By Jon Solomon

This is the most commonly asked questions for Tampa custom home builders.  When I wrote about this over a year ago, I mentioned that many home builders get pretty irritated by this question.  Often they respond – “Home much does a new car cost per pound?”  There may be some relationship between a car’s cost and its weight, but nobody ever asks that question about cars.  Whether it’s for existing or new homes, the cost per square foot is common throughout real estate, so I decided long ago that this is a perfectly reasonable way for people to understand the cost of a new home.

When we discuss cost per square foot, we explain that it is driven by three factors:  1) Size; 2) Style; and 3) Level of Finish.  Our new Get An Online Quote asks these three questions and provides you a quote in seconds.  Here is why these factors are important:

1) Size: The size of a home matters when you think about cost per square foot.  A 2,500 sq ft home will cost less per square foot than a 4,500 sq ft home. That may seem counter intuitive, but think about it this way.  Both homes have one high cost kitchen. In the larger home, this high cost is spread over more square feet than the smaller home.

2) Style: Depending on what style you prefer, it will impact cost.  For example, Mediterranean and Key West style homes tend to be more expensive than Colonials.  This is due to the higher cost tile and metal roofing and other elements like iron and detail interior trim that are in Med and Key West style homes.

3) Level of Finish: Every area of a home (Flooring, Cabinets, Appliances, etc) can vary in their level of cost.  For example, carpet is much less costly than wood or stone flooring.  Five inch baseboards cost less than seven inch. GE Profile appliances cost less than SubZero and Wolf. Bottom line, the level of finish you select has a significant impact on the cost per square foot.

Okay, I can hear you yelling, “Enough already!  How much does it cost per square foot to build a new home?”

To get your answer, visit our Get A Quote tool and answer these three questions.  You’ll get a quote in seconds. As far as we know, we are the only custom builder to offer this function.

Keep in mind that this is the first step in the custom home building process.  Once you get your quote, we can meet with you to further customize your quote to make sure it meets your requirements.

Enjoy this new Get A Quote feature for Tampa Bay custom homes.

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