Sq. Foot Cost to Build A House

[Duster_80]

Looking for any members info on what it would cost per sq. foot to build a house in the Wetaskiwin, Camrose, Leduc, Bashaw area.

Looking at doing a bungalow with stucco, in floor heat in the basement, vinyl plank, and some tile floor, granite in the kitchen and pending price maybe the rest of the bathrooms (3).

[07icanam]

I can give you the name of a great contractor in the Bashaw area, he built two houses for us. Lots of variables when building, the cost per sq/ft can go up in a quick hurry depending on whats put inside!!! I know on both of our houses everytime you turn around you are dishing out $500 here $1000 there. All of it adds up and adds up quickly.

[fishtank]

With land cost included or just material and labour cost ??

[KinAlberta]

If you know, I don’t think it would be too hard to provide a rough material and labour example.

[wildwoods]

Land price fluctuates too greatly to put it with house sq ft price. Just a rough estimate leaving land out of the equation with the things you listed may put you in that $180-$200 per sq ft range. Perhaps less but better to over budget. I'm just a random guy on the internet so get your quotes and do your homework

[Big Grey Wolf]

Wildwood is correct that going rate for what finishes you described was in $200/sq ft area. However that was before our Alberta low oil price recession. I would guess that some builders with sharp pencils might be able to cut the cost somewhat, however need to watch that they do not cut the quality as well. Get good references from homes they built in last year or two when their backs were against the wall.

[Ken07AOVette]

If you can swing it, build it yourself. I built my own house 2800 ft for under $40/sq ft. That was in 2001 when lumber prices were a hell of a lot higher than now, other than particle board which is at a real high, not sure the reason for that other than greed.
Paying someone $6000 to shingle a house in a day or $6000 to side a house in 2 days or $14,000 to mud and tape 2 floors in 3 days is insane.
Take the time, learn a few trades and do it yourself like I did. Start to finish it took me 7 months and I saved I would guess $250,000.00 - $350,000.00. Then a couple years later I built my shop, 40x50x12 and saved another $100,000.00. I had guys begging me to build shops for them here.
When I built my house, I was also running my main business, and was running the arena. I would get up at 5am, go work on the house until 4pm, run the arena until midnight and get a few hours sleep. Repeat until the house was done and saved how many thousand per day?
My only costs were feeding friends and family that helped, $2000 for blow-in insulation and $500 to get a guy to tape and mud the basement in 2 days. It's real good to know 'a guy'. I had friends that knew how to survey the footings, neighbor dug the basement with a payloader for $500. I had a floorlayer do the lino and carpet for $500 as well. As much as they want you to think all of this is rocket science, it is not.
I took out a homeowners permit for the gas, electric, heat. Minimal cost. Nelson lumber did the Blueprints.
Like I said, if possible at all look into it. It is wonderful having intimate knowledge of every single nail screw socket window door corner and flooring that you put in yourself, PLUS you know it is going to be square!!!

[07icanam]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

If you can swing it, build it yourself. I built my own house 2800 ft for under $40/sq ft. That was in 2001 when lumber prices were a hell of a lot higher than now, other than particle board which is at a real high, not sure the reason for that other than greed.
Paying someone $6000 to shingle a house in a day or $6000 to side a house in 2 days or $14,000 to mud and tape 2 floors in 3 days is insane.
Take the time, learn a few trades and do it yourself like I did. Start to finish it took me 7 months and I saved I would guess $250,000.00 - $350,000.00. Then a couple years later I built my shop, 40x50x12 and saved another $100,000.00. I had guys begging me to build shops for them here.
When I built my house, I was also running my main business, and was running the arena. I would get up at 5am, go work on the house until 4pm, run the arena until midnight and get a few hours sleep. Repeat until the house was done and saved how many thousand per day?
My only costs were feeding friends and family that helped, $2000 for blow-in insulation and $500 to get a guy to tape and mud the basement in 2 days. It's real good to know 'a guy'. I had friends that knew how to survey the footings, neighbor dug the basement with a payloader for $500. I had a floorlayer do the lino and carpet for $500 as well. As much as they want you to think all of this is rocket science, it is not.
I took out a homeowners permit for the gas, electric, heat. Minimal cost. Nelson lumber did the Blueprints.
Like I said, if possible at all look into it. It is wonderful having intimate knowledge of every single nail screw socket window door corner and flooring that you put in yourself, PLUS you know it is going to be square!!!

