When people start to think about building a home, they immediately begin to calculate how much a particular home would cost. Unfortunately, there is a time-honored industry yardstick, called the “square foot method”. This determines, it is believed, the cost of a home. When you have a square-foot cost, it enables you to make a quick comparison not only between different-sized homes, but between builders, who quote you a price for your future home. Right? Wrong!
Comparing a cost of a home on the basis of the square foot area should be avoided. You do not purchase cars by the pound and you should not buy homes by the square foot. What square foot area do we consider? There is heated square footage, there are square footages for decks, garages, unfinished basements, all have different cost involved. If all the homes and builders would be alike, the theory would work. But all homes and builders are not the same, and considering the cost of a house based on the square footage does you and them both a disservice.
Home built to universal design principals
There are several reasons why the cost analysis by the square foot is inappropriate:
Home styles vary. The square foot method is not helpful in comparing different styles – a contemporary to a Continue reading