Which style of home most economical to build?

[golfgal]

The cost to build a home can be calculated by square footage. I think you may have one 84 Lumber Store in your area. They have some nice home packages (materials only) that might surprise you. I’m getting ready to purchase one for resale. You can check out the various designs at http://www.84lumber.com/84homes/intro.asp

In our current area we don't have anything. I don't think they have 84 Lumber in Minnesota, at least that I have heard anyway. We found a builder we like so if we build we will probably use them. We are just really, really at square one with what house to build.

 

[disykat]

We live in a "rambler" and live in Washington state, so I think the term must be pretty widely used. I was told we could sell our house in an instant since Ramblers are harder to find in our area and are very popular with empty nesters. That was one reason we were pleased we found a Rambler. We plan on staying in this home and if for some reason stairs become an issue we won't have to worry.

 

[golfgal]

We live in a "rambler" and live in Washington state, so I think the term must be pretty widely used. I was told we could sell our house in an instant since Ramblers are harder to find in our area and are very popular with empty nesters. That was one reason we were pleased we found a Rambler. We plan on staying in this home and if for some reason stairs become an issue we won't have to worry.

Well, I am hoping to NEVER move again, but that is what I said when we moved in here, so... . I am thinking long term for the house, the kids are grown and gone coming back with families and having rooms for them away from us. Also, short term having a space for the kids to hang out with friends, basement, away from us.

 

[mickeyfan2]

A rough estimate would be $100/sq foot for a basic home and $200+/sq. foot for a high end home. Obviously this varies greatly based on the area that you live in, home exterior, floor plan, ammenities in the home .... Thus a 2000 sq. ft home would be from $200,000 - $400,000+.

 

[r3ngels]

We are in the process of building and with all builders in the area... ranches are the most expensive and 2 stories are cheaper. Like stated before less foundation and smaller roof.

As far as the room in the basement... I have never heard that can add to square footage of the house and I have worked in mortgages (auditing morgage files) for years. It does "help" sell the house and you may get closer to your asking price but as far as number of bedrooms and square footage I have never heard that.

 

[the kabuki]

Here in Michigan, a finished basement is just that..a finished basement. It does not count towards the total livable square footage of the home, egress window or no.

Incidentally, a new code came out a few years back that states that a basement that is to be finished MUST have an egress window. When submitting plans for new construction, builder must indicate on those plans whether or not the basement will be considered "habitable" and if so must include egress window. The same goes for basement finishing in existing homes. If pulling permits to finish ones' basement , an egress window well must be installed below grade leading to above the brick ledge.

To answer OP, a ranch or rambler (never heard that term before) costs more per square foot than a colonial or 2 story, but total cost of building will be less (or should be). Think of it this way, with a 2 story, you're spending more, but you're getting more for your money

 

[Christine]

We are in the process of building and with all builders in the area... ranches are the most expensive and 2 stories are cheaper. Like stated before less foundation and smaller roof.

As far as the room in the basement... I have never heard that can add to square footage of the house and I have worked in mortgages (auditing morgage files) for years. It does "help" sell the house and you may get closer to your asking price but as far as number of bedrooms and square footage I have never heard that.

This is how it is where I live. If I were to advertise my home for sale, all I could say is that I have 2500 square feet AND a finished basement. Even though, combined, I have 4,000 square feet of finished space. Also, I have a room in my basement that does have a window however it does not have a closet. Because of that, we cannot advertise it as a bedroom.

 

[golfgal]

Here is a listing from a Twin Cities website. They DO count finished space in a basement in the total square footage of houses in Minnesota. That is just the way they do that because people DO use their basements here. If this house didn't have a finished basement, they wouldn't list any square footage there.


