Home buying thread

Creslin

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Has anyone ever built a house? Curious on how you estimated cost per square foot. Doing research for Florida and it seems kind of all over the place. Prefer high quality building material but it’s not like I’m importing tile from Spain or something.. Curious what a custom home that’s 4/4 in the 3-3.5k square foot range may cost.
I’m gonna guess 650k -850k build cost excl land assuming you want nice finishes and a pool but not insane finishes. Shit like a terracotta tile roof adds lots of extra cost.

I’ve been involved in 4 either gut Reno’s or new builds in fl over the last 20 years so some experience but by no means a real expert. I would imagine at the moment location plays a big role. East coast costs might be a good bit lower than west where there’s more work and a flood of insurance money.
 

The_Black_Log Foler

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I’m gonna guess 650k -850k build cost excl land assuming you want nice finishes and a pool but not insane finishes. Shit like a terracotta tile roof adds lots of extra cost.

I’ve been involved in 4 either gut Reno’s or new builds in fl over the last 20 years so some experience but by no means a real expert. I would imagine at the moment location plays a big role. East coast costs might be a good bit lower than west where there’s more work and a flood of insurance money.
Is that for some lennar homes special stick built house? I was thinking it would be more like 300-350$ sqr ft which would put it in the 900-1.1 mill range for something around 3000 sqr ft for something custom. House won’t be near the coast.
 

Kais

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Not in florida, but i tell out clients we are in the $235-$270 sq.ft. range depending on trim levels and options. That's just for the house. Lot, clearing, driveway, septic/well, landscaping, irrigation, sod, etc will add to that.
 
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Jysin

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The huge variance in cost especially in Florida can be attributed to labor. You can have the best materials in the world and a load of undocumented illegals slapping it together. There are some real cowboy outfits out there that should be avoided like the plague!
 
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The_Black_Log Foler

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The huge variance in cost especially in Florida can be attributed to labor. You can have the best materials in the world and a load of undocumented illegals slapping it together. There are some real cowboy outfits out there that should be avoided like the plague!
Yeah that makes sense. I’m curious how much of a variance that is. I’m all for paying for money for honest people that do quality work. From my experience that’s a big cost differential but I’m ok with that - too many people trying to cut corners and do garbage work these days.

I already have the land. Land already has a house on it. May keep the existing house and build new one somewhere else on property.

I’m just a bit torn on what the best life decision is right now. I never plan to sell this property so if I build something I don’t really see it as property I can exit (unless I absolutely had to). While on the other hand I could buy a house and sell it 4-6 years down the line and then build on current property.

From a financial perspective it seems like building a custom home on my current property would either be equivalent or cheaper than buying the home I want so it’s got that going for it.
 

Gravel

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Not in florida, but i tell out clients we are in the $235-$270 sq.ft. range depending on trim levels and options. That's just for the house. Lot, clearing, driveway, septic/well, landscaping, irrigation, sod, etc will add to that.
Holy shit.

Apparently house building costs have increased significantly from what I thought they were. I thought $100/sqft was low-mid range, and $150/sqft was basically getting into higher end.

You're talking easily $300/sqft or more. Maybe building a house is completely out of our financial range. That sucks.
 
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Palum

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Holy shit.

Apparently house building costs have increased significantly from what I thought they were. I thought $100/sqft was low-mid range, and $150/sqft was basically getting into higher end.

You're talking easily $300/sqft or more. Maybe building a house is completely out of our financial range. That sucks.

Welcome to America
 
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The_Black_Log Foler

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Are flat roofs really that bad? A lot of custom homes I see popping up are modern or contemporary with flat roofs. Seems like it would require more maintenance to clean leaves and stuff off it. Reddit is saying all flat roofs eventually leak.
 

Daidraco

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Oh no its not. We've had this discussion in one of these threads not even that long ago Gravel Gravel . Foler is just being himself. Granted location is a big thing, but a lot of these fresh builds are doing stupid shit like 10 foot tall ceilings, or tier 5 sheetrock leveling with imperfection free mud/paint. etc.

