New Home in Atlanta

How to Estimate Construction Cost in the Southeast

Summary: Estimating Building Costs. Two level homes cost less per square foot to build than one level homes of the same square footage.

A traditional home is the most common style in the Southeast.

A traditional  home is a mix of many classic, simple designs typical of the country's many regions.

Common features include little ornamentation, simple roof lines, symmetrically spaced windows. A typical traditional home is Colonial, Georgian, Cape Cod saltbox, some ranches.

Exteriors are usually wood or brick.

The more simple the design of a house, the less it costs per sq. ft. to build it.

The more common the design, the larger the housing market is for resale, which means a better appraised value, which is good for you and your construction lender.

It’s that simple.

Traditional Style COOL House Plan ID: chp-15562
Number of Bedrooms: 4
Number of Bathrooms: 3.0
Width of House: 80 feet
Depth of House: 48 feet
First Floor: 1510 sq. ft.
Second Floor: 1328 sq. ft.
Total Living Area:(Does not include Garage, Covered Porch, Deck, Patio, Storage square footage, Etc.) 2838 sq. ft.
Garage Size: 3 car or more
1st Floor Ceiling Height:: 9'0




To estimate cost, I'll use the cost estimating software, standard quality, and a full unfinished basement with 6 corners.

I used the Atlanta, GA area and I came up with a total cost to build this new home of approximately $344,675, turnkey on your (level) lot.

That’s an approximate cost of $121.45 per sq. ft.

This estimate includes the General Contractor or home builder markup of 37,708.

You should keep in mind that the cost to build this home plan, or any house plan, can vary considerably depending on quality,design, size and the range of difficulty of the building site.

Until you actually start getting contract bids from general contractors or home builders, or if acting as an owner builder, subcontractor bids and material estimates, and entering them into your own spreadsheet (see my spreadsheet page for FREE spreadsheets), you will not have an accurate estimate of building costs.

Carl Heldmann