PROPERTY INFORMATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bedrooms: 6 Baths: 5
Square Ft.: 4468 Foundation Size: 1746
Above Ground Sq Ft: 3183 Below Ground Sq Ft: 1285
Garage Capacity: 3 Number of Fireplaces: 2
Property Type: RES Subdivision: EVERMOOR


Style: Two Stories School District: Rosemount/Apple Valley (196)
Area: Rosemount County: Dakota
Waterfront Description: Pond

Appliances: Air-To-Air Exchanger, Central Vacuum, Cooktop, Dishwasher, Disposal, Dryer, Exhaust Fan/Hood, Refrigerator, Trash Compactor, Wall Oven, Washer, Water Softener - Owned
Amenities: 4 BR on One Level, Main Floor Laundry
Amenities - Unit: Deck, Hardwood Floors, In-Ground Sprinkler, Kitchen Window, Local Area Network, Multiple Phone Lines, Natural Woodwork, Patio, Security System, Sunroom, Tiled Floors, Vaulted Ceiling(s)
Association Fee Includes: Other

Acres: 0.3 Exterior: Brick/Stone, Other
Lot Description: Tree Coverage - Light Road Frontage: City, Paved Streets


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lot Dimensions: 85 X 152 Year Built: 2001
Kings Map Page: 149 Kings Map Coordinates: E3
Roof: Age 8 Years or Less, Asphalt Shingles, Pitched
Accessible: None Heating System: Forced Air, In-Floor Heating
Fuel Type: Natural Gas Cooling System: Central
Sewer: City Sewer - Connected Water: City Water - Connected


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROOM DESCRIPTIONS & DETAILS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dining Room: Eat In Kitchen, Informal Dining Room, Separate/Formal Dining Room
Family Room: 2 Story/High/Vaulted Ceilings, Entertainment/Media Center, Main Level
Bathroom: Full Basement, Full Master, Main Floor 1/2 Bath, Private Master, Separate Tub & Shower, Whirlpool
Basement: Drain Tiled, Finished (Livable), Full, Sump Pump, Walkout
Fireplace Locations: Gas Burning, Living Room, Other
Garage: Attached Garage, Driveway - Asphalt, Garage Door Opener


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Living Room: 19X18 Level: Main
Dining Room: 13X12 Level: Main
Family Room: 19X18 Level: Lower
Kitchen: 15X12 Level: Main
Bedroom 1: 17X15 Level: Upper
Bedroom 2: 13X12 Level: Upper
Bedroom 3: 12X12 Level: Upper
Bedroom 4: 12X11 Level: Upper
Other Room 1: 14X12 Level: Main
Other Room 1: Deck
Other Room 2: 17X12 Level: Lower
Other Room 2: Fifth (5th) Bedroom
Other Room 3: 12X10 Level: Main
Other Room 3: Informal Dining Room
Other Room 4: 17X12 Level: Main
Other Room 4: Office
Full Baths: 3 3/4 Baths: 1 1/2 Baths: 1 1/4 Baths: 0


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINANCIAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

List Price: 734900 Association Fee: 250
Tax with Assessments: 0 Tax Year: 2005
Association Fee Paid: Yearly Assessments Pending: No



« Previous Property | Back to Results | Next Property »

Listing Information Courtesy of: Keller Williams Premier Realty
© Copyright 2005 Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Our next house is going to be a ranch, if we can help it. Down here in the south they're definitely not called Ramblers. I always thought that was a California term

Our last house had 4 stories! It was a tall 'intown' house. 20 stairs from drive under garage to first story, 20 stairs from first to second story, 15 stairs from second to bonus room. Augh! Never, ever again. And we're young and in good shape!

Our current home is a "5, 4 and a door", or a two story colonial with 5 windows across the top on the second floor, and 4 windows and a door in the front on the first floor. We have a walkout basement to the backyard (which still stinks of mold despite having a southern exposure and windows all along the back), so we're still doing a lot of stairs.

Our favorite house was our second house, which was on a slab with the master on the main and the two secondary bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. It was great, and we miss it.

I loathe basements. They stink, they're dark and cold and damp even if you run dehumidifiers, and in the case of this house, caved in twice with the previous owners.

Don't worry, we're renting it until we find our 'dream' house.

So why do you guys love basements? I hate them! Who wants to live underground like a mole? Just find a house big enough to live above-ground!

 

[golfgal]

Hopefully this works. This is an example of a finished basement in Minnesota, not even close to your description.--I guess it is a little small. I will look for a bigger picture.

 

[golfgal]

Here are a couple more photos of finished basements in MN

 

[Lynn CC]

I didn't read all the posts so if it hasn't been said already, a ranch is more expensive to heat than a 2 floor house because it's longer and therefore you use more of your land space, which = higher real estate taxes.
We have a ranch and it's managable.
It's nice not to have to climb stairs, especially for Seniors who can't.

