Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Cost to build in your area

So which are you Bobmt?

An ass raping overcharging scoundrel of a contractor?

Or a feeble, cant do jack chit for himself pu ssy that has to hire every thing out and overpays for it?

Call a plumber every time you put too much tp in the toilet changing your tampon?

Slumlord,

What part of middle TN ?

We don’t pay those prices you quoted. They’re all high except for drywall. Dirt work sounds right for a small dozier.

That didn't take long!

Hiring cheap, you better be on the job 24/7. The will give you cheap work if not steal you blind.

Its not that hard to sub it yourself IF you trust your subs.

But saying a jackleg is a general, well some are, some aren't. One around here is one heck of a general, IIRC about 175 a foot and you get a quality solid house out of it. They still nail shingles by hammer... they don't have a Mexican working for them that I"ve ever saw, which is neither here nor there.

Now if you want to slap some stuff together for rental that will get torn all up or resell crap to an unsuspecting buyer, I can see a reason to go cheap.

That said last house built in our family, we did almost all the work ourselves except the slab.

BTW why are you putting paper etc... in a toilet, thats what a trash can is for....

You cannot frame for 6 a foot here period.

6 bucks a SF is just labor right? no way is that materials, framing, windows, doors, etc.

To build , 100-120 that would be vinyl siding with one side brick normally around here and would also include the dirt work but not septic or well

The house we had built - Amish did the framing and roof. Mexicans did the drywall and siding. Amazing how fast they all were.

Interesting. We are sort of home shopping or thinking of building. Looking at a few lodge type homes and trying to school myself up the best I can.

I built my house two years ago. I did everything except the foundation, drywall, tape&texture and insulation and trusses (had a crew and crane ) for that.

So I saved a ton on labor.

I did the dirt work, septic system, framing, plumbing , electrical, carpentry etc....

My building cost was $70.00 a sq. ft. just to build the house.

The house has many custom features and definitely is no tract home.

Also in that price is labor for a friend who helped me with things I could not do alone, like siding & roofing.

A guy could knock a few bucks off my cost by going with average things, i.e. laminate versus granite counters, less woodwork , cheaper fixtures etc.....

I cant imagine material cost vary to much region by region. Labor cost certainly can. So can permit cost etc.....

If a guy is handy and has the time it is a rewarding endeavor to build your own.

That is something I might be interested it.

Same here, especially since that show Fixer Upper. Don’t California my Texas.....

I live in middle TN and I am a drwall contractor and have been for over 20 yrs. My price starts at $24 a board hung and finished.

$6 is too high for speculative home framing labor. Real high.

You also need to factor in the cost of repairs, upgrades etc for existing homes. Our house was less expensive to build new than buy used and everything was brand new. We paid cash for the land well and septic, and took out a note when the builder completed the house. Also paid cash for upgrades, which was a plus because it kept us in check from going nuts.

Our homes 2 1/2 times larger than our old home and our heating bill is about the same, big difference between a new 5 star energy rated home and a 30 y/o 2-3 star energy rated home when it comes to heating it.

I paid 1.80 per square foot for drywall finished with texture, good insured framers and concrete guys were $50 an hour. That's in montana where wages are less than average, but I hired good people. I probably could have saved 5-6k on subs by going cheap, but on a 300k + house it's not worth it in the end. I don't mind paying for "good" help. I have a couple of local guys helping paint and trim, because it's inside work in the winter I get them for $20, summer would be double. Try finding someone who can read a tape and shows up sober for less, it ain't going to happen around here. Drunks and druggies maybe, but I don't play that game.

You can not buy property where I live because there is none for sale.

New homes are normally built on 1/4 or 1/2 acre lots and sell anywhere from $500K to $750K.

I have an older home (1970s) on 3/4 acre, 2200SF, paid $250K when the housing market flopped and the banks weren’t giving loans.

I have 4 framing crews and also general contract 6-10 homes a year.
Framing=$4.00/ft for simple spec type houses up yo $8-$10/ft for really cut up customs.
Complete turnkey home on your lot; starter ranch = $95/ft minimum up to $200/ft for really nice high end custom. Most mid-range homes $125-$150/ft. With hardwood and tile, fiber cement with some brick, 9' walls.
Framing materials, labor, truss, windows and doors should account for roughly, 18-22% of the project for a low to mid level home, at least in our area.
As far as hourly rates, $30 min. For carpentry, concrete, sheetrock etc... Trades like electrical, plumbing and HVAC more like $40/hr. This is in MY area. YMMV if only obviously...... Messican, usually slightly cheaper.

Prices can REALLY vary even in the same area. I charge more to a homeowner than a GC when framing. Partially because it's one job, partially because lack of organization which costs me time.
Lots of guys price things according to how busy they are too.

Most generals in this area are charging/making 12 - 15% on top of cost.
We do as much in house as possible, footers, framing, roofing, trim, siding, etc.... so you make $ on the labor you provide as well as the management portion. Downside is keeping employees and dealing with the B.S. of 17 men that act like drama queens nonstop, plus the high cost of workers comp and all the insurances you have to have, plus keeping tools and equipment for that many jobs at a time.

Seems like the trend now is someone with zero job knowledge and zero time in the field with a bankroll trying to sub everything out and make money for scheduling subs and paying the bills. They last a few years til word gets around and they move on to starting a restaurant, carwash or whatever else.

It's actually a neat place, in quiet neighborhood 25 miles west of Kalispell, a mile from little bitterroot Lake. High ceilings, huge heated garage, lots of parking and trees surrounding for privacy. 2650' single story + attached garage. The original bathroom was huge so I made part of it a 6x17 pantry off the kitchen so you only have to go to town once a year for food. The original owner had to bail due to financial issues after they framed and sided it. It has nicer vinyl siding, paved plowed acces. I've been half thinking of renting it and using it as a retirement home. The heated garage would sure be nice, plus fishing and elk hunting minutes away. Oh and there is a local gun range a couple minutes away that goes to 1500 yds next to some power lines. Here are a few construction pics


Garage, 20x20 front porch, shaker cabinets getting installed. Should be ready by spring.

If I was interested in building New houses in this area. $100 sqft would be for about where I would be for a single story with garage Home, Without flooring, Cabinets, Fixtures or countertops. These are too cost variable to set a price before being picked out. Then there is the land, $60K an acre, Well $4k, septic, $20K or more. Power $2k to meter, Permits $4k last I heard but they are probably higher. Down My street a 2000sqft home with 2 car garage and a 40x40x14 sidewall finished RV building just sold for $350k on one acre. I am working on a very similar 1600sqft home 38x42x14' shop without 2 car garage that sold for $279k

This may be of interest to some of you. Nothing fancy but the price per square foot is substantially lower than what some the others are quoting. Coastal MS area.

http://www.rhinetta.com/plans.html