Hate to say it but 2001 is a long time ago and there are a lot of factors that have changed since then. My parents built a house in Red Deer through a contractor for less than $180/sgft including the lot back in 1999. Today that number is going to be upwards of $400/sqft with lot. Good luck even pulling majority of the permits yourself now, New Home Warranty alone will cost you $10,000 unless you don't need financing. The days of scabbing a house together yourself are long gone!!

At your cost per sq/ft you are saying you built your house for +-$112,000. Nowadays that wouldn't get you to lockup!! ICF basement with in floor heat is going to cost you $40k alone, on a 1250 sqft house that's $32/sqft!!

I am no expert either, we have built two houses since 2010 and I have done a lot of work myself to trim costs but its still going to cost $175/sqft for a decent home even with some sweat equity put in. Sure a plain square box of a house is going to bring costs down but depending on where you build the building restrictions may not allow for that.

I agree that try do as much stuff you can on your own if you can find a builder that will allow that, just don't get your hopes up to build a house for less than $150 sq/ft because you will be sadly disappointed.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by 07icanam

Hate to say it but 2001 is a long time ago and there are a lot of factors that have changed since then. My parents built a house in Red Deer through a contractor for less than $180/sgft including the lot back in 1999. Today that number is going to be upwards of $400/sqft with lot. Good luck even pulling majority of the permits yourself now, New Home Warranty alone will cost you $10,000 unless you don't need financing. The days of scabbing a house together yourself are long gone!!

At your cost per sq/ft you are saying you built your house for +-$112,000. Nowadays that wouldn't get you to lockup!! ICF basement with in floor heat is going to cost you $40k alone, on a 1250 sqft house that's $32/sqft!!

I am no expert either, we have built two houses since 2010 and I have done a lot of work myself to trim costs but its still going to cost $175/sqft for a decent home even with some sweat equity put in. Sure a plain square box of a house is going to bring costs down but depending on where you build the building restrictions may not allow for that.

I agree that try do as much stuff you can on your own if you can find a builder that will allow that, just don't get your hopes up to build a house for less than $150 sq/ft because you will be sadly disappointed.

Good info, but still apples to oranges though. I owned the lot outright, and no this is not Red Deer, the half acre serviced lot cost me $9000 with a mobile home in 1988. You can still buy an empty lot here for $5000-15,000 depending on size and location.

I thought the OP likely owned the lot already, was not counting on the price of it as well. I may have misread.

I did EVERYTHING myself, generally when I hear someone say 'I built my own house' what they are really saying is they were their own GenCon, making calls and helping to stand the preframed walls.
I am talking about pouring footings and slab, framing walls, running electrical, I did every single thing myself other than the couple very minor things listed above.
That said of course if lighting hit a tree and knocked the powerline into the house burning it to the ground, having good insurance means I do not care if it is $400/sq ft, I do not have to do it again.

[07icanam]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Good info, but still apples to oranges though. I owned the lot outright, and no this is not Red Deer, the half acre serviced lot cost me $9000 with a mobile home in 1988. You can still buy an empty lot here for $5000-15,000 depending on size and location.

I thought the OP likely owned the lot already, was not counting on the price of it as well. I may have misread.

I did EVERYTHING myself, generally when I hear someone say 'I built my own house' what they are really saying is they were their own GenCon, making calls and helping to stand the preframed walls.
I am talking about pouring footings and slab, framing walls, running electrical, I did every single thing myself other than the couple very minor things listed above.
That said of course if lighting hit a tree and knocked the powerline into the house burning it to the ground, having good insurance means I do not care if it is $400/sq ft, I do not have to do it again.

Your right it is comparing apples to oranges, this is 2018 and you built in 2001.

I was using the house in Red Deer as an example of costs and how much cheaper it was to build twenty years ago. When I am saying its going to cost $175/sgft that's for the house only!! No lot. A lot in Bashaw where we built can be bought for $20k when in a bigger center close by its $100k and Red Deer is $100-300k for the lot alone.

