Building Cost Per Square Foot: A Uniform Measuring Unit
'Per square foot' is a unit of measurement used in the construction industry. However, this unit of measurement is not the same everywhere. The formula of construction cost per square foot equals total cost divided by total surface living area would not work out uniformly at all places. For example, some of the most expensive houses are in the State of California. A 1800 sq. ft home would be priced at roughly $700,000. A building cost per square foot calculation would be $388.89. If you calculate the price of a home using the per square foot then it becomes easier to compare how the prices vary according to the size of the house.
There are various sources on the web from which you can get the cost list. US federal government regularly reports US house pricing in its quarterly. Real state and pricing reports are also released on a monthly, quarterly and weekly basis. Once you get an approximate idea of the building cost per square foot of a house, you might have to make some difficult decisions relating to living surface area you can afford and the living surface area you need. This happens when the home building cost per square foot is higher than what your budget allows to afford. One needs to be innovative if cost is a hindrance in buying a house with the required living area. One option is to carve out living space in the basement area. The basement, which is used as a laundry or a storehouse, can be transformed into a living area. This can be done by building windows in the basement area which would ventilate and allow light in the basement and make it habitable. There are firms which specialize in building basement windows. You can talk to the home builder and give suggestions about further innovations. If you want to quickly look through a variety of square foot costs of houses in the range of 2000 sq foot, which is a standard building size in the US, the recently published 'Square Foot Costs, 2005' provides a detailed survey of around 100 standard building designs. This is a very useful catalog for making quick estimates of the building cost per square foot. There are websites which give information about homes, prices and other such things. They maintain a message board where you can post your queries related to such issues. The message board is an innovative way to exchange information. They also inform you about pricing software. The site requires you to register free of cost. Thus, getting an idea about per square foot construction is not at all difficult if the search links are used wisely. In fact, today, there is enough literature available to arrive at a quick and realistic assessment. |
