Accurate Contractors

By admin, September 5, 2009 4:36 pm

What is the cost per sq/ft for building a house if you are GC?

I have been told the average cost of building a house is 100/SF or 85/SF if you are your own General Contractor. Does anyone know how accurate this figure is? Also do these figures include installation of a well and septic tank? (I am on Maryland’s Eastern Shore)

Also, I am thinking of being my own GC b/c I work at an Architectural/Engineering firm and am familiar with the permiting process and have a lot of connections. When my dad renovated his house he hired a GC b/c the market was so busy at the time and he was afraid of having enough pull to get different parts of the job done on time and coordinated etc. Since the economy has slowed and the housing industry coming to a near halt I figure it will be much easier to coordinate because everyone in the industry is dying for work. Any thoughts on this too?

Does being your own GC really save that much?

I built my house 5 years ago, and was my own general. I can’t say for sure exactly how much that aspect saved me, since I did a ton of the work myself too. All in all, I saved over $45K. I’d guess that was about $10K by handling the headaches, $35K due to the work I did. As you mentioned, scheduling can be a bear. The last things you want are 3 weeks of nothing going on, and than 6 guys trying to work in the same 20 sq. ft. At this point in time, it may be better for you to hire a general. They are slow, and are willing to negotiate almost anything.

As for your question about cost, my house worked out to cost me about $95/sq. ft. Expect yours to be higher, due to the labor costs where you live (I’m in Wisconsin) and the fact that materials cost more than they did 5 years ago. A lot will be determined by finishes you choose as well. Good luck to you. It was a 6 month headache, but it was worth it.

Construction Estimating for Contractors