Not many people have the time or means to be able to do an entire build themselves, its a huge investment and commitment. Plus all the rules and regulations that have been put in place have nearly made it impossible to do a self build, its making it harder for a smaller contractor to build houses also. The costs of changing codes are getting ridiculous. Even to GenCon it yourself is getting harder and harder to do.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by 07icanam

Your right it is comparing apples to oranges, this is 2018 and you built in 2001.

I was using the house in Red Deer as an example of costs and how much cheaper it was to build twenty years ago. When I am saying its going to cost $175/sgft that's for the house only!! No lot. A lot in Bashaw where we built can be bought for $20k when in a bigger center close by its $100k and Red Deer is $100-300k for the lot alone.

Not many people have the time or means to be able to do an entire build themselves, its a huge investment and commitment. Plus all the rules and regulations that have been put in place have nearly made it impossible to do a self build, its making it harder for a smaller contractor to build houses also. The costs of changing codes are getting ridiculous. Even to GenCon it yourself is getting harder and harder to do.

Oh for sure, and please don't think I am trying to argue, I am interested in seeing how much you paid and how much work you did in the 2 houses per sq ft. I think I was very fortunate that I was able to build my own home, don't actually know a lot of people that hauled every board and drove almost every nail themselves.
I am seriously thinking about moving to Hawaii, and am hoping to buy an empty lot or one with a wreck that can be dismantled so I can build my own again. Being almost 20 years older than the first time will be of course more challenging, but I never back down from a challenge.
Also, to take half a year off, to most people lets call it $35,000 in lost gross wages, but save several hundred thousand in labor costs, how could I not?
Again, great information, thanks for replying and I hope I am not coming off as argumentative. (got it right first time, no speel cheek!!!)

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

I had a floorlayer do the lino and carpet for $500 as well.

FYI this would be almost 10 times that today depending on what you are putting in.

[rem338win]

Material cost for the type of build the OP is suggesting will be in the 100-120/sqft range w/ DIY labour. To build w/o land contracted will be in the 200 range.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Newview01

FYI this would be almost 10 times that today depending on what you are putting in.

He made $500 in less than a day.

$5000 to install 3 bedrooms 1 set of 6 stairs and a hallway with carpet, a kitchen, dining room and bathroom with lino? He was done in less than an 8 hour day.

Your numbers are off. I don't know too many flooring installers that charge $625 an hour, even including 1 hour travel time. I did the living room myself with laminate.

[Ronji]

I am in the renovation business, as well as building new homes.
There is a great deal of information to know before jumping in and building yourself, as was mentioned. I am lucky as I have great site supervisors that take care of the hundreds of details in every trade. There is so much information that I don't know. But I do know this, trade costs are what you pay for. You pay bottom dollar, you will get bottom level work. Square footage cost is directly related to what you finish a home with. And there is a ton of changes to the building codes that affect costs as well. This includes all flooring, fixtures, cabinetry, counter tops etc. If you go with high end stuff, its gonna cost you more per square foot.
I see and hear champagne dreams every day, but often reality, is on a beer budget.

[cowmanbob]

Your going to be looking at 250 sq ft by the time you do add-ons.

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

He made $500 in less than a day.

$5000 to install 3 bedrooms 1 set of 6 stairs and a hallway with carpet, a kitchen, dining room and bathroom with lino? He was done in less than an 8 hour day.

Your numbers are off. I don't know too many flooring installers that charge $625 an hour, even including 1 hour travel time. I did the living room myself with laminate.

You are right, what you described is not worth $5000. But don't be fooled. A good installer is making $100/hr minimum.

Lino install $1.25 a sq ft of material used (not floor sq footage) plus subfloor/floor prep if needed.
Carpet $1.00 a sq ft.
$15 a stair if they are carpet.

If you want tile you are looking a $7- who knows how much a sq ft.

As I had said on a previous thread, flooring is good money if you are willing to work.

[EZM]

Like many others have already said - finishing is the where the deviation in final ft2 cost goes.

I have a close friend and neighbour that builds and/or does complete renos 4-6 mid market to slightly higher mid market homes a year ( Like $450-$900K).

