Building your own home
Building your own home can be difficult, but you can get a decent ball park figure if you have a good idea about the floor plan and materials you want before choosing a contractor.
Construction cost currently average between $95 and $150 per sq foot according to B4UBuild.com a company that provides floor plans and other information for people who are planning to build a new house.
You probable can keep your own costs down near the lower end of the spectrum if you settle for basic building materials, but expenses can quickly soar above $150 or even more than $200 per sq foot if you instead want expensive tiling , fancy cabinets or the like.
Your construction costs will also depend on the actual shape of your new home. As a general rule, the simpler the floor plan, the lower your costs. Rectangular or square homes minimize the needed amout of lumber and save on labor charges for framing. More elaborate plans that include things like vaulted ceiling drive up the cost because they require extra materials and additional labor.
There are some internet sites and software programs that are available to help you with the estimates of your project. . One of the the websites is http://www.buiildig-cost.net/, which can provide you with a free estimate based on the factors ranging from the quality of materials you want to the use to the cost of permits and related items that you'll need to obtain from the city or county.
Once you have figured out how much you want to spend, call a t least three contractors and ask each one for written bids on the job.. Also check out their insurance coverage and licenses with state regulators, contact your local Better Business Bureau to se if they have any complaints on file, and make sure you ask for references so that you can call there previous customers and set up a time to look at each builder's work.
After you decide on which contactor to use, sit down with him or her and decide which changes you might need to make in order to keep your construction cost within the budget that you established earlier.
Building your own home is certainly not a task for everyone. But for those who have a dream of building there own home, it is not as difficult as it may seem. There is a lot of help that is available to you. For a lot of people who do build there own home it will a source of pride for many years to come.
Good Luck.
James Loftis
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