Construction Cost

• Building a custom home can cost $100 a square foot or $350,000 for 3,500 square feet for a modest custom home in a low-cost area; with top-of-the-line materials, the average custom home costs $200-$400 or more a square foot, or $700,000-$1.4 million for 3,500 square feet. A distinctive timber-frame home with soaring ceilings and an open floor plan can cost $150-$325 a square foot, or $300,000-$650,000 for a 2,000-square-foot house.
• A modular home (built in a factory then trucked to the building site in sections) starts at $50,000-$60,000 for 800-900 square feet (1-2 bedrooms, 1 bath) not including the cost of the land, foundation or other site work, but can cost $500,000-$1 million for large, customized homes. A rough estimate for a 1,600-square-foot modular home with a modular garage plus permits, utility connections, site prep, foundation, engineering and survey work is $167,500.
• Building a garage typically costs about $35-$45 a square foot, or $8,400-$10,800 for a standard single-car garage and $13,300-$17,100 for a two-car garage. A custom outdoor greenhouse with a solid foundation, heating and electricity starts at $10,000-$20,000 for a small structure, but can cost $25,000-$50,000 or more. Installing a pole barn (which can also be used as a garage, workshop or storage facility, as well as an animal barn) can cost $8,000-$50,000 or more depending on size and amenities.
• Adding a family room can cost $75-$250 a square foot, or $30,000-$100,000 for a 16'x25' room, depending on complexity, materials and local labor rates. A bedroom addition consisting of 500 square feet of new floor space with two bedrooms and a bathroom can cost $50-$250 or more a square foot, or $25,000-$125,000. Adding a second floor to a house typically costs $100-$300 a square foot, but can be $400-$500 per square foot depending on complexity, quality of materials and local labor rates, or $225,000-$450,000 for 2-3 bedrooms and a bath plus a flight of stairs. Adding a sunroom can cost $10,000-$70,000 or more depending on size; whether it's two-season (no temperature controls) or year-round; and features like a cathedral ceiling or remote-control blinds. Adding a dormer (a horizontal extension of an upper room that extends through a sloping roof) can cost $2,500-$5,000 or more for a dormer the width of a single- or double-wide window, or $5,000-$20,000 or more for a room-size dormer. Additional floor space for a bathroom addition costs about $25,000-$50,000 for a basic 6'x8' bathroom, and goes up depending on complexity, quality of fixtures, number of amenities and local labor rates.
• Installing a deck with pressure-treated wood can cost $10-$16 a square foot or $4,000-$6,400 for a flat 20'x20' deck; the same project in redwood or cedar can be $18-$22 a square foot for $7,200-$8,800; and in plastic-wood composite materials it costs about $20 a square foot or $8,000. Rails, steps, benches or overhead arbors all add to the total cost. A 25'x25' multi-level deck with railings and stairs averages $16,000-$25,000 or more, depending on complexity and materials.
• Constructing a non-load-bearing interior wall can cost $400-$1,500 for labor and materials for a wall 8' high and 18'-20' long.

• Get several estimates. Ask for and contact references; verify that the contractor is properly bonded, insured and licensed.
• The Federal Trade Commission lists tips^[1] for hiring a home improvement contractor.
• Search for local contractors through the National Electrical Contractors Association^[2] , the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association^[3] or the Timber Frame Business Council^[4] .

1.  www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0242-hiring-contractor
2.  www.necanet.org/find-a-contractor
3.  www.phccweb.org/tools-resources/find-a-contractor/
4.  /connect.computility.com/directory/search.php?id=ab5fa89df128343f89e79e690876203a

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