If you use "builder standard" things for a middle class neighborhood build - and based on a 1800-2200 ft2 home - using decent (but not elaborate) finishes like pre finished hardwood, mid market ceramic, mid market granite, regular lighting and plumbing fixture allowances - you are going to be $175-$200 ft2 all day long.

Of course if you go with acrylic stucco or hardie plank exteriors, triple paned windows, 30 year architectural shingles and dress the inside with nice solid surfaces, high end cabinets, commercial appliances and all the fancy stuff - you could be $350-$450/ft.

Of course ....

If you act as your own GC you are going to save 10%-20% off that.

Doing your own work - for the things you can do - another 20%-25% depending on what it is.

So - YES - you can build for $120-$130/ft - but be prepared to do it all and spend lots of time doing it.

At the end of the day, before the cost of carrying (cost of cash) he grossess around 35%to40% - but after cost of cash, general operating expenses like trucks, accounting service, etc..(unrelated specifically to the build) and taxes he might net 15% per home. Still makes a nice living - but works very hard to make that money.

Pimpin' ain't easy - but it can be done.

[fishtank]

the profit for a 400k-450k house was 50-65k , on new build in edmonton .

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by fishtank

the profit for a 400k-450k house was 50-65k , on new build in edmonton .

Not likely. Profit to whom? Each trade?

[CNP]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Not likely. Profit to whom? Each trade?

Gen contractor

[Arty]

Like any group of technologies, once you get to the expensive limits of one, it pays to then consider jumping to the next kind for better efficiency. Sort of like going from a piston-engine powered airplane to a turbine. Or from a gas truck to a diesel transport. Or from steam to electric locomotives. Or to using a bobcat instead of having a bunch of guys sweating away with shovels and a wheelbarrow.

House construction here is extremely conservative. It always seems you get a bunch of hammer-bangers putting up complicated wood-frame woodchip/glue covered wall sections with cheap plastic or similar siding, with architectures and materials dictated by the ABC and some local 'architectural council'.

Problem is, once that whole set of elements get squeezed to a certain point, such as with present-day ridiculous ultra-thin tract housing barely wider than a king-sized bed, covered with all sorts of sharp angular herman-munster style crooks and crannies to give the illusion of size and substance, total footage prices get jacked way beyond reason. Especially when filled with all sorts of unnecessary faux-luxury flash to get the buyer's attention off of tiny size and mediocre construction.

At that point different technologies, and more configuration-efficient (read 'plain') architectures should be used instead. Such as those used for maximum efficiency in erection of supermarkets or multi-dwelling units.

Pre-cast, pre-stressed and steel-frame structures have been used for nearly a century in commercial and industrial construction, as well as some residential. Why not get 4 walls pre-cast at Burnco with all doors, windows, and wiring and plumbing conduit already embedded, to be crane-erected with hollowcore floors and roofs in 2 days flat, and have a functional weather envelope within one working week? Something like this:
http://www.aboutforeverhome.com/gallery/

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by Arty

Why not get 4 walls pre-cast at Burnco with all doors, windows, and wiring and plumbing conduit already embedded, to be crane-erected with hollowcore floors and roofs in 2 days flat, and have a functional weather envelope within one working week? Something like this:
http://www.aboutforeverhome.com/gallery/

I'm guessing two reasons:
1 - Basic is ugly; and,
2 - Non-basic is expensive. Pretty sure if Eagle Builders (or another builder) could be pumping out homes and making enough money to make it worthwhile they would be. Its somewhat telling in that the link you provided is a company in another country.

[Arty]

Originally Posted by Trochu

I'm guessing two reasons:
1 - Basic is ugly; and,
2 - Non-basic is expensive. Pretty sure if Eagle Builders (or another builder) could be pumping out homes and making enough money to make it worthwhile they would be. Its somewhat telling in that the link you provided is a company in another country.

Nah, basic is great. Clean and balanced. Sort of like Frank Lloyd Wright simplicity.

Builders & developers will push what they think has sold before, and keep building more complicated candles instead of creating a light bulb. Marketing continues the story. Present owners don't want anyone rocking the boat, like bringing out a new style car would. Massive inertia at it's worst.