Thats the kind of stuff, I personally, think is wasteful. I just want soft close hinges on everything. Fit and finish on all the trim work around the house to be good. Great landscaping and similar things all in that same vein. I'd prefer heavy, solid, doors around the whole house but that is a HUGE expense that isnt necessary if you arent some fist pumper, or if you dont have small children.

Then, you have to balance the qualities of your build crew. To be quite honest, the guy thats got a "worn" blue collar foreman's truck and looks like he goes to different jobs all the time, with a blue collar looking crew that looks like they drown their life away in beer after each workday. Johnny Bob is probably the best damn plumber this side of the Mississippi but he drinks so much that he cant keep a normal job type of thing. They're "good enough" to build the majority of your house even if it takes them a month longer. The difference in savings is significant.

The Hispanic Crews actually used to be really good around here, and then it seemed like one day in the past year or two.. their quality just went to complete shit. Job sites just littered with trash. Shit failing inspections, etc. My brother does the Realtor thing and periodically does spec houses. He's got to see this shit first hand and says its awful. Contributes it to immigration, and it probably is.. But its not like he's out there checking green cards.

But on the polar opposite side of that, you have fucking big name brand type of crews that have advertising everywhere with warranties on their work, etc. These guys I would call for specialty work (Im real particular about trim work and flooring, personally). But they arent who I would use to build the whole kit and kaboodle.

TL;DR - Whats ballooning the costs of shit like that is most likely not shit that you, yourself, care about. A fresh build is very affordable and has grants and kickbacks that the Bank will tell you about. Hell, theres probably some stuff out there that we dont know about that helps you directly, and not the bank.
 

Fucker

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Holy shit.

Apparently house building costs have increased significantly from what I thought they were. I thought $100/sqft was low-mid range, and $150/sqft was basically getting into higher end.

You're talking easily $300/sqft or more. Maybe building a house is completely out of our financial range. That sucks.
250 is standard rate for a basic house where I have looked. Cost goes vertical from there. That's not even the worst part. Top builders won't build unless the projects are big money AND they have a 2+ year wait list. Upscale build has gone up almost 3x in a short amount of time.

I know someone that used to be a small scale developer, he made affordable homes. He quit, no money in it. The cost to get a bare naked plot of land ready went up 10x, and that's even before putting down a foundation.
 

lurkingdirk

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I just want soft close hinges on everything.

Everything?!?! Can you put soft close hinges on my wife?

Foler Foler think about where you are. For the next decade all construction companies are going to have as much work as they want. Hurricane rebuilding will drive the price of new home construction through the roof. Whether you can afford it or not, if you build in Florida right now you're going to pay about 160% what your house will be worth when built. Materials are already crazy high, there will be shortages in Florida of all the staples (2x4s, plywood, osb, shingles, etc), and it will become a bidding war.

If you build now I would estimate near $400 a square foot. Not even kidding.

Now, another option is to buy modular home bits from out of state. Don't scoff, they do a lot of really amazing, beautiful homes with modular building. It also shortens the building time, and it takes things like weather out of the equation. Have a look at just a few modular home options:

135233GRA_Render003_1708445376.webp


w800x533.jpg


w800x533.jpg


You can customize however you like. In my state the companies that do this charge 90-150$ per square foot. I'm willing to bet that in the states near you there is a builder who will be willing to ship to you.

Just a thought.
 
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Tmac

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Everything?!?! Can you put soft close hinges on my wife?

Foler Foler think about where you are. For the next decade all construction companies are going to have as much work as they want. Hurricane rebuilding will drive the price of new home construction through the roof. Whether you can afford it or not, if you build in Florida right now you're going to pay about 160% what your house will be worth when built. Materials are already crazy high, there will be shortages in Florida of all the staples (2x4s, plywood, osb, shingles, etc), and it will become a bidding war.

If you build now I would estimate near $400 a square foot. Not even kidding.

Now, another option is to buy modular home bits from out of state. Don't scoff, they do a lot of really amazing, beautiful homes with modular building. It also shortens the building time, and it takes things like weather out of the equation. Have a look at just a few modular home options:

135233GRA_Render003_1708445376.webp


w800x533.jpg


w800x533.jpg


You can customize however you like. In my state the companies that do this charge 90-150$ per square foot. I'm willing to bet that in the states near you there is a builder who will be willing to ship to you.

