House Plans Cost Per Square Foot Myth
The first thing most people think about when building a new home is the cost. You may have seen a cost per square foot calculator of some sort on a few house plan broker sites and home designer websites showing you the averages of building a particular home in the south, north, east, and west coast. Unfortunately, the cost per square foot method (CPSFM) tends to mislead unaware homebuyers. When calculating square foot cost of say a 2,000 square foot home, you are able to compare the numbers on home builders who use this method to quote you a price to build. As you will find, the estimates can be very different.
Here are several reasons why the CPSFM is ineffective:
(1) Home styles – A country house plan with wood siding and a traditional house plan with brick at the same square footage would not cost the same to build.
(2) Home type – One story house plans and two story house plans of the same square footage would not cost the same to build.
(3) Specifications – This is the true tale of why the CPSFM is unreliable. Take a 2,400 square foot house plan for example. Two different home owners, one who wants an all brick home with Stainless Steel appliances and plumbing fixtures, hardwood and marble floors, custom cabinets, and granite counter tops. The other homeowner would prefer only a brick front and siding on the sides and rear, the economy line appliances, chrome plumbing fixtures, carpet flooring, stock cabinets, and laminate counter tops. The difference in price would be several thousands of dollars.
As a rule, you should not rely on the CPSFM. The most effective way to narrow down the cost of building a home is to have your builder prepare a bid with a complete estimate done based on take-offs. Take-offs is a process by which homebuilders would disassemble a house plan (1 set of house plans such as a study set) and calculate the cost of seperate components of the entire home. Seperate components includes every item used in building the home. Some examples are lumber, concrete, masonry, windows, doors, appliances, drywall, finishes, mechanical and electrical systems. There is much more but these are a few of the items that would be included in a take-off.
Performing a take-off estimate is a lengthy task that can take a week or two depending on the builder. Some builders do it the old fashion way using a calculator, pencil, and paper. However, more builders are using computer software designed for take-off calculations in order to cut there bidding time in half, improve price accuracy, and present you with an easy to read cost breakdown of building your home.
About the Author
Kirya Duncan is a Professional Building Besigner and a member of AIBD (American Institute of Building Designers). Visit his company website http://www.designevolutions.com for stock house plans and related information. Luxury house plans
A gas hot water service in a house has a sticky PTR valve. Is that serious, does it need prompt replacement?
Will it cause damage if not repaired? Or will water leak out occasionally?
The unit is mounted outside the house and has a stainless steel tank.
Outside temperatures do not drop below 0C or 32F.
Do you mean a TPR valve? How do you know it's sticky?
It is there to relieve pressure in the event it builds up in the water heater. If it will not open, and the temperature (and pressure) gets too high, the heater can take off like a rocket going through the house and out the roof. I have seen video of this, not a pretty site.
Yes it will leak if open a bit.
You can replace it easily. But another at Home Depot or such, they are maybe $5-10. It will take 5 minutes to replace. Then do not touch it. If you try to test it, you can get it to stick open again, or worse.
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