 

[SueM in MN]

Nope, not what I mean.
I mean, that you CANNOT count it as part of the "listing square footage" even if it is gold plated.
It has certain requirements that it must meet to count. So just make sure you get those numbers before you build.
Of course it is sellable, I am just saying make sure you can count it LEGALLY as square footage.

it usually depends on whether there are windows (besides those little basement windows) and doors to access out. In Minnesota, many (like in some areas, almost all) lots have walkout basements. We have regular windows and patio doors that go flat out to our backyard. All of the finished area in the basement is counted toward our square footage. We have 2 bedrooms that "count" as bedrooms because they have regular windows (and closets). We have a 3rd room with a bed in it that can be counted as a den or office, but can't be counted as a bedroom because it doesn't have standard windows.
Now, my mother and father in law have a ranch house where they would not be able to count the basement as regular square footage. There house would have to be listed as "finished basement." Most of the basement is finished, but they have only a few tiny windows and a ceiling tile ceiling.

in our case, we needed a house that was as wheelchair accessible as possible, so a ranch/rambler was it. Our basement doesn't look at all like a basement; really, it's more like we have a 2 story home where we walk in the front on the 2nd floor and walk in the back on the first level. If I posted pictures of my youngest DD's bedroom (which is on the top level) and my oldest DD's bedroom (which is on the bottom level), you would not be able to tell which was in the "basement".

 

[pattyT]

the moral of the story - and anwser to the original question is...
it depends on where you live -
and the rate of different building materials!

Check with a builder in your area -
or go to a LOCAL lumber yard - they will be able to help you more - as apposed to a group here from all over the country!

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[graygables]

BTW, we live in a single-story ranch, with the master and my office/studio on the main floor and 2 bedrooms, kid's art room, play/computer room, and laundry room in the basement. It counts as square footage b/c it is finished, and no, my DDs do not think of themselves as "moles" . Their rooms have nice big windows, with brick stairsteps leading out for escape, but also for flowers and such in the summer. Granted, our house is almost 60 years old, but we've done a lot of modification for it to fit our family.

That said, if this is your last home, seriously consider issues of age when building it. Master on the main floor is VERY important to someone who can't manage stairs b/c of arthritis. Consider what you may be needing to do from a wheelchair, even, or unable to bend over for the dishwasher. Be sure doorways are wide enough to accomodate a wheelchair. Making it accessible in the first place is cheaper than retrofitting later!

Building up is cheaper than building out, but the important thing is getting an excellent foundation that will not cave in or leak on you. My DH is a masonry conractor and you would not believe the horror stories we hear. He just finished a basement for a family who had built their "dream home" a few years ago (he was working in the same area and watched the hacks who built it) and they had nothing but problems, walls caving, etc, so less than 5 years into their "dream home", they scrapped it and are starting all over. Moral of the story is, do NOT only look at the bottom line. Good luck!!!

 

[jonestavern]

the moral of the story - and anwser to the original question is...
it depends on where you live -
and the rate of different building materials!

Check with a builder in your area -
or go to a LOCAL lumber yard - they will be able to help you more - as apposed to a group here from all over the country!

Good luck and have fun!!!

Well said!
Yes, building codes go state by state, & often town by town, again depending on the state. there are national codes. here I am thinking of electrical codes, plumbing codes, but again those are subject to state & local regulations, enforcement etc-
energy costs are also different all over the US.
from my own experience living in the cold climes, it saves an extraordinary amount of money if you lay the $$$ out up front for 2 x 8 (or 2 x 10 ) construction, energy efficient furnace w/zoning & wicked good windows & doors. Re-sale on heat efficient housing is a real plus here & it will save you beaucoup bucks!

Jean

 

[katerkat]

So why do you guys love basements? I hate them! Who wants to live underground like a mole? Just find a house big enough to live above-ground!

Storage space (we have no attic.) And if you live in the Midwest - tornado shelter!

 

[pattyT]

FYI
we even spent more $$$ to put in a ten foot foundation (40x50) so we can have a kids playroom, and an adult one too