Good lord, the stuff you read on Trulia. "Check out Toll Brothers." Sure, and 300+ per s.f. is a good deal. Trust me, Toll doesn't come even remotely close to paying this much o build a house. Look at their cheap finishes some time. A friend of mine is an architect -- has worked for Fortune 500 companies, has his own firm, etc. He told me I should budget minimum $150 s.f., adding that I might come in around $100 if I controlled costs, but that there are many unanticipated considerations that could emerge, and that you have to be ready for those. I myself don't care about granite or ridiculously overpriced appliances, or for the fools who do; but there it is, you have to know what you want. That said, you can get very cheap trav if you look around -- there are many lots on sale in styles that didn't appeal to others but might to you. You can also get reasonable cabinetry and so on. The point is that most people building "custom" homes are on an ego trip and just have to have a 5000 dollar bathtub, but you don't have to be like them. If you aren't, you might end up with an attractive house instead of a weird mini-mansion that someone with more taste than you will tear down in 30 years when enough time has passed to make it clear what a gaudy eyesore you created.

Hi Tara,

Wow, answers across the board huh?

I think we need to clarify this question just a bit in order to generalize this enough for you to get some kind of meaning out of all the answers you are receiving.

Going in, here's what you are facing.

You can build a cheap home with limited upgrades or you can build a luxury home with multiple features.

The price really depends on what kind of home you want to have at the end of the build.

Here's what you are going to find out with a little bit more investigation. Check out the home builders sights on line and look at what they are selling price per square foot average and be sure to look for spec inventory just sitting there waiting for someone to buy.

What you will likely discover is that you can buy a new inventory home for much less than building a new one and there are also luxury foreclosure homes available to save you even more money and they are built on some very nice lots, some with views.

Since you are looking in 85255, check out some of the Toll Brothers communities in that zip code.

There are a lot of great home builders out there. Some are going away and some are still around.

Here is an updated list for you to check them out to see who is having problems:

http://www.re.state.az.us/PUBLIC_INFO/Documents/Homebuilders…

Also, I do have two homes in 85262 listed on my Trula profile page you might be interested in depending on
how large a home you need. The price averages for those custom homes are 315 per square foot and 380 per square foot. this might at least give you something to compare to. Both were just finished.

I have been living in North Scottsdale for 10 years and vacationing here for 20 before that so knowledge of the area is no problem.

All The Best To You!


Sincerely,


Stew Keene
Inspire Realty Group - Keller Williams
2008-2009 Master of Real Estate award recipient
(480) 220-7491

I live in N Scottsdale and have for last 16 years, I represent several builders who are very guarded with their costs but, if you own the lot and the lot prep is not extensive, a range to work with would be $150.00 to over $300/ft2.....................2x6 vs 2x8 construction?, flat land or sloping?, I assume utilities including sewer are close?, house architecture (Santa Fe is most expensive than territorial with flat roof; Tuscan can be expensive depending on straighjt walls, cutouts, round walls, venetian plaster or drywall finish, we always assume travertine floors although marble, flagstone, painted concrete are all options; etc.....in high end homes the fixtures and light can be a big cost as well as stone walls, Viking/Wolf Ovens, wood flooring (factory finished wide plank) - all cost..........pools run $30,000- and up.......if land permits build a 4 car garage, 4 bedroom 3.5-4 bath, office, guest houses are big.................contact me for any details and I would be happy to look over lot and plans for you........John Lynch RE/MAX Fine Properties jlynch@fineprop.com 480-236-9470

Tara:
I just finished completely remodeling (inside/out) and adding onto my North Scottsdale home. It was my first time, but my manufacturing background helped...lots. First of all...never...ever....pay more than casual attention to a Realtor on build costs as most never have done anything more than carry escrow papers.

Their are several ways to come up with an approximate ft sq cost and or a total cost (a=b & b = a). however you'll never get the same figure twice because of all of the variables. I just finished doing my remodeling/renovation and labor and material costs can change significantly next month from what I paid 6 months ago....plus what do you want....block or frame...2500 or 3500 ft sq, 1 or 2 stories? If you want to get close you must have a blueprint to start with...that is the bible. If your serious and not out to waste someones time, I would contact somebody who is in or was in the trades and knows what he's doing.......and pay him a fee to cost it for you. Ask him to seperate all of the catergories, I.E. Architectual, permits, stucco material cost, stucco labor cost etc. Get as much detail as you can but forget about the landscaping at this point.....your after the hard build costs. When and if your satisfied with the results he gives you.....add on another 20%...because it always, always costs more.

If you are looking for a good draftsman who doesn't charge nearly what an Architect does....I have one..just leave a message on here for me

Hi Tara,

I know of several custom homebuilders in N Scottsdale that build a beautiful home for around $125-$150/sf including upgrades and stainless steel appliances. Lloyd has a great point about the excavation costs variance depending on the lot, that can sometimes be quite expensive. Let me know if you would like a referral to a Nort Scottsdale homebuilder.

Hey Paul,

We don`t know Tara might have meant ,North Scottsdale, New Orleans.

So I count 3 local agents responding, and yet an out of area Realtor wants to direct the questioner to his website? Come on, Ian. What purpose does this serve?

On my website, there is info on approximate cost per square foot,
http://iansellsnola.com/gpage8.html

Price will vary depending on location, contractor, demand for contractors/labor conditions and fees local to your area.

You can use my numbers as a basis, and go from there.

Hi Tara
I agree with Paul, it is dependent on the builder. Can you give us a little more information?
Best of Luck!

Tara

This is a question that cannot be anwered without more information. First, the engineering and the preparation of the lot itself can start at $25,000 and range up from there depending upon the slope, the drainage and the challenges of access, etc. Then you have a wide range of materials and overall quality of construction. Custom bulders are quoting from $150 to $500/sq foot and beyond. Every upgrade you choose and the overall quality of the materials and build will really give you a huge range of what to expect. The first question you have to answer is what kind of home you want and what quality do you want it to be. You also have to take into consideration the amount of non-liveable square footage, but under roof, areas you will have. Patios, overhangs, garage(s) can also greatly influence your total cost. Find examples of what you like and then advance from there.
At this point it's like asking how much a car is without any further information.

Hi Tara, while it will obviously vary from builder to builder, you are probably looking at between $150-200 per foot. "If you get into highly custom touches and finishes, though, it will exceed that range.