Just a thought.

Post the links for those builders. Every modular home I’ve seen looks like a glorified trailer.
 

The_Black_Log Foler

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Everything?!?! Can you put soft close hinges on my wife?

Foler Foler think about where you are. For the next decade all construction companies are going to have as much work as they want. Hurricane rebuilding will drive the price of new home construction through the roof. Whether you can afford it or not, if you build in Florida right now you're going to pay about 160% what your house will be worth when built. Materials are already crazy high, there will be shortages in Florida of all the staples (2x4s, plywood, osb, shingles, etc), and it will become a bidding war.

If you build now I would estimate near $400 a square foot. Not even kidding.

Now, another option is to buy modular home bits from out of state. Don't scoff, they do a lot of really amazing, beautiful homes with modular building. It also shortens the building time, and it takes things like weather out of the equation. Have a look at just a few modular home options:

135233GRA_Render003_1708445376.webp


w800x533.jpg


w800x533.jpg


You can customize however you like. In my state the companies that do this charge 90-150$ per square foot. I'm willing to bet that in the states near you there is a builder who will be willing to ship to you.

Just a thought.
Yeah I know it’s gonna be crazy pricey. I think at soonest I’d build in a year. Love the idea of building it in modular phases. Actually I wanted to design it as such since I don’t necessarily need a 4/4 now but would like something like that eventually. As mentioned above can you post links if you have any please. Thanks
 

Haus

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Anyone know a good gen AI for getting architectural ideas for a house? CC: Araysar Araysar
I don't know about a house designing AI , not just yet....

But there are a ton of sites where you can review house plans, with virtual mocks ups, etc. Then I would suspect you could get those plans and have them tailored to your needs. That's the angle I'm heading towards right now.
 
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lurkingdirk

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Yeah I know it’s gonna be crazy pricey. I think at soonest I’d build in a year. Love the idea of building it in modular phases. Actually I wanted to design it as such since I don’t necessarily need a 4/4 now but would like something like that eventually. As mentioned above can you post links if you have any please. Thanks

These folks, while they don't have a lot of great floor plans online, they're willing to design from scratch to meet your needs. Good prices, friendly people, excellent craftsmanship.


Probably the best ones around:


Really just do a search for local or nearby modular builders. Call them and ask if they'll do a unique floorplan for you. If not, find someone else.
 
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Captain Suave

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Are flat roofs really that bad? A lot of custom homes I see popping up are modern or contemporary with flat roofs. Seems like it would require more maintenance to clean leaves and stuff off it. Reddit is saying all flat roofs eventually leak.

I've never seen a flat residential roof that didn't leak sooner rather than later. Having organics and water potentially stagnant on your structure is just asking for problems. Obviously most commercial buildings are flat-roofed, but they're almost always heavily isolated from vegetation and it's a lot easier for business to program in the required maintenance.
 
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The_Black_Log Foler

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These folks, while they don't have a lot of great floor plans online, they're willing to design from scratch to meet your needs. Good prices, friendly people, excellent craftsmanship.


Probably the best ones around:


Really just do a search for local or nearby modular builders. Call them and ask if they'll do a unique floorplan for you. If not, find someone else.
Thanks. This would definitely be ideal. If I could start it off as a 3/2 and then make it a 4/4 5-6 years from now that would great. Maybe their architect can draw up the “final” result and work backwards making it modular. Appreciate it
 
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lurkingdirk

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I've never seen a flat residential roof that didn't leak sooner rather than later. Having organics and water potentially stagnant on your structure is just asking for problems. Obviously most commercial buildings are flat-roofed, but they're almost always heavily isolated from vegetation and it's a lot easier for business to program in the required maintenance.

Yeah, I second this. Don't get a flat roof.
 
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Creslin

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Thanks. This would definitely be ideal. If I could start it off as a 3/2 and then make it a 4/4 5-6 years from now that would great. Maybe their architect can draw up the “final” result and work backwards making it modular. Appreciate it
Even with the best possible modular design I would strongly recommend against this unless your think your addition is a 5-10 years and maybe never project, if it is a almost definite 5 years then just do it all from the start. Project cost to do it in 2 phases is going to be a good bit higher.
 
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