And they're selling houses, not 'homes'. 'Homes' is an attempt to trigger an emotional response to an inanimate object.

[fishtank]

Originally Posted by Arty

Nah, basic is great. Clean and balanced. Sort of like Frank Lloyd Wright simplicity.

Builders & developers will push what they think has sold before, and keep building more complicated candles instead of creating a light bulb. Marketing continues the story. Present owners don't want anyone rocking the boat, like bringing out a new style car would. Massive inertia at it's worst.

And they're selling houses, not 'homes'. 'Homes' is an attempt to trigger an emotional response to an inanimate object.

True to every type of business it’s all about protection and stability in their share . There are probably more efficient way of building like you said but that would rock the boat and cause unbalance. I personally won’t mind a commercial style build with steel I beams and concrete ... with loft style interior .

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by Arty

Nah, basic is great. Clean and balanced. Sort of like Frank Lloyd Wright simplicity.

Builders & developers will push what they think has sold before, and keep building more complicated candles instead of creating a light bulb. Marketing continues the story. Present owners don't want anyone rocking the boat, like bringing out a new style car would. Massive inertia at it's worst.

And they're selling houses, not 'homes'. 'Homes' is an attempt to trigger an emotional response to an inanimate object.

You obviously like living in a cold steel and concrete box. Most people not so much.

I would be interested to see the cost of one of these prisons, all in.

[fishtank]

Originally Posted by Newview01

You obviously like living in a cold steel and concrete box. Most people not so much.

I would be interested to see the cost of one of these prisons, all in.

Different views and expectations ...all depending on the owner, look at different material and cost , land cost and labour cost are the big factors basic material cost are pretty similar but labour cost fluctuate . So the cold steel concrete box. You probably have to paid more for material but save on the labour cost , as to the fancy looking wood and plastic house you might paid more for labour .

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by fishtank

Different views and expectations ...all depending on the owner, look at different material and cost , land cost and labour cost are the big factors basic material cost are pretty similar but labour cost fluctuate . So the cold steel concrete box. You probably have to paid more for material but save on the labour cost , as to the fancy looking wood and plastic house you might paid more for labour .

Yes that is correct - it comes down to personal preferences. But again, I am interested to see what it would cost to build such a dwelling... Precast panels aren't cheap, especially with some openings, conduit, plumbing etc. Unless you want the real commercial look with conduit hilti'ed all over your walls.

[Ken07AOVette]

The guy that started Cooper Concrete in Lloydminster built the Co-op parkade. Miraculously a lot of the preformed slabs were not in spec. He built a 3000 sq ft house in Blackfoot solely out of the giant slabs, foot deep 4 feet wide and 30 feet long. It is quite the house, can't even imagine what it would cost to build now. All the wiring and piping is hidded behind drywall, why could you not do that with steel?
He built it into a hill on 3 sides, and on the roof is grass. They drive skidsteers over the thing. I would imagine you could drive a payloader over it.
When all the wood houses are gone this thing will look like the day it was built, and with new siding every 30-40 years will continue to look good. I remember Nelson Lumber saying that wood basements would manufactured to last 100 years, nothing short of a bomb blast will move this.
Don't knock other-than-wood construction. I think a steel house would be great and I would bet a lot of the McMansions in LA etc are steel construction.
I always wanted to try the lego-block concrete system, actually looked into doing basement and main floor completely of concrete. Trouble was it was a fairly new system and nobody I knew had experience in setting it up. I went wood because I was able to work with it, with the help I had.

[fishtank]

Originally Posted by Newview01

Yes that is correct - it comes down to personal preferences. But again, I am interested to see what it would cost to build such a dwelling... Precast panels aren't cheap, especially with some openings, conduit, plumbing etc. Unless you want the real commercial look with conduit hilti'ed all over your walls.

iam sure those conduits can be cover up nicely , i saw a video back with the 3d concrete printer they were putting up house in 24 hours , if that technology comes on its will put lot of people out of work( as we start to see in manufacturing and service industry like amazon and walmart is using automation to replace warehouse worker ) and drastically lower the cost of labour , would not be surprise to see it commercialized 10-15 year down the road, can't controller material cost but they can definitely control labour cost and efficiency .