Questions to answer before you build a house
Each page takes one question and answers it from the survey, code or agency page it names under Sources. The national cost figures sit on the cost-to-build page; the questions below go into what those figures leave out.
What it costs
- Can square footage times a cost per square foot tell you what a house will cost?
- Does a smaller house cost less per square foot to build?
- How much of the cost of building a house is materials, and how much is labor?
- Is it cheaper to build on your own land than to buy a newly built house?
- Should you price an attached garage at the same cost per square foot as the house?
- Is there a trustworthy cost per square foot for building a house in your state?
The lot, the plans and the permits
- What should you find out about a lot before you buy it to build on?
- Can you build a stock house plan on your lot exactly as drawn?
- What permits and inspections does a new house need before anyone can move in?
- Which steps in building a house have to happen in a fixed order?
- How long does it take to build a house?
- How can you tell whether a new house will actually be energy efficient?
Loans, contracts and paperwork
- How much interest do you pay on a construction loan while the house is being built?
- Which parts of a home-building contract can cost you money later?
- What do the terms on a builder's estimate, contract and permit paperwork mean?
Who does the work
- Is the lowest bid the right way to pick a home builder?
- Who actually does what when a house gets built?
- What do you take on when you build your own house without a general contractor?
Other ways to build
- If both are built in a factory, what makes a modular home different from a manufactured home?
- Will an A-frame, a steel kit or a shipping container make your house cheaper to build?
- Does a barndominium kit price tell you what the finished house will cost?
- What changes when you build a tiny house yourself instead of buying one finished?