with the number of additional floors.

5) Select your roofing and siding (exterior) materials.

6) Extra options: you can select garage and deck size, as well as windows options.

7) Choose your location: Note that construction prices vary greatly depending on your region, and this includes both labor and materials. The difference can be between +11% for Pacific region to -5% for East South Atlantic region.

Click calculate, and you will have your personalized estimate!

Note that this estimated cost does not include the following:

– Land

– Demolition or land clearing

– Plot leveling / site work

– Architect / house plans fees

– Permits, engineering reports, and other paperwork

On average these miscellaneous costs can range between $15,000-30,000, excluding land and demo works.

Average New Home Construction Costs

Homeowners across the US report spending an average of $190,000-420,000 to build a new 2,000 sq.ft. house. In many middle class areas, the cost of construction for a 2,000 sq.ft. space is $295,000

This is equivalent to the price of $147.5 per square foot.

Remember that in addition to the cost of building a home, you need to budget for the price of the land, as well as the cost of clearing and finishing the lot, landscaping, etc.

Adding extras such as a fence, a pool, a deck, will further increase your total construction cost.

According to the National Association of Home Builders these additional expenses make up about 20-25% of the total building cost, where as the house itself takes up 75-80%

House Building Cost Per Square Foot

The average building cost per square foot is $95 – 225, depending on a number of factors, such as:

– local labor costs

– architectural house style

– number of floors

– number of bedrooms

– number of bathrooms

– quality of building and finishing materials

– fees of an architect/design professional

– building permit costs

– custom vs. pre-fabricated home design

When planning your budget for a custom built home, figuring out the quality of materials and finishes you want to use will make a huge difference in the total remodeling budget.

The cost of materials varies widely, so the products you select will add or subtract tens of thousands of dollars off the total building cost.

For example, you can install a GAF asphalt shingles roof on a 1,500 sq.ft. home for about $5,000-6,000 or a standing seam metal roof of the same size for $12,000-13,000.

Among the most expensive items in a new construction project are:

– Roof

– Siding

– Windows

– HVAC (heating and cooling)

– Flooring

– Kitchen (cabinets, countertops, appliances)

– Bathroom (any special bathroom features: sauna, steam shower, hot-tub, etc will further increase the cost)

You can use our detailed Remodeling Costs Guide to get accurate estimates for the cost of the most popular interior and exterior remodeling projects.

Cost Of Professional Labor To Build A House

Building a new home typically requires the help of a General Contractor (GC). He oversees the entire project from start to finish, hires and pays all the necessary subcontractors, pulls permits, and buys building materials on your behalf.

A general contractor does NOT charge per hour. She usually takes 10-20% of the total house building cost.

For example if your new home costs $350,000, you can expect that the GC will charge $35,000-50,000 for her services. Many general contractors ask for a portion of this fee upfront.

It’s very important to draw up a detailed contract with your general contractor that includes their fees, itemized scope of work, list of materials, completion time line, potential extra fees or hidden/unexpected expenses, as well as the payment schedule.

Be sure that EVERYTHING is in writing! Many homeowners get burned when they verbally agree on one course of action and price with their General Contractor and then things “change” (i.e. cost you more money) when the project starts.

When undertaking such a massive project, its not worth it to try to save a few bucks on the cost of labor.

ONLY hire a general contractor who is licensed, insured and experienced in residential construction. He should provide you with at least 3 glowing references of recently completed projects that are similar to yours.

Can You Build A House For $100K?

If your budget for constructing a new house is only 100,000K you may run into some trouble if you want to build a custom designed home. In most areas, the average cost to build a new 2,000 house is $275,000 – 310,000.

So if you are looking to build a very small house $1,000-1,200 sq.ft. you may be able to get away with a budget of $100,000, but this will be a no frills home to say the least.

Another alternative for a 100K construction budget is to go for a prefab or modular home. These homes are much more affordable, while still being very comfortable to live in.

You can easily build a very nice 2,000 sq. ft. prefab home for a $100,000 budget.

Cost Of Prefabricated (modular) Home vs Original Design Home

One of the biggest factors that will lower or increase your construction costs is whether you want a custom designed house or a prefabricated one.

While an original architectural house plan has the tremendous benefit of giving you exactly what you want, it also costs significantly more.

Custom homes range in price from $150 -1,000+ per square foot, depending on the size, architectural complexity, materials, etc. Such a house will also take significantly longer to construct than a prefabricated structure.

By comparison, the cost of a prefabricated home is at least 25-35% less than a custom one. A small prefab house under 1,500 sq.ft. without numerous customizations costs as little as $50-60,000.

Average size prefabricated house (1,600-1,800 sq. ft.) costs $130,000-200,000, without major modification.

It is important to keep in mind that modifications, depending on what you are looking to change or add, will drive up the initial price by as much as 30%.

These can include things like a 2-car garage, better roofing and insulation materials, high-end kitchen appliances, hardwood as opposed to engineered wood floors, better quality siding, more expensive windows, etc.

Still, you will be getting a brand new home that will be cheaper than building a custom design from scratch.