House Plan of the Week & Cost to Build with Cost to Finish the Basement in Connecticut

The Salisbury 323, Designed by David Moore, President, Original Home Plans, LLC . David is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard's Graduate School of Design. In addition to being a licensed architect, David has experienced home construction from many points of view, as a carpenter, a general contractor, a speculative builder, and a homeowner.


The Salisbury 323 from Original Home Plans, LLC

With its simple and classic facade, this house could be mistaken for a restored
1700s Colonial.

Past a gabled entry porch, you arrive in a center hall open on the left and right to a formal living and dining room and at the far end to a large kitchen. The kitchen, breakfast nook, and family room form an open, flowing space that extends the width of the house. The family room ceiling rises to two stories and a fireplace sits against the far wall, while three windows in the adjacent wall look out on the deck and the back lawn. The garage entrance provides convenient access to the kitchen.

A main staircase with an open balustrade leads up to a second-floor hall wide enough for furniture and open to the hall below. One end of the hall leads to a group of two bedrooms and an overlook into the family room below. At the other end, a large master suite includes walk-in closets and a master bath with dual sinks, a glass shower, and an oversized tub.

The classic, 2-story Colonial form conveys a timeless elegance, and the Salisbury has a compact form that is easy to build, heat, and maintain. Plans for this house have been carefully drawn and include authentic details. The layout combines a smooth flow and an efficient use of space. All of the rooms have large windows and will accommodate optimal furniture arrangements.





You can order the stock house plan or configure it to meet your personal specifications with the Original Home Plan Tool. Check it out below.

The Plan Tool offers many options, such as an extended master suite or sitting room above the garage. This house can expand to from 2 to 3½ baths and from 3 to 4 bedrooms. Other interior options include a choice of kitchen layouts, several master bath upgrades, and alternate laundry locations.


Click on Image to use Plan Tool

The first and second floor ceilings can be raised to 9 feet and the main house can be lengthened by up to 4 feet. You may choose a 2 or 3 car garage and place the doors on the front or side of your home. On the exterior, change the siding to clapboard, stucco, shingles, or brick. Choose from many optional features including porches, roof styles, and gables to create your own original design.

The Salisbury 323

House Area (SF)
• Floor Area: 2,346
• Garage Area: 517
• Basement Area: 1,321
• Covered Porch Area 32
• Deck Area: 210

To estimate cost, YOU should use the resource #5 , “Building Costs by City & State”, on "Getting Started" on www.byoh.com., using “average" quality and a full unfinished basement foundation.



Using this "shape" on the "cost to build" calculator for the Woodbridge, CT 06525
area, YOU should up with $224,694 for an owner/builder. That’s an approximate cost of $95.78 per sq. ft. I determined this amount by deducting the General Contractor’s Markup, equipment rental, and allowed only $2,000 for insurance.

Breakdown of Building Costs For This House. PDF(You will need Adobe Reader to read this cost breakdown.)
Here is a FREE Adobe Reader download if you need it.

You should keep in mind that the cost to build for this example, or any house plan, can vary considerably depending quality of materials selected, and on actual bids for labor and material.

Again, the estimate for this house is an approximate one based on “average” quality materials and a unfinished basement foundation.

One way to get economical additional living area is to finish the basement. That's approx 1,321 more sq. ft., and should cost approx $13,250 to finish, "IF" you do it at the time you are building the house. That would give you a total of 3,667 sg. ft. of living area @ an approximate total cost of $237,944, = an approximate cost per sq. ft. of $64.89!

NOTE: If the basement is on flat land, you will need an “Emergency Basement Door” as all "Living areas" must have 2 means of ingress and egress.
(The cost of this Emergency Basement Door is not included in the "Cost to Build")
Here is an example of a "Emergency Basement Door" from Bilco:

Again, the estimates for this house are approximate, and based on “average” quality materials.

Until you actually start getting bids and entering them into your own spreadsheet (see my spreadsheet page for FREE spreadsheets), they will remain approximate.

If you have a particular home plan and/or city you would like to see on this feature, let me know.

Enjoy!

Carl