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“This includes mechanical, electrical plumbing, impact windows, roofing, framing, and drywall. So that is your required cost in order to get into what you would consider a white vanilla box.” Generally, he says most homes cost on average around $150 to $200 per square foot. From there, he recommends considering costs for phase two, which includes all finishes such as flooring, cabinetry, landscaping, plumbing fixtures, or lighting.
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Cabinets and countertops will be installed, walls will be painted and appliances will be hooked up. You’ll need to take into account a number of key points to estimate the true cost of building a new home. Here’s a breakdown of some of the costs that might factor into your construction budget. So, if you’re looking to build a 2,000-square-foot home in the South, you can expect it to run around $200,000.
Average Cost To Build
When considering material costs, it’s important to consider both exterior finishes and interior finishes as well as installation costs should any item require specifically trained professionals. The cost of building a house is highly variable, dependent on the cost of land, total square footage, permits, and extra fees. If you use an online cost-to-build-a-house calculator, you’ll notice that construction materials and labor combined account for about 90% of the typical budget. These broad categories can be broken down into many distinct categories to give you a better sense of where your money will go in a project. The remaining 10% covers minor cost factors like site preparation, interior and exterior finishes and optional add-ons such as a finished basement or outdoor spaces.
Cost to Build a Small House

A basic unfinished 2,400-square-foot pole barn shell costs $20,000 to $40,000. The average cost of building a 3-bedroom house is $248,000 to $310,000, while the cost to build a 4-bedroom house $388,000 to $465,000, and the cost to build a small 2-bedroom home is $93,000 to $155,000. Since you’re starting from the ground up when building a house, you might need a construction loan to get started then eventually you’ll need a mortgage to secure financing for the actual home.
“The major contributions to cost are soft cost and intangibles,” Hartman says. When determining how much it would cost to build a house, consider the number of bedrooms you want to include. Every additional room in your floor plan will add to the home’s square footage, increasing the total price. The table below breaks down the typical square footage and average building cost of homes based on the number of bedrooms they have. Compared to building a house, buying an existing one off the market is typically a much simpler and faster process.
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For example, interior finishes cost $94,300 and comprise close to 24-percent of the cost of building a house. Some costs are non-negotiable, such as the contractor's mark-up, builder's sales fees, and permits. Other costs are flexible, like the choice of materials and fixtures, size of the house and the lot, and the type of layout. The cost to build a house ranges from $506,860 to $534,300, for an average of $520,500. It costs about $4,400 on average to add a paved driveway connecting your new house to the road. You can save by opting for a gravel driveway instead, which averages about $1,500 for labor and materials.
Labor
Note that these figures take into consideration only the cost of construction — they do not include the price of the land to build on. Hartman says there’s an adage among homebuilders and owners that building a new home takes twice as long and costs twice as much, however, this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Depending on what a homeowner is looking for, either option could be cheaper. The answer often changes by state and region, where some areas have a traditionally lower-cost housing market, meaning it may be more cost-effective to simply buy something that already exists.
Luxury materials like stone and brick can more than triple the square foot cost, though. Depending on a wide range of factors, it could be anywhere from $0 to $50,000+ more to build a home versus buy a home. If you already own the land, the total cost of building your own home will compare better to buying a home. For potential homeowners looking to save money, building your own home costs about $70 per square foot and will save an average of 25%.
Though every project is unique, consider the following common circumstances that contribute to the total cost of a home. While these are non-negotiable costs, it's worth shopping around for home builders to find one that charges less for these costs. Investigate appliance reviews for less expensive products that deliver the features you want for less money. For the most peace of mind, select a contractor who has adequate insurance to cover the project through all phases of construction.

Building a house starts with finding and purchasing land and doesn’t conclude until the final interior touches are done. During this time, you’ll incur living expenses and will need to arrange for off-site accommodations once construction gets underway. You will need to contact a lender and figure out what kind of mortgage you will qualify for.
She uses her home improvement expertise to give homeowners the knowledge they need to furnish and care for their homes. The final step in designing your new home is furnishing each room with stylish, comfortable chairs, tables, dressers, beds, couches and more. Depending on the size of your home, you should budget $20,000 to $80,000 for all the furniture you’ll need. Installing trim throughout a house will cost about $1,500 on average.
The seller's real estate agent and appraiser will determine the sales price when buying a home. For example, homes in the Northeast are about 55% more expensive than homes in the South. The cost to build a 600-square-foot guest house is $50,000 to $70,000 for an average quality version, $120,000 for a custom version, and as much as $330,000 for a high-end custom guest house. Other options for building a guest house include tiny homes, container homes, and modular homes.
You’ll also have more flexibility and can choose how much you actually borrow from a HELOC, and you can pay it back and borrow again as needed. This is highly advantageous when constructing a new home, since costs often fluctuate and additional unforeseen expenses can arise at any moment. If you already own a home and want to build a new one, you might consider using a home equity loan on your first house to finance all or part of the second.
We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. With this, Varas adds that it can also be difficult to either own two properties at a time or be in need of a shorter-term rental option such as an Airbnb. “People have to pay for both for their existing home and the new property that they're building,” he explains.
That's the cost of construction only, not including the cost of the land or builder's fees. For every window you install in your home, expect to spend as low as $150 or up to $1,500 each depending on the style and type of window you prefer to use for each space. Meanwhile, interior doors will cost $250 each while exterior doors range from $400 to $3,500 each. It costs about $2.25 per square foot or $15,550 on average to have various types of drywall installed throughout a newly built home.