New home construction costs

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1100011CS

Well-Known Member
Oct 5, 2007
15,722
5,421
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Marshalltown
We're considering building a new home (or possibly modular). We already have land but we really have no idea what it would cost. Anyone have some really rough estimates? Per square foot or just estimate a 2000 sq ft. house, finished. Also, if we went with modular a rough idea of cost of a basement. I used to work in concrete construction but I've heard the prices have skyrocketed recently.

I'm not real handy but could do some of the finish work (flooring, trim, etc...)

Any and all info would be appreciated.


Edit: this would be in central Iowa on a family farm. Soil should be easy to work with for excavating.
 

2forISU

Well-Known Member
Oct 8, 2008
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Once you receive bid's from builders on cost and timeline, add another 20% on top of your cost and additional 3-5 months. Also, be proactive and seek legal advice before moving forward with any builder(make sure verbiage in contract is clear and fair). Good luck!
 
D

Deleted member 8507

Guest
We're considering building a new home (or possibly modular). We already have land but we really have no idea what it would cost. Anyone have some really rough estimates? Per square foot or just estimate a 2000 sq ft. house, finished. Also, if we went with modular a rough idea of cost of a basement. I used to work in concrete construction but I've heard the prices have skyrocketed recently.

I'm not real handy but could do some of the finish work (flooring, trim, etc...)

Any and all info would be appreciated.


Edit: this would be in central Iowa on a family farm. Soil should be easy to work with for excavating.
https://www.fixr.com/costs/build-ranch-house
This is way high for Iowa. Multiply these by .65 and you will be close.
 

wxman1

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jul 2, 2008
18,583
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Cedar Rapids
Killing time a few months ago we went through a model home. Due to the trade/tariff war Trump has going with NAFTA they are no longer quoting even rough estimates of a home price because the lumber cost was going up about $1k a month. Once you get more serious and get to the contract stage they will work with their suppliers to get the cost nailed down but just kicking the tires they wouldn't do it.
 

SCyclone

Well-Known Member
Mar 11, 2014
9,475
12,232
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Fort Dodge, IA
The local homebuilders here are giving ballpark estimates on new homes at anywhere from $125-$175 per square foot. This is tricky, because much depends on the simplicity of the design, and what types of materials you want to use.

In our area (Fort Dodge), most customers want things like maintenance-free (now THERE'S a misleading term if ever there was one!) exterior, including some stone, prefinished engineered wood siding, architectural shingles, etc. Popular items on the interior include the ubiquitous barn doors, high-end laminate floors, granite countertops, custom cabinets, etc. All these things certainly help drive up the cost.

Most important is to find a builder you can trust, one who will stay on task and not leave to work on other projects, leaving you high and dry. He should be able to assemble an intelligent quote for you. If you tell him (or her) that you wish to do some of the work yourself, you can save some money that way.

Most builders want to supply the material, as they will mark it up to you (I've heard of markups as high as 20%). If you request to buy the material yourself, the builder may find other ways to recoup that money.

There are many things customers don't know about when building new, like the cost of the building permit, cost of bringing mechanical services to the lot, etc. Even little things like dampproofing the basement walls, or cutting curbs along existing residential streets can add up quickly.

Good luck!!!!
 

cowgirl836

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2009
47,200
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whoever you go with, talk to previous clients to ask their experience. And make sure the builder (or whoever you will primarily work with, project manager, liaison of some sort, etc.) is someone you are comfortable with and can trust.

We were told by the interwebs experts that we'd need to add at least 20% and several months to our quote. We finished on budget and on time. It's doable. SCyclone has some great information.