How much to build a house

amother

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 3:36 pm

If I buy empty land somewhere and want to build a house, how much would it cost to build a simple house?

It doesn't have to be fancy but should have the basics of a functioning house, bedrooms bathrooms sewer kitchen utilities gas electric etc.

let's say I buy a bunch of acres that are full of trees and it's near a community.

how much does it cost to build a basic house? and how long does it take?

amother

Skyblue

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 3:37 pm

Figure $150 per sq ft. - but that is very low right now. Also depends on location.
So 3000 sq ft would be $450k minimum.

Figure cost to clear land of trees and level property.
A property set back may not have sewer or electric or gas right at the property. I know sewer and gas are expensive to run piping. Ppl do septic and electric only or propane.

amother

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 3:48 pm

amother [ Skyblue ] wrote:

I definitely can't afford that but I thought a house could be built for much less. don't people buy houses for much less? how much is it to build the cheapest house?

amother

Skyblue

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 3:52 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I definitely can't afford that but I thought a house could be built for much less. don't people buy houses for much less? how much is it to build the cheapest house?

What size home are you looking for?
Obviously a 2 bedroom ranch 1200 sq ft on a slab will be much cheaper.
But undeveloped land will be expensive to prepare for building.

lamplighter

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 3:55 pm

Upstate NY you can maybe do a project like this but you will not be near frum life and it still won't be less than $300k

amother

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 3:58 pm

amother [ Skyblue ] wrote:

What size home are you looking for?
Obviously a 2 bedroom ranch 1200 sq ft on a slab will be much cheaper.
But undeveloped land will be expensive to prepare for building.

how much is a 2 bedroom ranch 1200 sq ft on a slab? (what's a slab?)

what if instead of undeveloped land, I buy a cheap house in bad condition, would it be expensive to make it in decent living condition? not fancy but not broken up.

is it more worthwhile to start with undeveloped land or with a house in very bad condition if I want a house in decent condition?

amother

Canary

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 4:03 pm

The price of lumber is crazy high right now. We were looking into a custom built in for our dining room and the builder told us it’s a bad time to do it cuz of the lumber prices. All the more so for an entire house.

amother

Hibiscus

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 4:08 pm

This varies very widely by location. You need to speak to both a real estate agent (to find out land or old house prices) and builder (to find out new construction or renovation prices) in the area you are interested in to get a ballpark figure.

In general, real estate is very expensive right now and so is building materials and labor. For example, in the Lakewood area it would probably be hard to find an old house to buy altogether, and when you do, it won't be cheap. Think minimum 350-400K. Plus renovation costs. Empty lots aren't much cheaper then that either.

amother

Bronze

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 4:11 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Depends how bad the condition but it might be cheaper to fix things up if you have the basics like walls, plumbing and electricity etc.. I know people that fixed up homes themselves with cheap material from Home Depot

amother

Skyblue

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 4:14 pm

My dh has done this. Real estate is now crazy high. But he’ll buy dumps. Used to find homes for 30-60k and would put in another 60k to renovate. But they weren’t ‘Jewish style homes’. Like small (tiny) cheap kitchens.
It’s been impossible to find homes in that price range for a while.
(This wasn’t even so far out from frum communities)

Amarante

Mon, Oct 04 2021, 4:30 pm

Building a home is more expensive than buying a home because there are no economies of scale that a builder of inexpensive tract home would have.

Where you might get a cheap house is by getting a double wide trailer home which is the kind of inexpensive home that many working class people live in. I haven't check exact prices but they are significantly cheaper than building a standard home or even buying a cheap tract home. These kinds of "modular" homes are larger than the kind of trailer people use to drive around in. They don't appreciate like a regular house does as they are considered more of a depreciating asset but they are relatively inexpensive ways to get a place to live on the kind of land you are considering.

amother

Blonde

Tue, Oct 05 2021, 9:37 am

Renovating a house will normally be cheaper than building it completely. To make a house that is essentially a shell liveable, can cost between $60-$100k. If the house is structurally sound and it's more 'cosmetic' it will be cheaper.

amother

Snowdrop

Tue, Oct 05 2021, 9:50 am

Amarante wrote:

This. Good "meanwhile" solution

Raisin

Tue, Oct 05 2021, 10:50 am

yes, you can buy a pre made modular home, they come in all sorts of materials and styles.

https://www.procore.com/jobsit.....omes/

amother

Snowdrop

Tue, Oct 05 2021, 10:54 am

amother [ Peru ] wrote:

In waterbury in the Blue Ridge development you can build a lovely house for under $500,000.

But then you'd have to live on Waterbury. OP is looking in NJ

Zehava

Tue, Oct 05 2021, 10:57 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Alot cheaper and easier to renovate than to start from scratch

Chayalle

Tue, Oct 05 2021, 11:00 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

My sister bought a (small) 3 bedroom ranch with a basement a few years ago.

She's now renovating the basement (making a more practical layout, eliminating a huge boiler/laundry room and adding a bathroom in the extra space....) and turning the garage into a living room.

In the future, she hopes to build upward and add a floor on top for more bedrooms, and her existing small bedroooms will probably become a guest suite.