What’s Your Price Per Square Foot?

We get this question all the time. It’s a good question because people feel like they can relate to it. Unfortunately, custom home building can’t be defined by a single square foot number. There are too many variables that make up what ultimately becomes the “price per square foot”.

Here are the top three things that drive the price of a new home.

#1 – Building out is more expensive than building up.

Did you know that building a 2800 square foot single story home is more expensive than building a 2800 square foot 2-story home? Case in point – our popular Greenhill Model is a single story home (with an optional loft).

Because it is a 1-story home, the price per square foot is significantly higher than the per square foot price for our 2-story homes of similar size. Why? Because the overall footprint of the home is larger which means a bigger foundation (more concrete) and a bigger roof (more trusses, roofing material, etc.). People love single level living, you just need a lot can accommodate the width. But if you want the most bang for your buck, without sacrificing finished square footage, building up is the way to go!

#2 – The bigger the home, the lower the cost per square foot.

As a home increases in size, the cost per square foot goes down. Why? Because there are certain costs for a home that are the same no matter how many square feet are finished. It costs the same to install three full bathrooms in a 5000 square foot house as it costs in a 2000 square foot house. That is one of the reasons our largest home (@5149 square feet), the The Beach Mill Model is our lowest price per square foot.

#3 – Design does matter.

Design features such as roof pitch, number of bathrooms and interior finishes like trim, flooring & cabinetry, all drive the price of the home.  The more of these that are incorporated in the design, the greater the impact on the price per square foot.

For example, our McLean Hamlet, has four full bathrooms, dormers, hip roof, front porch, and stone accents. All of these features make this home BEAUTIFUL but they also drive the price.

So when I get asked, “What is your price per square foot?”, my answer is always, “well, it depends!” Vague I know but all of our homes vary in size, design, and price!

Our expert team would love to speak to you about building your custom home. Contact us today for a free consultation!

Dream. Build. Live.